Employees Telephone Seminars

International Payroll Compliance Issues ...resulted in an increase in cross-border transfer of their employees, thereby creating a host of challenges for companies that must administer payrolls in different jurisdictions with a myriad of reporting and tax withholding rules. Companies must find a way to manage the global payroll and human resource issues this creates in the most efficient manner possible. This live audio conference will  more...

Wellness Programs: Rewards, Penalties, Legal Risks, and Legal Developments ... rising costs. Some employers are providing incentives to employees who participate in wellness programs, follow disease management protocols or choose to live healthy lifestyles. Other employers are imposing penalties on employees who smoke or refuse to participate in wellness initiatives. This live audio conference reviews the legal developments and requirements of wellness programs,  more...

Payroll Recordkeeping: What You Need to Know .... Discover what is required for both exempt and nonexempt employees, including how long the records must be maintained. Home-workers, employees working under certain specified pay arrangements, employees to whom lodging or other facilities are furnished and employees in certain other categories present special requirements that you need to be aware of. Technology has made recordkeeping easier,  more...

Common Injuries in Workers' Compensation ...ideas that can be implemented to track injuries and train employees. Mr. Valente will outline ways to control common workplace injuries after they occur; drawing on his experiences he will provide thoughts for how to handle immediate incident management, what information is important to have, how to work with the insurance company and how to work with the employee. This fast paced audio  more...

Common Injuries in Workers' Compensation ...ideas that can be implemented to track injuries and train employees. Mr. Valente will outline ways to control common workplace injuries after they occur; drawing on his experiences he will provide thoughts for how to handle immediate incident management, what information is important to have, how to work with the insurance company and how to work with the employee. This fast paced audio  more...

Intellectual Disabilities and Employer ADA Obligation ..., the intellectual disability accommodation issues facing employees are both extremely complex and challenging. This live audio conference will give the tools to assess if an individual has a covered intellectual disability, and if so, how the employer should determine if the individual is qualified. Finally, it will provide the tools for employers to successfully navigate the maze posed by the  more...

Portal to Portal Act: Determining Hours Worked at the Start and End of the Work Day ...Employees and their counsel continue to pursue class action claims for off-the-clock work and unpaid overtime wages at a fever pitch. Thousands of wage and hour class actions asserting violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act or parallel state laws are filed each year and the costs of defending these matters and the damages claimed and paid, whether through trial or settlement, are  more...

Portal to Portal Act: Determining Hours Worked at the Start and End of the Work Day ...Employees and their counsel continue to pursue class action claims for off-the-clock work and unpaid overtime wages at a fever pitch. Thousands of wage and hour class actions asserting violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act or parallel state laws are filed each year and the costs of defending these matters and the damages claimed and paid, whether through trial or settlement, are  more...

Workers' Compensation Benefits: Who is Eligible, How are They Calculated, When and How Can They be Settled BenefitsWorkers' compensation benefits are a continuing and significant expense to employers. This live audio conference will address who is eligible for workers' compensation benefits, how these benefits are calculated and what employee benefits may be offset with the payments of workers' compensation, and most important, how to resolve or settle a claim without creating additional liability for  more...

Understanding the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, Employee Family Leave Laws and Return-to-Work Issues ...ericans with Disabilities Act may provide protections for employees with certain medical conditions due to pregnancy or who have recently given birth. But how do you know who is covered and what triggers these laws? A misstep may result in litigation and an award of damages that could include lost wages, back pay, reinstatement, retroactive benefits, compensatory damages and punitive damages.  more...

Weight Loss At the Workplace: Legal Issues For Employers Seeking To Reduce Health Care Costs BenefitsLearn the issues used to identify and address when formulating and implementing a corporate wellness program that is aimed at weight loss reduction. The number of potentially applicable federal and state laws requires careful consideration of the potential issues raised with drafting and managing a corporate wellness program. The multiple relevant laws and regulations only heighten the  more...

