US employment law essentials for managers

For managers, HR staff and business owners: the federal employment laws that shape everyday decisions on pay, hiring, accommodation, leave, discipline and layoffs, with state-variation notes and clear escalation points.

For: Managers, supervisors, HR staff and business owners who make or influence decisions about hiring, pay, scheduling, accommodation, leave, discipline and termination.

  • 3 contact hours
  • 9 modules
  • 9 interactives
  • 4 job aids
  • Updated October 11, 2026

What you will be able to do

  • Explain the federal, state and local sources of US employment law, the coverage thresholds of major federal statutes, and the limits of at-will employment.
  • Apply FLSA requirements on minimum wage, tipped pay, hours worked, overtime, exempt classification and lactation breaks to everyday scheduling and pay decisions.
  • Prevent discrimination, harassment and retaliation under Title VII, the ADA, ADEA, EPA, GINA and PWFA, and handle disability, pregnancy and religious accommodation requests correctly.
  • Respond correctly to FMLA and state leave needs, USERRA service obligations and employees' NLRA Section 7 rights in union and non-union workplaces.
  • Conduct hiring, background checks, restrictive covenants, terminations and layoffs lawfully, including FCRA steps, ban-the-box awareness, non-compete status and WARN Act notice.
  • Recognize fast-changing areas and decisions that require escalation to HR or legal counsel, and use checklists and documentation to support defensible decisions.

Most employment claims begin with an ordinary manager decision made in a hurry: an off-the-clock request, a 'salaried so exempt' assumption, a comment about age, a delayed accommodation, a firing a week after a complaint. This course gives managers a practical map of US employment law: where it comes from, what at-will really means, and how the major federal laws apply to daily decisions.

You will work through the FLSA (minimum wage, tipped pay, hours worked, overtime, exemptions and the current salary threshold, and the PUMP Act); Title VII, the ADA, ADEA, Equal Pay Act, GINA and Pregnant Workers Fairness Act; harassment and retaliation; disability, pregnancy and religious accommodation; FMLA and state leave; USERRA; NLRA rights in union and non-union workplaces; background checks and ban-the-box; the status of non-competes after the FTC rule's vacatur; terminations; and the WARN Act.

Scenarios from a South Carolina restaurant group, an Illinois machine shop, a North Carolina startup, a California warehouse and a Maine hotel company make the rules concrete. Interactive tools include an exemption decision tree, a state training look-up, spot-the-problem exercises, an NLRA dilemma and a full-week branching scenario. Fast-changing areas, including EEOC and NLRB positions, are flagged and date-stamped.

What you’ll be able to do Monday morning

  1. Stop any off-the-clock work and calculate overtime by workweek, not by pay period.
  2. Send classification questions, accommodation requests and possible leave needs to HR the same day.
  3. Use job-related criteria decided in advance for promotions, training and assignments.
  4. Report harassment complaints immediately and protect complainants from any disadvantage or retaliation.
  5. Never ban or punish employees for discussing pay or working conditions together.
  6. Document performance problems as they happen and call HR before any termination involving recent protected activity.

Curriculum

9 modules · 36 lessons · about 3 contact hours

01Where does US employment law come from, and what does 'at-will' really mean?Free preview20 min
  1. What are the layers of employment law?
  2. Which laws cover which employers?
  3. What does at-will employment mean, and what are its limits?
  4. Why is this a fast-changing area, and how should managers keep up?
  • Self-assessment: Where do I stand on employment law basics?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

02What does the FLSA require for minimum wage, hours and overtime?20 min
  1. What are the federal minimum wage rules?
  2. What counts as hours worked?
  3. How does overtime work?
  4. What records must be kept, and what about pumping breaks?
  • Sort activity: Hours worked, or not?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

03Who is exempt from overtime, and how do managers avoid misclassification?20 min
  1. What does 'exempt' actually mean?
  2. What is the current salary threshold?
  3. What are common misclassification mistakes?
  4. What should managers do about classification?
  • Decision tree: Could this employee be exempt from overtime?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

04Which EEO laws protect employees, and how do managers stay on the right side of them?20 min
  1. What are the main federal EEO laws?
  2. What do disparate treatment and disparate impact mean?
  3. How do managers make defensible decisions?
  4. What about equal pay?
  • Matching activity: Which law, which rule?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

05How do managers prevent harassment and retaliation?20 min
  1. When does harassment become unlawful?
  2. When is the employer responsible?
  3. What is retaliation, and why is it the most common claim?
  4. How should a manager respond to a complaint?
  • State rules selector: State and city harassment-training rules

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

06How do reasonable accommodations work for disability, pregnancy and religion?20 min
  1. What does the ADA require?
  2. What does the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act add?
  3. What about religious accommodation and lactation?
  4. How should managers handle accommodation requests?
  • Spot the issue: Spot the legal problems in a job posting and interview plan

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

07What do FMLA, state leave, USERRA and the NLRA require of managers?22 min
  1. What does the FMLA require?
  2. What about state paid leave laws?
  3. What does USERRA require?
  4. What does the NLRA protect, even without a union?
  • Ethics dilemma: The group text about raises

