'First Thursday' - Labor Law Seminar Series

How to Make an Employee Handbook an Employer's Best Friend (or Worst Enemy)

Many employers are unaware that, despite the “warm and fuzzy” term “employee handbook,” these documents are treated by the courts as formal, written contracts.
 
This means that the language included in handbooks can, and does, create binding legal obligations, like any contract, no matter how many disclaimers employers use to avoid this result. Moreover, the law imposes many requirements on what must be included in handbooks. Failure to comply with these, alone, can expose employers to lawsuits.
 
Whether employers recognize these stark realities, and draft handbooks accordingly, will often determine which employers survive lawsuits.
 
Ironically those employers who do so, appear to be markedly less likely to be sued.

This ongoing seminar series is being conducted by veteran Petaluma labor & employment attorney, Jay Putnam. Putnam, has advised employers exclusively, in labor matters for almost 35 years. He hopes to provide local business owners and managers with a solid, working understanding of California labor law, as a means of helping them avoid the often crippling cost and disruption caused by lawsuits resulting from a misunderstanding of applicable legal requirements.

Members are encouraged to bring their questions.  Putnam says he intends to conduct the seminars as "informal, working sessions, where people can bring their lunch and their questions and leave each month with important information that will immediately improve their business operations."

 To register, please email the Chamber at pacc@petalumachamber.com, or call 707.762.2785