I recently contributed to a webinar hosted by Intuit that I designed to help small businesses stay HR compliant in a number of areas. The webinar is now available for viewing at this link.
The major topics we covered included the following:
How to Protect Against Lawsuits
Some small business owners are under the mistaken impression that as a small operation, they are immune from lawsuits or may be able to work out employee disputes in a more informal way. The reality is that small businesses are in some ways at greater risk of being sued, and may not have the resources to survive a lawsuit in the event of an unfavorable result. In the webinar, I discuss some of the more basic ways a small business can avoid employee lawsuits before a dispute even arises, including having an employee handbook and ensuring that you follow wage, hour, and overtime laws.
Distinguishing Employees and Independent Contractors
One of the more common issues that small business owners encounter is determining whether to classify workers as employees or independent contractors. The distinction has legal implications that are very important to employers, and states have recently been cracking down on the misclassification of workers. Additionally, modern changes to the way people are working further blurs an already unclear distinction. In this webinar, I explain the difference between independent contractors and employees and the factors that courts weigh in making these determinations.
Setting Up Employee Files
One of the most important things that employers can do to avoid future issues is correctly documenting an employee relationship. During this webinar, I discuss what to include and not to include in employee files, as well as other issues regarding documentation and record-keeping.
Offer Letters
Offering someone employment is much like a proposal; everyone is excited and imagining the best future possible. While this may occur every now and then, most employment relationships will hit some rough spots and be less than idyllic at times. The substance of your offer letter can have significant implications down the road, so it is important to know what to include and not to include in a standard offer of employment document. I discuss these and other issues related to offer letters in the webinar.
To get more detailed information about these and other topics, please click here to listen to the webinar. To schedule a consultation with an experienced small business attorney, please call our office today at (650) 701-7617.
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