Telecommuting: The Next Wave of Wage and Hour Litigation ...ing as an alternative work arrangement, and the number of employees who choose it. Although telecommuting arrangements can be beneficial to employers and employees, many employers have failed to adequately meet many of the legal compliance and liability challenges that telecommuting arrangements may present. Among the most serious of these challenges are wage and hour issues that present a  more...

Learning on the Job: Creating Legally-Sound Internship Programs ...appropriate projects and requiring interns to shadow your employees. An internship can be a wonderful opportunity for the participant to learn about a business, organization, or industry. Organizations that maintain internship programs must be mindful, however, that they must comply with several federal and state employment laws. This live audio conference will provide 'soup to nuts' guidance  more...

Fair Labor Standards Act: Coverage and Compliance Issues ...overtime requirements and fail to properly classify their employees, resulting in potential back pay claims. Even where employees have been properly classified as exempt, employers will sometimes inadvertently destroy the exempt status, opening up another avenue for back pay claims. This live audio conference will explain the various exemptions from overtime, how to take advantage of them and  more...

Creating Successful Employee Surveys BenefitsEmployee surveys help organizations identify opportunities to improve their employment brand; identify employment practices problem areas; improve employee relations, morale and teamwork; enhance employee commitment and engagement; and assess the implementation and effectiveness of HR management systems and processes. In today's economy and workplace, this however is just the starting  more...

Non-Resident Employee Withholding ...employees working in multiple states it can be difficult to know what to consider to make sure that the correct state taxes are being withheld and the correct taxable earnings are being taxed in the correct states. This live audio conference will give you the tools to determine what taxes are applicable for your employees based on residency, state and reciprocity agreements. We will also cover  more...

Document Retention and Destruction: What Human Resource Professionals Must Know ...employees is one of the most difficult and tedious tasks that human resources professionals need to perform for their organizations. Knowing the proper procedures to follow to document employees in the workplace is a key skill needed by most human resources professionals. This live audio conference will provide you with information on the key concepts and issues surrounding proper employee  more...

How to Avoid Death by PowerPoint ...enefitsEvery day, executives, managers, and rank and file employees sit through bullet-riddled presentations that are boring, uninspiring and worse, don't get the message across. Attend this live audio conference and learn how to use several techniques that will engage and excite your audience without using bullet point after bullet point. You will learn how visual metaphors, targeted animation  more...

Wage and Hour Update: Overtime Concerns With Mobile Devices ...employees is now the norm for many industries as new technologies allow work to be done virtually anywhere at any time. Serious questions have emerged about how employers should limit, monitor and compensate remote work hours. Recent litigation trends also show that compensation for time worked away from the office during nontraditional hours is coming under increased legal scrutiny. This has  more...

Planning Your Holiday Party: Keys to a Celebration Without Litigation ...ebrate the accomplishments of the passing year and reward employees for a job well done. Unfortunately, these same parties can provide an outlet for inappropriate behavior and potentially expose the company to liability well past the New Year. This live audio conference will help you understand the possible sources of trouble and see options for assisting the company to navigate the potential  more...

Curbing FMLA Abuse: How to Manage Manipulative Employees ...qualify to take leave under the FMLA, and over 50 million employees have taken advantage of leave under the Act. Managing FMLA leave can be extremely challenging for employers, especially in the face of rampant employee abuse. However, there are tools available to employers seeking to minimize abuse of the protections provided by the FMLA. While there is no 'magic cure' to instantly constrain  more...

Smartphone Policies For The Health Care Industry ...nforce an appropriate policy can create liability both to employees and patients. This live audio conference will help you develop a plan to (1) identify the legal issues raised by the implementation of an electronic resources policy; (2) draft an enforceable electronic resources policy; and (3) implement an enforceable electronic resources policy. This live audio conference is designed for  more...

COBRA: A Little of Everything is Changing ...hanges. How are the best ways to explain these changes to employees? COBRA - I Thought the Subsidy Was Over!! YES, the subsidy is over - but, now we are living with the results - let's look at the impact the subsidy had on COBRA election rates and claim utilization. And, what is the future of COBRA? Will we still have it after 2014? We will also review what employers are mandated by this  more...

