The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) requires employee testing for companies that employ or use professional drivers, specified safety-sensitive transportation and/or oil and gas-related occupations, and certain federal employers. Specifically, the DOT requires urine testing for five controlled substances: marijuana, opiates, amphetamines, cocaine and phencyclidine (PCP). The DOT rules for "Procedures for Transportation Workplace Drug Testing Programs" set the standards for employer drug ...

With the arrival of the Information Age and the explosion of high technology, communication is getting faster but not necessarily better. Many employees believe that if they act with integrity and simply follow their bosses' or customers' instructions, their good intentions will keep their communications from becoming a legal "smoking gun." In reality, however, nothing could be further from the truth. Almost everything an employee says or does on behalf of his or her company can be u...

As the complexities of the business world multiply and commerce becomes increasingly global, the need to understand issues of antitrust law — commonly referred to as "competition law" in the European Union — becomes more important. A web of international rules poses significant dangers for both intentional and inadvertent competition-law violations. As importantly, businesses and their employees become afraid to be inventive, aggressive and competitive in completely legitimate ways. Accord...

Effective management is vital to a successful company. Too often, individuals who have excelled in a company due to a specific skills set are promoted to managerial positions before having adequate management training or any at all. As a consequence, many managers lack the interpersonal skills, sensitivity, legal awareness and professionalism necessary for effective management. The result can be disastrous: endless conflicts; low morale and productivity; wasted talent; high and costly turn...

Substance use and abuse is a very common issue that can cause serious personal and profes-sional problems in a variety of work settings. This course describes many of the factors (biological, psychological, social, and environmental) that are related to the use and abuse of psychoactive substance including alcohol, prescription drugs, and illicit drugs. You will learn specifc ways to identify impairment in the workplace, and will complete exercises to increase their competence about how to deal...

Dramatic cultural and social changes in the mid-twentieth century altered Western society in a way that affected the workforce and the customer base companies serve. The emergence of a global economy and revolutionary advances in telecommunications later in the century made the world a much "smaller" place. In the new millennium, the corporate world finds itself in an environment in which people of a wide variety of races, cultures, religions, ages and lifestyles interact regularly on the same...

According to the Government Accounting Office, healthcare fraud and abuse account for three to ten percent of all healthcare costs — well over $100 billion annually. Whatever the cost, fraud and abuse waste badly needed resources and seriously undermine our healthcare system. The healthcare industry is subject to many different laws that concern fraud — including the False Claims Act, the Stark Law, the Anti-Kickback Statute, HIPAA and the Prescription Drug Marketing Act. On top of this le...

Organizations today are competing for consumers, so assuring that customers have a positive experience is a key aspect of any company's performance. This course highlights how customer relations relates to the "bottom line," gives an overview of some common pitfalls in customer relations, and addresses concrete techniques to use with customers.

The rules regarding what is fair and unfair competition affect virtually all of a company's business decisions — hiring, marketing, sales, customer-relations, and research and development, among others — and are important for employees to understand. Violations of these rules can be very damaging to a company generally and, in some cases, to individual employees. Course Summary

Business people deal with contracts in many different contexts — purchasing, sales, marketing, distribution, employment and others — almost every day. A contract serves, in effect, as the "private law" of the parties on whatever subjects it covers. This is a powerful tool, since the law gives parties tremendous flexibility in defining their contractual relationships. Whatever terms the parties agree to include (within broad legal limits) define their respective rights and obligations for the...

In today's increasingly diverse workplace, recognizing and valuing diversity has never been more important for an organization's success. The differences and similarities that we experience. The key to valuing differences is to be appropriate about recognizing them so that they don't hold us back from performing at the highest level possible. In this course, you will learn about your own at-titudes toward diversity along with specifc skills to work effectively with other employees...

The corporate-responsibility scandals and business failures involving companies such as Enron, Adelphia and Global Crossing revealed widespread accounting, self-dealing and mismanagement issues. Seeking to instill greater accountability by senior management of public companies, Congress enacted the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002. The prevailing view among legal commentators is that the Act is by far the most significant federal securities law passed since 1934. Sarbanes-Oxley addresses a wide rang...

