Employer Resource Institute Audio Conference

Thursday, August 6, 2009
10:30 a.m. to Noon (Pacific)

Order Option       Price   1. Live Conference       $219       2. Live Conference + CD Recording       $269       3. CD Recording Only       $219

When companies don't handle sexual harassment claims properly, it can cost them big. For instance, Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores recently paid out $255,000 to settle a sexual harassment suit, and Marshalls settled a similar case for $110,000. These cases and others share a common thread: The plaintiffs claimed that their employers knew or should have known about the sexual harassment but failed to take prompt and effective corrective action to stop it.

Time and time again, employers make errors in judgment when sexual harassment claims surface. As the Cracker Barrel and Marshalls cases show, those mistakes can cost them dearly. Don't wait for a sexual harassment lawsuit to evaluate whether the steps you're taking are sufficient to meet your legal obligations and avoid a legal minefield. The best time to prepare is before a crisis hits.

Join us on August 6 for an in-depth 90-minute audio conference, when our expert—a seasoned California labor and employment attorney and expert investigator—will discuss the mistakes you need to avoid when addressing an employee complaint of sexual harassment. You'll learn:

• How to judge what comments and conduct might constitute sexual harassment under state and federal law, and when to conduct an investigation
• What factors you should consider in choosing the right investigator, and who should never be in charge of an internal sexual harassment investigation
• When and how to inform the accused and witnesses that a complaint has been lodged
• Helpful interim measures to consider pending an investigation, and how to avoid retaliation claims stemming from your investigative efforts
• Crucial missteps to avoid when investigating sexual harassment claims
• How to handle "he said/she said" allegations
• Pitfalls to avoid when memorializing your investigative interviews
• Elements of a complete investigation report
• How to bring proper closure following an investigation
• Determining reasonable and appropriate post-investigation remedial measures

About Your Speaker:

Rebecca Speer, Esq. is the founder and principal of San Francisco-based Speer Associates/Workplace Counsel. She brings more than 20 years of experience to her work with a wide range of organizations, providing employment law services with a specialized focus on internal investigations, employee relations management, and the prevention of workplace violence, discrimination, harassment, and other employee misconduct. Her clients include major corporations across a variety of industries, public-sector organizations, and professional firms.

Speer is a graduate of Stanford University and the Santa Clara University School of Law. She was associated with the national law firms of Morrison & Foerster and Seyfarth Shaw prior to establishing Speer Associates. She is a member of the State Bar of California, the American Bar Association, the Bar Association of San Francisco, and several Human Resources and Security organizations.

This program has been approved for 1.5 recertification credit hours toward PHR and SPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). This program is also a California-specific continuing education activity for PHR-CA and SPHR-CA recertification. For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HRCI homepage at www.hrci.org. The use of this seal is not an endorsement by HRCI of the quality of the program. It means that this program has met HRCI's criteria to be pre-approved for recertification credit.

The Employer Resource Institute is an approved MCLE Multiple Activity Provider, and this program has been approved for 1.5 hours of MCLE credit by the State Bar of California. For more information, please contact our customer service department at (800) 695-7178.

Bonus Offer

As an additional benefit, you will receive a no-risk trial subscription to Employment Law Compliance for California Supervisors when you register for this Audio Conference (or purchase a CD recording). Each month, you'll receive copies of the current issue to share with your front-line supervisors. If you want to continue to receive the newsletter, simply pay the invoice you will receive in the mail. If you decide the newsletter isn't for you, just write cancel on the invoice and return it. You will owe nothing, and all issues you receive are yours to keep. As with all ERI products, your satisfaction is guaranteed 100%. (Offer good for new subscribers only.)

How Do Audio Conferences Work?

An Audio Conference is remarkably cost-effective and convenient. You participate from your office using a regular telephone. You have no travel costs and no out-of-office time.

Plus, for one low price you can get as many people in your office to participate as you can fit around a speakerphone.

Because the conference is live, you can ask the speakers questions' either on the phone or via e-mail.

With your registration, you also receive conference materials with additional practical information from Employer Resource Institute sent to you via e-mail shortly before the conference.

Why You Can Sign Up To Attend This Event with Confidence

As with all Employer Resource Institute products, you're completely protected. If for any reason you are unsatisfied with this Audio Conference, simply let us know and we will return your entire registration fee.