On June 22, 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that many experts predict will open the door for thousands more employee retaliation lawsuits.

This decision has established a broader legal standard for retaliation claims. Previously, retaliation claims were usually based on negative actions that altered an employee's terms and conditions of employment, mainly ultimate employment decisions like termination and demotion.

Now, the Court has concluded that employers can be held liable for retaliation even if the harm to the employee does not reach the "ultimate" level, but involves a suspension or job transfer.

This adds yet another layer of liability to your responsibility under the EEOC'S long-standing regulations and the interpretation of those regulations by federal courts across the nation.

You and your supervisors need to know what is and what isn't retaliation under the new Supreme Court decision AND the EEOC's regulations, in order to avoid making the mistakes that lead to retaliation lawsuits that already cost employers like you $millions every year.

That's where we can help. AHI has teamed up with HR expert, Rebecca Mazin, to present a 60-minute audio conference titled:

—Audio Conference Outline—

Why Learn About Retaliation

• Some scary statistics regarding retaliation
• Court case — Why you can prevail in a discrimination battle and still lose the retaliation legal war
• Why it's important that managers know how to avoid retaliation
• Which federal and state laws have anti-retaliation statutes within them
  

The New Supreme Court Landmark Ruling

• How the decision broadened the definition of adverse actions and opened the door to more retaliation claims
  
• What actions you can and cannot implement when managing an employee who files a discrimination claim

 Interactive Exercise: Test Your Retaliation IQ

Defining Retaliation

• How the EEOC explains retaliation
• The three basic elements of a retaliation charge
• Specific examples of protected activities
• The most common adverse actions as identified by the EEOC

 Interactive Exercise: Recognizing Covered Workplace Acts

Activities That Are Not Protected

• How the EEOC applies the “reasonableness” standard in determining a protected activity
• Examples of employee activities not covered by anti-retaliation statutes

Preventing Retaliation

• 10 questions to ask yourself to recognize potential retaliation — before carrying out an adverse employment action
• 5 rules for avoiding the perception of retaliation in performance appraisals
• 8 steps to follow when handling a complaint to protect yourself from the threat of a retaliation claim

***BONUS — The conference handout also includes a Retaliation Prevention Checklist ***

Q&A Session With Our Expert

Featured Speaker:

Rebecca Mazin is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Recruit Right, a Human Resources consulting firm specializing in organizational development, strategic staffing, and training. She is also co-author of The HR Answer Book: An Indispensable Guide for Managers and Human Resources Professionals.

This program has been approved for 1.0 recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR, and GPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HRCI homepage at www.hrci.org.