How to Develop an Effective Mentoring Program ... to support the personal growth and career development of employees. Mentoring also enhances the stability and productivity of an organization through employee retention, succession planning, transfer of knowledge, and leadership development. The problem is that many businesses believe that mentoring consists of just 'putting two people together'- this is not accurate. Without proper planning  more...

Tax Consequences of Gifts, Prizes, Fringe Benefits, Business Expenses, and Other Payments To Employees ...employees is not just about wages. Today there are a myriad number of taxable and nontaxable benefits, such as gift cards, moving expenses, educational expenses, meals and travel expenses, that employers provide as part of employee's total compensation. Particularly in difficult economic times, employers are looking to provide such benefits to employees with the least cost, both to themselves  more...

When Employee Bloggers Attack: Responding to Negative Employee Comments on the Web ...yers have had to deal with inappropriate conduct by their employees on the web, including an employee's direct criticism of the company. According to one survey, at least half of all employers have had to discipline employees for inappropriate online conduct. It is crucial for you to understand their rights and obligations when dealing with employees who present such problems. This live audio  more...

Employee Discipline for Conduct Outside of Work ... rights and responsibilities of employers in disciplining employees for conduct outside of work. You will hear about recent legislation and court cases involving some of the hottest topics in employment law, including employee discipline for blogging, web-based 'employer trashing,' workplace dating and extramarital affairs, and physical appearance such as weight, tattoos and body piercing. Our  more...

Responding to an EEO Charge ...crimination policies and procedures in place and that all employees understand those policies. Prevention and awareness are areas employers should focus on when dealing with employee discrimination issues. If the worst case scenario happens, this live audio conference will tell you how to protect your company when an EEOC charge arises, tips and strategies to respond to the charge, how to  more...

The Open Enrollment Challenge: Strategies for Success ...a yawn? Are you viewed as the enemy because you tell your employees how much more they have to pay for benefits every year? And why does the good news always get lost in the mix? Sometimes, it's not so much what you say as how you say it - and how often. Communications should never be an afterthought. Make sure employees appreciate all your company provides by communicating year-round, not just  more...

Tips for Calculating a Regular Rate of Pay For Your Employees ...rget is the rate of pay an employer pays to its nonexempt employees, and how that rate affects overtime payments. Most covered employers understand that they must pay overtime compensation at the rate of 'time and a half' to nonexempt employees. But time and a half of what? Under the FLSA and most state counterparts, time and a half is based upon an employee's 'regular rate' of pay. Thus,  more...

Legal Implications of Doing Business on the Internet ...upulous competitors, Internet activists, and disenchanted employees may be even more damaging to a business. Legal claims such as false advertising, unfair competition, copyright infringement, trademark infringement, false endorsement and right of publicity, and invasion of privacy, can come from every direction. This live audio conference will give you a legal toolbox to manage Internet legal  more...

Social Networking and Electronic Communications: Issues for Public Schools BenefitsYou will examine teacher and student use of social media and social networking, and the intersection of individual rights with the school's authority to regulate the school environment. You will learn how student and employee policies should address teacher and student use of social media, including discipline of teachers and students, respectively. During this live audio conference, we  more...

How to Handle Travel Pay Legally ...tions other than a regular work site. Many companies send employees to conferences and other work sites using commercial travel and personal vehicles. This live audio conference will enable you to understand how and when to compensate an employee for travel time away from a work site. Attend this program and you will find out how to determine which employees are entitled to travel time pay and  more...

Common Pitfalls of Certificates of Insurance ...en followed by an all too common explanation, 'My company employees are listed as additional insured so we are covered.' Certificates of insurance are meant to evidence insurance coverage for landlords and tenants, secured transactions, and other property, casualty and liability exposures companies and individuals face. They are not policies of insurance. Disclaimers recently added to standard  more...

Status Classification: Exempt vs. Nonexempt ...Employees and their counsel continue to pursue individual and class action overtime claims based on the alleged misclassification of exempt workers at a fever pitch. Thousands of lawsuits asserting violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act or parallel state laws are filed each year, and the costs of defending these matters and the damages claimed and paid, whether through trial or settlement,  more...