Buying and selling stocks is no longer the sole domain of wealthy investors and large institutions. In fact, investing in securities has become an important factor in the financial lives of millions of people across many income levels. Frequent news reports of overnight billionaires in the stock market can tempt people to try to cash in on inside information they learn at work before the news is known to the general public. But buying or selling stock based on a simple "tip" or tidbit of informa...

It is certainly no secret that drug and alcohol abuse is one of our nation's most serious problems. This holds true in the workplace, as well. Almost 40% of industrial fatalities and 50% of work-related injuries are linked to drug and alcohol impairment. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, more than 70% of illegal drug-users are employed. That means an estimated 8.3 million workers are illegal drug users. Without a doubt, drug and alcohol abuse in the workplace has significant negati...

Many aspects of employment are heavily regulated in the U.S., none more than the interviewing and hiring process. State and federal statutes and court decisions prohibit employers from discriminating against certain groups of people and from taking actions that impact those groups adversely and unfairly. Employees involved in the recruiting, interviewing and hiring process need to be aware of the laws that govern the questions they ask applicants. This Course will help them (1) avoid the quest...

Reinforcing ethical principles and educating company members about compliance with the law is an ongoing and important responsibility. A company is only as ethical and compliant as its directors, managers and employees. Training is necessary to encourage good behavior, set expectations, demonstrate the company's commitment and inform members of laws that are not common knowledge. Integrity and scruples not only keep us out of court and out of prison, but they are good for business. One stud...

Did you know that work is the biggest source of stress for American adults? Consider these facts: In recent surveys, 78% of the respondents said that work was their biggest source of stress, and more than half reported that their lives had become more stressful over the past ten years. Stress is increasingly a reason for workers to call in sick. In 1996, it accounted for 11% of workers' absences — a 100% increase over the previous year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported ...

Just when you think you know what your job entails, you might run into a new issue or project that you haven't been exposed to before. On the other hand, there may be tasks that you work on every day that you might be able to resolve even more effciently. This course gives you the nuts-and-bolts of identifying problems as well as creative ways to go about solving them.

With the increase in litigation — especially employment litigation — in the 1990s, the time from inception of a lawsuit to decision continued to grow, as did the costs (both actual and "lost opportunity" costs), giving new meaning to the phrase, "Justice delayed is justice denied." Companies began to re-examine their objectives and view their desired outcomes not so much from a legal standpoint, but more from a business perspective. ADR, with its efficiency, speed and cost-effectiveness,...

Rapid advances in "information technology" have led to growing concern for the privacy and security of personal information. This is especially true in the area of healthcare, where individuals share details of their health, personal lives and finances when they are at their most vulnerable. New regulations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA") address these issues by imposing stringent record-keeping and security requirements on healthcare providers and related...

There are a number of historical, societal, and workplace factors that can cause employees to have diffculty maintaining balance in their lives. In this course, you will learn concrete ways to identify areas of imbalance in your work/personal life as well as "best practices" techniques to achieve more balance in life.

Customs laws cover a wide range of subjects, from country-of-origin marking to smuggling. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enforces laws at the border that are administered by other federal agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). CBP has many enforcement tools in its arsenal, including civil and criminal penalties that can be imposed on both your company and employees personally. If your company is involved in importation, the em...

Copyright law affects the workplace activities of many employees on a daily basis. Copyright protection extends to newspaper and magazine articles, instructional videos, web sites, computer courses, and even elevator music. Most people recognize the presence of a copyright by the symbol ©, but even in the absence of the symbol the material may be protected by copyright law. Employees need to understand copyright basics for at least two reasons. First, to the extent a company produces copyrigh...

Discrimination is an issue that has profound ethical, legal, and personal implications for any organization. This course discusses the types of employment discrimination including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Equal Pay discrimination, Age discrimination and the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Armed with this information, you will be better able to identify and to deal with discrimination in the workplace.

Every year in the U.S., communication gaps between nurses and doctors cause medical errors that lead to needless deaths of thousands of patients. Although healthcare professionals are routinely trained on how to communicate with patients, training on how to communicate with each other had remained rare until the introduction of the SBAR Technique. The SBAR Technique provides a framework for healthcare professionals to communicate with one another in emergency situations. Developed by the U.S. Na...

