HR 101: What Every HR Professional Needs to Know

Employees are the lifeblood of companies and determine whether companies thrive or whither on the vine. As HR professionals you’re expected to not only know how to manage employees, but also the alphabet soup of federal and state laws (ADA, FMLA, Title 7, EEOC, AA, etc.). In this case, what you don’t know really can hurt you! We’ll demystify and make sense out of the many pieces of the HR puzzle – plus give you look at the latest trends in what’s happening in HR today.

Participants should attend if they are new to HR or are looking for a high-level refresher on HR compliance. Our program is jam packed with information, plus several handouts that will provide additional guidance after the program. Join us as we cover:

• Key federal and state laws every HR professional must know
• Essentials of recruiting, hiring, onboarding and retaining employees
• In’s and outs of disciplining employees – what to do
• Tips for creating effective policies and the employee handbook
• Employee rights, protected classes and reasonable accommodations

Program Highlights

HR’s Role and Key Terms to Get You Started

• HR’s role in mission and strategy
• Key anti-discrimination laws & protected classes
• Meaning of disparate treatment and adverse impact
• Rights employers DO have

Essentials for Finding, Hiring & Managing Employees

• Recruiting and behavioral based interviewing
• Importance of goodness of fit in employee selection
• Onboarding basics and the 4 C’s of onboarding
• Key considerations in managing employees
• Seven steps to employee recognition
• Seven reasons for having employee handbooks and six tips

Disciplining Employees: What You Should & Shouldn’t Do

• Basics of Employment at Will – what does it mean?
• Five considerations in determining just cause
• Progressive discipline and why you might not want it
• Seven steps to effective corrective action
• Twelve parts of disciplinary documentation

Federal & State Regulations You Need to Know

• The basics of sexual harassment and how to stay out of trouble
• What is quid pro quo and hostile working environment
• 6 things to remember on FMLA – what it is, who is covered
• Understanding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADAAA)
• Reasonable accommodation and interactive discussion basics
• What you need to know about wage and hour

Question and Answer Session – Hear expert answers to real-world questions!

Program Benefits

This program will give basic compliance information that will reduce risk and help participants become more confident in communicating with employees regarding common HR issues. You’ll be better informed and less likely to misrepresent the interests of the company.

About the Speaker

Bob Verchota is the owner and senior consultant for RPVerchota& Associates, a consulting firm providing services to clients who seek to align their business and employees, creating successful outcomes and excellent work environments.

• After 30+ years in Human Resources senior leadership roles and teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses in Leadership and Organizational Development, Bob transitioned to using his experience and skills in consulting.
• Mr. Verchota provides solutions to companies for a wide variety of HR issues including training and development, compensation, compliance, policy development, performance management, employee relations and managing change from mergers and acquisitions to project-specific disruptions of the status quo.
• Bob has an undergraduate degree in Business Administration, graduate degree in Healthcare Administration, and doctoral work (ABD) in Organizational Development.