Dealing With Employees Who Have Been Charged With a Crime ...loyer arises after the employer discovers that one of its employees has been arrested and charged with a crime. Under our legal system, the familiar mantra is that an arrested person is innocent until proven guilty. So, what can you do to address situations where an employee has been arrested, or has been charged, or incarcerated for a crime but has not yet been convicted? For example, can an  more...

Understanding Massachusetts' Exemptions to Employment at Will ...in properly dealing with employee issues, especially when employees claim they have rights or they are being harassed at work. Massachusetts law, however, recognizes at-will employment, which provides you with significant rights in managing and dealing with employees, provided you understand at-will employment and its exceptions. This audio conference will help you understand Massachusetts law  more...

Managing Employees' Pre-Existing Conditions: Strategies for Reducing Injury Losses ...is audio conference to learn the fundamentals of managing employees with pre-existing health conditions. In addition to an understanding of the interplay between federal laws prohibiting discrimination against health conditions and state workers' compensation laws, you will learn the nuances of distinguishing between pre-existing conditions and new work-related injuries. You will also obtain  more...

How Can End-of-Life Planning Resources Benefit Your Workplace? ...BenefitsEnd-of-life issues can be a major distraction for employees. MetLife estimates that U.S. businesses lose between $17 billion and $33 billion per year in productivity of full-time workers with caregiving responsibilities. Employers need to place a priority on addressing end-of-life issues. These issues affect their employees who serve as caregivers to aging parents, children and other  more...

Options Under Section 504 ...recipients of federal aid regarding disabled students and employees. An educational facility's failure to comply with Section 504 and its regulations can result in time consuming and expensive litigation, an imposing investigation by the Office of Civil Rights and the potential loss of federal assistance. This teleconference will pull together the statutory provisions and their recent  more...

Positive Strategies For Dealing With Problem Performers ...employees even though you've tried progressive discipline? Is your company still using punishment as a means to discipline employees? Are you wondering why your disciplinary strategies don't seem to work? If you have these questions, attend this audio conference and learn about more positive strategies and approaches in dealing with problem performers. We will examine the power of commitment  more...

Behavioral Based Interviewing: The Next Evolution ...to tell the difference between great applicants and great employees. Attend this audio conference and take yourseslf to the next level, and ensure that what you see is what you get. No matter what your level of expertise, you won't want to miss this new and effective approach to interviewing. This audio conference is designed for human resource managers, recruiters, personnel managers,  more...

Legal Causation and Disability in Workers' Compensation ...es are covered by workers' compensation and what benefits employees receive under the workers' compensation system. The speaker, a workers' compensation trial lawyer with 30 years of experience, will give practical advice on the steps you can take to reduce workers' compensation costs. This audio conference is designed for workers' compensation administrators, attorneys, human resource  more...

Fraud Prevention Techniques for Nonprofits ...tsIt's unfortunate, but the reality is that thinking your employees are honest isn't true! This fascinating and practical audio conference will walk you through actual fraud scenarios, discuss how the frauds occurred, and show profiles of embezzlers; why they did it, how they did it and what internal controls would have prevented them. Additionally, you will be provided a valuable handout to  more...

Workers' Compensation Handbook Best Practices BenefitsMinimizing workers' compensation abuse and controlling the costs of legitimate claims is a daunting task. In this difficult economy, it is essential you take every step you can to reduce your workers' compensation exposure and costs. This 90-minute audio conference is geared to provide you with the best handbook practices - policies, procedures and techniques - for staying in control of  more...

Refining Your Business Writing Skills ...employees and stakeholders position your message appropriately? Are you getting responses to your business letters and emails that show you are being heard? Without question, your written communications influence the way internal and external audiences view you and your organization. In fact, in today's global marketplace, this may be the only form of communication you have with those  more...

Illinois Leave Laws: Navigating a Minefield BenefitsAlthough the economy may have been stagnate, the legislature has not. Over the past couple of years, Illinois has passed or expanded numerous leave laws presenting even more obligations for employers. The interaction of these laws can be complex and difficult to institute. This teleconference will assist you in understanding their obligations in implementation and compliance. Leaves  more...

