HR 101 for New Managers and Supervisors
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Stepping into a supervisory role is both an exciting opportunity and a significant shift in responsibility. Often, top-performing employees are promoted into leadership positions with little preparation for the new challenges they will face. While technical expertise may have led to the promotion, success as a supervisor requires a completely different skillset. HR 101 is a foundational course designed to equip new supervisors with the essential knowledge and tools needed to manage teams effectively and navigate complex workplace dynamics.
This training dives into the key aspects of human resource management that every new supervisor must understand. From federal employment laws to best practices in communication and documentation, this course addresses the critical responsibilities that come with leading a team. You'll learn how to manage employee performance, handle interpersonal and legal issues, and maintain compliance with employment regulations like ADA, FMLA, and EEOC requirements. Whether you’re dealing with employee leave, accommodations, or conflict resolution, this session offers practical guidance to help you succeed confidently in your new role.
Your Benefits for Attending:- Legal interviewing: Understand what you can and can’t ask candidates, and how to hire based on skills and qualifications.
- Learn what “employment at will” means and how it impacts your role as a supervisor.
- Discover best practices for documenting performance and why annual reviews aren’t enough.
- Understand your responsibilities in preventing and responding to harassment in the workplace.
- Gain clarity on FMLA: How to handle leave requests professionally and legally.
- Learn to address reasonable accommodation requests with clear, updated job descriptions.
- Navigate employee wage discussions and what supervisors should (and shouldn’t) say.
- Master the critical skill of documentation to protect your team and your organization.
- Resolve conflicts effectively to avoid escalation to legal or regulatory bodies.
- Improve communication strategies to lead your team with clarity and confidence.
- Get actionable tips for managing the shift from peer to leader.
Attending this webinar will help you gain confidence in your new role by providing the foundational HR knowledge and leadership tools you need to succeed. You'll walk away better prepared to lead your team, handle challenges proactively, and ensure compliance with key employment regulations.
Handouts- Examples of behavioral-based interviewing questions and recommended format for responses.
- Cheat sheet for HR acronyms - FMLA, ADA, etc.
- Sample disciplinary documentation forms.
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Cynthia Keaton
Cynthia C. Keaton, SHRM-SCP is a senior human resources executive and consultant with extensive experience leading HR strategy, operations, and transformation across a range of industries including government, manufacturing, life sciences, and heavy equipment. As Founder and Chief Consultant of Keat [...]
HRCI Credit
SHRM Credit
ATAHR Credit
Aurora Training Advantage is offering continuing education points designed to recognize dedication to training and excellence in human resources.
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This webinar received a total of 2 survey responses. Attendees have given an average rating of 5.0 stars out of a possible 5, reflecting the quality and value of the content presented.
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Annie R.
August 6, 2026
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I recently became a supervisor, and this class was extremely helpful. It provided valuable information and practical guidance that I can apply in my new role. I look forward to taking more classes focused on developing effective supervisory and leadership skills. Overall, this was a very informative and resourceful training experience.
Cathy C.
August 6, 2026
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Frequently Asked Questions
New managers stepping into supervisory roles are often technically excellent in their functional area but unprepared for the HR responsibilities that come with leading a team. HR fundamentals every new supervisor must understand include: what questions are legally permissible in interviews and why certain questions create discrimination liability; the concept of employment at will and how it shapes the manager's authority and obligations; how to document performance issues contemporaneously and why annual reviews alone are insufficient for managing performance or building a record for discipline; the basics of ADA accommodation requests and the interactive process obligation; FMLA eligibility and how to respond to leave requests legally; how to prevent and respond to harassment in their team; and the basics of wage and hour compliance, including what to say and not say about compensation. This foundational knowledge protects both the manager and the organization from costly legal mistakes that are disproportionately common in the first year of a supervisory role, when new managers make decisions based on instinct rather than employment law knowledge.
New managers who participate in hiring decisions are frequently unaware of the legal boundaries around interview questions, creating significant employment discrimination liability for their organizations. The foundational rule is that interview questions must relate to the candidate's ability to perform the essential functions of the job—not to protected characteristics such as age, race, gender, national origin, religion, disability, pregnancy, or marital status. Common illegal questions that new managers ask innocently include: 'How old are you?', 'Do you have children or plan to have them?', 'Where are you originally from?', 'Do you have any medical conditions?', and 'What religion do you practice?' The correct approach is behavioral and situational interviewing: asking every candidate the same pre-defined questions focused on relevant competencies and past behaviors. A simple rule of thumb is the 'can they do the job?' test—if the information sought isn't directly relevant to job performance, the question doesn't belong in the interview. Training new managers on legal interviewing before they conduct their first interview is among the highest-ROI compliance investments an HR department can make.
Documentation is the foundation of every defensible HR decision, and new managers who don't develop this habit early expose themselves and their organizations to avoidable legal risk. The core principle is contemporaneous documentation: recording performance observations, coaching conversations, disciplinary actions, and accommodation discussions at the time they occur, not weeks later when memory has faded or a situation has escalated. Annual performance reviews are valuable developmental conversations but are wholly insufficient as the primary record of performance management—they capture a snapshot in time rather than the ongoing pattern that justifies major employment decisions. New managers should document specific behavioral incidents (what occurred, when, who was involved, what was said or done), coaching conversations (what was communicated, what commitment the employee made, what follow-up was agreed), and any formal disciplinary actions in writing with the employee's acknowledgment. Documentation should be factual and behavioral—describing what the manager observed, not interpretations of motivation or character. This record protects the manager, the organization, and the employee by creating a transparent, consistent trail of how performance and conduct issues were handled.
FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) is one of the areas where new managers most frequently make costly mistakes, typically by either failing to recognize a leave request as potentially FMLA-qualifying or by responding in ways that interfere with protected leave rights. Key facts every new supervisor must know: FMLA entitles eligible employees (those with 12 months of service and 1,250 hours worked at covered employers) to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year for qualifying serious health conditions, the birth or adoption of a child, or caring for a seriously ill family member. Critically, employees do not need to use the word 'FMLA' to trigger the manager's obligation—any communication indicating a potentially qualifying health condition should be referred to HR immediately. Managers should not make the FMLA eligibility determination themselves; that is HR's role. Managers must not count FMLA-protected absences as attendance violations, express frustration about FMLA leave to other employees, or take any adverse action that could be perceived as retaliation for using protected leave. When in doubt about whether a leave situation may involve FMLA, contacting HR before responding is always the right answer.
New managers have specific legal and organizational responsibilities around harassment that go beyond their personal conduct—they are also responsible for the work environment their team experiences. Supervisors who know about harassment and fail to act may expose the organization to liability even if they weren't personally involved, because the law generally holds employers liable for supervisor knowledge of harassment that goes unaddressed. New managers must understand what constitutes harassment (unwelcome conduct based on a protected characteristic that is severe or pervasive enough to create a hostile work environment), the difference between harassment and general workplace conflict, and what their reporting obligations are when they observe or are told about potentially harassing behavior. Prompt escalation to HR is the correct response to any harassment complaint or observation—managers should not attempt to investigate or resolve these situations independently. Creating a team climate where harassment is unlikely to occur requires modeling respectful behavior consistently, addressing unprofessional conduct immediately before it escalates, and making clear through both words and actions that every team member's dignity is expected and protected.