Training

Our counseling practice has taught us the value of employee training. We believe that the best way to avoid litigation is to ensure that employers are aware of the legal issues which may cause problems in the workplace. This is a foundation of our “preventive” philosophy. To increase this awareness, our attorneys regularly conduct in-house management seminars on legal and employee relations issues.

Our employment law attorneys offer practical training for all employees, including all levels of management. Our programs differ from those offered by other law firms in that ours are not filled with “legalisms” that often scare or confuse both employees and managers. Rather, we provide tools to teach managers not only how to identify legal “landmines” within their organizations, but how to successfully navigate around them and use the law as a tool for making necessary personnel decisions. To further facilitate these goals, our training sessions are specifically tailored to each client’s objectives and incorporate many unique California-specific rules and regulations.

We conduct training programs for private and public-sector employers of all sizes. Many clients tell us that they experience fewer lawsuits, charges and complaints from employees whose supervisors have gone through one of our training programs.

We present workshops on the following topics:

Recognizing, Avoiding and Investigating Sexual and other Harassment

This two-hour program, which is fully compliant with California’s new sexual harassment training requirement, teaches managers and supervisors to recognize the kind of conduct which frequently forms the basis of sexual and other types of harassment claims but is seldom recognized as being unlawful before charges are filed.

Effective Performance Management and Documentation Strategies

During this course, managers and supervisors learn strategies for creating and maintaining employment documents and how to evaluate employees honestly (and completely) based on specific facts. Participants will learn how to not let disciplinary problems get out of hand and how to communicate good performance to increase employee morale.

Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act

In this course, we focus on teaching managers and supervisors to spot disability issues and how to determine who is disabled and how to analyze and deal with requests for accommodations under California and federal law.

Avoiding Employee Lawsuits by Managing Within the Law

This course is a focused review of the top employment-related mistakes that managers make in the workplace. The emphasis is on more than just the law, but the practical approach to avoid litigation

Effective Discipline and Discharge

During this course, managers and supervisors learn the key rules of effective discipline and proper documentation. We provide training on how to impose progressive discipline and participants will learn how to prepare a performance improvement plan and establish interim progress reports.

Employee or Independent Contractor? The Million Dollar Question

This course focuses on common mistakes employers make when classifying employees. Each year employers pay huge settlements for years of back taxes and overtime pay for improperly classified employees.

Workplace Investigations: Effective Strategies for Litigation Avoidance and Defense

This training gives human resources professionals, in-house counsel, and internal security personnel the tools they need to conduct defensible, and thorough investigations.

Avoiding Wage and Hour Class Action Lawsuits

Understanding the legal implications that arise from wage and hour requirements help managers avoid costly wage and hour claims. In this course, we specifically address the different legal issues that arise from California’s overly regulated wage and hour environment.