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Combines human behavior and legal professionals for full-circle view of workplace issues
ST. LOUIS, MO – January 5, 2010 – Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Ogletree Deakins), America’s third-largest labor and employment law firm, has launched Ogletree Deakins Learning Solutions (ODLS), a comprehensive and interactive training platform for frontline supervisors. The ODLS platform uses a privately secured, encrypted Web site and is offered in multiple formats (allowing businesses to engage in training that results in a minimal loss of productivity) and prepares supervisors to better handle staff concerns and limit the potential for legal issues in today’s workplace. A key differentiator is how the ODLS training approach increases the capacity for learning, participation and retention by utilizing tailored, company-specific course materials that include an organization’s policies and procedures, even themes and logos, making for hyper-relative content. Training topics include the key issues employers face including harassment prevention, cultural diversity, workplace violence, managing
leaves of absence, union avoidance, and common wage and hour mistakes.
ODLS is led by Dennis Davis, Ph.D. and Tim Garnett. Dennis Davis, Ph.D., director of client training – who uses his extensive training in Clinical Psychology, and background as an author and consultant in the area of Workplace Violence Prevention to help employers minimize the risks posed by employee behavior. Additionally, Dr. Davis focuses on Professional Interaction Training which is designed to help employers professionalize their workplaces. Tim Garnett, a shareholder in Ogletree Deakins’ St. Louis office, has more than 30 years of experience representing management in labor and law matters including counseling employers on how to stay compliant with federal and state laws and avoid wrongful termination, harassment and discrimination lawsuits. Garnett has also developed and presented numerous labor and employment training programs dealing with labor relations and human resources topics for HR professionals and line management.
“We put ourselves in the shoes of HR professionals and are leveraging technology to develop better training and engage a captive audience in a new way of learning,” said Garnett. “It is much more effective when the audience is presented and questioned with issues from real-life cases rather than just being told what the law is.”
“A distinctive advantage with this learning solution is the use of learning theories whereby participants learn by success or failure instead of passive learning which could come from watching a slide presentation or just hearing an instructor. Because of the interactive nature, there is no embarrassment or fear from being wrong or incorrect and the key lessons are more apt to be retained and practiced in the workplace,” said Dr. Davis.
To meet the needs of individual employers, those with multiple locations or stretched training budgets, ODLS offers training in several different formats, including live, webcast, webinar, audio, and rewind – allowing employers to replay sessions.
Ogletree Deakins Learning Solutions will continue to update its course offerings and rollout new training programs throughout 2010 to meet the needs of employers, front line supervisors and HR professionals.
About Ogletree Deakins
Ogletree Deakins is the nation’s third largest labor and employment law firm, representing management in all types of employment-related legal matters. The firm has 450 lawyers located in 35 offices across the U.S. In addition to handling labor and employment law matters, the firm has thriving practices focused on business immigration, employee benefits, and workplace safety and health law. Ogletree Deakins represents a diverse range of clients, including more than half of the Fortune 50 corporations in the U.S. For more information, please contact Ryan King, public relations manager, at (404) 870-1742.