Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted in 1990 with the goal of ending discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Title I of the ADA prohibits employers from discriminating in all aspects of the employment relationship — application, testing, medical examinations, hiring, training, assignments, evaluations, disciplinary actions, promotions, layoffs and terminations, as well as compensation, leave and other benefits. The ADA was revised substantially in 2009. Since the law went into effect, enforcement by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has resulted in payments of more than $300 million by businesses to more than 20,000 individuals. Recent cases resulting in punitive-damage awards up to $13 million make the importance of understanding and complying with the ADA clear. Course Summary This 35-minute course explains the basic requirements of the ADA in simple, understandable terms. It includes pop-quizzes, news clippings and a final quiz highlighting real-world compliance issues that employees should learn to recognize and deal with appropriately. The topics covered in the course include —  Overview of the ADA  Persons with disabilities  Impairments  Major life activities  Records and perceptions of a disability  Essential job functions  Reasonable accommodation  Undue hardship  Qualification standards  Safety standards  The hiring process  Medical exams and questions  The ADA on the job  Evaluations and promotions Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) – Title II The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a law that protects the civil rights of individuals with disabilities. State and local governments are required by Title II of the ADA to provide access to public programs, activities and services in ways that do not discriminate against people with disabilities. All government employees need to understand how to appropriately serve and include people with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) enforces Title II through an initiative called "Project Civic Access." The DOJ ensures that counties, cities, towns and villages comply with Title II of the ADA by eliminating physical and communication barriers that prevent people with disabilities from participating fully in community life. DOJ investigators, attorneys and architects survey state and local government facilities and programs across the country to identify modifications needed to comply with ADA requirements. Course Summary This training course provides a comprehensive guide to Title II of the ADA that will help communities understand and comply with their obligations. The online ADA Title II training course includes pop quizzes, news clippings and a final quiz highlighting real- world compliance issues that government workers should learn to recognize and deal with appropriately. The topics covered in the ADA training course include –  The history of the ADA  The legal framework of the ADA  Title II coverage and enforcement  Providing non-discriminatory services  Equal program access  Integrated settings  Effective communication practices  Construction and alteration of facilities  Modifying policies and procedures  Eliminating physical barriers  Reviewing program requirements  Appropriate signage  Auxiliary aids  Fundamental alterations  Undue burdens  Technical assistance Anti-Boycott Compliance A boycott refers to an act of refraining from dealing with or buying from a particular person, organization or country, usually as an expression of political protest. During the mid-1970s, Congress passed anti-boycott laws to address foreign governments' economic boycotts of countries friendly to the U.S. — specifically, the Arab League's boycott of Israel. The laws are administered by the federal Office of Antiboycott Compliance (OAC) of the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, pursuant to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Every U.S. company that engages in foreign or interstate commerce must comply with anti-boycott laws. Violations of these laws can lead to substantial civil and criminal penalties. Course Summary This 25-minute course provides an overview of U.S. anti-boycott regulations, their reporting and recordkeeping requirements, and the possible penalties for violations. It includes pop quizzes, news clippings and a final quiz highlighting real-world compliance issues that employees should learn to spot and respond to in a way that will protect themselves and their companies. The topics covered in the course include — • Overview of anti-boycott laws • Levels of boycotts • Prohibited conduct • "Red flags" of possible anti-boycott law violations • Reporting requirements • Recordkeeping • Penalties for violations Anti-Harassment Policy Certification Most organizations now understand the importance of (a) having an anti-harassment policy and (b) being able to show that employees were made aware of the policy and the complaint procedure. For many organizations, computer-based policy-certification and training are de riguer — or at least should be. WeComply offers a top-notch online course developed in collaboration with Proskauer Rose LLP, a preeminent labor and employment law firm. But for organizations with large numbers of employees who don't have computer access or skills, e-learning may not be an option. While some of these organizations have managed to push policies and training out to their far-flung workforce, proving that particular employees received them has been nearly impossible. This can leave these organizations defenseless before the EEOC or a jury — even when they had done all the right things. WeComply developed a telephone-based anti-harassment policy certification to address this problem. From any phone, employees call a toll-free number and follow the IVR (interactive-voice-response) prompts to authenticate themselves. They are then engaged in an interactive quiz and policy certification that takes about five minutes. Results are tracked just like an online WeComply training course and reported in real-time to your organization's training administrator. (Employees who do have computer access/skills can do the same certification online if they prefer.) Course Summary This five-minute Certification provides trackable proof that employees received, read and agreed to abide by your organization's anti-harassment policy. It also quizzes employees on basic issues of what harassment is, what a victim should do about it, and what your organization will do in response to a complaint. Finally, it provides employees with an option to report an incident of discrimination or harassment. The certification is available in English and Spanish. It can be customized and/or made available in other languages if needed. Anti-Money Laundering Have you ever seen a drug dealer pull out a credit-card machine to accept payment for a dime bag? Ever known someone to pay for a TV they bought off the back of a truck with a personal check? Probably not. Most criminals conduct their business in cash. This creates an obvious problem — cash is bulky, heavy and risky to carry around. (One million dollars in twenties weighs about one hundred pounds.) As a result, criminals need to find a way to "launder" their ill-gotten gains. "Money