Investing in ridding the workplace of harassment and discrimination leads to greater teamwork, productivity and respect for the employer. Juries, in turn, will easily distinguish between a public agency that proactively trains its employees to better their work environment and an agency that only trains its employees to gain a tactical advantage in a lawsuit.
Services commonly utilized by our public sector clients include:
- Customized live training
- Investigations of employee complaints
- One-on-one executive coaching
- Ombudsman Services
Why Public Agencies Use EPS
- Recognizing and preserving immunity. Unlike private sector companies, public employees may enjoy immunity from certain state and federal lawsuits. However, this immunity is fragile and can be pierced under some circumstances. So they do not contribute to the destruction of potential immunity, it is critical that public employees be educated on the requirements of the law.
- Understanding federal law requirements for public agencies. Unlike private sector companies, many public agencies can be sued for violations of 42 U.S.C. Section 1983. Among other rights, this law grants to public employees the right to due process and the right to free speech. EPS reviews personnel policies and practices and provides employee and manager training to ensure compliance with the mandates of Section 1983.
- Consistently following laws and policies in satellite offices. The law requires that each of your satellite offices subscribes to and follows identical policies and procedures. By sending an EPS Consultant to each of your offices to teach seminars and review procedures, EPS helps to ensure consistency.
- Responding to political and public relations concerns. The fact that many public agencies are led by an elected or appointed official may raise concerns regarding public relations and the potential appearance of political favoritism. Hiring EPS as an outside human resource expert to conduct internal investigations helps ensure an impartial investigation, as well as the appearance of impartiality
EPS Consultants Are Qualified and Comfortable In Public Sector Settings
Because public agencies differ from private corporations in their procedures, hierarchies and disciplinary policies, familiarity in these areas is a critical qualification for any expert. EPS consultants are experienced in the management of the issues public entities routinely face. Our public sector group has well over 50 years of combined experience serving public entities such as state universities, the military, school boards, the Attorney General and many municipalities and other governmental entities.
A Specialty in Higher Education
Courts have made it clear that colleges and universities must implement appropriate civil rights policies and procedures. This includes redressing civil rights violations and training faculty and staff to fulfill their role in eliminating unlawful discrimination and harassment. Yet, the compliance solutions that work for other entities are not necessarily a good fit for institutions of higher education. The organization and employment practices at colleges and universities are remarkably decentralized, with both administrative and academic departments playing a much more important role in hiring, firing and the establishment of employment practices. An even greater challenge is managing the role of faculty in the investigation of civil rights complaints and the imposition of sanctions against fellow faculty members.
These unique practices require unique solutions, which EPS’ experienced attorney-consultants are well-equipped to provide. Many of our consultants have first-hand experience necessary to design or audit your policies and practices, train your faculty and staff, and perform investigations.
Public Sector Clients
EPS is proud to provide training, investigations, and other consulting products and services to a number of public sector clients, including:
- Baylor College of Medicine
- City of Fort Worth, Texas
- City University of New York
- City of Sulphur Springs
- Pentagon IT Service Center
- Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Texas Texas Tech University Health Science Center
- The Department of Labor
- The Texas A&M University System
- The United States House of Representatives
- The United States Navy
- Tulane University
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