Cannabis Employer’s Guide to Writing an Employee Handbook
Did you know an Employee Handbook is a required document for all NYS cannabis licensees?
We’ll break down what this means and what's needed to be in compliance.
Customer Access
Businesses can strengthen customer trust and reduce legal risk by ensuring full physical and digital accessibility for all customers. Gain practical guidance and best practices to create accessible retail spaces and user-friendly online experiences.
• Understanding federal and NYS accessibility requirements
• Accessibility for entrances, parking lots, and interior store design
• Requirements for shelves, aisles, counters, and customer flow
• Website and mobile app accessibility standards
• Best practices to avoid litigation and improve customer experience
Reasonable Accommodations in the Workplace
Employers can build a more compliant workplace by understanding their responsibilities around reasonable accommodations. Learn practical guidance and best practices to meet legal requirements while fostering a respectful and accessible work environment.
• Overview of accommodation rights and protections
• Disability, pregnancy, religious, and safety-related accommodations
• Recognizing and responding to accommodation requests
• Understanding the interactive process
• Compliance obligations for NYS and local laws
• Examples of effective accommodations
Cannabis as a Workplace: Health and Safety
Cannabis as a Workplace: occupational health and safety issues of cannabis cultivation, processing, and retail/dispensary:
• Occupational hazards of cannabis industry - overview
• Hazards of indoor cannabis cultivation; control measures also produce their own hazards/exposures
• Cannabis Testing; cannabis crop is tested for quality
• Cannabis processing and extraction: combustible dusts; fire & explosion hazards; chemical handling (especially solvents); security issues; National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and cannabis fire hazards
• Cannabis product formulating; in foods and other products; laboratory analysis or food laboratory: QC/QA; content analysis, contamination
• Cannabis retail and dispensary concerns
• Medical surveillance for cannabis workers
• Cannabis and OSHA
• Union organizing of the cannabis industry
Hiring the Right Cannabis Employee
This class will allow you to gain hiring insights and guidance to find qualified applicants, decide who to interview and choose the best person to hire.
• Identify key tasks for the job
• Find qualified applicants
• Decide who to interview
• Conduct successful interviews
• Choose the best person to hire
• Avoid legal mistakes
Criminal Records: Legal Requirements When Hiring
Businesses can create a stronger and more inclusive workforce by breaking down barriers to employment for individuals with criminal record.
• Gain actionable insights and best practices to promote equitable hiring while strengthening your organization.
• Impact of mass incarceration
• Understanding criminal records
• Navigating background checks
• Compliance with employment laws
• Benefits of Fair Chance hiring
Pregnancy Rights and Responsibilities in the Workplace
Pregnancy and childbirth trigger specific workplace rights and employer obligations under state, federal, and local law. This course helps employers understand how to support pregnant and postpartum employees while avoiding discrimination, meeting accommodation and leave requirements, and responding appropriately to workplace issues.
• Pregnancy-related rights and legal protections
• Discrimination, harassment, and retaliation risks
• Reasonable accommodations and lactation requirements
• Pregnancy, parental, and family leave options
• Practical tips and best practices