It is widely agreed that every company needs to have a policy statement on legal and ethical conduct. The Organizational Sentencing Guidelines require that a company "must have taken steps to communicate effectively its standards and procedures to all employees and other agents, e.g., by requiring participation in training Courses or by disseminating publications that explain in a practical manner what is required." Thus, if a company hopes to qualify for more lenient treatment under the Guideli...

With all of the potentially positive uses of e-mail and the Internet come potential abuses as well. Of 1,200 companies surveyed recently about Internet usage, 54% reported that they had caught employees browsing Web sites that were unrelated to their work — some up to eight hours per day! Not only can unauthorized Internet usage take a huge toll on employee productivity, but it can divert network resources from "mission critical" company functions. Improper or indiscriminate use of e-mail can ...

A company's corporate records are one of its most important and valuable assets. Almost every employee is responsible for creating or maintaining corporate records of some kind, whether in the form of paper, computer data, microfilm, electronic mail or voice-mail. Letters, memoranda and contracts are obviously corporate records, as are things such as a desk calendar, an appointment book or an expense record. Companies are required by law to maintain certain types of corporate records, usu...

On July 26, 1990, the President of the United States signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Known as the ADA, this broad federal statute seeks to end discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Title I of the ADA prohibits employers from discriminating in all aspects of the employment relationship, including application, testing, medical examinations, hiring, training, assignments, evaluations, disciplinary actions, promotions, layoffs and terminations, as well as...

Have you ever seen a drug dealer pull out a credit-card machine to accept payment? Ever known someone to pay for a TV they bought off the back of a truck with a personal check? Probably not. Most criminals conduct their business in cash. This creates an obvious problem - cash is bulky, heavy and risky to carry around. (One million dollars in twenties weighs about one hundred pounds.) As a result, criminals need to find a way to "launder" their ill-gotten gains. "Money laundering" is the process...

Relationships in any organization are an opportunity to develop yourself - and others - professionally and personally. This course provides information about the mentoring relationship, how it relates to professional success, and ideas for both mentors and mentees to enhance their experience in the workplace.

Dating back to the late 1800s, common law in the United States defined the employment relationship as "at will," meaning that employers were free to hire and fire at will. Employers could, for example, refuse to hire minorities, segregate the work force, assign unpleasant work to women, and deny such groups opportunities for advancement. That's all changed. Federal and state laws prohibit discrimination and harassment in the workplace on the basis of age, sex, race, religion, national orig...

The U.S. immigration laws are increasingly important as companies compete in the global marketplace. In a nutshell, it is against the law for a foreign national to enter the U.S. to work unless that individual has obtained a valid visa. Likewise, it is against the law for an employer (1) to hire a person who has not actually received an appropriate visa, or (2) to hire or continue to employ a person whose authorized stay to work has expired. Compliance with these basic rules can be tricky and re...

The bottom line in many organizations is productivity. If you fnd yourself overwhelmed, working too many hours, or running behind, you may have room to improve your approach to time management. This course will give you an overview of the top issues related to managing your time effectively at work. You will learn ways to streamline your daily work along with skills that can help you to get more work done in less time.

The federal government spends half a trillion dollars annually on medical care - one-quarter of its budget, and fraudulent claims may total $50 billion this year. One major source of fraud is the submission of false claims for government funds, such as Medicare and Medicaid. In 1986, Congress enacted amendments to a Civil War Era law called the False Claims Act (FCA), which penalizes those responsible for submitting false claims for government funds. These amendments were designed to strengthen ...

The Organizational Sentencing Guidelines have had an undeniably huge impact on the way U.S. companies do business and train their employees to abide by the law. What were considered large fines for corporate misconduct in the pre-Guidelines 1970s — several hundred thousand dollars — are now being dwarfed by fines in the hundreds of millions. In addition to these increasing monetary penalties, there are potential criminal sanctions and civil liability that make corporate compliance one of the...

