Manager's Training Module

In the United States, almost everyone is employed on what’s known as an at-will basis. That means an employer can fire an employee at any time for almost any legal reason or even no reason at all. It also means employees are free to quit at any time for any reason.
Managers need to understand at-will employment, especially if they have the authority to hire and fire employees. They can inadvertently destroy at-will status by implying that there is some sort of employment contract that protects an employee from being terminated.

Managers and supervisors are usually the first members of the company to notice that an employee has done (or not done) something that warrants discipline. Those situations require complete, accurate and timely documentation.
Frontline managers are HR’s partners in making sure the organization has a clear record justifying any official act that affects employees. That’s why it is critical to train managers how to create documentation.
Access specialized management training on how to document performance issues at The Manager’s Guide to Reviewing Employee Performance.

Front-line managers are the most important players in the performance-review and performance-management processes. They are in the best position to observe how employees do their jobs.

Managers set expectations, give guidance, measure performance in written reviews and set future expectations. By documenting expectations and offering feedback, managers can prevent legal claims or at least better position an employer to defend itself in court.

This training covers the basic framework of reviewing performance to help employees improve and minimize legal liability that can result from inconsistent review processes.

The National Labor Relations Act worker protections include strict rules requiring all private-sector employers with two or more workers to allow workers to engage in “concerted activity.” There are strict limits to what supervisors can do to interfere with these rights, and this training will help your managers understand their obligations.

At some points, this presentation refers to hypothetical policies that may not exactly match your organization’s. Please substitute language that matches how you operate. It also assumes you have revisited your policies to remove portions forbidden by the NLRA. If you have not, please do so.

Firing an employee is never pleasant for anyone involved, including supervisors. It’s one of the hardest things any boss ever has to do. But there’s a right way to terminate and a wrong way. If you handle a termination incorrectly, you could easily trigger a wrongful-termination lawsuit—or worse. A recently fired employee could be so angry that she falsely claims that she was fired for a discriminatory reason.

This training will help your managers and supervisors understand how to document disciplinary problems that could lead to termination, and how to handle the termination itself.

HR professionals must arm managers with the ability to handle most accommodation requests, including recognizing when an employee has requested a reasonable accommodation under the ADA and then making sure an approved accommodation is implemented and monitored.
This presentation and script allows you to teach managers and supervisors all about the accommodation process and the critical role they play.

Most HR professionals understand how to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and appreciate the clarity the final EEOC regulations provide. That includes the directive that employers empower supervisors and managers to make quick pregnancy accommodation decisions without involving HR. Use this training presentation to teach managers how to make reasonable accommodations related to pregnancy then report those to HR.

Most HR professionals understand how to handle hiring and interviewing without violating anti-discrimination laws. However, your managers and supervisors may not have a good feel for what they can and cannot do or say during the hiring process. Use this training presentation and script to teach managers how to hire without triggering a discrimination lawsuit.

While the HR team is well-versed in FMLA, often it's your managers who receive those initial inquiries and questions from employees. Utilize this training presentation and script to teach managers the FMLA basics they need to know, and can refer back to as questions arise.