Public Sector HR Management Certificate Seminar Agenda

Day 1

8:00 am: Registration

Part I: Employment Laws and How they Impact Public Sector Human Resource Management

• Getting clarification on federal employment discrimination laws
• The latest Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) developments
• New EEOC Compliance Manual section on compensation discrimination
• How you can avoid a discrimination complaint under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Preventing liability for age discrimination under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
• National origin discrimination and “English only” policies: Why EEOC complaints have tripled
• Analyzing the reasons why courts have ruled in favor of plaintiffs in retaliation claims brought under Title VII, ADEA and ADA
• Developing strong anti-retaliation policies and practices

• Ensuring that your Affirmative Action Plan has all of the necessary ingredients
• Differentiating between affirmative action and reverse discrimination: Continuing objections to affirmative action plans for preferential hiring and promotions
• Understanding your affirmative action obligations for federal contractors pursuant to Executive Order 11246 and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program (OFCCP)
• Developing a successful diversity recruitment strategy without violating Title VII
• Tips on managing a more diverse workforce

• Analyzing recent court cases defining unlawful harassment
• Drafting and implementing policies to prevent harassment in the workplace: Extending sexual harassment prevention measures to cover all forms of unlawful harassment
• How to respond effectively to a harassment complaint or suspected improper behavior
• Taking the critical steps necessary to ensure liability-free results from your workplace investigations
• Tips for effectively interviewing witnesses
• Asserting an affirmative defense to a claim of sexual harassment

• Understanding employee privacy rights in the public sector workplace
• What are your responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act regarding release of confidential information by government entities?
• Confidentiality concerns and implementing appropriate discipline practices for violation of confidentiality
• Examining new HIPAA regulations regarding confidentiality of medical records
• Monitoring computers, phone calls and e-mails and searching lockers and offices without violating the law
• Complying with federal law restricting the use of polygraphs
• Drafting policies for managing Internet access to deter inappropriate usage by employees at work
• Handling third party access to personnel files, requests for information and subpoenas of documents
• Avoiding defamation claims when responding to reference requests
• Drafting and implementing drug and alcohol policies and practices that comply with the law

• Whistle-blowing and the right to speak out: Understanding the federal and state constitutional issues
• Examining court cases addressing freedom of speech in the public sector workplace
• Religious accommodations: Understanding the constitutional issues under the Establishment Clause and the First Amendment
• How far does qualified immunity go to protect managers from individual liability: What statutes will allow employees to sue you personally?
• Eleventh Amendment sovereign immunity: How the courts define “state” and determining whether a public entity is an “arm of the state”

• Identifying the unique challenges for public sector employers and defining their potential liability in cases of workplace violence
• Detecting the red flags that indicate the potential for anger to result in workplace violence
• Using mediation and conflict resolution to work through hostility
• Strategies for preventing “employee sabotage”
• Responding to threats of workplace violence
• Implementing a Workplace Violence Policy that complies with the law and protects your organization
• What issues your workplace should be considering in light of the recent terrorist attacks and other emerging threats of violence: Security concerns, emergency response, crisis management and more

Day 2

8:00 am: Refreshments and networking

• Ensuring that all of your recruitment strategies are non-discriminatory
• Examining the legal issues impacting immigrants in your workforce
• Understanding the emerging legal issues related to Internet recruiting and other hiring technologies
• Identifying which questions you may and may not ask when conducting an employment interview
• Negligent hiring and how to prevent its disastrous consequences
• Conducting reference, credit and background checks while complying with the Fair Credit Reporting Act
• Avoiding hidden liability traps when implementing pre-employment testing, substance testing, medical evaluations and other applicant screening devices
• Protecting yourself from lawsuits when employing a contingent workforce
• Legal issues raised by residency requirements

