Training & Development
Sample List of Popular Training Topics

See the Training Catalog or the Workshops & Events section of the Web site for a full list of scheduled trainings, including dates, presenters, locations, and cost.

AAP and EEO Reporting

If you are responsible for your organization's affirmative action plan and reporting, this workshop will provide you with the basic knowledge of how to develop and maintain an approved affirmative action plan and other required OFCCP reports to ensure equal employment opportunity throughout all levels of the company.

Topics include:

AAP Reporting Basics
EO Survey
EEO-1 Report
VETS-100
Broadening your applicant pool
Gaining and maintaining supervisory support

Basic Medic First Aid® and AED

Participants who complete this workshop will receive a successful certification card in CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation) and first aid. The program meets OSHA requirements for the states of Oregon and Washington.

The workshop will include training in basic skills:

SETUP and Barriers
Assess Responsiveness
Opening Airway
Foreign Body Airway Obstruction
One-Rescuer CPR
Chain of Survival
Formal & Informal Debriefing
Control of Bleeding
Shock Management
Ongoing Assessment

A special AED session follows the Basic course. Learn how to use automated external defibrillators (AED's). AED's are becoming more available everywhere. AED's are used prior to the arrival of Emergency Medical Services and are an integral component in the chain of survival.

This AED short course will cover:

The Chain of Survival
Integrating the use of an AED in your emergency plan
Basic AED operation
Troubleshooting & other considerations

Basics of Supervision

Every lead, supervisor, and manager should have The Basics. This is a key program for supervisors.

Leadership Skills - Build insight and strength in:

What it really means to be a supervisor - the expectations, role, and obligations.
Motivation and Improving Performance
Communication and Conflict Resolution
Goal Setting
Giving Positive and Critical Feedback

Employment Relations - Develop an understanding of:

Basics of Employment Relations Law
Developing Performance Standards
Discipline and Documentation

Coaching Employees and Supervisors

Bringing out the best in others isn't always an easy task. This workshop provides participants with techniques for guiding and motivating employees and supervisors toward reaching higher levels of performance.

Active listening
Constructive feedback
Dealing with negativity
Coaching to spur taking on responsibility

Compliance Update

Every year sees new changes in employment legislation and other compliance issues that affect your workplace. Do you want to know more about these local and national changes and what they mean to your workplace? If so, this session is for you. In this regularly offered information packed 2-hour session, we'll cover a variety of compliance changes and also talk about what lies ahead for the next year.

Developing Wage and Salary Programs

This program presents information that every human resource professional should possess for developing and implementing wage and salary programs. Developed effectively, such programs attract and retain the best and brightest employees - employees who will contribute positively to your organization's goals.

Topics include:

Aligning pay with company goals
Choosing a compensation strategy
Effective use of job descriptions and market surveys
Maintaining competitive pay practices

Employee Handbooks and Supervisory Manuals

Properly developed and administered, employee handbooks and supervisory manuals are powerful tools that promote consistency in
human resource administration and help reduce and respond to employee-initiated legal actions. This workshop will provide you the
basics for developing, administering, and communicating organization policy.

Topics include:

Crafting a company-specific document reflecting company standards
Ensuring employee and management "buy-in"
Common legal pitfalls
Supervisory manuals for consistent policy administration

Employment Law Overview

This workshop acquaints managers with the most important and current areas of employment law. Emphasis is placed on preventing problems before they arise and minimizing financial loss.

We will cover:

Hiring issues
Maintaining an "at-will" relationship
Drug testing
Harassment
Reinstatement of injured workers
Discrimination
Wage and hour
Rest and meal periods
Family leave
Discipline and discharge

Fiduciary Responsibility - Am I At Risk?

Many employers know that they have a fiduciary responsibility and liability that comes with their employer-sponsored retirement plan, but few of them know exactly what that entails. This workshop is designed to familiarize you with the basics of fiduciary law, the key responsibilities you have as an employer, and ways to reduce or limit your liability.

Topics include:

Fiduciary Responsibility as defined by ERISA
Problems facing today's employers
Who IS and who ISN'T a Fiduciary
Best Practices for a Plan Sponsor

Gossip, Rumor and Conflict

Gossip and rumor tear at the heart of the workplace. When they are more than minimal, they undermine trust, increase insecurity and drive turnover. To make your organization more productive, explore in this session:

How to meet people's needs and to counter the negativity that drives gossip and rumor, and
How to address the rumors and the people who circulate them.

Unresolved conflicts are often at the core of negativity, so we will also discuss how to surface and resolve issues and spread accurate data and positive stories.

Harassment Awareness Training

Typically conducted on-site, this public offering provides an opportunity for employees and supervisors who may be new to your organization or who may have missed previous training. Now is the time to get into compliance and ensure all of your employees have received the proper training.

