Webinars

Join SESCO’s Senior Consulting Team in an interactive forum which provides participants the opportunity to learn from the leading HR experts on a variety of topics to include:

•  2023 Department of Labor proposed regulation for White Collar Exemptions and Independent Contractors
• ICE Investigations and I-9 Updates
• Marijuana in the Workplace
• Recruitment and Retention
• Trends in state mandated leave policies and other regulatory changes
• Compensation
• Employee Engagement

 With clients nationwide and in all industries, our expert panel will provide practical advice on how meet the needs of your most valuable asset – your employees – and protect your organization in the ever-changing regulatory landscape. 

On the heels of movements like the Great Resignation, “quiet quitting” is the latest example of employees changing their attitudes about work and re-evaluating what’s important. "Quiet quitting," today's newly emerging workplace mindset, describes employees who are doing the bare minimum at work by reducing their commitment, energy, and productivity on the job. No longer are employees willing to go above and beyond what’s asked unless there’s meaningful give-and-take — and this doesn’t just mean salary bumps and added vacation days.

 So, what does this mean for your organization? This sessionwill focus on practical, real-life conversations about recruitment and retention of your most valuable asset: your people.  To start, we will open discussion about the true costs and effects of turnover and poor recruiting and hiring practices. All elements and/or systems that affect an organization in its hiring and peoplemanagement are discussed.

 Participants will learn about recruiting, sourcing, and screening candidates the right way. Next, they will learn the art of behavioral-based interviewing (further explained in the Behavioral–Based Interviewing program description). Logically, the next step of instruction includes elements of background investigations to include employment, education, criminal history, credit history and other license and credential confirmation.

 As we know, finding the right person and keeping the right person are related but still very different matters. So, this session will address both finding, as above, and keeping the most qualified employees of your organization. Employee retention tools as well as workplace enhancements and how compensation fits into retention are discussed.  Specific retention programs such as employee recognition and awards programs as well as employee/supervisory surveys are explored.

An employee’s death can be sudden and unexpected. But you can’t be caught unaware by your employer responsibilities for handling the death of an employee. While no one wants to think about the death of an employee, being prepared can make things easier on everyone impacted.

 Although a difficult topic, you must know what to do when an employee dies. From notifying your staff to paying out deceased employee wages, you can’t neglect your duties. Not to mention, how you handle an employee’s death speaks volumes about you and your business.

 This program will provide a review of the considerations and challenges for the employer in the event of an employee’s death.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the federal wage and hour continues to cause big headaches for employers given the intricacies of exemptions, pay plans and state permissible pay practices. Non-compliance exposes companies to individual and other representative actions. Wage and hour laws continue to multiply, with new regulations, court decisions, and myriad changes to existing laws impacting employer compliance obligations.

The webinar will cover the rules for classifying employees as exempt or nonexempt and address other common wage and hour pitfalls. Participants will learn how to avoid mistakes in paycheck deductions, how to avoid problems with meal and rest break laws and will provide a refresher on the newly revised federal overtime rule. For experienced human resources professionals, this session will be a practical “refresher.” For less experienced human resources professionals, this webinar will introduce real-world advice regarding wage and hour essentials. To learn about what your organization needs to do to stay in compliance and out of court, join us for an overview of the legal requirements and best practices of federal wage and hour law.

When was the last time you conducted an audit of your personnel files?  If it’s been a while (or if you have never done an audit) you may be putting the organization at risk. The best way to ensure your company remains in compliance and avoids liability is to conduct regular reviews of your personnel files and your filing practices.  Join us as we learn the good, the bad, and the ugly of personnel file maintenance, including whether documents are being put in the correct file (i.e., personnel or medical) and whether you are retaining files longer than is required (or disposing of them too soon).  Next, we will cover how to properly onboard new hires to set them up for success.  Last, we will discuss the importance that the employee handbook plays in the new hire process and why it should be a living, breathing document which is critical to HR and management functions.

As experts in employment law compliance, SESCO will explore the practical application of crucial federal regulations such as Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family Medical Leave Act.  Further, we will delve into these pertinent and complex regulations to give participants a fundamental understanding on how to navigate and apply these regulations compliantly within their organization. 

 This session focuses on the intent and purpose behind ADAAA and FMLA and will cover the basic interpretations and practical applications of the law.  Additionally, we will discuss and demonstrate how to reduce liability by avoiding common compliance mistakes.  Participants will learn how to properly engage in the interactive Reasonable Accommodation process for ADAAA and effectively managing FMLA leave for eligible employees.  

Key take a ways include:

• Understand the basic requirements of ADAAA and FMLA regulations and the impact to the organization.
• Explore the most common violations and how to avoid them.
• Recognize whom and when to apply the ADAAA and FMLA regulations and supporting documentation.
• Assist employees in handling accommodation and leave appropriately to protect yourself and the company from liability.

Harassment is rampant and it happens daily in our workplace. Whether it’s Hollywood, politics, academia, or business, you cannot escape the reports of misconduct in the workplace. With the heightened awareness, employers must do what they are required by law and in their power to prevent harassment in the workplace. This session will explore the true definition of harassment and discrimination under Equal Employment Opportunity regulations, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and the problems caused by inappropriate workplace behavior. Additionally, we will focus on preventing sexual harassment and discrimination, how to respond to harassment or discrimination, how to address unwelcome behaviors, the negative impacts of workplace misconduct, proper procedures for reporting and investigating complaints and consequences of false accusations.  Last, we will cover how leadership should properly handle and respond to charges of discrimination received from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 

Are you prepared to conduct a proper investigation? Will it comply with all Federal, State, and local laws and all your policies?  Will that investigation be objective and respect all party’s rights? Will it be presented in a professional manner?