• Understanding the requirements of the FMLA: Which employees are eligible and what conditions require leave to be granted?
• Examining recent court cases that continue to expand the definition of “serious health condition” under the FMLA
• Managing the headaches of intermittent leave: Decisions regarding medical necessity, leave increments, reduced schedules, transfers and more
• Untangling the confusing overlap of Workers’ Compensation, FMLA, ADA and other leave laws
• Protecting yourself from individual liability for violations of the FMLA
• What are your employees’ mandatory leave rights? Voting, jury duty and military service explained
• Interactive Exercise: Applying your knowledge to the most confusing and complicated leave and absence cases you are likely to face

• Avoiding the legal landmines in handling public sector wage and hour issues
• Ensuring that your workforce can pass the exempt vs. non-exempt test
• Ensuring that your employee classifications don’t run afoul of the Davis-Bacon Act
• Dealing with special FLSA exemptions for specific public sector employment positions
• Complying with wage and hour laws when compensating employees on-call
• Examining the Supreme Court decision allowing public sector employers to force the use of accrued compensatory time
• When is it permissible for collective bargaining agreements to fix the amount of overtime compensation?
• Classifying independent contractors vs. employees
• Knowing what to look for in Department of Labor audits and investigations
• Implementing policies and practices to avoid costly pay calculation errors
• Avoiding legal perils when handling garnishments, levies and child support
• Recent trends in state wage and hour laws: How some state laws are diverging from the FLSA

• Clarifying when public sector employees have a “property right” to their jobs and are entitled to a Loudermill hearing
• Defining public sector employees’ rights to due process
• Ensuring that your grievance policies and procedures are legal
• Understanding how merit system and civil service laws impact your discipline and termination policies
• Training your managers to comply with policies and the law
• A roadmap of essential steps for lawful terminations
• Disciplining and terminating employees with injuries and illnesses without violating the ADA, FMLA and workers’ compensation laws
• Lawfully terminating during periods of layoffs and RIFs

• An overview of unionization in the public sector: Examining the unique legal issues that arise in monitoring public sector labor relations
• Understanding the political process relating to public sector labor unions
• Examining collective bargaining trends in the public sector union environment
• Tips on negotiating union contracts and relationship building
• Striking: What are the rights of public sector employees?
• Clarification on the rights of union and non-union employees to have a representative present during investigatory interviews
• What are the rights of non-union employees regarding discussion of salary?
• Techniques for avoiding unionization in public sector organizations

Day 3

Part II: Public Sector Human Resource Management Best Practices

• Applying marketing principles to recruiting in the public sector: Selling your organization as an employer of choice
• How to design a recruitment strategy that takes into account current employment trends
• Implementing traditional and alternative recruitment strategies to gain a competitive edge
• Find out how some public sector employers are now successfully using certain private sector strategies
• Learn which recruiting methods work best for different skill levels and positions
• Ascertain the most effective strategies for recruiting high-tech talent
• Building partnerships with colleges and universities to boost your pool of talented candidates
• Discovering the benefits and potential downsides of alternative staffing sources
• Interactive Exercise: Employing competency-based interviewing techniques to determine which candidate is best suited for the position

• Understanding the advantages of internet recruiting for the public sector and how strategic online recruiting compliments traditional methods
• Developing a knowledge of state-of-the-art online tools
• Identifying the best web sites for public sector employers and using niche sites to target specific skills
• Designing your organization’s web site and creating job postings that will sell your organization and attract the best employees
• Strategies for finding and recruiting “passive” job seekers via the web
• Using computerized resume scanning to manage large numbers of resumes: Pre-screening candidates and reducing the number of unqualified resumes
• Measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of your e-cruiting and traditional recruiting efforts

• Evaluating what drives employee satisfaction
• Assessing the root causes of employee turnover in the public sector workplace
• Using exit interviews to identify and correct causes of discontent
• How to meet the needs of multiple generations in the workplace of the 21st century
• Tips to help you develop a retention culture that will promote employee loyalty
• Keeping morale high during times of change, restructuring and reorganization
• Using flexible work policies, perks and rewards as effective retention tools
• Interactive Exercise: Work through a case study on change management and implementing strategies when a public agency is hit with massive budget cuts

