Discrimination is a topic often discussed yet, unfortunately, often misunderstood. It is common to hear that employment practices are unfair. While this may be the case, fairness and the law are not one and the same. Discrimination law defines specific protected classes and the obligations that employers face in accommodating these protected classes.

In this course, you will begin to analyze and determine discriminatory acts through the lens of burden of proof, according to the law. You’ll explore the seven protected classes and how certain policies and practices your organization implements can lead to liability and damages. Understanding the legal concepts in accordance with your roles and responsibilities will enhance your decision-making and response with regard to discrimination. Ultimately, a careful examination of federal, state, and local discrimination laws, as well as your HR policies and actions, may help you better manage and prevent discriminatory behavior in your organization.

Federal anti-discrimination legislation covers seven protected classes: race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, and disability. While some of the protected classes seem fairly clear-cut, others are not quite as straightforward. For example, there are nuances related to sexual harassment, retaliation, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and religion. In this course, you will examine these four areas in detail, including accommodations, different standards for what constitutes discrimination, and adverse employment actions.

More specifically, you will explore sexual harassment and when your organization may be liable under the law. You’ll study retaliation and investigate how you can minimize conduct that can trigger discrimination claims. You’ll also scrutinize the definition of disability under the law and determine your organization’s obligations to accommodate for disability based on the ADA. In addition, you’ll analyze your obligations to accommodate employees’ religious beliefs.

The burden is on employers to make sure that they are in compliance with federal and state wage and hour laws, and employers want to be diligent about compliance. The trouble is that the law is not always simple to follow, particularly in hospitality, as the law is not written for the hospitality industry; it is written for the manufacturing industry, where the breakdown of work tasks is very clear. Once you move outside of manufacturing, compliance with wage and hour law becomes much more complex and much more confusing. Employers and HR managers in hospitality may not have confidence in their ability to maintain compliance.

A key characteristic of the hospitality industry is that the distinction between supervisor and worker is easily blurred. For example, we’ve all seen the restaurant manager who pitches in during busy shifts to help serve food. The organization may assume that this worker, as a salaried employee and a manager, is exempt from overtime pay, but is that correct? (Answer: Not necessarily.)

In this course, you will examine relevant laws and potential violations that commonly affect the hospitality industry. You’ll practice correctly classifying workers and explore the questions of wage and hour law that are most relevant to hospitality. (Note: This course will be most relevant to HR managers and employers within the hospitality industry.)

Unions have played a major role in shaping working condition standards in the U.S., and the hospitality industry is no exception. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) upholds the regulations that are specified within the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Within the NLRA, you will find guidelines for conducting elections for union representation and codified guidelines of how to address unfair labor practices, as well as regulations regarding the employer-employee relationship.

In this course, you will explore the nuances and parameters of the NLRA as it pertains to working in the hospitality industry. You’ll discover how and why employees are motivated to form unions. With those motivations in mind, you’ll delve into strategies for responding to union organizing efforts. You’ll also examine tactics for successfully managing in a union environment.

This course takes a deep dive into labor union relations in the hospitality industry. You will review several curated applicable scenarios and analyze them to determine whether specific behaviors are lawful in the eyes of the NLRB. These scenarios will allow you to practice your ability to decipher the root causes of issues as you prepare to use the skills acquired in this course within your own workplace.

Symposium sessions feature two days of live, highly interactive virtual Zoom sessions that will explore today’s most pressing topics. The Hospitality Symposium offers you a unique opportunity to engage in real-time conversations with peers and experts from the Cornell community and beyond. Using the context of your own experiences, you will take part in reflections and small-group discussions to build on the skills and knowledge you have gained from your courses.

Join us for the next Symposium, in which we’ll discuss how both day-to-day operations and strategic goal setting in the hospitality sector have rapidly evolved over the past two years, opening up new space for real-time conversations about the future of the industry. You will support your coursework by applying your knowledge and experiences to various areas of the industry, examining the innovations and accommodations you have all had to make throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and strategizing on future directions. By participating in relevant and engaging discussions, you will discover a variety of perspectives and build connections with your fellow participants from across the industry.

All sessions are held on Zoom.

Future dates are subject to change. You may participate in as many sessions as you wish. Attending Symposium sessions is not required to successfully complete any certificate program. Once enrolled in your courses, you will receive information about upcoming events. Accessibility accommodations will be available upon request.

Symposium sessions feature three days of live, highly interactive virtual Zoom sessions that will explore today’s most pressing topics. The HR Symposium offers you a unique opportunity to engage in real-time conversations with peers and experts from the Cornell community and beyond. Using the context of your own experiences, you will take part in reflections and small-group discussions to build on the skills and knowledge you have gained from your courses.