Recent Developments in Employer Liability for 401(k) Investments ...employees, U.S. Department of Labor investigations, IRS investigations, massive class action lawsuits - an ever-expanding list of factors bombards sponsors of 401(k) plans, and places companies and their management potentially in the cross hairs. From Enron, Worldcom and Sarbanes-Oxley, to the more recent massive class actions filed against Fortune 500 companies regarding 401(k) plan service  more...

Jeopardizing Exempt Status ...employees do not necessarily remain exempt for the duration of their employment. Actions taken (or not taken) by employers can and do jeopardize the exemptions claimed, leading unknowing employers down the path to potentially ruinous liability for unpaid minimum wages and overtime. This teleconference is designed to help you identify issues which jeopardize exempt status and correct them. It  more...

Family Responsibility Discrimination Law: Family Friendly Employer or Litigation Target? ...employees because of their family caregiving responsibilities is becoming a major issue for employers. Employers have been the subject of increasing but not well understood claims based on FRD claims. These claims have been pursued under a variety of both federal and state laws, and have resulted in multimillion-dollar verdicts. This teleconference will help you understand how stereotypical  more...

Immigration Issues for Construction Professionals ...an Immigration Compliance Acknowledgment Form to use with employees. We will address how to respond to Social Security mismatch letters and other inquiries from government agencies that are occurring more frequently. We will also address E-Verify and different rules, E-Verify and government contracts. Learning Objectives - You will be able to review and correct I-9 mistakes. - You will be able  more...

Texas Nonsubscriber Claims 101: Perspectives From Employees and Employers ...inistrators. Different than workers' compensation claims, employees, who work for nonsubscriber employers may pursue personal injury claims in court or at arbitration. The law governing Texas nonsubscriber claims is completely different than the law that governs Texas workers compensation claims. It is a specialized area of personal injury practice in Texas. This teleconference will help  more...

Implementing Stay Interviews: If You Want to Keep Them You Have to Talk to Them! ...firm. The last thing you want to happen is to lose these employees because of situations that are within your ability to control. By attending this teleconference you will learn tools, tactics and techniques that will help you retain important and talented employees and save your firm the expense of continually hiring and training new employees. This teleconference is designed for human  more...

International Employment Assignments: Understanding the Compliance Risks ...employees to the U.S. to work in its U.S. branches, subsidiaries or affiliates, or sending U.S. citizen employees abroad to work in foreign entities, the risks of failing to comply with U.S. and foreign employment and immigration laws are enormous. Attorneys who counsel these companies and human resource executives who implement company policy must be aware of strict immigration and work permit  more...

Cyber Crimes: Phishing, Pharming and Beyond ...tain inestimable quantities of personal information about employees, customers and counter-parties, in addition to storing and using valuable intellectual property and proprietary programs, source code, and technical specifications and models. This information, not surprisingly, is a sought-after treasure trove for increasingly organized cyber-criminals and corporations struggle with how to  more...

How to Save Millions in Claims Through Ergonomics and Injury Prevention ...n are not commonly taught or practiced; as a result, your employees, whether in the office setting or in an industrial setting, are susceptible to repetitive motion injuries simply as a result of the nature of the work that they perform. This teleconference will provide you with a basic understanding of the theory of ergonomics and what the five most common workplace risk factors is that  more...

Understanding the HIRE Act and Form 941 ...ng offered to employers for producing jobs and hiring new employees. We will explain in detail the HIRE Act from how to determine what employees and/or employers qualify, to how to claim the tax benefits with the IRS. Special situations will also be reviewed such as restaurant payrolls, rehires and company's already claiming the WOTC credit. This teleconference is designed for payroll  more...

Developing a Policy for Employee Use of Mobile Devices ...ference will address employment issues as they pertain to employees' use of personal digital assistants (such as BlackBerry's), cellular phones and laptop computers, and the rash of claims under the personal injury and workers' compensation laws. It will also address the many ways that both employers and employees frequently misuse mobile devices and the ramifications for doing so. This  more...