• Cost-effective solutions to training challenges for public sector organizations: Applying innovative budget-stretching formulas
• Developing and implementing employee orientation programs that ensure a successful start for new employees
• Designing and rolling out effective training programs that are linked to your organization’s goals: Conducting needs assessments that link to curriculum building and program evaluations
• Empowering your employees and promoting success through teaming, mentoring, counseling and coaching strategies
• Emerging trends in training and development: E-training, video-conferencing, cross-training and leadership development
• Designing a succession planning program which will retain and develop your top talent

Day 4

8:00 am: Refreshments and networking

• What are today’s employees looking for in pay and benefits?
• Designing compensation and benefits programs that satisfy employee wants as well as your organization’s business needs
• Utilizing systematic pay scales as tools for recruitment and retention: Minimum, midpoint and maximum rates
• Managing classification and compensation in a broadbanding environment and determining whether broadbanding is right for your organization
• Examining the advantages and disadvantages of base-pay approaches and applications: Performance-based pay, skill and competency-based pay and variable pay plans
• Implementing other pay practices borrowed from the private sector
• Offering benefits that address employees’ priorities: Flexible and work/life benefits, flexible scheduling, telecommuting and more
• Managing health, welfare and retirement benefits in the public sector
• Emerging trends in employee benefits and health insurance
• Interactive Exercise: How to choose the appropriate variable pay program for your organization

• Why public sector organizations are rethinking the traditional performance appraisal system
• Designing and implementing a performance management system that suits your culture and helps achieve your organization’s objectives
• How to design programs that are both consistent and flexible
• Training managers to be accountable for their staff by effectively managing employee performance
• Using job descriptions as the building blocks for performance management: Why training managers to draft and update job descriptions is better than doing it yourself
• Conducting performance appraisals: The art of giving feedback and constructive criticism
• The pros and cons of using 360 degree or multi-rater feedback
• Understanding the advantages of ongoing assessment and feedback

• Preventing conflict from arising in the first place by implementing proactive strategies
• Techniques for handling grievances in union and non-union environments: Designing and following disciplinary procedures
• What you should know about mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
• Preparing for a mediation or an arbitration hearing
• What you can do to minimize workplace disruptions resulting from personality conflicts: Dealing with employees’ annoyances, anger and hostility
• Techniques for dealing with workplace negativity and communicating with difficult employees
• Utilizing your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or other resources to address employee problems
• Interactive Exercise: Role-play techniques for handling your most difficult employees

• What is the difference between a manager and a leader? How do you become an effective leader?
• How to develop your abilities as a problem solver, creative thinker, project manager, mentor, change manager, and team player
• Defining your responsibilities as a leader and determining whether you are up to the challenge
• How does personal integrity impact on your ability to lead? An examination of your character and personal image
• How to meet your responsibilities to the company while maintaining your own ethical standards
• Interactive Exercise: Analysis and discussion of case studies using real-life ethical dilemmas confronting public sector HR managers and directors

Day 5

Part III: The Latest Trends in Public Sector HR Management

• Examining emerging technology trends for human resources and identifying their benefit to your organization
• Managing employees in the virtual workplace: Telecommuting
• Selecting the best Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) to meet your organization’s needs
• Why many public sector HR professionals are turning to the internet: Understanding the benefits of web-based HR transactions
• Using the internet as a strategic resource tool for human resources

• Understanding the changing role of the HR department in today’s workplace
• How to align your HR objectives with the overall goals of your organization
• Successfully meeting your workforce planning challenges
• Creating a workforce development plan that will win support
• Determining how every HR function adds value: Examining staffing, recruitment, compensation, benefits, performance management, employee relations, training and development, health and safety
• Understanding how best practices in HR management make good dollar sense
• Using various metrics to measure both financial and non-financial performance: Cost per hire, hire rate, churn rate, training cost per hire, etc.
• How to illustrate HR’s bottom line impact to your management team
• Interactive Exercise: In this activity, you will have an opportunity to design and implement a strategic HR plan as you apply your newfound knowledge and skills to a case study of a public sector orga