Events

Overview: 
Plaintiffs attorneys are always looking for ways to alter the at will employment doctrine, and one of the things they look to first is your employee handbook. They will argue that you have made certain promises to your employees and that you have broken those promises. Broken promises lead to breach of contract claims. Employers use handbooks to show that they have provided valuable information to their employees and that they have been clear in the rules that employees must follow. They are invaluable tools if used correctly. But is your handbook giving employees a legal contract claim they might not otherwise have? How can you avoid this situation?

• What is "at will" employment?
• How a poorly drafted handbook or policy can erode the "at will" status of your employees
• How to protect your company from the top mistakes that employers make in drafting employee handbooks
• How to prevent claims of implied contract
• How to avoid using language that can give rise to claims of breach of implied contract
• What are the essential disclaimers your employee handbook should contain
• What are the essential policies that your handbook should contain? What policies should a company have but is not appropriate for a handbook?
• What are the essential policies that your employee handbook should contain
• How to have a well drafted anti-harassment policy that will protect you from future liability
• Why terms like probationary period and introductory period can be problematic
• How to write a progressive discipline policy that meets your needs but avoiding language that may make these policies a contract
• Training your supervisors not to say things contrary to your disclaimers in your handbooks