Wednesday, September 15, 2010 – 10:30 a.m. to Noon (Pacific)

You sank $25,000 into a computerized timekeeping system, so no worries when the federal or California investigators come knocking to take a peek at your wage and hour records, right?

Wrong. It's a myth that you can rely on a computer system to keep you out of trouble. You may think you’ve got your bases covered, but there is far more to tracking hours than you might expect.

Don’t wait for a wage and hour audit or an expensive lawsuit to discover that your recordkeeping practices weren’t the best they could have been.

 

Thursday, September 16, 2010 – 10:30 a.m. to Noon (Pacific)

Sometimes, complaints are just a worker feeling a little disgruntled. But there are some complaints that should have sirens going off in your head. When employees come to you with complaints concerning harassment, discrimination, theft and/or violence, or potentially illegal activity. pay close attention to what they have to say—and prepare to do an investigation.

Unfortunately, it's all to easy to jump into an investigation and get it wrong. And that just compounds your problems. You need to be prepared now so you are ready when the time comes. Your preparation and knowing how to conduct a thorough investigation will give your company the best insight on what caused the complaint and how to deal with it.

 

Wednesday, September 22, 2010 – 10:30 a.m. to Noon (Pacific)

Hiring the wrong person creates instant headaches for line managers and team members--headaches like can't do the job, won't do the job, challenges company policies at every turn, is prone outbursts, or worse, is violent. And all that's to say nothing of the HR headaches when you eventually have to fire the person.

Don't wait until after you've hired someone to find out that you've selected the wrong candidate. Find out before you hire. You can legally sift through all of the available information before you offer someone the job--thorough background checks, probing interview questions, and, yes, sometimes even social media!

 

Thursday, September 23, 2010 – 10:30 a.m. to Noon (Pacific)

Discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims and lawsuits have skyrocketed across the country in today's recession-stricken economy--and, it's much worse in California. For every 1 million employees in California, about 1,000 employment discrimination complaints are filed annually!

Over the past 12 months, federal and CA courts and regulators have issued a flood of new rulings and guidelines that have changed the way employers across the Golden State should prevent, anticipate, and defuse potential discrimination complaints. If you're not up to speed on these changes, you're putting yourself at risk this year!

 

Friday, September 24, 2010 – 10:30 a.m. to Noon (Pacific)

You are probably doing a great job at putting out fires and dealing with the never-ending challenges of California HR: hiring, firing, motivating, enforcing, and digging out from under that mountain of paperwork.

However, these days, your bosses want to judge you by a different standard: the bottom line. They want to know if your HR work is a profit driver—or a cost center. They’re asking you to measure the effectiveness of your work in objective, hard numbers. Today, if you haven’t mastered metrics and how to communicate the value of HR, you’re losing ground!

 

Monday, September 27, 2010 – 10:30 a.m. to Noon (Pacific)

Experts say travel pay disputes–from business trips and mandatory off-site trainings to commuting time, waiting time, and on-call time–could fuel an enormous surge in lawsuits filed by California workers in 2011 and beyond.

Why? Many employers haven’t updated their workplace policies in recent years to keep up with changing federal and state guidelines. Rising gas prices (and falling paychecks) have forced more employees to focus on their out-of-pocket expenses. And, disagreements over travel pay typically fall within the wage/hour realm–making them a highly attractive target for California’s plaintiff’s attorneys!

Even for experienced supervisors and HR managers, travel pay standards can prove very confusing. The rules change quickly, based on whether workers are commuting or traveling on assignment, whether they’re driving their own cars or company vehicles, and whether they’re exempt or non-exempt. Plus–surprise!–California has its own travel pay/expense regs that don’t always match the federal guidelines.

 

Tuesday, September 28, 2010 – 10:30 a.m. to Noon (Pacific)

You put tremendous faith in your supervisors—they're your front line for everything from hiring and firing to performance management, attendance, and following company policies. And that's to say nothing of the day-to-day conflicts you're counting on them to resolve. But supervisors aren't born—they're trained. They need guidance, they need a push, and they need a roadmap.

Join us on Sept. 28 for a special in-depth, 90-minute webinar on how all supervisors—from company veterans to rank-and-file workers who’ve recently been promoted to the corner office—can take their leadership skills to a higher level. Our expert—a seasoned labor and employment attorney—will identify the key traits all-star supervisors share, while discussing valuable legal, professional, and practical pointers ordinary managers can follow to grow into well-respected, more effective leaders.

 

Wednesday, September 29, 2010 – 10:30 a.m. to Noon (Pacific)

There are times when discipline or termination of a workers’ comp claimant is warranted, just as it would be for any other worker. But you’re walking into a powder keg if you underestimate the legal risks involved.

Once cleared to return to work, a workers’ comp claimant may request a light-duty accommodation, which could trigger ADA protections. You’re also dealing with potential FMLA leave issues, as well as job restoration rights provided by California's workers’ comp law. And don’t forget about possible exceptions to the at-will doctrine. One false move and you could find yourself in a heap of legal trouble.

 

Tuesday, October 5, 2010 – 10:30 a.m. to Noon (Pacific)

Wage and hour claims are on the rise in California, outstripping every other type of employment litigation. Sources say your workers are 10 times more likely to take you to court over pay disputes than discrimination claims. And, the stakes are high—because, if you lose, you could be on the hook for several years of back wages and benefits for every single employee involved in the case! And that's to say nothing of still legal fees and possible penalties.

To make things worse, over the past 12 months, federal and California courts and regulators have issued a flood of new rulings and guidelines that have changed the way employers across the Golden State should prevent, anticipate, and defuse potential wage and hour claims. If you’re not up to speed on these changes, you’re putting your company—and yourself—at risk!

 

Tuesday, October 12, 2010 – 10:30 a.m. to Noon (Pacific)

• An employee wants to return to work following a workers’ comp injury, but you’re just not convinced she’s physically capable of handling the job, plus you find the timing suspect given the fact that her disability payments are going to run out soon.
• An employee appears depressed and begins to exhibit erratic behavior at work—so much so that you feel that he could endanger himself or his coworkers.
• An employee out on family and medical leave presents a medical certification stating she can return to work but only on a part-time basis, and she may need to be absent intermittently for follow-up medical treatment.

Is a fitness-for-duty exam justified under any of the above circumstances? What about a mandatory leave of absence, termination, or reassignment?

California employers must answer these tough questions all to often. But, tricky legal hurdles bound, given the myriad of state and federal employment laws at play—including California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the California Family Rights Act. You'll get into trouble quickly unless you know your legal obligations.

 

Wednesday, October 13, 2010 – 10:30 a.m. to Noon (Pacific)

Meal and rest period requirements have played a huge role in California's wage and hour litigation scene for more than five years—indeed, the issue has grown into the litigation du jour for both class and individual actions.

Bottom line, it's time for an update if you want to avoid being the victim of one of those expensive lawsuits. Join us on October 13 when our employment law expert explores these issues with strategies and tips on how to ensure you don’t get caught in the fight.