Course Schedule

Week One: Individual Terminations/Dismissal

• Status of employee: At will or unionized?
• Policies and Handbooks
• Past practice/Review of similarly situated employees
• Documentation (attendance, discipline and evaluations)
• Attempts to resolve problems short of termination (if appropriate)
• Scripting the termination interview

Week Two: RIFs and Early Retirement

• Exceptions to Education Records
• Structuring the program
• Potential organizational limitations
• Potential legal claims by RIF’d employees
• Costs of RIFs
• Information to be provided to employees and “survivors”
• Compliance with state and federal law related to RIFs

First Course Conference Call: Friday, February 17 at 2:00 pm EST

Week Three: Negotiated Departures/Separations

• Discussion of factors that result in, or require separation from employment
• Employer considerations - the "Back-story"
• Employee concerns - "What about me?"
• Key participants in negotiating a separation agreement
• Separation agreement formats
• Crafting effective letters of reference and post-agreement media statements
• Essential agreement components

Week Four: Dispute Resolution Options

• Internal grievance procedures in non-union settings
• Mediation: selecting a mediator, preparing for mediation and negotiating a settlement
• Grievance and arbitration procedures in union settings: the steps in the grievance procedure, what information to collect from union representatives, the role of the arbitrator
• Arbitration in non-union settings: elements of arbitration in non-union settings

Second Course Conference Call: Wednesday, February 29 at 2:00 pm EST