I’m just catching up on posting recent & upcoming presentations. One already occurred & the rest are soon. Also, my new website should be up & running soon. The prototype is looking really cool, if I do say so myself.

On 2/7/14, I did another webinar for Financial Poise & West Legal Ed Center.  “Were the Employees Stealing” was a 1-hour webinar focused on employee theft issues. Theft includes tangible (e.g., $, equipment) as well as intangible (e.g., proprietary information) property. The panel included me, Paul Dopp, Principal at GlassRatner Advisory & Capital Group LLC, Jonathan Friedland, Levenfeld Pearlstein, & Jonathan Brand, Managing Attorney, LakeLaw. We discussed how businesses should confront, investigate & resolve employee theft, including whether to utilize an internal or 3rd party investigator, & whether to involve law enforcement. The answers to these questions isn’t always a clear cut yes or no.

On 2/13/14, from 2 PM CST until around 3:30 PM CST, I’ll be presenting “How to Protect HR During Internal Investigations; Protecting HR Staff and Investigators From Discipline or Discharge.”  This is an in-depth analysis of federal court cases largely stating that internal HR/HC (human capital) investigators, who investigate harassment & discrimination, aren’t protected by Title VII’s opposition & participation clauses relative to retaliatory discharge for conducting an investigation. I also reviewed how HR/HC can protect itself & the employer from protracted litigation & potential liability.

During this 90-minute webinar, attendees will learn:

  • The distinction the EEOC and the courts make regarding internal investigations and Title VII
  • Where the EEOC disagrees with courts on this topic
  • The differences between Title VII’s “participation” and “opposition” clauses
  • How to protect HR staff and investigators from discipline or discharge when conducting internal investigation
  • How to protect the integrity of these internal investigations
  • To better define HR’s role within a company in light of these court decisions
  • How much this type of litigation can ultimately costs businesses