County staff advised to tighten hiring, document performance and follow legal safeguards before termination

Jeff Edgar of Elders and Cooney Law Firm presented a virtual workshop on human-resources best practices for public employers, telling attendees the goal is to "hire the best folks for the positions we're hiring for" and to reduce later performance problems.

Edgar front‑loaded three priorities: maintain hiring processes and background checks that reduce mismatches; ensure supervisors are trained to manage employees during employment; and follow appropriate procedures when ending employment. He recommended keeping written job descriptions that list essential functions, physical requirements and managerial expectations so that hiring, evaluations and accommodation decisions are consistent.

On pay classification, Edgar warned that job titles do not determine exempt status under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Instead, he said, employers should document duties such as supervising staff and exercising independent judgment to justify FLSA exemptions. On accommodations, he said, "the ADA requires that we provide accommodations to employees ... to help them complete the essential functions of the position" when doing so does not impose an undue hardship.

Edgar discussed hiring processes and posting rules, noting collective-bargaining provisions and a veterans-preference requirement that external vacancies be posted for 10 days. He advised application forms link to job descriptions and collect only relevant education, experience, references and military-service information, while avoiding questions that would elicit protected-class or medical information.

On interviews he recommended asking consistent, job‑related questions — for example whether a candidate can perform essential functions with or without accommodation or whether they can meet the position's hours — and avoiding questions about medical history, disabilities, drug/alcohol use or other topics that risk discrimination claims under state or federal law.

During the segment on managing staff, Edgar said employers should set clear expectations for breaks, overtime approval and on-call arrangements and analyze on‑call compensability under the FLSA. He urged periodic harassment training and prompt, fair investigations of complaints; for serious allegations he suggested considering outside investigators or counsel to preserve confidentiality and legal protections.

Edgar stressed meaningful, documented employee evaluations and contemporaneous supervisor notes to support later disciplinary decisions. He instructed employers to keep personnel files (evaluations, disciplinary records) separate from medical or FMLA documents and warned supervisors' notes can be discoverable in litigation. He also reminded attendees that certain disciplinary outcomes (for example, resignation in lieu of termination, demotion or discharge) can become public records under Iowa law.

On discipline and termination, Edgar described progressive-discipline approaches (reprimand, suspension, demotion, termination) and the need to apply standards consistently. Before terminating, he advised verifying whether the employee engaged in protected activity (which could create a retaliation claim), whether adequate warnings and documentation exist, whether applicable contracts or civil-service rules apply, and whether due-process steps are required.

Edgar highlighted veteran protections in termination cases, citing Iowa Code §35C.6 and saying veterans may only be terminated for incompetence or misconduct and have statutory hearing rights; he recommended consulting counsel when veteran status is involved. He closed by offering to share the slide deck and sample forms with the meeting contact (Isac) and answered audience questions about personnel- and supervisory-file contents.

The session ended with Edgar offering follow-up materials and contact information for attendees seeking templates or guidance.