AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

Our Affirmative Action services utilize experienced experts and the latest technology to provide comprehensive and timely services.

We will:

· Conduct an Affirmative Action self-audit.

· Work with you to determine the appropriate “plan year” that is operationally feasible and compliant.

· Assist in defining your Organizational Profile.

· Discuss and define your availability analysis in the context of reasonable recruitment areas, feeder job groups and value weights.

· Write your AAP incorporating remote employees into the locations where they should be situated, so that all employees and all locations are accounted for.

· Analyze prior year data (where applicable) to enable completion of the first-year year and subsequent year plans.

Additional components include:

· A job group analysis and the placement of incumbents in job groups

· A comparison of incumbency to availability in an acceptable format

· Placement goals, if applicable, and a description of the methodology for goal setting

· A description of the in-depth analysis of the employment processes that were conducted to determine whether impediments to EEO opportunity exist and an identification of problem areas

· A description of the action-oriented programs that will be implemented to correct any problem areas identified and to establish goals and objectives

· A description of the internal audit and reporting systems that are used to measure the effectiveness of the AAP

· Incorporation of your EEO Policy

· Affirmative Action Policy Statement

· Purchase Order language

· Notice to Recruitment Sources

· EEO Policy Statement for inclusion in contracts

· Recommendations on current practices to enable you to comply with the requirements in an administratively feasible manner on an ongoing basis

· Periodic Monitoring reports

CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND MEDIATION

Conflict in the workplace is inevitable. Unresolved conflict can be detrimental to the organization and to employees. We work as unbiased third parties to assist organizations and their constituents to resolve conflict amicable and without litigation. Ideally, we are utilized by organizations long before a problem escalates, however, no matter how difficult the problem, we are here to assist. Conflict can be a catalyst for creating more positive relationships and organizations, and can help clarify workplace norms and objectives. But most people have never learned conflict-resolution skills, and there can be different approaches to conflict between different cultures and between men and women. Often the use of a third party neutral can help the disputing parties resolve their issues before they get out of hand.

HUMAN RESOURCES CONSULTING

EP Advisors assists small and mid-sized organizations in the management of their human resources function. These organizations are of a critical size – they are subject to the most complex of all employment laws, yet are not large enough to be able to retain a fulltime senior-level human resources professional or employment counsel.

Examples of typical consulting services include:

· Offsite support via telephone and email for consulting management on matters such as employee development and performance, progressive discipline, compensation decisions, promotions, terminations of employment and other employee-related actions

· Onsite consulting which will be provided based upon the needs of client

· Assistance in the processing of Human Resources transactions as required by the client

· Mentoring internal administrative staff assigned with Human Resources duties

· Providing employees with contact information and consulting regarding employee questions with regard to benefits and their personal employment situations

· Assisting in the management of all Human Resources related vendor relationships on behalf of the client

· Provide specific consulting to senior management to assist in strategic business issues, highly sensitive employee relations situations, or matters that the senior team deems highly confidential

· Review and provide recommendations on unemployment, disability and workers’ compensation claims

We evaluate:

· Compliance, policies and procedures, documents and contracts

· All HR functional areas: benefits, compensation, training, staffing, and labor/union relations

· Performance metrics of the HR function

· Linking the HR function with business and competitive strategy

· HR staff capabilities

· Employee Relations and Union Relations

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS MATTERS

Employee relations take place on many different levels, such as the “shop-floor”, the executive office, field locations, the regional level, and the national level. We help organizations promote a positive working relationship between managers and employees and amongst employees.

Services in this area include:

· Employee surveys

· Assistance in providing counseling and coaching to employees and managers

· Educating managers and human resources professionals on how to handle difficult employee situations

· Workplace investigations

· Employee surveys

· Organizational Audits Assessments and Focus Groups

· Guiding you in working with your union or helping to promote a positive employee relations climate in a union-free environment

· Internal dispute resolution programs

· Mediation and other conflict resolution interventions

COMPLIANCE TRAINING & EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT

Professional training and education courses bring value to your business and enable you to minimize the risks associated with potential ligation. We offer training in the areas of Compliance, Management Development, Employee Development, Customer Relations, and Leadership Development.

Compliance Training & Employee Development

Harassment Discrimination Avoidance Training

Harassment discrimination training is the key to avoiding expensive litigation. EP Advisors provides a thorough education on illegal discrimination on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sex (including sexual harassment), pregnancy, age, disability, and state/local-protected categories. Our training includes a look at some lesser-known categories of discrimination, including Family and Medical Leave, and Workers’ Compensation, as well as behavior, although not illegal, is inadvisable in the workplace.

