Instructor Profile

The Federal Consumer Protection Bureau announced a final rule in 2019 regarding consumers' rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act during the employee background check process. Several states and cities have also passed "Ban the Box" laws, which prohibit employers from inquiring about criminal records in job applications. However, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has released its own guidelines on background checks, causing confusion for employers attempting to comply with hiring regulations. Additionally, reporting requirements for adverse actions present further obstacles, as employers must inform applicants of disqualifying information discovered during background checks and offer the opportunity to refute the findings. Along with concerns surrounding potential negligent hiring lawsuits, human resources professionals can struggle to balance compliance and smart hiring decisions.

This webinar will address these complexities to aid employers in recruiting and retaining high-quality employees.

The risks of a former employee filing a discrimination charge increase significantly after they are terminated involuntarily.
It is hard to find information on how many discrimination charges are as a result of terminating employees (as opposed to hiring, discipline, or other reasons), but in my 42 years of dealing with Human Resources issues, I would say the percentage is more than 95%.

Therefore, it is very important that termination be handled well. There are a number of steps that should be followed when having a termination discussion with an employee. Following the steps in this webinar will greatly minimize your risks of being charged with discrimination when you have to terminate an employee.

You only have one chance to make a good first impression. The Onboarding Process is that one chance. All new hires are highly motivated on their first day of employment. Whether you call it Onboarding, Induction, Enculturation, or New Employee Orientation, the process used to welcome and train your new employees while capturing their excitement of a new job and reducing their new job jitters is critical to their success.

Dealing with new employee jitters and uncertainties is a high priority in orientation programs. The process of orienting new employees to their new position, their new work environment, and their new colleagues takes time, and if not done effectively, the new hire leaves and goes elsewhere. Onboarding is a strategy and a process that extends well beyond the first day on the job. It is critical to get the new hire off and running in their new environment and become acclimated to their company, position, and colleagues.

A comprehensive Onboarding process results in a higher level of engagement and the new employee reaches productivity much sooner. Poor onboarding results in higher turnover, lower productivity, and lower profitability.

Why do so many new employees become disenchanted with their job after a few months? This question is hard to answer as there could be many reasons – but one of the biggest reasons for employee disenchantment is a toxic or negative work environment. Ways to identify and eliminate negativity will also be covered in this webinar.

How much better would your workplace be if you could harness the motivation and energy of the new employee for years? The answer is obvious.

This webinar will help management and supervisory employees with new and better ways to welcome new employees and stop the destructive force that negativity causes in the workplace.

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia now require employers to provide paid sick leave to its employees. In addition, 24 municipalities require employees receive paid sick leave and 14 states are considering passing laws soon. A Federal Law requiring paid sick leave seems to be getting closer to becoming a reality.

Do you have a Federal Contract? If so, you are required to have a sick leave policy.

Do you have a contract with a municipality? If so, have you checked the fine print to see if you have to offer paid sick leave to your employees?

Every Law is Different

One thing to know is that every state and municipal law requiring mandatory paid sick leave is different. Trying to comply with all of them is causing much confusion. For example, Vermont requires paid sick leave be offered after one year of service while other require it after 90 or 120 days. Colorado and New York require sick leave be paid as it accrues. Most require you offer paid sick leave to part time employees. Other require it of all employees – even those who work on an on-call basis.

Is Your PTO Plan Obsolete?

PTO or a Paid Time Off programs that combined vacation and sick leave into one bucket of time off was the trend for many years. With the passage of these laws, many organizations are doing away with their PTO as many states require payment of unused PTO upon termination. However, the same states do not require payment of unused sick leave. Organizations can maintain their PTO Plans, but at what cost? One company saved over $1 million in termination payments by changing from a PTO plan to a sick/vacation plan in California.

In this webinar, we will be reviewing mandatory paid sick leave laws in place now, review many of the differences and go over how to transition from a Sick/Vacation policy to a PTO policy as well as making the transition from a PTO plan to a Sick/Vacation plan.

In Fiscal Year 2023, The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission received 67,448 discrimination cases. Think about it, we have 200 work days a year – so this equates to over 337 a day and 42 every working hour.  

Sheer numbers indicate that it’s just a matter of time before a discrimination charge crosses your desk.  

Get the information you need NOW to be prepared.

Your first reaction to receiving a charge of discrimination follows the stages of grief – shock, denial, and anger, … some get depressed because they think they may get in trouble. Then reality sets in and they reach the acceptance and action stages. 

The fact is discrimination charges are now just one of the risks of doing business. Proper preparation is the key to winning charges of discrimination. Properly responding to a Charge of Discrimination is never fun.

Most, if not all of us, have been involved in negativity in the workplace. We all know that it often spreads quickly throughout the organization.

Workplace negativity is a major issue that can have serious financial consequences for your company. It can lower employee morale and drain your employees' energy.  In a matter of days, the workplace can become toxic. Don't let this happen to you and the work area you are responsible for overseeing. You can read articles about negativity but they suggestions that do not delve into the real issue or become so complicated that they cannot be implemented.

In this webinar, you will find good, common sense and easy to implement ways to ensure that negativity is nullified and never noticed again.