Handling Employment for Bosses and Supervisors 2008: ... (ISBN 1931741891)

Practical Pointers for Avoiding Employment Pitfalls and Problems:
Successful attorney Geoffrey H. Hopper writes from a rich background gained from his business experience in steel fabrication and through litigation in the area of employment and business law. In his new book "Handling Employment for Bosses and Supervisors" Geoffrey offers guidelines to improve employee moral, for reducing absenteeism, and litigation fees, while increasing productivity. The book follows a natural progression beginning with a listing of "23 Factors Causing Employment Problems" and a brief history of employment law in the introduction. He follows with a chapter explaining to the reader why they should be reading this book. The chapters that follow are packed with practical recommendations on subjects including: Employee training, evaluations, employee applications, screening, and interviews. In the final chapters Hopper offers important guidelines for handling sexual harassment issues, violence in the workplace, employment practices, and suggestions for selecting qualified legal counsel. Geoffrey writes with a flare for humor as he clearly articulates the pitfalls of employer practices in handling human resources. Chapter titles include: "Remember the Blue Haired Lady Doctrine." I particularly enjoyed the pithy quotes and sage advice from such diverse persons as Malcolm Forbes, Dolly Parton, Winston Churchill, and Abigail Van Buren. Employers, and supervisors, as well as indiviual employees will benefit from the important guidelines provided in "Handling Employment for Bosses and Supervisors." This is a "must read book" for every CEO, Human Resource Director, and Department Head.

Informative, practical, and humorous:
Reviewed by Kathleen Dowdell for Reader Views (4/08) Written by a labor and employment attorney, "Handling Employment for Bosses and Supervisors" presumes to be a guideline for avoiding employee lawsuits. In the author's section, titled "Thirty-One Steps on How to Keep Your Home," he lays out thirty-one ideas of practical information that employers should use to protect themselves from litigation that may cost them their home (employment litigation) or their lives (workplace violence). Hopper spends a good chunk of time explaining employment litigation and its repercussions likening it to going through a divorce. He includes twenty-three factors that cause employment problems and he provides practical, legal suggestions how managers and supervisors can avoid litigation. He points out that "the United States is viewed by many as the most litigious country in the world having more than 20,000 discrimination lawsuits filed in 2000." Staggering figures like that make this book a must have in any employers' library. The evolution of employment law in the United States began about forty to fifty years ago, modeling itself from England's employment law in the beginning of the 1800s. An interesting fact the author points out is how the term "fired" came about. Back in 1871 "fired out" meant to throw out or eject someone from a place or location. Some years later "out" was dropped and the term "fired" came to be synonymous with "dismissal of an employee." When an employer has to fire someone, he has made two mistakes: hiring the person in the first place and failing to train the person to become productive. Investing in your employees pays off in the long run as is pointed out in one of the thirty-one steps he discusses. Employees, as Hopper points out, should always be treated with dignity and respect. If everyone remembered and acted that way, the workplace would be a better place. This book contains practical, concise information and makes a great reference for managers and supervisors. Every factor of employment is covered in this book including interviewing techniques, policy writing, sexual harassment, unlawful employment practices, termination, and workplace violence. Hopper uses humor to keep the book from becoming too morose. The subtitle of the book "Guidelines to Avoid Employee Lawsuits, With a Touch of Humor" is aptly named. Quotes of famous people interspersed throughout the book make the information more personal and adaptable to the reader. I would recommend "Handling Employment for Bosses and Supervisors" to owners of small business as well as managers and supervisors. Its content is informative, practical, and humorous. The book is laid out in short, easy to read sections. By adding humor to the content, Hopper's great writing style makes what could be laborious reading interesting and fun.