Another in our Legal Reference series...

NCCBI Announces Publication of the 
Employment & Labor Law Resource Guide
NCCBI is pleased to announce the availability of another in its Legal Reference series of "how to" books for small and medium-size businesses, The Employment & Labor Law Resource Guide. This resource is our plain-English guide to all aspects of North Carolina and Federal government employment laws, and includes insightful explanations of such complex topics as:

Wage and hour issues
Discrimination
The Family and Medical Leave Act
Overtime and recordkeeping
The Americans with Disabilities Act
Negligent hiring, and
Employment relationships

Covering 29 chapters and more than 300 pages, the Employment & Labor Law Resource Guide is authored by Thomas A. Farr and Gretchen W. Ewalt, attorneys with the law firm of Haynsworth, Baldwin, Johnson & Greaves. It has been written especially for small business owners, supervisors, and personnel managers in PLAIN ENGLISH! No more wishing you had a law degree so that you could understand all of the complex laws and regulations that affect your business. The text is crystal clear--even for people with no background in employment law.

This publication is organized so you can get the answers you need to your employment-related legal questions immediately. A comprehensive index has been added to make it possible for you to find what you need quickly and easily. The text contains plenty of examples to illustrate key points.

Also, if there is an employment-related matter for which there is no law currently in effect, the text will inform you of that as well.

The book costs $112 for NCCBI members, $127 for non-members. That's well under the cost umbrella and far less than what you would have to pay an attorney to compile the information fo you or to be on call to answer your employment law questions as they arise.

You can order the Employment & Labor Law Resource Guide online by clicking here or by phone by calling 1-888-225-6030.

About the authors...
Thomas A. Farr is a partner in the firm of Haynsworth, Baldwin, Johnson & Greaves, a regional firm that limits its practice to labor and employment law, with offices in Raleigh, Greensboro and Charlotte. Farr received his bachelor’s degree from Hillsdale College in 1976, a J.D. from Emory University in 1979, and an LL.M., Labor Law, from Georgetown University in 1983. Farr is a former law clerk for the Hon. Frank W. Bullock, U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of North Carolina, and a former adjunct professor of labor and employment law at Campbell University School of Law. Gretchen W. Ewalt also is a partner in the Haynsworth, Baldwin, Johnson & Greaves firm. Ms. Ewalt received her B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1985, cum laude, and her J.D. from the University of Virginia in 1988.


Other books available in the Legal Reference series:

NCCBI offers new book on model employee policies
NCCBI has just announced publication of Model Employee Policies and Forms, another in the Legal Reference series books the association is making available to its members. The 350-page volume and accompanying CD with more than 145 downloadable policies and forms is the definitive guide on human resources policies, forms and postings in North Carolina. The book, including the CD, costs $159.00 plus $10 for shipping and handling. NCCBI members can deduct $15 from the purchase price.

Model Employee Policies and other books in the Legal Reference Series described below are produced through a joint project between NCCBI and the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. Members can order online, by calling 1-888-225-6030 or sending a fax to 1-888-251-3061. The books also can be ordered by writing to: North Carolina Legal Reference Series, PMB# 126, 4558-B Capital Boulevard, Raleigh, N.C. 27604

“While there are many form books and other resources to go by in circulation today, they do not focus specifically on best practices for North Carolina employers. This book does,” says Kimberly J. Korando (left), lead author of Model Employee Policies and Forms who is head of the Employment, Labor and Human Resources Group at the 90-lawyer, Raleigh-based Smith Anderson law firm.

“Our state has a long and proud history of laws that give companies many rights that do not exist in other states. Being able to take full advantage of these rights while at the same time achieving employer of choice status, legal compliance and smart risk management begins with smart policy drafting. We developed this book with these goals in mind,” adds Korando.

The policies, forms and commentary included in the book reflect best practices for complying not only with North Carolina law but also with federal laws that apply to employers in North Carolina. The book offers something to all North Carolina employers, small and large, start-up and well-established. Small start-ups will find that they can download and customize the policies into a complete and first-rate handbook ready for distribution within hours. Larger companies and experienced HR professionals can use the commentary and model policies in reviewing, modifying and upgrading their existing policies.

Information on policies and related forms that should be cross-referenced, related training and risk management topics and helpful agency websites are also included. Additional chapters are devoted to general policy drafting and documentation topics, and include a comprehensive list of record retention and workplace posting requirements. “In developing the commentary, we took a just-in-time training approach – providing the reader clear, concise need-to-know guidance on why the topic is important, traps for the unwary and specific legal compliance, risk management and corporate culture issues that should be considered in drafting them,” according to Korando.

