The ABC's of Employment Law

Today was the first of three Lunch and Learn seminars the Chamber is hosting this summer. The topic was The ABC's of Employment Law For Business Owners and Managers, presented by Jonathan J. Downes.

Some important things that I took away from today's event were:

1. It is important to determine what the "essential functions" are for every position at your company.
2. "Correcting Behavior" is the new politically correct term for discipline.
3. The word reasonable in legal documents translates to whatever he or she wants.

I also learned about the questions that are not permissible in an interview. For example:

• I cannot ask "Did you grow up during the Vietnam War? (Any questions which identify applicant as 40 years old or older)
• I cannot ask "Have you ever been pregnant or do you want to get pregnant?"
• And one of my favorites that I cannot ask is "What color are you?"

These may seem a little silly, but you can get into major trouble if you ask the wrong question(s). For more information on today's topic and other information, go to www.dhflaw.com