Implementing Employee Threat Assessments: Are Your Employees Ticking Time Bombs? ...enefitsEmployers are confronted more often with dangerous employees. This teleconference will address practical human resource issues including how not to hire dangerous employees, strategic discipline, strategic terminations and high risk terminations. It will also discuss some practical tools employers have at their disposal to deal with difficult employees, along with a discussion of real  more...

Using Payroll Audits to Detect Errors and Fraud BenefitsAs a finance professional, you probably are expected to safeguard your company's money. Unfortunately, there is no typical picture of the fraud perpetrator and embezzlement of funds is all too common place, so you have your work cut out for you! An excellent place to start is with Jeffrey G. Matthews' 'Using Payroll Audits to Detect Errors and Fraud' teleconference. You will learn about  more...

Social Networking in the Workplace: Policies, Monitoring and Discipline Issues ...years. According to an October 2008 survey, 51 percent of employees accessed social networks at least once per day at work; many of them did so for an hour or more per week. Despite these numbers and the risks inherent in employees using social networking tools, such as harassment, dissemination of trade secret information and lost productivity, employers have been slow to adopt and disseminate  more...

Avoiding Exposure Under The Illinois Wage Payment And Collection Act ...employees correctly? Maintaining proper pay practices has always been challenging due to the highly technical and often changing regulations in this area. Unfortunately, as the number of wage and hour lawsuits continues to spiral out of control, keeping abreast of the current rules and legal developments regarding pay practices has now become a matter of basic survival. The Illinois Wage  more...

The FLSA Comp Time Controversy ...recent court decisions have restricted the ability of the employees to control when they use compensatory time off. Highlights of these court decisions and how the FLSA views the use of compensatory time in light of recent court decisions and the current debate of allowing comp time in the private sector will be discussed. Payroll professionals, human resource managers, benefit managers,  more...

Developing a Sound HR Metrics System ...ations? How can we effectively measure the value that our employees bring to our organizations? How do we measure the effectiveness of our human resources department? Utilizing proper metrics and benchmarking can provide the answers to these questions. Attend this teleconference and learn the importance of demonstrating HR's value to the organization, ways to avoid pitfalls in HR metric  more...

Techniques to Prepare for Difficult Employee Discussions ...l Falcone, author of 101 Tough Conversations to Have with Employees (AMACOM Books, 2009), so that we can strategize together over how to handle some of the most challenging conversations you'll ever have with employees. We'll discuss the rules of workplace engagement, holding people accountable for their actions and treating adults like adults - all while shifting responsibility for  more...

Payroll Tax Pitfalls: Preventing IRS Penalties and Personal Liability for Late Payments ...at all. Additionally, in certain situations, officers and employees can be held personally liable for past due payroll taxes. This teleconference will help you understand the procedures and potential problems associated with making timely and accurate payroll tax deposits and payments. We will explain the penalties that can be assessed for noncompliance and the circumstances under which the IRS  more...

End of Employment Payroll Issues BenefitsThis will be a comprehensive look into issues that arise when an employee terminates. Topics that will be discussed will go from when an employee needs to receive their final pay to how an employee death's final pay best practices and taxation. This teleconference will cover special situations when an employee terminates such as benefit deductions, state minimum hours requirements and  more...

Overcoming Employee Absenteeism and Tardiness ...olicies. There are also some restrictions on disciplining employees when they appear to abuse policies. This teleconference will help companies sort out the do's and don'ts for developing and managing an effective policy. The teleconference will also focus on how to manage the land mines, sort through the valid and invalid excuses employees come up with and provide ways to improve absentee and  more...

Noncompetition Agreements for the HR Professional: Protecting the Company's Business Resources? ...employees trying to jump start their career moves - voluntarily or involuntarily - by cashing in on the employer's investment in relationships and information. Quite simply, the most effective way to protect your company's resources against the actions of departing employees is the noncompete agreement. But effectively using noncompetes requires knowledge of your and other states' laws, and  more...

