Teach Employees

Your employees want to learn how to comply with the complex web of workplace laws and ethics topics. Employers can avoid most legal and ethical violations by simply training their employees on the nuances of what the various laws require.

Consider how many of your employees know how to handle the following common situations:

• Sexual harassment issue.   "I am a supervisor in my company. My best friend, who works for the company in another department, just told me that her co-worker makes her feel uncomfortable by giving her hugs when he sees her. She says she can handle the situation herself and asked me to not tell anyone what I told her. What should I do?"

• Overtime issue.   "My assistant answers the phone when it occasionally rings during her lunch hour. Do we need to pay her overtime for this?"

• Pregnancy Discrimination Act issue.   "I am interviewing an applicant who looks like she is 8 months pregnant. Can I ask her whether she plans on working after she has the baby?"

• Ethics issue.   "I believe my supervisor may have falsified his expense report on a recent business trip. What should I do?"