Topics include:

Introduction to Discrimination Regulations
Protected Class and Civil Rights Issues
Legal Definition of Sexual Harassment
Recent Case Developments
Recognizing Sexual Harassment
Popular Myths
Film, "In This Together"
Review of Model Harassment Policy
Responding to Claims of Harassment

Topics for additional hour of supervisor training:

Investigations
Liabilities associated with complaints
Responsibilities as supervisors

HR Compliance Webinar Series

The most common type of question Cascade gets is compliance related. Figuring out how to place an employee on family leave, properly document misconduct, or make a reasonable accommodation can be a frustrating process and if not done properly can lead to liability. This one-hour, monthly Webinar program provides in-depth information and tools for common workplace compliance issues. To make sure you get timely and relevant information, our topics vary each month. Sample topics include:

Conducting harassment investigation interviews
Placing an employee on family leave
Making a reasonable accommodation
Adverse impact analysis
Return to work
Writing disciplinary notices
Accuracy in performance appraisals

And many more! We will announce the monthly topic well in advance of each Webinar so you can decide if it's for you.

HR Leadership: A Certificate Program for Human Resource Professionals

Whether you are a small business administrator with newly assigned "HR" duties or a seasoned manager of a large corporation, this program transforms managers into visionary workplace leaders by underscoring the vital role the Human Resource function plays in the success of any organization. This in-depth program consists of 24 hours of required coursework over a three-day period, followed by 16 hours of elective coursework over the following few months.

Required coursework covers:

HR Leadership: Reaching the Next Level
Communicating the Mission
Managing Risk
Organization Development
Linking Individual Jobs with Organization Success
Managing Performance and Recognizing Success

Visit the HR Leadership Certificate Program page for complete details of this certificate program, including elective coursework topics.

Leadperson Effectiveness

The job of leadperson is tough. It demands you strike a difficult balance between being a worker and being a supervisor. Getting the job done when you (and everybody else) know that you have little authority requires some complex skills. You will learn about:

Making the switch from co-worker to leadperson
Clarifying your role
Understanding other people and motivation
Dealing with negativity in yourself and others
Team-building skills
Communication
Leadership skills (when you have limited authority)
Goal-setting
Keeping track & giving recognition
Coaching and training for better performance

Learning to Lead: 6 to 9 Part Series

The values, language and skills in Learning to Lead provide an enterprise-wide approach for aligning the power of people and knowledge with your organization’s strategic goals. With the rarest of exceptions, leaders are truly made, not born. The following sessions deliver high-performance strategies for personal leadership that keep employees on track and moving in the right direction.

Session topics may include:

The Basic Principles for a Collaborative Workplace
Coaching: Bring Out the Best in Others
Giving and Receiving Constructive Feedback
Giving Recognition
Proactive Listening
Managing Your Priorities
Personal Strategies for Navigating Change
Handling Emotions Under Pressure
Moving from Conflict to Collaboration

Visit the Learning to Lead Certificate Series page for more details of this certificate program, including highlights of coursework topics.

Linking Incentives to the Bottom Line

(Requires Developing Wage and Salary Programs" as a prerequisite)

This workshop focuses on incentive compensation plan design while emphasizing the importance of a "total compensation" strategy that supports organization success. Using actual corporate experiences, the presenter will guide participants through all aspects of incentive plan design, discuss the keys to plan success, and include a case study to illustrate the importance of careful plan design. Attendees will be encouraged to ask questions and discuss related business experiences that will add value to the class.

Participants will learn how to:

Develop a total compensation strategy statement that meets the needs of their organization
Determine the right mix of compensation for their organization (base rate, incentive pay, and benefits)
Determine the right mix of compensation for individual jobs in their organization (base rate, incentive pay, and benefits)
Determine incentive targets and oportunities that are appropriate for individual roles
Identify the incentive plan design or designs that are right for their organization
Select performance measures and standards that are true indicators of organization success
Model plan designs to determine award levels and total costs at various organization performance levels.

Managing and Tracking Family Leave and Absenteeism

Many organizations struggle with the bottlenecks and frustrations that occur with employee absences. Through use of real case studies and sample tools, this program provides practical information to help manage employee absences.

Topics covered:

Basic and advanced family medical leave (OFLA and FMLA) issues including eligibility, tracking, administration, return to work and reinstatement, and other types of medical leave including WC and ADA
Setting and communicating attendance standards
Chronic absenteeism and tardiness
Recordkeeping
Managing medical leaves - WC, ADA, FMLA, and OFLA

Misconduct Investigations and Discipline

Workplace investigations are an important part of any employer's disciplinary process and are the first line of defense against lawsuits and company liability. This workshop forcuses on practical steps and techniques you need to know about investigations and discipline.

Topics include:

Establishing facts
Interviewing witnesses
When to involve legal counsel
Confidentiality
Documentation
Weighing the evidence
Administering discipline

Payroll Update

Participants will receive information on payroll tax requirements in this yearly offering and learn about:

Changes for the Upcoming Year
Fringe Benefits
Web Sites
Wages
Employer Responsibilities
Deposit Requirements & Penalties
Independent Contractors
Quarterly and Year-End Returns
Mailing Addresses and Due Dates
Military Service Obligations

Performance Appraisals That Work!

