This highly interactive program focuses on helping executives, managers and supervisors understand and prevent harassment and identify other types of inappropriate conduct that while not unlawful, are, nonetheless unacceptable in the workplace.

Special emphasis is placed on liability issues, effectively handling harassment complaints, discipline, investigations and corrective action. Additional discussion will focus on confidentiality, non-retaliation and avoiding liability for other types of claims such as defamation and privacy issues. An employee version of the program is also available.

No power point is use and the training use tools that attendees keep and that actually help transform and/or reinforce your workplace culture.

Managers and supervisors are provided a thorough education about illegal discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender (including sexual harassment), sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, age, religion, physical and mental disability. This program also highlights practices that are not illegal, yet inadvisable in the workplace. The issues of liability, defenses, prevention and appropriate handling of complaints and investigations will also be discussed.

Under state and federal laws, employers are required to promptly investigate complaints concerning harassment, discrimination, retaliation and whistle blower claims and take appropriate corrective action. Investigations may also need to be conducted regarding theft, substance abuse, safety and other areas of potential misconduct. However, simply conducting an investigation may not be enough to avoid liability.

This program focuses on the importance of recognizing and understanding why and when investigations need to be conducted, who should conduct the investigation, creating an investigation strategy, how to effectively interview witnesses, handling evidence and creating proper documentation, reaching a conclusion, creating a final report, and discipline and termination. Participants will gain hands-on experience conducting an actual investigation. This program can be customized into a one or two day program.

Performance management is a critical issue for employers. Educating managers and supervisors on how to effectively give feedback and conduct appraisals ensures that each employee will be judged fairly and objectively and rewarded on the basis of job performance. The evaluation process assists managers/supervisors in identifying individual performance problems and developing plans to address those problems. This training module will provide guidance on properly assessing employee performance, providing constructive feedback and coaching. Attendees will also learn how to avoid innocent, but potentially costly, mistakes that can arise during the evaluation process.

This program uses the content from Allison's nationally and critically acclaimed program, "Seven Steps for Creating Bulletproof Documentation."  Allison has delivered this program at the SHRM Annual Conference over 10 times (and other conferences as well) and was in the top 10 (and 10%) highest rated speakers multiple times.

This program is practical, filled with tips and includes the "seven steps" that help managers and supervisors concisely and efficiently document coaching and performance discussions.  The goal is to help managers understand the importance of handling workplace-related documentation as if it may someday appear before a jury as “Exhibit A.”

The training also covers: creating contemporaneous documents, the proper use of “shadow files,” words and phrases to use and avoid, how to have a productive coaching conversation, clearly describing expectations, the pros and cons of electronic documentation, as well as other topics.

This program is in workshop format (and no power point) and includes practical exercises for attendees to gain hands-on experience creating proper documentation.

No area of the employment relationship holds more legal implications than termination. In this program, managers and supervisors will learn about the principle of “at will” employment and the important exceptions to the rule. Various employment practices will be identified including hiring, discipline and documentation that could potentially create liability. Participants will also learn about the legal foundations of discharge lawsuits. Emphasis is placed on effectively handling discipline and discharge situations in an effort to minimize the risk of litigation.

Managing leave requests can be one of the more difficult and confusing aspects of running a business. In order to successfully handle requests for leave, employers must have an understanding of the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”), the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), and state workers’ compensation laws in addition to the myriad of other state leave laws. An injured or ill employee may have rights under each of these statutes that must be respected. While each statute provides different protections for employees, frequently, some of the benefits and protections overlap. This program will focus on basic statutory obligations, limitations on pre-employment inquiries and medical examinations, employer liability, disciplinary and termination issues along with record keeping and reporting requirements.

These modules focus on:

• how cultural and other individual differences contribute to how we interact and process information in the workplace,
• effective ways to communicate to create and maintain a respectful workplace, and
• behaviors that can be disrespectful and not in line with the company’s core values.

Effective Workplace Communication

1. Understanding and working with employees, managers and clients with different communication styles
2. What to say and when to say it
3. Impact of body language and voice tones
4. How to politely disagree – diplomacy and tact
5. Tips for proper communications during meetings - microaggressions, bias, seating
6. Proper use of email and voicemail communications

Managing Conflict

1. Understand what conflict is and how it can escalate
2. Develop effective intervention strategies
3. How to mediate conflict between employees
4. Preparing agreements
5. Understanding your own conflict style

In this program, managers and supervisors learn to handle discipline in such a way as to minimize conflict and maximize employee performance. Participants learn best practices in handling discipline focusing on fair processes, proper documentation, how to terminate with dignity and without breaking the law. Alternatives to termination such as leaves of absence, reassignment, demotion are also explored along with other issues to consider before making a termination decision.

This program focuses on one of the most common and most challenging responsibilities of managers and HR professionals: hiring the best people. Participants will learn the basics of effective interviewing including preparation, necessity of job descriptions, focusing on behavioral questioning, methods of recruiting, handling applications, note taking, and general interviewing tips and techniques. Special emphasis is placed on how to avoid illegal questions and what questions should be asked, how to avoid discrimination claims in selecting employees and the consequences of negligent hiring.

This interactive program focuses on helping manager’s unlock their employee’s potential and improve performance. Managers will learn how to develop a coaching mentality, provide clear and concise feedback, effectively adapt a coaching style for different types of employees, properly document coaching sessions, minimize legal risk and help employees take ownership of their performance.

This program focuses on ensuring mentors and mentees understand the fundamentals of mentoring and their respective roles in creating a relationship focused on increasing knowledge, skills, performance and confidence.