Employer documentation can make or break a legal defense. It is imperative that employers take documentation of workplace issues very seriously and provide adequate documentation training for their management staff. Ultimately, documentation should be extremely thorough. The more factual and objective details that are included, the better the documentation will hold up in a legal case. For example, managers and supervisors should make it a point to include basic data, including full names of employees, dates of relevant occurrences, and objective facts as opposed to subjective conclusions. Although it may seem obvious, documentation must also be legible. If an employer or manager has poor handwriting, he or she should rely on computer “cleaning up” to ensure that the document can be easily read and understood.  To learn more about how to properly document workplace issues, listen to this week’s Telebrief here.

Also in this week’s Labor and Employment Telebrief:  the misclassification of employees as independent contractors and Washington, D.C.’s Universal Paid Leave Act.

ABOUT THE TELEBRIEFS®

Geared to executives with employee relations responsibilities (HR directors, supervisors, managers, business owners), Labor and Employment Telebriefs® are information-packed 30-minute briefings via the telephone. Telebriefs® provide information and insights to help executives stay current with latest workplace law developments and in front of trends so as to enable proactive policy making and management. On the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month, from 9 – 9:30 am ET, join Offit Kurman Labor & Employment Chair Howard Kurman, as he discusses developments occurring over the past two weeks that will most significantly impact employers nationwide. The focus is squarely on the practical. Why is this event significant for employers? What are the lessons to be learned or actions taken? These twice-monthly teleconferences are an easy way to stay current and compliant with the latest Labor and Employment law developments that will significantly affect you and your company.  Our guarantee: You will learn something useful, on every call! If you have any questions regarding  labor and employment issues, please contact

Howard Kurman: hkurman@offitkurman.com | 410.209.6417

ABOUT HOWARD KURMAN

Howard K. Kurman is an employment attorney. Mr. Kurman regularly counsels clients on all aspects of proactive employment/labor issues. He represents employers ranging in size from as small as 20 employees to those employers with geographically disparate locations consisting of over 4,000 employees. Mr. Kurman assures, through regular contact with his clients, that they promulgate and maintain the most effective employment policies that will, to the extent possible, minimize their legal exposure in today’s litigious workplace. Mr. Kurman offers advice on employee handbooks, employment agreements, and covenants not to compete as well as confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements. Previously, Mr. Kurman was the chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Group.

You can connect with Offit Kurman via our Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, and LinkedIn pages.  You can also sign up to receive Law Matters, Offit Kurman’s monthly newsletter covering a diverse selection of legal and corporate thought leadership content.

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