Employee Handbook And Personnel Policies

In Person at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, 924 West Huntington Drive, Monrovia
Or Live Broadcast
9:00am-4:30pm PST
12:00pm-7:30pm EST

COURSE FACULTY
Richard J. Simmons
& Bryanne Lewis, Attorneys
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP, Los Angeles, California

Richard Simmons is the author of the text used in the program. He represents employers in various labor relations matters involving state and federal wage and hour laws, proposed class actions, wrongful discharge, employment discrimination, employee discipline and termination, employee benefits, and contract arbitrations. He has successfully argued before the California Supreme Court and appellate and trial courts in California and other parts of the country.

Richard was recently recognized as the “Labor and Employment Attorney of the Year” by the Los Angeles Business Journal and was inducted into the Employment Lawyers Hall of Fame.

Bryanne Lewis is an attorney in Sheppard Mullin’s Los Angeles office. She represents employers in employment matters, including wage and hour class and representative actions, and discrimination, harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination actions. Bryanne also counsels employers on a broad range of employment-related issues, including wage and hour issues, leaves of absence and accommodations, and personnel decisions.

Bryanne received her J.D. from the Loyola School of Law, cum laude, and her B.A. from Loyola Marymount University.

The Employee Handbook and Personnel Policies Program will feature Richard Simmons’ popular desk reference, the Employee Handbook And Personnel Policies Manual*. It provides a unique examination of the state and federal laws that regulate personnel policies and employee handbooks. Mr. Simmons will discuss sample policies that can be of enormous value to employers in their efforts to avoid and defend wrongful discharge, leaves of absence, discrimination, wage-hour and other claims. Handbooks and personnel policies are viewed as legal documents. Most experts feel they are necessary. Yet, they create contractual and other legal obligations. In addition, because they are often introduced as evidence in legal disputes, it is essential that they be well drafted.

This seminar will examine the legal and practical issues associated with employee handbooks. It will discuss the proper approach to drafting policies that will implement employers’ objectives while safeguarding their interests. The program text includes more than 460 sample policies, including policies on termination, progressive discipline, at-will employment, teleworking, cell phones, vacation benefits, sick pay, leaves of absence, social media, reference requests, and performance evaluations, among others.

You will not want to miss this invaluable workshop. The Employee Handbook And Personnel Policies Manual (over 810 pages) is an indispensable resource that has received national acclaim and is valuable for employers in all industries.

Among the many subjects that will be discussed in the program are the following:

• The Essential Policies
• Family and Medical Leaves
• New Bereavement Leave Policies
• Benefit disclaimers
• California’s Paid Family Leave Law
• Progressive and corrective discipline policies
• The role and use of at-will statements
• Meal and rest period policies reflecting new standards
• Drafting time off and leave of absence policies based on changes
• Organ And Bone Marrow Donor Leaves
• Desk and locker inspection policies
• Workplace security and violence prevention
• Laws regulating employee handbooks and personnel policies
• New sick leave and vacation policies
• Advantages and disadvantages of handbooks
• Sanitizing policies of harmful statements
• Electronic communications policies
• COBRA policies
• Contract issues and disclaimers
• Right to revise and modify policies
• Probationary, introductory and orientation periods
• Format and style
• Grievance procedures
• Multi-state employers
• Drug and alcohol screening, detection, and prohibition policies
• Termination for cause vs. at will
• New Pay Scales & Equal Pay Policies
• Social media policies
• Over 20 kinds of protected time off
• Policies prohibiting sexual harassment, retaliation and other types of unlawful harassment
• Changes to existing policies — if, when, and how you can implement changes
• Wage and hour and employment discrimination issues
• Arbitration Provisions
• Medical leave of absence policies — pregnancy, work-related, and nonoccupational disability leaves
• Employee classifications — full-time, part-time, temporary, per-diem, and others
• Independent contractors
• Cell phone and expense reimbursements
• Employee benefit requirements, descriptions, and guidelines
• Holiday and paid time off benefits
• Severance pay and pay in lieu of notice
• Voicemail and computer access policies
• Payroll and compensation policies – compensatory time off policies
• Standards of conduct
• State-of-mind disciplinary offenses
• Acknowledgement of receipt forms
• Reference request policies and releases
• Conflict of interest and confidentiality policies
• Questions and answers

* If attending virtually, the print copy of the Employee Handbook and Personnel Policies Manual will be shipped prior to the program date. If attending in person, the Manual will be issued at the program. The electronic copy is also available for an additional fee. See registration page for more details.

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