Learn the basics of employment law so you can legally hire, evaluate and manage employees as a manager, supervisor, small business owner, human resource specialist, or corporate executive. This course will explain the difference between an employee and independent contractor: the basic types of employee benefits; effective hiring; evaluation, and termination procedures; methods to resolve employment disputes in and out of court; discrimination and union laws; and workplace safety rules.
You will gain an inside view of the law with court examples, real situations, and prevention strategies that prepare you to effectively resolve workplace issues. You will learn effective communication techniques, negotiation strategies, and what to expect if you do go to court. This course is a must for anyone who is (or aspires to be) a supervisor, manager, or human resources professional.
Ann Nevers holds a law degree and a master's in health law. She works in dispute resolution for business, employment, and health care and regularly teaches courses in these areas. She has published numerous academic articles, edited legal manuals, and written chapters on employment, dispute resolution, and health care topics.
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
Hide Syllabus
Lesson 1
Employee or Independent Contractor?
Are all workers employees? In this lesson, you'll learn to recognize the difference between an employee and an independent contractor. This will enable you to properly classify workers so you can withhold taxes and provide benefits for true employees. You'll take a look at a real court case to see how courts decide if someone is properly classified.
Employment Benefits
Do you wish you could retire to the beach with solid employment benefits, such as health insurance, retirement, sick leave, and vacation leave in place? In this lesson, you'll look at the legal requirements relating to employment benefits. You may be surprised to learn what the law does and doesn't require! The lesson will also talk about the reasons companies provide benefits for their employees.
Hiring Practices
Do you ever find yourself stuck with employees who aren't producing? This lesson will focus on ways to screen applicants for employment to keep poor employees out and find a good match between the job and skill level of an applicant. As the saying goes, it's better to have strong hiring practices than to deal with a problem employee later on.
Evaluating Employees
Ever wonder what to do with your employees and how to keep them effectively producing? This lesson will focus on evaluation, discipline, and termination processes. You'll learn how to tackle these tough issues without violating any laws in the process.
Employment Disputes
If you ever have to deal with upset people at work (employee outbursts, customer complaints, or vendor concerns) then this lesson is for you! This lesson will show you some dispute resolution tools that will help you turn conflicts into win-win situations.
Employment Disputes in Court
Do you ever wonder what happens behind courthouse doors? This lesson will talk about the litigation process from start to finish so that you'll know what to expect if you someday find yourself in court. It will also go over legal jargon—words like depositions and interrogatories—so that you really understand the words lawyers commonly use.
Discrimination and Title VII
While discrimination should be a thing of the past, prejudice still pops up in the workplace. This lesson will talk about how to comply with Title VII law, which prohibits discrimination at work. The examples and strategies discussed here will make this law easy to understand.
More Discrimination Laws
Has anyone ever requested a special accommodation from you? This lesson will explore what the laws are about this issue. You'll find out what your duty is regarding accommodation and learn to analyze your workplace to determine whether it's compliant.
Labor Unions
Suppose there's labor talk whispered in the halls of your workplace. What do you do? This lesson will discuss the legal rights of unions to organize. You'll also consider unfair labor practices that both unions and management need to watch out for.
Labor Negotiations
Collective bargaining, grievance and appeal, strikes—what do these things have in common? They're all processes that can occur in a union environment. This lesson will talk about how to prepare for and handle union bargaining and appeals.
Workplace Safety
What are your obligations when it comes to keeping employees safe on the job? This lesson will focus on employee safety and reporting. You'll get Internet resources where you can look up specifics about your particular work environment.
Legal Compliance
Legal compliance requires an entire corporate strategy. The final lesson will focus on tools, tactics, and resources you can use to create an environment of compliance in your workplace.
Hide Syllabus
buy 
Login/Create account
checkout
view cart (
0
)
