A mid$-$level HR specialist has been tasked to revise and implement the organization$$s new supervisor training program to accommodate the onboarding of new supervisors by the end of the month. In the past, this training has been provided by an external consultant, who has worked with the HR specialist to tailor the consultant$$s existing training content to include information specific to the organization. Now, to cut costs, the HR director has asked the HR specialist to bring the program in house. The HR director has specified that the existing content is to be used as a starting point. The HR specialist has also been asked to benchmark best practices in supervisory training and review applicable laws and regulations that are important for new supervisors to understand. In addition, the HR director wants the HR specialist to study the effectiveness of the existing training in preventing discrimination complaints and other unfair treatment claims. Finally, the HR specialist has also been directed to add a diversity and inclusion module to the program.

The HR specialist is not sure whether it is legal to use the content developed by the external consultant. What should the HR specialist do in response to the HR director$$s instruction to use it as a starting point?

Answers

Inform the HR director that it is not possible to use the existing content because it belongs to the consultant.

Contact the consultant to ask whether any of the existing content may be used.

Use the content sparingly, paraphrasing and changing the look and feel $($such as graphics and fonts$)$ of the materials.

Determine if the organization has the legal or contractual right to use the materials.