Compliance Training

For today’s businesses, compliance training has evolved, becoming a crucial proactive strategy. Appropriate compliance training is necessary to mitigate legal risks and the financial consequences that may result from legal actions. This includes for example, harassment/discrimination training, workplace violence prevention training, and ethics training.

Executive and One-on-One Sensitivity Training & Coaching

Many organizations are faced with the dilemma of having a senior level person involved in a harassment or discrimination situation. Perhaps a complaint has been filed, or the organization has just become aware of inappropriate behavior. When the person involved is an executive, a highly-skilled manager, or a high-producing sales person, addressing the situation requires a specialized approach.

Management Development

Investing in your company’s leadership is critical to the current and future profitability of your business. Lack of proper development among leaders can result in a stale workforce with high attrition or the loss of effective performers within the organization. By partnering with EP Advisors to address these issues, your company can increase productivity and profitability and also reduce employee turnover.

Employee Development

Empowering your employees through professional development can add significant value to your company. Through EP Advisors, you can provide educational and organizational development skills to your employees, which your company can leverage to meet your institutional mission and goals.

Customer Relations

Strong customer relations skills are crucial to maintaining and growing your business. The burden of acquiring a new customer is five times costlier to your company than keeping an equivalent existing customer. EP Advisors’ customer relations training helps your employees master an appreciation of the value of a customer.

Leadership Development

Designed to assist leaders in deepening their understanding of their individual leadership style, EP Advisors’ courses bring value to your company by facilitating the development of sound leadership principles and practices.

WORKPLACE & TITLE IX INVESTIGATIONS

Many laws in the area of employee relations require employers to undertake investigations in order to meet their obligations under the laws. The general duty of any employer who either knows or should know about a discrimination, harassment, threat, or safety problem faced by an employee is to take prompt and effective remedial action to put an end to the problem. In order to know what action to take, or to find out whether action is even necessary, the employer has to investigate the situation and ascertain the facts. Employers that fail to investigate such situations risk losing claims or lawsuits brought by the employee in response to the problem.

EP Advisors provides seasoned attorneys and human resources experts with advanced knowledge of employment law to conduct workplace investigations of

allegations of harassment, employee misconduct, whistleblower, violence, employee complaints, Title IX

WAGE & HOUR COMPLIANCE

The increase in plaintiff and class action lawsuits and recent revisions of regulations governing overtime exemption are factors of great concern for employers. EP Advisors can assist you in understanding and complying with the complex laws concerning work and wage payment.

Our services offered include:

· Developing, reviewing, revising, and auditing wage and compensation policies

· Assisting with proper classification of exempt, nonexempt and independent contract workers

· Structuring commissions, bonuses and incentive payments, and entitlement to overtime pay

· Calculation of overtime pay

· Recordkeeping obligations

· Payment of vacation, personal or sick pay

· Preparing employers for administrative and judicial proceedings

· Reviewing recordkeeping compliance

EXPERT WITNESS SERVICES

The use of expert witnesses to consult and testify regarding the adequacy of policies, training, investigations, and/or corrective action in employment practices lawsuits is a growing trend across the country. The Supreme Court’s decision in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579 (1993), and Federal Rule of Evidence 702 permit expert opinion testimony as long as it “will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue...”

An employment practices expert must understand both the law and have experience in employment practices issues. EP Advisors’ consultants are experts in these areas. They have performed hundreds of investigations, provided thousands of hours of training, reviewed countless policies, and some of them are experienced attorneys. In addition, they possess the credentials necessary to be considered experts in the field.

Our consultants have experience as expert witnesses in federal and state courts nationwide on both sides of the docket and are available to assist in assessing a case, or as a consulting or testifying expert

WORKPLACE AUDITS & ASSESSMENTS

Human Resources audits and assessments are designed to assess the effectiveness of the Human Resources function and to ensure regulatory compliance. Not just anyone can conduct such an assessment and any assessment or audit goes well beyond a mere checklist.

We review the mission, strategy and culture of the organization. We collect a variety of information ranging from statistical and historical information about the firm and its employees up to and including objective and subjective information gleaned from employee or management surveys and focus groups.

From a compliance perspective we conduct a detailed review in areas ranging from recordkeeping, pay systems, employee benefits, leave programs and legal reporting.

The results of our review are presented to the client so that it can identify and prioritize areas of concern that should be addressed. We further assist our clients in developing a strategy to move forward.

SPANISH LANGUAGE SOLUTIONS

We recognize the diversity of your workforce and can provide many of our human resources consulting services in Spanish so that your policies, procedures and training can be understood by your Spanish speaking employees.

Services include:

· Recruitment and selection

· Workplace training programs conducted in Spanish

· On-site live translation of presentations and seminars

· Documents, policies, handbooks and procedure manuals translated into Spanish.

· Workplace investigations

We rely only on experienced Spanish language speakers who are experts in human resources.