Counseling Employers
While we successfully defend employers in litigation, our goal is to put you in the best possible position before a charge or lawsuit is filed. This may involve a five-minute phone conversation about how to handle a disciplinary meeting with an employee or hours of planning for a nationwide workforce reduction.
Maslon's Labor & Employment Team has worked with employers to develop and update employment policies and policy manuals that communicate your philosophy and mission to your employees and ensure compliance with the law. We have conducted extensive training for our employers in a host of areas. We handle calls every day from clients all over the country, providing instant feedback and advice to managers and supervisors with questions regarding every imaginable issue, including labor relations, drug testing, wage and hour issues, complaints of harassment, discrimination, and immigration issues.
Our lawyers serve as counselors, negotiators, drafters, and litigators, depending upon the involvement the employer desires. We have helped employers plan and implement large-scale workforce reductions and advised employers regarding issues involved in an individual termination. Before terminating employees, employers frequently ask us to review their decisions, advise them of the possible risks, and make suggestions to minimize their risks. We draft separation and release agreements which detail the terms of an employee's departure and ensure that the employee has provided the employer with a legally valid and enforceable release of claims in the particular jurisdiction involved.
We strive to minimize your risks by counseling you prior to implementing business plans or actions that affect employees. We counsel you regarding the practical impact of new and existing laws and help you develop and implement policies and procedures to minimize exposure to costly legal claims. We conduct workplace audits to ensure your compliance with the law. We advise employers about the labor and employment issues that can arise in corporate transactions and restructurings.
The breadth of our experience spans the following areas:
- Employee discipline and termination
- Investigation (e.g., sexual harassment, employee theft)
- Audits (OFCCP, wage and hour, etc.)
- Training
- Policies and handbooks
- Employee benefits/ERISA