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Epsrerru BEcKERGnerru EpsteinBeckerGreen, the Bank of China, and China Chamber of Commerce in U.S.A Present a Special Program for Ghinese Companies Doing Business ln The United States: Successfully Navigating Your Business ln The U.S. During Challenging Economic Times P re se nted by E pste i n Be c ke rG ree n Attorn eys : Steven E. Fox, Esq. (New York) Robert S. Groban, Jr., Esq. (New York) Gretchen Harders, Esq. (New York) Frank C. Morris, Jr., Esq. (Washington D.C.) Robert D. Reif, Esq. (Washington, D.C.) Allen Roberts, Esq. (New York) Dean L. Silverberg, Esq. (New York) Adrian Zuckerman, Ësq. (New York) WednesdayApril 13,2011 B:15 am-12:30 pm The Yale Club of New York, 50 Vanderbilt Avenue, NY, NY 100'17 This course is accredited for 3 5 New York CLE Credit in the a.ea of Professional Practice O Copyright 201l, Epstein Becker & creen, P.C. EpsteinBeckerGreen, Bank of China, and Ghina Chamber of Commerce in U.S.A Present a Special Program for Chinese Companies Doing Business ln The United States: Successfully Navigating Your Business ln The U.S. During Challenging Economic Times April 13,2011 8:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. The Yale Club of New York 50 Vanderbilt Avenue New York, New York Agenda 8:00 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. ........ Registration 8:15 a.m. - 12O0 p.m. ................ Presentation 12:00 p.m. - 12:15 p.m. ,.................Question & Answer 12:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. .............Lunch lntroduction Dean L. Silverberg, EpsteinBeckerGreen Morning Session Part One Robert S. Groban, Jr., Esq. lmmigration Developments Allen B. Roberts, Esq. Whistleblowing and Reducing Corporate R¡sks Dean L. Silverberg Esq. Employment and Wage and Hour Updates Gretchen Harders, Esq. Employee Benefits BREAK (time approximate) 10:30 a.m. Morning Session Part Two Steven E. Fox Robert D. Reif, Esq. Structuring Foreign lnvestments in the U.S. Adrian Zuckerman, Esq. Frank C. Morris, Jr., Esq. Non-Competition and Gonfidentiality Agreements Preventing and Succeeding in Litigation in the U.S. Luncheon Keynote Speech Sino-U.S. Economic Relations and Business Opportunities, Haiyan Li, Counselor for Economic Affairs Embassy of the People's Republic of China 3.5 New York CLE Credit Hours in Frofessional Fractice 'ii ìi t, T I'1" HB@ rj EPSTEIN BECKER & CREEN PC. rl ;:t ii r How To Successfully Chart Your Course ìì lì In Accordance With IJ.S. Law: i)I ä lt r t¡ Hiring And firing Employees In the U.S. t I ii ii r r t ii r il ti \l $ 2009 Epsteill Becker & Grccn, P.C. @Copyright ii ;) t< :r1¡-,:r-:,r7ì.'.t1i^rì.,ri-:i.,r:;:.. .-r^t:..:,ry,.:.ty.')v:t!;tJJ:,ìrvitvìtiìrìY,Y-r:rvlrt^i;ìâ ,!.;;-'Jlt , ^ff. ^ f ,ìtYYìrt^ arrìrYì^â;t ^L*wì YY l'able of Coutents EFFECTIVE SCREENING MEI-IIODS A- TheApplicationPLocess.............. l. Applicationlìorn1s........... 2. Backgror¡ndChecks.....,... OFFI]IìS OF I]MPLOYMLN I ........,,.,..,. A. Wlrat Youl OfleL SIIOUI,D and SI.{OUI,D NO'f include ITIRING: HOW TO RÈDUCE TIIE RISK OII A LAWSUIT WI'IEN TERMINATING AN DMPLOYEE..,. III- DISCIPLINE AND DISCIIARGE A. IIorv To Ilelp lìeduce The Risk Of A l-arvsuit When Termi¡tating An Enrployee L Documentation -'lhe "Silcnt Witness" ìitnploy¿¡s May liveritLral ly Neec1 .................. ä ): 2. Iìevicu,ingaProposed'l'ellnination............. it 3. Slcps for llevieu,ing a Ploposcd Termination i 4. Cor.nlnutricatingthe'lcrminationDccision.... ..........7 i3 5. Steps to Avoid Termina[ion Disputcs...,..,..... ',.'''....8 6. Avoiding Liability in Ex¡rlaining the Reasons for Discharge ,...,....8 7, Post-Tennination Issucs ''..'''',,.'..,'.'.',''..'.'. 9 IV SPECIFIC GIìOUNDS FOIÌ DISCIPLINE AND DISCI]ARGE ............................ I I A. Absenteeism/Tardiness...,............. B. Insubordination ............,.......,....,.........I2 l. Types of Insubordination .. ..................,.,............. 12 2. liactolsinDiscipline.......,.. .,, ', '.,.., ' '''.'' '..'..,.,....... 12 C. Negligence/Carelessness....,......,.,,. 1, FactolsofDiscipline..,..,.... D. Below Standard Perfonnance..,..... L FactorsolDisciptine.,..,..... pCopyriglrt 2005 Epstein Iìecker.