Can you afford E-training? 08-06-2008
- By Rita Risser, attorney at law

Employers often say they can afford e-training, but not live training. If you never get sued, then you are safe with e-training. But if you do have the possibility of getting sued, you can't afford to rely on computer-based training. No court has ruled that e-training meets your legal responsibilities.

What is the likelihood that your organization will get sued?

• Do you have any current lawsuits or claims with the EEOC, DOL, OSHA, etc.?
• Is there a potential for a whistle blower claim? (i.e., are illegal things happening at your company?)
• Would you fail a DOL audit of your overtime pay practices and exemption classification system? Has it been more than a year since your policies, procedures and practices were reviewed by an employment lawyer?
• Do you have a high rate of workers compensation claims?
• Do you have high rates of days of disability, sick leave, or turnover?
• Have you had mass layoffs or sticky terminations?
• Are there any rumors about affairs by managers or about harassment?
• Are there external factors that make you a target, such as having a high profile, a bad reputation, or deep pockets?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions you should have live training. Period. For everyone.

 

Information here is correct at the time it is posted. Case decisions cited here may be reversed. Please do not rely on this information without consulting an attorney first.