Under federal law, it is illegal to discriminate in any aspect of employment, including: • hiring and firing; • compensation, assignment, or classification of employees; • transfer, promotion, layoff, or recall; • job advertisements; • recruitment; • testing; • use of company facilities; • training and apprenticeship programs; • fringe benefits; • pay, retirement plans, and disability leave; or other terms and conditions of employment.

As 2016 comes to an end, it is time to focus on New Year’s resolutions and goals for your company. Updating (or creating a company employee handbook if you don’t have one already) should be at the top of your list of New Year’s resolutions. Generic employee handbooks are readily available on-line; however, most of them are generic and do not take into account your company’s culture and specific needs. They also are not industry or state-specific. If you have not updated

Employers We represent many small to medium-size businesses, many of which do not have internal human resources offices to handle employee issues. We can serve as an outside resource on a regular or as-needed basis to help navigate these difficult waters. We can assist employers in the following areas: • Employee handbooks • Internal human resources policies and procedures • Employment agreements or contracts • Hiring or terminating employees • Severanc