& Green, p.C. â7Y arÀ^'Y:^ :ylyvyììl\rt tt.v\v^âârì^^,vy\æ\ry.:*.wvìâ âz\*æ DI¡NECTIVII SCREENING MD]'IIODS À. The Applicafion Process 'l . Application Forms Eniploylent applications a¡e uselul to errltloycr.s as a lncarìs of gathering iurportanl backglound inlon¡alion and tlre ernployment history ol plospective employecs. Employels must bear in mind, howcvcr, lhat employment applications ale subject to fedelal, state and local nondiscrimination laws and all çrestions asked on the application must bc job-related and nondiscr iurinatory in lrature, It is essential therefore that eurployers drafì em¡rloynent applications calefully so as to avoid exposing the Company to legal liability both before ar-rcl afìel an applicant is hiled. lìor exarnple, Titlc Vll of thc Civil Rights z\ct of 1964 prohibits discrimination ol1 the basis of an individual's race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Additionally, many stâte alìd local anti-discriminâtiotì statutes, including New York, include marital stâtus and sexual orientation as ¡rrotected categories. ThLrs, asking an applicant lo idcntify how they wish to be acldressed (Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss) dircctly violates the larv. Similarly, a question asking horv an individual acqLrired the ability to speak a loreign languagc ntight be constrt¡ed as an illegal inquiry into the ìndividual's uational orìgin. I-ikervise, questions that may elicit an indit,itlual's age nìây be fòund to violate tlie Ä.ge Discrirnination in Ern¡rloylrerìt Act and any rnquir.y which nright inadvel'telttly tec¡uirc atr individLral to reveal ìris or hel age shoulcì be elinlinatecl. Itl addilion, im¡;roperly pluased inquirìes rvliich could reveal an inclividual's stat¡s as a disabled persoll are viola[ive of thc Arrericans rvith Disabilities Ac( and r¡ust be carefully clrafted to avoid potential liability. hl addilion, state and local Iaws vary in this alea, and cer.tain jurisdictior.rs have established laws requiring thar specifìc language l¡e includecl on application forms. For instance, sorne jurisdictions have paflicular laws regarding questions that may be asked on topics such as crirni¡ral convictions, military ser-vice records and consumer credit information, Therefore, it is important for ernployers to be sensitive to the various uondiscrimination laws as they drafl employanent applicatious, while va¡iations in the form of applications for emplol,ment and types of specilic inquiries vary according to the needs of the Cornpany, cedain basic topics are usually includecl in emplol'rnent applications, as discussed in firrther detail below. lJate of the application, l'his is relevant so tliat ernploycrs who keep application files "open" for a celtain period of time may know how long to retain a particular application. Additionally, in the event that an applicant who is not hired later files a clairn of discrimination against the employer, the date of the application servcs as the date on which the statute of limitations comnletlces foL filing such a claim. @Copyright 2005 [pstein Becker & Grcen, P.C Àgc ol minors. 'l'his is a rare exception to tlie gencral prohibition conceming agc-related inquiries. 'lhis is a pennissible irrquiry, since uudel fedelal and state labor laws, employels must obtai¡r working papers autborizing minols to work, Ability to pcrfonn job. In light of the Amelicans with Disabilities Act, ernployers camrot ask whcthe¡ an individual is a disabled pelson, but may inquire only as to wlretl.rcr the person can ¡rerfonn the duties ofthejob lor which the application is being submitted. Crimiual couvictions. Genelally, federal and state laws ¡rermit questions regarding cnr¡inal convictions. Iìowever, caution must be exercised since inquides abouf al'ests are not pelmissible in many jurisdictions and sonle jLrrisdictions also linlit questions about convictions to certain types of convictions. A statement conceming the ernployer's anticipated job-related use of such in forrnation is olìcn lequiled. Abilit],to rvorl< and rcmain lcgally in thc United States. Uncler the Imniigration lìefonl and Control Act, entployers must verify a person's identity and eligibility for ernployrnent in thc t/nited States. However, inc¡uily as [o the person's nirtional origin or citizenship is not ¡rennissible as this could violate 'fitle VII of thc Civil l{ights Act, \vlìich prohibits discrimination on the basis of D.ìt ior¡î I origir oI citrzcrrslri¡' Bducational bachglouud. lnquiry into tlre dates ofgraduation is not ¡rermissible, since this may be interpleted as evidence of discrirnination on the basis of age, which is prohibited by the Age Discrimination in Employrnent Act ("ADEA"). IIowever, it is generally pennissible to request dates of attendance, l¡ut not for elernentaly and high school, Al inquíry addressìng "numbel of years cornpletod" may be a sulllcicnt altel'native, with rninimal risk. Mililary Ìecord, Many jurisdictions limit the types of questions that rnay be asked regarding the reason for discharge f¡om the military. Additionatly, employels should be careful about inquiring as to a person's status in tlie military as it perlains to curent or potential required resetne duty, as discrirnination on this basis is prohibited by the Unilonned Services Ernployrent and Reemploynent Act, Pcrsonal references, Inquiries for personal references and docurnented fbllow-up contact with such references rnay rninimize risk to the eniployer of claims for negligent hiring. @Copyright 2005 Epstein Bccker & Crcen, P.C lùnploymcnt-at-rvill