A new session of each course opens each month, allowing you to enroll whenever your busy schedule permits!
How does it work? Once a session starts, two lessons will be released each week, for the six-week duration of your course. You will have access to all previously released lessons until the course ends.
Keep in mind that the interactive discussion area for each lesson automatically closes 2 weeks after each lesson is released, so you’re encouraged to complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
The Final Exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the Final Exam has been released, you will have 2 weeks plus 10 days to complete the Final and finish any remaining lessons in your course. No further extensions can be provided beyond these 10 days.
Week One
Lesson 01 - Employee or Independent Contractor?
Wednesday
Are all workers employees? In this lesson, you'll learn to recognize the difference between an employee and an independent contractor. This will enable you to properly classify workers so you can withhold taxes and provide benefits for true employees. You'll take a look at a real court case to see how courts decide if someone is properly classified.
Lesson 02 - Employment Benefits
Friday
Do you wish you could retire to the beach with solid employment benefits, such as health insurance, retirement, sick leave, and vacation leave in place? In this lesson, you'll look at the legal requirements relating to employment benefits. You may be surprised to learn what the law does and doesn't require! The lesson will also talk about the reasons companies provide benefits for their employees.
Week Two
Lesson 03 - Hiring Practices
Wednesday
Do you ever find yourself stuck with employees who aren't producing? This lesson will focus on ways to screen applicants for employment to keep poor employees out and find a good match between the job and skill level of an applicant. As the saying goes, it's better to have strong hiring practices than to deal with a problem employee later on.
Lesson 04 - Evaluating Employees
Friday
Ever wonder what to do with your employees and how to keep them effectively producing? This lesson will focus on evaluation, discipline, and termination processes. You'll learn how to tackle these tough issues without violating any laws in the process.
Week Three
Lesson 05 - Employment Disputes
Wednesday
If you ever have to deal with upset people at work (employee outbursts, customer complaints, or vendor concerns) then this lesson is for you! This lesson will show you some dispute resolution tools that will help you turn conflicts into win-win situations.
Lesson 06 - Employment Disputes in Court
Friday
Do you ever wonder what happens behind courthouse doors? This lesson will talk about the litigation process from start to finish so that you'll know what to expect if you someday find yourself in court. It will also go over legal jargon—words like depositions and interrogatories—so that you really understand the words lawyers commonly use.
Week Four
Lesson 07 - Discrimination and Title VII
Wednesday
While discrimination should be a thing of the past, prejudice still pops up in the workplace. This lesson will talk about how to comply with Title VII law, which prohibits discrimination at work. The examples and strategies discussed here will make this law easy to understand.
Lesson 08 - More Discrimination Laws
Friday
Has anyone ever requested a special accommodation from you? This lesson will explore what the laws are about this issue. You'll find out what your duty is regarding accommodation and learn to analyze your workplace to determine whether it's compliant.
Week Five
Lesson 09 - Labor Unions
Wednesday
Suppose there's labor talk whispered in the halls of your workplace. What do you do? This lesson will discuss the legal rights of unions to organize. You'll also consider unfair labor practices that both unions and management need to watch out for.
Lesson 10 - Labor Negotiations
Friday
Collective bargaining, grievance and appeal, strikes—what do these things have in common? They're all processes that can occur in a union environment. This lesson will talk about how to prepare for and handle union bargaining and appeals.
Week Six
Lesson 11 - Workplace Safety
Wednesday
What are your obligations when it comes to keeping employees safe on the job? This lesson will focus on employee safety and reporting. You'll get Internet resources where you can look up specifics about your particular work environment.
Lesson 12 - Legal Compliance
Friday
Legal compliance requires an entire corporate strategy. The final lesson will focus on tools, tactics, and resources you can use to create an environment of compliance in your workplace.