“NCCBI is pleased to offer this wonderful resource to our members. We expect it to become North Carolina employers favorite and most useful guide of workplace policies, forms and postings,” says Rosemary Wyche, NCCBI vice president of development. 

To order the book by phone, call 888-225-6030. Or you may mail a check to North Carolina Legal Reference Series, PMB# 126, 4558-B Capital Boulevard, Raleigh, N.C. 27604.

Korando is a co-founder of IHRT, the Institute for Human Resources Training (www.ihrtus.com), an organization dedicated to researching, developing and teaching world class HR compliance strategies for HR professionals and business managers.  She has designed a wide variety of workplace training programs and trained more then 7,000 supervisors, managers and human resources professionals. She is a frequent speaker at programs sponsored by the Duke University Fuqua School of Business, University of North Carolina, Society for Human Resources Management and other nationally recognized organizations.  She is a Lecturer in Human Resources at Peace College and serves on the Advisory Board to the college’s 4-year Human Resources degree program.

 
NCCBI adds employment practices 
handbook to legal reference series 
In its continuing effort to help its members avoid becoming entangled in the myriad of complex federal and state laws governing businesses and the workplace, NCCBI has published the North Carolina Employer's Guide to Hiring and Firing, a concise reference work that will help you make the right decisions when confronted with difficult choices. The book will be particularly helpful to companies that do not have large human resources department to handle hiring and firing decisions.

The book, the third in the North Carolina Legal Reference Series of publications NCCBI is producing for its members, is a must for anyone who deals with employees on a daily basis. It guides you through such tough issues as:

Finding qualified applicants
Writing appropriate job advertisements
Asking appropriate interview questions
Types of employee testing
Conducting background checks
Considerations at the time of hire
Employee privacy issues
Appropriate layoff procedures
Issues to consider at the time of termination

The North Carolina Employer's Guide to Hiring and Firing will walk you through the employment relationship from beginning to end and will alert you to potential problem areas so that you can prevent them before they happen. The reference work is written by attorneys at the Parker, Poe, Adams & Bernstein law firm, a North Carolina firm that works with North Carolina employers every day, which means you get advice consistent with the solutions needed.

Previous books in the series include North Carolina Wage and Hour Issues -- a Practical Guide for Small Business and the North Carolina Safety and Health Guide.

The 164-page North Carolina Employer's Guide to Hiring and Firing is $84 for NCCBI members, $99 for non-members. The North Carolina Wage and Hour Issues handbook is $63 for NCCBI members, $78 for non-members. The North Carolina Safety and Health Guide is $83 for NCCBI members, $98 for non-members. 

NCCBI endorses these books and receives a small percentage of the proceeds, which is used to help hold down membership dues.

The key to handling your hiring and firing decisions the right way is through having sound employment practices in place. The North Carolina Employer's Guide to Hiring and Firing walks you through the paths you need to follow and give you the confidence you need when confronted with difficult decisions.

The first publication in the series, the North Carolina Safety & Health Guide, was authored by Ed Foulke of the Jackson, Lewis Schnitzler & Krupman law firm. Mr. Foulke is the former chairman of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission and was appointed by President George Bush.

The Safety and Health Guide is a handbook to complex and everyday state and federal OSHA laws. The 130-page manual is what every manager involved in safety and health needs to know. It is written in layman's terms, it is easily understandable and will provide you with a user-friendly resources in understanding and satisfying the demands of OSHA, and, more importantly, the needs of your employees. It answers contains information on:

The responsibilities of employers
The general duty clause
Standards applicable to specific industries
Recordkeeping and reporting requirements
Variance requests
Inspections
Litigating the safety order
Developing a safety program, and
Conducting your own self audit.

The second book in the series, North Carolina Wage and Hour Issues, contains 130 pages addressing both North Carolina and federal wage and hour laws. The handbook contains everyday scenarios designed to answer such questions as:

When does an exempt employee become nonexempt?
What type of records must be kept in regard to hours worked and compensation?
Can a salaries employ bee nonexempt?
What hours must be counted as "work" hours?
Must an employee be paid for hours scheduled but not worked?

These handbooks have been written in plain English especially for small business owners, supervisors and personnel managers. The text is crystal-clear even for people without a specific background in business issues. You will be extremely pleased with the excellent job the authors did in making the material easy to read. The desk guides will undoubtedly be referenced thousands of times.