Compliance, Investigation and Workplace Solutions

Our Practice 

Pedersen helps employers avoid time-consuming and costly charges, complaints, and lawsuits with comprehensive employment counseling services on workplace policies and procedures, personnel problems, and compliance issues.

We develop pragmatic strategies that help employers manage risks involved in critical personnel decisions involving the screening, hiring, and discipline of employees. Our lawyers advise clients on nondiscriminatory information-gathering techniques as well as drug and alcohol screenings for new potential hires. We help in-house counsel and human resources managers investigate and document performance issues and discrimination claims, as well as implement appropriate personnel measures designed to retain employees, improve workplace morale and productivity, and minimize the threat of litigation.

Small, growing companies and large well-established corporations alike call on us for best practices guidance on vacation, absence management, compensatory time, and flextime policies. We partner with clients to develop and update their employment policies, employee manuals, and personnel forms so that they are fully compliant with federal and state workplace laws and regulations. We help clients conduct internal compliance audits and investigations to ensure that they are on the right track. We offer compliance counsel on:

• The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state wage and hour statutes
• The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and other leave laws
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other related state laws
• The Genetic Information and Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and pay disparity
• I-9 Form requirements regarding undocumented workers
• OFCCP and Affirmative Action Compliance

Customized supervisor and employee training programs and on-site seminars share the insights we have gained from our experience in developing, disseminating, and enforcing federal- and state-compliant anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies and procedures.

Experienced in the rapidly evolving area of social media law, we offer guidance on what information gleaned from social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn can be used to screen applicants or discipline employees. We also help clients devise and adopt electronic records and electronic media policies that prevent potential embarrassment and liability.

Finally, when employers are engaged in merger and acquisition transactions, we help by conducting due diligence reviews of pending and potential employment claims, reviewing and modifying existing policies, complying with WARN and other notice requirements, evaluating potential liabilities, and consolidating benefit programs for complete regulatory compliance.

Our Experience

• Handled all employment law related issues for a Chicago plastic components manufacturer, including counsel on all aspects of hiring, management, and termination of employees; training on compliance with state and federal employment laws; preparation of the company employment manual; defense of workers' compensation claims against the client; implemented anti-sexual harassment and internet policies; and handled all employment-related disputes.
• Provided dedicated counsel on employment law issues to a national steel product manufacturer based in Chicago. Representation included drafting employment policy manual; drafting employment contracts; and reviewing employee documentation and records prior to termination.
• Counseled a publicly traded food products manufacturer on compliance with state and federal wage and hour regulations.
• Developed agreements designed to retain and incentivize key management personnel for numerous clients.