16Having a Legal Awareness

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT as a first-time manager that you know current employment laws, practices, and regulations set by federal, state, and local governments in order to avoid any legal liability. You do not need to be an expert, however, because that is the job of human resources. When in doubt about what you can and cannot do, or if you are not sure, for example, what constitutes sexual harassment in the workplace, you need to find out.

It would be to your benefit to have a brief overview of the main legal pitfalls that new managers need to avoid and what your legal responsibilities are as a manager. You need to focus on the legal issues around sexual harassment, disability, substance abuse, privacy, family and medical ...

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