Leave it to Pillar+Aught Principals Cory A. Iannacone and Lindsey E. Snavely to turn an otherwise mundane topic into an engaging and interactive presentation.  And that’s exactly what Cory and Lindsey did at the 23rd Annual Employment Law Institute held by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute at the Philadelphia Convention Center from April 27-28, 2017.  Using clips from movies and television shows, Cory and Lindsey presented a session on drafting employee handbooks, leaving their audience entertained while, at the same time, providing insight on everything from handbook  basics to legal updates.

Rather than simply telling the audience the importance of using handbooks to set the framework of the employment relationship and employer expectations, the presentation opened with the “pieces of flair” scene from the 1999 film, Office Space.  In Office Space, Chotchkie’s, a chain restaurant similar to a TGI Fridays, requires its wait staff to wear 15 pieces of flair.  Joanna, a Chotchkie’s waitress played by Jennifer Aniston, is confronted by the manager, Stan, because she is “only” wearing 15 pieces of flair.  As Cory and Lindsey told the audience, “If you want your employees to wear 37 pieces of flair to work, don’t have a handbook telling employees to wear 15 pieces of flair.”  Clips from Seinfeld and Anchorman also made appearances at the presentation.

The 23rd Annual PBI ELI was attended by attorneys across the State, including both practitioners and in-house counsel.  Attendees provided the following feedback from Cory and Lindsey’s presentation:

• “Great job integrating humorous examples to illustrate some of the handbook concepts.”
• “It really was one of the best CLEs that I’ve attended.”
• “I found your session to be one of the most helpful that I attended throughout the two days.”