Compensation for the work you do is very likely to be a key part of what takes you to the offce each day. This course gives you a basic overview of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which sets standards for the basic minimum wage and overtime pay. The FLSA affects most private and public employment settings, and requires employers to pay covered employees who are not otherwise exempt at least the federal minimum wage and over time pay. You will also review the guidelines on exempt versus non...

Since the early 1990’s, U.S. federal laws governing telemarketing have become stricter and more complex. Both the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have the authority over telemarketing law and each has its own set of regulations. Ensuring compliance is more challenging now than ever before. This course is designed to inform employees who handle telemarketing calls how to remain in compliance of FCC and FTC regulations and to provide guidance on eth...

It's widely agreed that every company needs to have a policy statement on legal and ethical conduct. The Organizational Sentencing Guidelines require that a company "must have taken steps to communicate effectively its standards and procedures to all employees and other agents, e.g., by requiring participation in training programs or by disseminating publications that explain in a practical manner what is required." Thus, if a company hopes to qualify for more lenient treatment under the Gu...

Layoffs in corporate America have become the stuff of daily headlines. Since last December, U.S. companies have announced more than 500,000 job cuts, and that trend is continuing. Among the challenges that companies face in this regard are (1) organizing, training and empowering a smaller workforce to deliver improved services; (2) preserving the dignity of departing employees; and (3) boosting the morale and productivity of the employees who remain. The purpose of this training Course is to h...

Regulation FD, for "fair disclosure" dictates how public companies may disclose certain types of information about themselves. In essence, Regulation FD requires that a public company's communications regarding so-called inside information be made in an approved form of public disclosure. The purpose of the regulation is to make all material information about a company available to all investors at the same time. Course Summary

Selecting new employees is a task that is vitally important in attracting the best and brightest employees to your organization. This course frames interviews as an interpersonal process and addresses concrete "Do's and Don'ts" to optimize the experience.

Advances in "information technology" have enabled companies to collect, compile, analyze and deliver data around the world much more quickly and cheaply than ever before. These advances have given consumers better access to information, and they've given companies lower-cost and better-targeted opportunities to market and provide their goods and services. But these technological advances have also brought new challenges to protecting information privacy. In response, Congress recently pas...

Today's dynamic business world often involves working with diverse individuals who deal with confict in very different ways. This course provides a framework to understand the nature of confict in a very different way. This course provides a framework to understand the nature of confict, as well as concrete techniques to assertively manage it.

Corporate fraud is on the rise. Losses attributable to corporate fraud were estimated at $600 billion in 2002, up from $400 billion in 1996. Employee theft alone costs American businesses between $60 and $120 billion a year. Aside from unscrupulous employees and third parties, a major contributing factor to corporate fraud is simply a lack of awareness of it. Dishonest employees prey on unsuspecting co-workers and supervisors, and clever third parties use so-called “social engineering” ta...

Giving feedback to an employee who is underperforming or having diffculty following company policies can be a daunting prospect. This course describes how to give an appropriate correction plan that is professional and in keeping with your organization's policies

With the increasing globalization of our economy, companies are faced with new challenges as well as new opportunities. Part of this new environment is compliance with laws such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, which regulate the way U.S. companies transact international business. Enacted in 1977, the FCPA was a response to government findings that hundreds of U.S. companies, including many of the Fortune 500, were using cash and "slush funds" to make questionable or illegal paymen...

This course shows you how to identify and to manage a common issue at work - diffcult people. You will learn about the people, situations, and interactions that can result in having a diffcult time at work. The information presented in this course covers new ways to think about how to deal more effectively with diffcult people and situations at work - by changing your thinking and trying some new approaches.

Federal regulations require companies that contract with the federal government to take "affirmative action" to ensure that job applicants and employees are treated without discrimination based on their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or because they are a veteran. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Courses (OFCCP) oversees the federal-contracting process, offering technical assistance, conducting compliance evaluations and investigating complaints regarding federa...

This gives you a general appreciation for the causes, experience, and techniques to manage stress in the workplace. A number of things cause stress, and the ways people experience stress can vary widely. However, everyone has some level of stress to deal with at some point in their lives, and when that time comes it is essential to know how it impacts work performance as well as other areas of life.