Join us for the next Symposium, in which we’ll share experiences from across the industry, inspiring real-time conversations about best practices, innovation, and the future of human resources work. You will support your coursework by applying your knowledge and experiences to some of the most pressing topics and trends in the HR field. By participating in relevant and engaging discussions, you will discover a variety of perspectives and build connections with your fellow participants from across the industry.

All sessions are held on Zoom.

Future dates are subject to change. You may participate in as many sessions as you wish. Attending Symposium sessions is not required to successfully complete any certificate program. Once enrolled in your courses, you will receive information about upcoming events. Accessibility accommodations will be available upon request.

eCornell Online Workshops are live, interactive 3-hour learning experiences led by Cornell faculty experts. These premium short-format sessions focus on AI topics and are designed for busy professionals who want to gain immediately applicable skills and strategic perspectives. Workshops include faculty presentations, breakout discussions, guided hands-on practice, and downloadable resources.

The AI Workshops All-Access Pass provides you with unlimited participation for 6 months from your date of purchase. Whether you choose to attend one workshop per month, or several per week, the All-Access Pass will allow you to customize your AI journey and stay on top of the latest AI trends.

Workshops cover a range of cutting-edge AI topics applicable across industries, hosted by Cornell faculty at the forefront of their fields. Whether you are just getting started with AI, seeking to build your AI skillset, or exploring advanced applications of AI, Workshops will provide you with an action-oriented learning experience for immediate application in your career. Sample Workshops include:

  • Work Smarter with AI Agents: Individual and Team Effectiveness
  • Leading AI Transformation: Bigger Than You Imagine, Harder Than You Expect
  • Using AI at Work: Practical Choices and Better Results
  • Search & Discoverability in the Era of AI
  • Don’t Just Prompt AI – Govern it
  • AI-Powered Product Manager
  • Leverage AI and Human Connection to Lead through Uncertainty

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Frequently Asked Questions

Labor and employment compliance in hospitality can feel unusually high stakes because you are managing hourly, tipped, seasonal, and high-turnover teams while navigating rules that were not designed with hospitality operations in mind. Cornell’s Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate is built to help you translate complex legal requirements into practical, manager-ready actions that reduce risk without slowing down service.

In this certificate program, authored by faculty from Cornell’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration at the SC Johnson College of Business, you will develop a clear framework for identifying and addressing discrimination and retaliation risk, understanding employer obligations for accommodation, and responding appropriately to harassment and misconduct concerns. You’ll also dig into wage and hour realities that frequently create exposure in hospitality settings, and you’ll explore traditional labor law and what it takes to operate effectively in union environments.

You will have the opportunity to examine your current HR policies and practices so you can spot vulnerabilities early and strengthen documentation, consistency, and decision making in hiring, discipline, and termination.

If you want practical compliance tools, confidence handling discrimination and wage-hour issues, and strategies for managing complex workforce environments, you should choose Cornell's Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate.

Many online compliance courses focus on broad, generic rules and leave you to figure out how they apply in a real operation. Cornell’s Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate is designed to keep the learning grounded in hospitality realities, so you can make better decisions in situations involving hourly teams, tipped work, variable scheduling, and multi-role employee classifications.

You learn with an expert facilitator who provides feedback on your work, rather than a purely self-directed experience. That means you can pressure-test how you would respond to issues like harassment complaints, accommodation questions, or wage and hour compliance decisions, then refine your approach based on expert input.

Cornell’s Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate program also emphasizes application. You will use program concepts to examine your own HR policies and day-to-day practices then identify where you may have compliance gaps or inconsistency. This is designed to help you turn legal concepts into practical policies, documentation habits, and manager guidance you can use immediately.

Plus, by enrolling in the Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate, you get two years of access to Hospitality Symposium and HR Symposium, each featuring two days of live, highly interactive virtual Zoom sessions that will explore today’s most pressing topics, giving you a unique opportunity to engage in real-time conversations with peers and experts from the Cornell community and beyond.

Enrolling in this certificate also provides you with a 6-month All-Access Pass to eCornell's live online AI Workshops, interactive sessions led by world-class Cornell faculty that combine Ivy League insight with practical applications for busy professionals. Each 3-hour Workshop features structured instruction, guided practice, and real tools to build competitive AI capabilities, plus the opportunity to connect with a global cohort of growth-oriented peers. While AI Workshops are not required, they enhance certificate programs through:

  • Integrating AI perspectives across most curricula
  • Responding to emerging AI developments and trends
  • Offering direct engagement with Cornell faculty at the forefront of AI research

Cornell’s Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate is designed for hospitality professionals who need to manage people risk and compliance confidently, even if you do not have formal legal training. The program is a strong fit if you are responsible for hiring, scheduling, performance management, investigations, documentation, or labor relations in a hospitality operation.

The Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate is well suited for:

  • HR professionals working in the hospitality industry
  • HR consultants
  • Hospitality managers and executives
  • Hotel owners and asset managers
  • Small business owners and franchise owners
  • Overseas companies looking to do business with the U.S. market

Throughout Cornell’s Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate, your project work is designed to connect legal requirements to the decisions you make in day-to-day hospitality operations. You will apply the concepts to your own workplace context so you leave with practical outputs you can use, not just information you have read.

Examples of projects and deliverables you can expect include:

  • Reviewing your organization’s current HR policies and practices to identify behaviors and processes that may contribute to discrimination risk
  • Creating a clearer approach for responding to harassment or misconduct complaints, including investigation steps and documentation expectations
  • Spotting wage and hour compliance risks that commonly arise in hospitality, such as overtime practices, tip practices and service charges, and break time practices
  • Evaluating employee classification questions that affect hospitality employers, including contractors, interns, and joint employment considerations
  • Drafting manager-ready guidance that translates legal requirements into consistent practices for hiring, discipline, and termination
  • Building an action plan to address compliance pitfalls proactively while keeping operations running

Across Cornell’s Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate program, the emphasis stays on making decisions more consistent, more defensible, and easier to execute in fast-paced environments.

Cornell’s Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate helps you strengthen your credibility and decision making in the people and compliance issues that can create the highest operational and financial risk in hospitality.

After completing the Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate, you will be prepared to:

  • Utilize a framework to identify, understand, and comply with labor and employment laws
  • Identify potential retaliation and conduct leading to discrimination claims
  • Assess damages that could be awarded for discriminatory behavior
  • Examine compliance issues in hospitality, including break time, overtime, Workers' Comp, and pay equity
  • Develop strategies for managing complex environments with unions, contract workers, and various employee classifications
  • Manage union relationships effectively

Cornell’s Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate program is designed to build confidence you can carry forward in your role by helping you apply wage and hour rules in hospitality settings, reduce risk in scheduling and timekeeping practices, navigate worker classification questions, and handle leave and accommodation issues while keeping operations running. You will also strengthen your ability to respond to harassment and misconduct complaints with clear investigation steps and documentation, and to translate legal requirements into manager-ready policies and day-to-day guidance.

What truly sets eCornell apart is how our programs unlock genuine career transformation. Learners earn promotions to senior positions, enjoy meaningful salary growth, build valuable professional networks, and navigate successful career transitions.

Cornell's Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate is delivered through our Mentored Learning format and consists of 4 courses requiring approximately 9 to 11 hours of study for each, or 40 hours of coursework in total. You have up to 6 months to complete all necessary components, though you may finish in fewer than 6 months depending on your schedule. The program allows you to follow an individualized structured learning agenda with a flexible approach that includes interaction and project feedback with your expert facilitator. You'll also complete graded projects that let you apply learning concepts to on-the-job situations.

Throughout the Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate program, your expert facilitator provides personalized feedback on all projects and offers opportunities for 1:1 mentoring sessions as you progress. This guided approach allows you to ask questions and receive support as you work through practical applications and real-world scenarios.

No legal background is assumed in Cornell’s Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate. The program is designed as an educational framework for managers and HR professionals who need to understand how key employment laws affect hospitality operations.

The content of the Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate program is not legal advice and should not be treated as guidance for a specific situation. When you need legal direction for a particular case, the program guidance is to consult your own attorney or legal department.

Wage and hour compliance issues can escalate quickly in hospitality because of variable schedules, tipped work, and peak-demand staffing. Cornell’s Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate is designed to help you recognize common exposure points and build more consistent practices.

You will focus on practical issues such as:

  • Applying wage and hour rules in hospitality settings, including overtime and tip practices and service charges
  • Identifying compliance risks tied to scheduling, break time, and timekeeping for hourly and seasonal teams
  • Spotting classification challenges that affect pay practices, such as contractor, intern, and joint employment questions

By the end of Cornell’s Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate program, you should be better prepared to connect wage and hour requirements to the workflows your managers actually use.

Union activity and labor relations introduce additional rules, stakeholders, and negotiation dynamics that can affect scheduling, discipline, and operational flexibility. Cornell’s Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate helps you understand the purpose of unions, the core concepts of traditional labor law, and practical strategies for managing in a union environment.

You will build strategies for handling complex staffing models common in hospitality, including contract workers and different employee classifications, so you can reduce risk while maintaining a functional employee relations approach.

The goal of Cornell’s Hospitality Labor and Employment Law Certificate program is to help you manage union relationships more effectively and make decisions with a clearer understanding of labor law constraints and options.

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