 If done properly, an internal investigation can help get to the bottom of things. If done wrong, it all too often makes things worse. The challenge of complying with all applicable standards/regulations is to educate and update all who are responsible for conducting investigations within the organization. Otherwise, they may not have the tools or skill sets to be aware of all those obligations and responsibilities which in turn can lead to unintentional violations of law and challenges to the integrity and credibility of the investigation and its results/conclusions.

 In short, this webinar is designed to provide you and your organization with a fundamental understanding of what’s required to conduct an effective and professional investigation while minimizing risk (financial, legal, damage to internal and external reputation, etc.).

Leaders (managers and supervisors) are normally chosen for their positions because of their knowledge about the products and services they provide to their customers.  All too often, however, their training has covered only the technical aspects of their duties, neglecting the people related skills which are extremely important in ensuring a successful organization.  The Essential Skills of Leadership session will give you the four foundational skills for effective leadership: focusing on behaviors and facts (not attitudes or opinions), encouraging team member participation, maintaining team member self-esteem, and running effective meetings.

Good communication is the key to productive relationships in the workplace.  We are all responsible to see that communication is productive and helpful. Likewise, good listening skills are the key to effective communication in the workplace.  Being a good listener is not easy.  It is a skill that we have to develop. Working together and communicating effectively as a member of the work team are key skills to having a healthy and productive workplace.

Being open to help from others is also key to being a part of a team.  We have to be willing to admit that we need help and then ask for it in a healthy manner.  We have to overcome our resistance to it. Lastly, being assertive is also a part of being on a team.  We need to be able to communicate without violating the other person’s rights as a human being.

This session helps managers learn the latest techniques in developing effective communication skills – improving their performance and increasing the productivity of the team and the organization. Managers leave with implementation tools, troubleshooting guides and additional resources to help them apply the skills they have learned on the job.

When considering all the aspects of neglected management, most often organizations identify development planning as an area of important need. Development planning truly aids your employees in shaping not only the future of their careers but also the future of the organization.  For a variety of reasons, the valuable activity of employee training and development often goes ignored or becomes an afterthought by management. With this comes the ultimate price: the loss of top talent or future hopefuls. 

Training and development planning doesn't have to be elaborate or costly.  This session will focus on the core of every training program.  Participants will learn to have a good management culture of taking the person-to-person time to understand employee needs and desires, recognizing skills and training needs and collaborating with the employee and human resources to fill any existing gaps that are critical functions for every organization.  Next, the session will discuss if training and development is executed well, the payoff for the organization can be substantial in terms of long-term loyalty, retention, engagement, and productivity.  Lastly, participants will learn how to negate training and development voids which substantially risk valuable employee assets and long-term talent.

Compensation administration deals with establishing a meaningful and acceptable relationship between work and rewards.  Work performed by employees should help organizations achieve their objectives which are derived from the organization’s overall business strategy and support the company’s mission statement.  When designed and administered appropriately, an organization’s compensation program is an effective management tool for recruitment, retention, and overall support of the business objectives.

This session covers the basic tenets of compensation exploring the value of both internal and external equity via market wage surveys and 15-Factor position evaluation.  Next, we will discuss the right price which is a combination of position value, external competitiveness, and the organization’s ability to pay.  We will further delve into the importance of a plan that is efficient to administer and easily understood by employees who must be in control of their ability to meet performance ratings as defined by the organization.  Last, we will demonstrate a compensation program must be more than a system of “paying” employees; a solid compensation program includes position descriptions, progression schedules, program administration guides and integration with your current or new performance evaluation system

Did you know two thirds of supervisors receive little to no training on how to handle the soft skills of management? Supervisors must exhibit true leadership, boost morale, and reduce employee turnover, all while positively impacting your organization's bottom line -- a tall order for even the most experienced professional. This program will address necessary skills with a focus on the employee – manager relationship during the performance management process.

Specifically, we will cover:

• Developing Performance Goals and Standards – Learners analyze the skills and strategies they use every day in their jobs to identify the techniques that they do very well and to develop ways for them to do their job better.

• Coaching Job Skills – Helps managers learn how to effectively coach individuals through a process of observation, analysis, and communication. By carefully planning one-on- one discussions, managers can have the greatest impact and gain individual commitment to achieving results.

• Providing Performance Feedback – Helps managers learn a systematic, fact-based approach to performance improvement through quality feedback.

Addressing disciplinary issues is a reality for most managers. This can be a very sensitive and stressful process that many deal with in only a cursory manner or avoid altogether. However, if disciplinary issues are avoided or handled poorly, they can lead to very serious legal problems for the organization and the individuals involved.  According to the EEOC, retaliation claims now comprise the highest number of complaints the agency receives. 

To help avoid these problems, this program will assist managers to fully understand how to handle both the discipline and termination process in order to minimize legal problems and promote more committed employee relations.

• Discipline employees in a legal, motivational, and effective manner. 
• Avoid common mistakes when disciplining staff. 
• Establish expectations and consequences for employees.
• Effectively document disciplinary actions.
• Handle the termination process properly to reduce the chance of an employee lawsuit.