laundering" is the process that criminals use to disguise the true origin and ownership of cash by introducing it into legitimate enterprises. Laundering money is a lucrative and sophisticated business, both in the U.S. and overseas. Some sources estimate that more than $300 billion is laundered annually worldwide. You might say, "We're not a bank, so why do we need to be worried?" There are several reasons why it is important to have some familiarity with the money-laundering process, the laws that make it illegal, and our legal responsibilities to help prevent it. As banks and financial institutions become more closely scrutinized by law enforcement in connection with money-laundering activity, criminals are forced to become more creative in finding ways to introduce their ill-gotten gains into the legitimate economy. Increasingly, they are using other types of businesses in the laundering process. Therefore, every organization is more vulnerable than ever. Course Summary This 30-minute course is intended to familiarize employees with the process of money laundering and the laws that make it a crime. Anti-Money Laundering (cont’d) The topics covered in the course include — • Defining "money laundering" • The Stages: Placement, Layering and Integration • Money Laundering Control Act (MLCA) of 1986 and U.S. Patriot Act Amendments • Section 1956 of the Money Laundering Control Act • Section 1957 of the Money Laundering Control Act • Reporting requirements • Anti-Money-Laundering Tools • Illegal Structuring Transactions • Money-Laundering Targets • Red Flags of Money Laundering • Suspicious Co-worker Conduct • Tips for preventing money laundering Anti-Money Laundering for MSBs Money laundering is a lucrative and sophisticated business, both in the U.S. and overseas. Money service businesses (MSBs) are vulnerable to being used in money- laundering schemes because they provide many of the services that the schemes depend on — money orders, traveler's checks, check cashing and currency exchanges. Since the terrorist events of September 11, 2001, U.S. anti-terrorism efforts have focused on tracking down illegal movement of money through all financial-service businesses, including MSBs. As part of these efforts, MSBs are now required to train their employees on compliance with anti-money laundering laws and regulations. Course Summary This 45-minute training course will help MSB employees understand the most important anti-money laundering laws and regulations and how they affect employees' day-to-day job responsibilities. The course includes pop quizzes, news clippings and a final quiz highlighting real-world compliance issues that employees should learn to spot and respond to in a way that will protect themselves and their companies. The topics covered in the course include —  What is money laundering?  Red flags — transactions  Money laundering at MSBs  Red flags — internal  Laws and regulations  Suspicious Activity Reports  The four pillars of compliance (SARs)  Reporting requirements  Handling customer information  Currency Transaction Reports  OFAC compliance (CTRs)  Record management  Suspicious activity  Penalties for noncompliance  Red flags — customer information Antitrust Essentials As the complexities of the business world multiply, so do potential antitrust problems for a business enterprise up and down its organizational chain. An intricate web of federal, state and international statutes and regulations poses significant dangers for both intentional and inadvertent antitrust violations — organizations are fined, mergers and acquisitions are thwarted, enormous litigation costs pile up, and people go to jail. Just as important, organizations and their employees become afraid to be inventive, aggressive and competitive in completely legitimate ways. Thus, it is crucial that organizations train their employees on the basic what, why and how of antitrust enforcement: (1) what are the basic legal principles, and what problems can occur in the real world in dealings with colleagues, customers, competitors, suppliers and business partners; (2) why is compliance with antitrust law important to your organization’s business goals and the free-enterprise system in general, and why avoiding violations and civil and criminal penalties is so important; and (3) how to recognize potential problems and deal with them appropriately, and how to compete creatively and legitimately. Course Summary This 40-minute course explains the basic principles of U.S. antitrust law in simple, understandable terms. It includes pop-quizzes, news clippings and a final quiz highlighting real-world compliance issues that employees should learn to recognize and respond to appropriately. The topics covered in the course include —  Overview of U.S. antitrust law  Recognizing "red flags"  Relationships with competitors  Price-fixing o Allocating markets or customers o Boycotts o Other improper competitor contacts o Price-related restrictions o Geographic or customer restrictions Antitrust Essentials (cont’d)  Relationships with customers o Exclusive dealing o Tying o Reciprocal dealing o Dual Distribution  Mergers and acquisitions o Pre-merger reporting o Pre-closing sharing of information  Monopolistic behavior o Predatory pricing o Refusals to deal  Price discrimination o Meeting competition o Promotional services  Exemptions from the antitrust laws o Lobbying activities o Labor-related activities o State action o Regulated industries  Special industries o Insurance o Healthcare  Antitrust in other contexts o Government contracting o Foreign trade Appropriate Internet and E-mail Use Without a doubt, the Internet has revolutionized the workplace. According to the Pew Research Center, 62% of American employees now use the Internet for their work, with 27% reporting "constant" use. With an Internet connection, a laptop or netbook, and a cell phone or PDA, many employees are fully equipped for their work wherever they are. Indeed, nearly half of employed Americans now work from home at least some of the time — and 18% do so every day or almost every day. But with all of the potentially positive uses of the Internet come potential abuses, as well. Of 1,200 companies surveyed about Internet usage, 54% reported that they had caught employees browsing Web sites that were unrelated to their work — some up to eight hours per day! Another survey found that of the 30% of employers who fire employees for web-related violations, 84% cited the reason as the viewing or uploading of inappropriate material. In addition, improper or indiscriminate use of e-mail, text- or instant-messaging, postings to blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc., can lead to issues of workplace discrimination (including sexual harassment), copyright infringement, securities-law violations, antitrust violations, the loss of company trade secrets, and many other legal and practical problems. Course Summary This 30-minute course explains the basic rules and guidelines for appropriate use of the organization's electronic-communication systems. The topics covered in the course include —  Overview  E-communications  Monitoring and access  Personal use  Social networking  Inappropriate communications  Prohibited Internet use  Passwords  Working remotely  Violations