For most employers, unemployment insurance (UI) hearings are very intimidating and difficult to win.  It could be the idea that they are a mini legal proceeding, or that the judges can often be difficult to deal with, or it could be that most employers do not understand how these proceedings work and therefore, lost most of them.  If UI hearings are intimidating to you, the following hearing etiquette tips should help to alleviate your tension and improve your ability to win.

1. Prepare for the hearing - take the time to gather all of your evidence and go over it with anyone who will be participating in the UI hearing.  Make sure you discuss potential questions that will be asked of you and your witnesses as well as the questions you intend to ask the other party.  
2. Ensure that the right people in your organization attend the hearing - if you plan to have a witness attend the hearing who was not directly involved in the situation leading to the hearing, then you have the wrong person.  Make sure that the witnesses you include are the people who have direct knowledge of your case and were involved with the issue being determined.
3. Make sure you are meeting the instructions included in the hearing notice - many employers make the mistake of not reading this document thoroughly and miss requirements that hurt their case.  For example, many states require that you send a witness list ahead of the hearing (the timing depends on the state) - if you do not meet this requirement your witnesses may not be allowed to participate.
4. Be sure to submit your documents/evidence ahead of the hearing - if you have evidence to present in a telephone hearing, that evidence must be sent to the hearing office and the claimant prior to the hearing date.  Failure to do this will lead to the evidence not being allowed in the hearing and you will lose your case.
5. Make sure you understand the UI laws in your state and how those laws apply to the case - you should also have a strong understanding of how your policies and documentation fit within those laws.  In this way you are not presenting your case in a way that will not fit within those laws or fighting a case you cannot win.  

These are just a few of the many tips on etiquette that apply to UI hearings.  If you include these in your handling of your next hearing, you will stand a significantly better chance of winning that case and beginning to lower your UI costs.  For more information, visit us on the web at UnemploymentTracker.com.