The old adage that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is especially true in issues involving employee relations. Faegre Baker Daniels offers proactive counsel when it matters most — before claims are made or litigation occurs.
We help clients avoid litigation by assisting employers in handling problems ranging from routine day-to-day personnel questions to complex employment law matters. We advise employers through issues such as:
- Investigating employee misconduct
- Handling employee discipline and terminations
- Addressing employee drug and alcohol abuse
- Responding to requests for accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Complying with the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- Preventing or responding to actual or potential workplace violence
In addition, we provide personalized workplace training to human resources, management and hourly employees in a variety of formats, including live training, webinars and other computer-based training. This training includes subjects such as preventing workplace discrimination and harassment, interviewing and hiring skills, best practices in investigations, performance management, workplace privacy issues, workplace security and violence prevention, and recent developments in employment law.
Employee Handbook Policies
An organization's human resource policies form the foundation of its employee-relations strategy. Our professionals draft comprehensive employee policy documentation for clients, and we review and update clients' current employment-related policies. We also offer example policies covering an array of topics designed to be easily customized to fit an employer's needs.
Diversity and Affirmative Action
We assist employers in their diversity initiatives. Members of our diversity and affirmative action team, which is itself diverse, have provided services to clients in more than 30 states. We draft and review diversity plans and policies that evaluate methods and accountability measures, and we train managers and employees on diversity awareness, diversity communication skills and culturally competent services.
Form I-9 Compliance and Auditing
With immigration enforcement growing and penalties increasing ($110 to $1,100 per first-time offense), accurate maintenance of I-9 forms has never been more important. We assess compliance obligations as well as train employee personnel with responsibility for I-9 completion. An I-9 audit by outside professionals may help employers show good faith should the DOL or DHS show up on the doorstep.