Toxic Employees: How to Handle Bullying, Harassment, Performance Problems, and More

Agenda / Content Covered

1. Dealing With Workplace Bullies: Just a Jerk or Legal Liability?
   11:00 - 12:00, Jeremy Saint Laurent
   1. Examples of Bullying Behavior in the Workplace
   2. When Is Workplace Bullying Legally Actionable?
   3. Recent Harassment Claim Trends
   4. LGBTQ and Other Discrimination Updates
2. Discrimination, Harassment, and Hostile Work Environments
   12:15 - 1:15, Jeremy Saint Laurent
   1. Discrimination Laws Employers Must Know
   2. Determining When the Line Is Crossed
   3. Clear and Concise Policies Concerning Social Media Harassment
   4. Addressing After-Hours Harassment the Right Way
   5. Hostile Work Environment Claims: Effective Employer Responses
3. Walking the FMLA and ADA Tightrope With Toxic Employees
   1:15 - 2:15, Tanzania C. Cannon-Eckerle
   1. FMLA, ADA, and Workers' Compensation Pitfalls
   2. Performance Issues and Evaluations
   3. Reasonable Accommodations Analysis
   4. Disciplining Injured or Disabled Employees
   5. Terminating Employees on Leave
   6. Best Practices and Policies
   7. Legally Defensible Documentation
4. Handling Toxic Employees Who Are Part of a Protected Class
   2:45 - 3:45, Tanzania C. Cannon-Eckerle
   1. Evaluating, Disciplining, or Terminating Older Employees
   2. Avoiding Allegations of Sex and Pregnancy Discrimination
   3. Race, Color, National Origin, and Religious Discrimination Concerns
   4. Handling LGBTQ Employees
   5. Whistleblowers: Preventing Retaliation
5. Disciplining and Terminating Toxic Employees: Documentation and More
   3:45 - 4:45, Tanzania C. Cannon-Eckerle
   1. Discipline Policies: What They Must Contain
   2. Firing vs. Discipline: Determining Which Is Suitable
   3. Legally Appropriate Methods for Discipline
   4. Written Warnings: Essential Contents
   5. Termination Dos and Don'ts
   6. Documenting the Decision-Making Process
   7. When Actions Establish Workplace Precedent: Weighing All Options
   8. Avoiding Wrongful Termination Claims
6. Ethical Considerations
   5:00 - 6:00, Jeremy Saint Laurent
   1. Appropriate Client Communications
   2. Conflicts of Interest
   3. Setting and Collecting Attorney Fees
   4. Duty to Non-Clients

Accreditation Details:

Tanzania C. Cannon-Eckerle is the chief legal and administrative officer at The Royal Law Firm. Her role is to develop and lead the firm’s business operations and oversees the human resources department. Ms. Cannon-Eckerle has experience in a variety of areas of labor and employment law, including the Fair Labor Standards Act, the National Labor Relations Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination and Employment Act, Sex Discrimination and Harassment, Workplace Safety and OSHA, Title IX and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Employee Privacy Law. As a corporate trainer, she conducts seminars on a variety of labor and employment related topics. Ms. Cannon-Eckerle obtained her J.D. from Southern Illinois University School of Law. She has a Bachelor of Arts from the Indiana University School of Journalism. She is admitted to practice in Massachusetts, North Carolina and Tennessee. Ms. Cannon-Eckerle is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association, the Mecklenburg County Bar Association, the Tennessee Bar Association and the Franklin County Community Development Corporation Board of Directors.

Jeremy Saint Laurent is an attorney at The Royal Law Firm with years of experience advising and representing municipal clients through all phases of the litigation process. His experience ranges from advising body politics of large cities to representing individuals in state and federal court. He has presented clients before Western Massachusetts housing authorities, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, as well as Housing, District, Superior and Federal courts. Mr. Saint Laurent is admitted to practice in the state of Massachusetts. He earned his B.A. degree in political science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, New York, and his J.D. degree from Western New England University School of Law, Springfield, Massachusetts.