This is a skills-building workshop, designed to help managers and supervisors become more comfortable and effective when giving performance appraisals. This workshop emphasizes that appraisals should not be bureaucratic exercises but instead need to be part of a year-round system and partnership for performance improvement. Using case studies, videos and practical tools, people will learn effective techniques to make performance appraisals a powerful system.

Participants will learn how to:

Make the performance appraisal process work
Understand what a performance appraisal is really measuring
Use rating scales that are practical and powerful
Develop greater consistency between departments and between supervisors
Understand the documentation and legal issues
Involve the pre-work that makes a performance appraisal focus on patterns and improvement
Use the seven-step process that makes the discussion more positive
Turn performance appraisals from confrontational situations to team building situations
Follow-up on the process

Reasonable Suspicion Training

In this two-hour workshop participants will receive training on the signs and symptoms of drug use and the signs and symptoms of alcohol misuse. This training certifies that supervisors have received the qualified training to make conscious decisions and documentation regarding reasonable suspicion for drug and alcohol testing.

Topics covered include:

Introduction to Drugs and Alcohol in the Workplace
Pre-Test Process
Effects of Drugs and Alcohol (personal, social, workplace)
Observing Signs and Symptoms of Drug and Alcohol Use and Abuse
How to Deal with Difficult Situations
Approaching Workers in Cases of Reasonable Suspicion
Post-Test Process

Recognition Techniques and Programs

Most organizations make major mistakes in their recognition programs that undermine commitment and teamwork. Giving positive recognition is both a skill and an art, but most of all it is a commitment. In this workshop, we will explore what leaders and organizations do poorly and do well - the do’s and don'ts of praise and showing appreciation. We will also:

Share best experiences with spontaneous and organized recognition
Learn what the research says about how often recognition is needed and
what impact it has
Receive written descriptions of both key actions and the top ten creative ways Oregon organizations recognize good work.

Recruitment and Hiring

The success of any organization starts with finding and hiring the right people for the right positions. This session will provide participants with key tools and resources for attracting qualified applicants and best practices for a stream-lined employee selection process.

Internal and external recruitment
Managing and screening applications
Interviewing
Reference checking
I-9s and W-4s
Ensuring individual success

Resiliency and Problem Solving

Some people are defeated by problems, obstacles and setbacks, while others gain strength from them. Some manage stress and some let stress manage them.

We will cover:

The five levels of resiliency
Your own level of resiliency - based on a self assessment
The eight principles of resiliency and how we get better at applying them
How to help others become more resilient

Receive Al Siebert's The Resiliency Advantage and leave with a plan for leadership and self-improvement.

Safety and Workers' Compensation Management

Not only are there financial implications attached to improperly managing workplace accidents, but there are certain workplace safety rules that are rigorously enforced by regulatory agencies. Attend this program to gain the understanding you need to effectively manage safety at your workplace. This program also provides participants with an understanding of the workers' compensation system and reviews practical steps for managing the process at your workplace.

Topics include:

Developing, implementing and managing safety policies and programs
Effective safety committees
Management support
Employee involvement
Accountability
What is workers' compensation?
Who are "subject workers"?
The insurance contract
Managing factors that influence costs
Communication

Training and Employee Development

Training is a long-term investment in better performance and employee commitment. This workshop will prepare participants to achieve a higher return on their training investments.

Assessing needs
Design and delivery
Getting top management support
Training plans
Evaluation

Wage and Hour Basics

Wage and hour compliance seems pretty basic, right? Unfortunately, the wage and hour laws are filled with exceptions. Without a proper understanding of those laws, compliance can be a challenge, especially when you factor in your supervisors. This course is designed to provide you with the most current wage and hour laws to help keep your workplace compliant.

Federal and state regulations
Travel time
Exempt v. non-exempt
Overtime v. "comp" time
Rest and meal periods
Deductions
Final paychecks
Recordkeeping
Penalties

Top

Training & Development Sample List of Popular Training Topics

Human Resource and People Issues

Leadership and Supervisory Development

Safety and Workers' Compensation

AAP and EEO Reporting

Basic Medic First Aid® and AED

Basics of Supervision

Coaching Employees and Supervisors

Compliance Update

Developing Wage and Salary Programs

Employee Handbooks and Supervisory Manuals

Employment Law Overview

Fiduciary Responsibility - Am I At Risk?

Gossip, Rumor and Conflict

Harassment Awareness Training

HR Compliance Webinar Series

HR Leadership: A Certificate Program for Human Resource Professionals

Leadperson Effectiveness

Learning to Lead: 6 to 9 Part Series

Linking Incentives to the Bottom Line

Managing and Tracking Family Leave and Absenteeism

Misconduct Investigations and Discipline

Payroll Update

Performance Appraisals That Work!

Reasonable Suspicion Training

Recognition Techniques and Programs

Recruitment and Hiring

Resiliency and Problem Solving

Safety and Workers' Compensation Management

Training and Employee Development

Wage and Hour Basics

Training & Development
Sample List of Popular Training Topics