BEST PRACTICES FOR HIRING, MANAGING AND TERMINATING EMPLOYEES
Presented By:
Kathleen Deibert, Esq., Maria Ramos-Chertok, Esq. and Jane Kow, Esq.

Join Us for a Unique One Day Program Featuring Three Top Notch Employment Lawyers and
Enjoy a Hosted Lunch with the Deputy Director of the
California Department of Fair Employment & Housing
9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Oakland, California
This program has been approved by the HR Certificate Institute of for a total of 6 hours of HRCI credit.

Who should attend:      Human resources, employee and labor relations professionals, and managers and supervisors

Cost per person:  On or before July 23, 2010: $390; after July 23, 2010: $425

Part I: 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.      Presented By Kathleen Deibert, Esq.

HIRING EMPLOYEES:
Effectively Manage Legal Risk Throughout the Pre-Employment and Hiring Process
Even the most well-intentioned employer can find itself facing liability during the hiring process by using seemingly innocent inquiries and selection techniques that violate anti-discrimination and privacy laws.  Part I of this training is designed to help managers and HR professionals develop compliant employment policies that address the critical legal issues associated with selection and hiring processes.

Participants will learn how to:
•      Use legally permissible inquiries for interviews and applications
•      Identify and use appropriate resources for background checks and pre-employment testing
•      Apply legally acceptable candidate selection guidelines
•      Handle unfair competition issues during the selection process
•      Communicate effective job offers that also provide legal protection for the employer

Break: 10:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.

Part II: 10:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.      Presented By Maria Ramos-Chertok, Esq.

ESSENTIAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR MANAGERS:
Communicating Expectations & Providing Effective Feedback, Analyzing Performance Deficiencies, Problem Solving, Performance Improvement Plans, Progressive Discipline
Part II will outline and teach the practical skills needed to successfully lay the foundation for a successful supervisorial relationship.  During this training you will learn an analytical framework which can be used for effective performance counseling and problem-solving with your employees.  You will also be provided with an overview of progressive discipline and its role in the communication process between managers and employees.

Participants will learn the following essential communication skills:
•      How to communicate expectations in a way that sets the employees up for success
•      The essential components of effective feedback and how to provide it
•      How to analyze performance deficiencies
•      The role of problem solving and coaching in developing a performance improvement plan
•      When progressive discipline is needed and how to work with Human Resources to ensure proper documentation and communication of the process

HOSTED LUNCH PROGRAM      12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Featuring Jennifer Harlan, Deputy Director of the California Department of Fair Employment & Housing: Recent Developments

Part III: 1:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.            Presented by Jane Kow, Esq.

BEST DOCUMENTATION PRACTICES WHEN MANAGING AND FIRING EMPLOYEES:
Documenting Employee Misconduct and Performance Issues Counseling Memos and Performance Improvement Plans, and Termination Notices
Part III will help you to clearly document and communicate concerns about employees’ workplace misconduct and performance issues, regardless of whether you are a new manager or an experienced HR professional.  These best documentation practices will enable you to make sound personnel decisions based on a properly documented record, aimed at minimizing the appearance of harassment or unfair treatment.  Participants will be provided with templates that suggest areas for employee performance improvement, provide warnings about misconduct, and notify them of the basis for key personnel decisions.    

Participants will learn how to document common workplace issues with easy to use templates that cover:
•      Key personnel decisions (e.g., hiring, promoting, and demoting employees)
•      Performance issues and efforts to coach employees for improvement
•      Employee misconduct problems
•      Employee complaints, including discrimination and harassment claims and other legal issues
•      Termination decisions

Break: 3:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Part IV: 3:30 p.m.  – 4:30 p.m.      Presented by Kathleen Deibert, Esq.

MANAGING THE LEGAL RISK OF TERMINATION:
Taking Proactive Steps to Reduce Liability for Terminations
Part IV of the program teaches the fundamentals of effectively reducing the legal risk associated with terminations occurring in today’s highly litigious environment.  This training will examine various termination scenarios and highlight the key components for a low risk separation.

Participants will learn how to:
•      Successfully bring closure to a voluntary resignation
•      Engage in a sound termination decision-making process
•      Follow a selection process in a reduction in force
•      Handle terminations involving employees with prior complaints
•      Administer a termination meeting
•      Handle severance and other release agreements

Handouts include comprehensive PowerPoint presentations covering each of these topics and an essential toolkit of forms that will help HR and managers through all phases of the employment relationship:

New Hires:
•      Checklists for interview and application inquiries
•      Guidelines for background and reference checks
•      Template offer letters

Employee disciplinary memo templates:
•      Checklist of Essential Do’s and Don’ts of Employee Misconduct and Performance Issues
•      Employee misconduct incident memo
•      Performance counseling memo
•      Performance expectations memo (for newly promoted or transferred employee)
•      Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs)
•      Notice of termination of employment

Termination of employment:
•      Checklists for handling voluntary and involuntary terminations
•      Selection guidelines for reductions in force
•      An overview of release and separation agreements.

For more information and registration please contact Jennifer B. Perez, Office Manager/Paralegal, Jane Kow & Associates, Telephone (415) 567-0367, jennifer@hrlawconsultants.com.