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

08How do you hire lawfully: background checks, ban-the-box and non-competes?20 min
  1. What does federal law require for background checks?
  2. How do EEO laws apply to criminal records and other screening?
  3. What is the status of non-compete agreements?
  4. What other hiring rules should managers know?
  • Spot the issue: Spot the risks in a termination memo

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

09How do you handle terminations and layoffs lawfully?22 min
  1. What makes an individual termination defensible?
  2. When does the WARN Act apply?
  3. How should layoffs be planned fairly?
  4. When should managers escalate to HR or legal?
  • Branching scenario: A week at the Beaufort restaurant group

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

Final assessment: 29 questions, 80% to pass, then your certificate

Try it now, no account needed

A week at the Beaufort restaurant group

A branching scenario from this course. Your choices are not saved.

Free sample activity

A week at the Beaufort restaurant group

You are Rhett Calloway, general manager of a 64-employee restaurant group in Beaufort, South Carolina. Make each decision as you would on the job.

Inside the course

Practice activities

  • Self-assessment1
  • Sort activity1
  • Decision tree1
  • Matching activity1
  • State rules selector1
  • Spot the issue2
  • Ethics dilemma1
  • Branching scenario1

Job aids you keep

  • Manager's Employment Law ChecklistChecklist
  • Anti-Retaliation and Speak-Up Policy (Starter)Policy starter
  • Employment Law Scenario WorksheetWorksheet
  • State and City Harassment-Training Quick Reference (verified)Reference sheet

Credit and approval status

Certificate of completion

This course awards a certificate of completion for 3 contact hours of instruction. It is not currently approved or accredited by SHRM, HRCI, any state bar or any continuing education accreditor, and it does not provide CLE or recertification credit. Employers decide whether to accept it for internal manager training. It is general education about employment law, not legal advice.

Pathways we may pursue include SHRM professional development credits and HRCI recertification credit; state bar CLE only if approval is obtained. None of these approvals exists today; the course page will show an approval only after it is granted.

Our full approvals list

State notes

State and local laws often go further than federal law. Key areas that vary:

  • Minimum wage and tipped pay: where a state requires a higher minimum wage, the higher standard applies (DOL); some states do not allow a tip credit.
  • Overtime and exemptions: some states require daily overtime or set higher exempt salary thresholds.
  • Anti-discrimination coverage: for example, California's FEHA covers employers of five or more and prohibits harassment at employers of any size.
  • Harassment training mandates (verified): California (5+ employees; Cal. Gov. Code 12950.1), Connecticut (3+; Conn. Gen. Stat. 46a-54(15)), Delaware (50+; 19 Del. C. 711A), Illinois (all employers; 775 ILCS 5/2-109), Maine (15+; 26 M.R.S. 807), New York (all employers; Labor Law 201-g), New York City (15+) and Chicago (all employers).
  • Paid family, medical and sick leave programs in many states and cities.
  • Ban-the-box, salary-history and pay-transparency laws in many states and cities.
  • Non-competes: enforceability is governed by state law after the FTC rule's vacatur.
  • Final pay deadlines and mini-WARN laws.

What to check locally: the laws of each state and city where employees work, which HR and employment counsel should confirm before policy decisions.

Questions about this course

Is this course approved for SHRM, HRCI or CLE credit?

No. It awards a certificate of completion for 3 contact hours and is not approved by SHRM, HRCI, any state bar or any accreditor. Check with your employer about internal training requirements, and with the credentialing body before relying on it for recertification or CLE.

Is this legal advice?

No. It is general education to help managers recognize legal issues and know when to involve HR and counsel. Employment law depends heavily on facts and on state and local rules, so specific situations need professional advice.

Does it cover my state's employment laws?

It focuses on federal law, with state-variation notes and a verified look-up for state and city harassment-training mandates. Minimum wage, leave, ban-the-box, non-compete and final pay rules vary widely, so check with HR for each worksite. It is not a state-specific edition.

Who should take this course?

Managers, supervisors, HR generalists and business owners who make or influence decisions on pay, hiring, scheduling, accommodation, leave, discipline and termination, in any industry.

How long does it take, and how am I assessed?

Plan on about 3 hours for nine modules with interactive exercises, then a final assessment of 29 questions drawn from a larger bank. You need 80% to pass, and you receive a certificate of completion for 3 contact hours.

How current is the content?

It was verified against official sources in October 2026, including the DOL's current overtime salary levels after the 2024 rule was vacated, the EEOC's January 2026 rescission of its harassment guidance, and the FTC's September 2025 decision on its non-compete rule. It is reviewed at least every 12 months.

This course is general education and training awareness from CE Courses Hub on US employment law for managers. It is not legal or professional advice and does not replace your employer's policies, union contracts, your licensing board's rules, or advice from a qualified employment attorney or HR professional. Completing it earns a certificate of completion for the stated contact hours; it is not approved or accredited by any licensing board, state agency or accreditor unless an approval is shown on the course page. Check with your board, employer or state agency whether this course meets your specific requirement.