Training

We focus on substance, but we don’t neglect style. Humor helps.

We are a national leader in providing labor and employment law training for employers, large and small, throughout the United States. We love being in front of people all day. Our attorney-trainers know the realities and nuances of litigation. They thoroughly understand, and will illustrate, the actions employers may take that will make the difference between exposure to potentially massive liability or a complete defense to any claim. Moreover, each one of our attorneys who presents our educational programs has undergone rigorous training, not only concerning presentation substance, but style. Our method is not to create fear, but to empower managers and supervisors to use federal and state employment laws as a basis for thoughtful decision-making, exemplifying fair and ethical leadership principles.

Through a combination of role-play, interactive exercises, and dynamic presentation, we have programs designed to meet and exceed, statutory and corporate content and instructional requirements. Our interactive trainings, depending on content and intended audience, are available in-person, by video-conferencing, and/or web-based. For more information on logistics and pricing, please e-mail us.

Anti-Harassment/Abusive Conduct Prevention Training

We challenge often-mistaken ideas about wrongful conduct.

This two-hour program goes well beyond the State of California’s mandatory requirements for training supervisors on the prevention of workplace harassment. This highly interactive seminar challenges the often-mistaken ideas managers may hold concerning the types of conduct that rise to the level of sexual harassment; actions constituting “notice” of unwelcome behavior; and their obligations and liabilities concerning the elimination of harassment in the workplace. In the last year alone, our attorneys have presented sexual harassment prevention seminars to thousands of managerial and executive personnel, and they serve as faculty on many corporate “university” programs. In addition to live training, these courses are also delivered via our on-demand learning platform.

Workplace Violence Prevention and Intervention

It’s all about cultivating knowledgeable leaders.

This is a particular area of professional passion and commitment for Hirschfeld Kraemer; we are one of a select few employment/higher education law firms nationally that has been consistently invested in the education of entire workforces, from C-Suite to front-line supervisors to individual contributors, on the essentials of workplace violence prevention through informed assessment and practiced response.

Our Firm offers three different training programs for organizations interested in addressing this important issue. Our proprietary curriculum typically begins with creating and training a Threat Assessment/Workplace Violence Prevention Team (or enhancing the knowledge of an established team). In addition, we offer a half-day training course for supervisors covering early warning signs, risk factors, bystander engagement skills, and best practice communication/intervention techniques, together with the integration of disability law concerns.

Finally, we are very excited about our newest web-based offering for all personnel: Workplace Ready: Workplace Violence Prevention. This adaptive learning, 45-minute online program captures the essential content of our in-person programs. We believe that it is unique within the limited number of online offerings presented in this area, as it takes a multi-disciplinary approach necessary to creating a culture devoted to prevention of workplace violence. Based on feedback from the general counsel, security, and human resources executives who have reviewed this program, we are confident that it is far more than a strict “workplace violence”-specific training: we believe that this program provides significant content that will help your workforce develop a culture of both “informed compassion” and accountability.

“Managing Within the Law”

This management course focuses on how the law impacts your management team and what they can do to avoid the “legal land mines” that sometimes can stand in the way of making a solid personnel decision. We don’t scare them with the law, we empower them by making sure they understand what they can and can’t do. This course has up to four different modules that can be taught separately or combined as needed: (1) The art of “rightful termination;” meaning how to hold employees accountable for their performance, attitude and behavior while minimizing the risk of litigation; (2) Compliance with all applicable federal and state discrimination laws including important topics such as disability and religious accommodations, and how race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age and other personal characteristics can’t be taken into account when making employment decisions; (3) Harassment/Abusive Conduct Prevention (discussed above); (4) Ensuring your workplace is fully compliant with federal and state wage-hour laws including exempt/non-exempt status, overtime issues, meal/rest periods, and use/abuse of independent contractors.

Conducting Internal Investigations

This full-day seminar is designed to provide comprehensive training to HR professionals, in-house counsel, risk managers and security professionals engaged in internal investigations of employee misconduct. The program uses a seven-part case study so that the participants understand how to apply the practical skills they are taught including: how to effectively interview a witness and gain their cooperation, gathering corroborating and circumstantial evidence, sorting relevant and irrelevant information, assessing credibility, arriving at a legally-defensible conclusion, and preparing a report that will withstand a legal challenge.

Managing Effectively Under a Union Contract

Understanding where union contracts and labor law come into play.

Too many managers buy into the myth that their hands are tied when managing a unionized workforce. This is incorrect; management is fully capable of holding their workers accountable for performance and behavior. Unionized businesses should be empowered to motivate their workforces and, when warranted, discipline employees. The key is to understand where the union contract and federal labor law come into play. This program is designed to provide managers working under a collective bargaining agreement with the practical tools they need to do their jobs effectively.

Preventative Union/Labor Relations

Union organizing is on the rise. The latest national polls demonstrate that most workers have a positive view of unions and many believe unions will ensure their rights are protected. On top of this, the NLRB is allowing organizing in “micro-units” and statistics show that unions win the vast majority of elections held in these small work groups. Most managers don’t understand the impact unions can have on the workplace and what rights they have to share their views of unionization. Managers often operate on the false assumption that employees organize to gain more pay and better benefits when the truth is that most workers choose unions mostly due to their perceptions of mistreatment by their supervisors. Once your management team is taught all of this and understands how to create a positive work environment and identify the early warning signs of union organizing, the chances of a union successfully organizing your business is greatly diminished. This training is designed to greatly reduce the chance that a union will come “knocking at your door”.

Title IX Coordinator & Investigator Training

We are uniquely positioned to offer engaging and comprehensive training.

As attorneys who specialize in advising on Title IX and Clery compliance and also conduct campus sexual assault investigations and revise and update campus policies, we are uniquely positioned to offer an engaging and comprehensive training on responding to and investigating allegations of sexual violence. The training for Title IX Coordinators covers policy elements, Title IX and Clery requirements, responding to campus sexual violence, best practices in designing a hearing panel or single investigator model, and ensuring access to resources and accommodations. The Training for Title IX Investigators is a comprehensive training that covers a trauma-informed method of investigating complaints in a manner that provides fair process for both parties.

Higher Education Training

We educate education professionals about the changing legal and regulatory landscape.

We represent more than 100 colleges and universities nationwide; we routinely provide legal training to college and university administrators on a wide variety of legal issues involving employment law and student affairs. These sessions include preventative training and providing practical advice in areas including campus violence, best practices in employment law for Deans and Department Chairs, FERPA compliance, ADA and Section 504 issues and anything else that comes our client’s way.

Spanish Language Supervisor Training

Language barriers should never be a hindrance to effective training.

With today’s increasingly diverse labor force and minority-owned businesses, employers have experienced a growing need for employment training in Spanish. English may not be the first language of an employer, a manager or supervisor, or a workforce, and yet, compliance with labor and employment laws is essential. Providing training in Spanish is key to management and employees’ critical understanding of the laws affecting the workplace and their roles in ensuring compliance with those laws.

As one of the largest providers of labor and employment law training in the United States, we have developed customized labor and employment law programs conducted in Spanish. Our Spanish-language programs are designed specifically to provide practical, up-to-date information on current legal issues affecting the workplace. By the end of our seminars, your managers and supervisors learn how to identify legal issues and how to use the laws, as tools, to successfully navigate around potential problems. Our Spanish-based training programs have been the focus of national attention and featured in The Recorder and in Small Firm Business.

We offer additional programs on relevant labor and employment law topics as well as topics affecting institutions of higher education. Please contact us via e-mail at onlineqa@hkemploymentlaw.com to explore the broad range of training options available to your business or organization.