Overview:

HR professionals can find themselves in the middle of employee litigation when they are unaware of the laws that apply to workplace disputes. They may make mistakes that cause liability despite good faith efforts to sympathize and respond adequately to employee concerns. This session is important to any HR professional or manager looking to properly address allegations of bullying in the workplace. We will clarify what the law says about bullying in the workplace and what courts expect managers to do about it to avoid incurring employer liability.

Why should you attend: HR professionals routinely confront allegations by one employee or another concerning workplace bullying. Indeed use of the word "bully" conjures up pushy behavior that in one instance may be unlawful in some instances and in other instances may be perfectly lawful. The HR professional needs to know which behavior is lawful and which is unlawful in order to determine how best to address allegations of bullying. The HR professional must listen carefully to allegations to determine if what is being alleged is the type of bullying that is unlawful or if the type of behavior being alleged is the type of behavior that might be perfectly lawful under the law. The HR professional should be informed by an understanding of the law so he or she will administer his employer's policies in a manner that is consistent with legal requirements.

Areas Covered in the Session:

• At will employment
• Certain forms of discrimination unlawful by federal and local law
• IWorkplace bullying is unlawful when it's part of an unlawful hostile work environment
• Courts are not a super-personnel department
• Employers liable for co-worker harassment only when it knew or should have known
• Employers not liable when responding in a sufficiently prompt manner
• The proposed (not yet enacted) "healthy workplace bill."

Who Will Benefit:

• HR Professionals
• HR Specialists
• HR Managers
• HR Supervisors