Rewards Transformation: A Unique Approach to Total Rewards Strategy and Design in the Current Economy ...ion. Rewards transformation focuses rewards investment on employees in critical workforce segments who can contribute the most business value in return. Key components of the rewards transformation approach are 1) critical workforce segments, 2) rewards dialogue - an ongoing interactive process by which employers gather employees' views, opinions and preferences about rewards and communicate  more...

Conducting Background Checks ...ducting background checks on both current and prospective employees. While background checks can be an effective tool for weeding out questionable employees, legal limitations on how such checks can be performed (and how the resulting data discovered can be used) must be understood or otherwise an employer will find themselves defending against their own illegal actions. This teleconference  more...

Return on Investment for Wellness Programs ...o ensure it is effective for the long-term health of your employees and your bottom line. Human resource, benefits and compensation staff members are all too familiar with the difficult - some say impossible - task of controlling health insurance costs. Implemented properly, a good wellness plan can and will deliver a positive return on investment and provide a driving force behind lowering  more...

Reports for Maintaining Compliance and Controlling Costs BenefitsToo much money is lost due to 'minor' payroll errors. Reviewing and working with certain payroll reports on weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis can prevent these errors from costing you money that adds up fast. One incorrect form sent to the IRS or a state agency could result in thousands of dollars in penalties. Failure to deduct insurance or other deductions from employees can  more...

Employee Safety and Health Systems: Cutting Injuries Using the Team Approach ...tsTraditional safety committees involve a small number of employees and are often managed by the individual responsible for the facility safety and health system. The problem is that the success of the committee, and thus the system success, is predicated by the authority given to the committee and its leadership which in most cases is low to nonexistent. The bottom line is that employee safety  more...

Unique Workers' Compensation Aspects of Independent Contractors and Traveling Employees BenefitsHear experienced attorneys discuss the complex issues that arise when dealing with independent contractors and traveling employees. Take advantage of this opportunity to gain professional knowledge and advanced insight on this important workers' compensation issue. Workers' compensation administrators, human resource managers, benefits professionals, safety and compliance managers,  more...

Criminal Liabilities Under HIPAA ...ing on the facts of a given case, directors, officers and employees may also be directly liable in accordance with general principles of corporate criminal liability, as those principles are developed in the course of particular prosecutions. Don't miss this important teleconference on how you can protect your organization from criminal prosecution. Catch up on the latest trends in HIPAA  more...

Talent Management: Best Practices to Retain Top Employees BenefitsDesigned for leaders, managers and front line leaders, this teleconference will build a solid understanding of what it takes to engage and retain talent, and demonstrate the pivotal role managers play in this process. See how some of the best organizations deliver engagement and retention results year after year. You will leave knowing what you need to do to equip managers to take action  more...

Preparing for the Unexpected Departure of Key Employees: An Introduction to Replacement Planning BenefitsFewer than 40 percent of U.S. organizations, public or private, have functioning replacement plans in case of the disastrous loss of key people to death, disability, sudden resignation or the potential threatened loss in hostage-taking situations. Replacement planning is not the same thing as succession planning or talent management, though many organizational leaders confuse them. This  more...

Enforcing Federal Garnishments BenefitsNearly every employer at one time or another has received a garnishment, whether for taxes, child support or general creditors. Failing to follow garnishment laws can be very costly for employers, and thus it is critical to carefully follow the requirements of any garnishment. This teleconference will explain the different kinds of garnishments under federal law and their use and  more...

Opt-Out Incentives and Other Cost Cutting Measures for Health Plans ... increases in the cost of health coverage provided to its employees. Employers have toggled deductibles and co-payments, and they have implemented wellness programs and consumer driven health care programs. While many of the measures taken by employers have operated to reduce costs, the cost to provide health care is still high. An often overlooked method to reduce cost is to implement an opt  more...

Case Study: What Makes Dixon Schwabl One of the "Best Small Companies to Work for in America" ...employees to build a great place to work. Dixon Schwabl, Inc., CEO Lauren Dixon will share her experiences developing a company culture built on flexibility, freedom and respect for employees, inspiring an innovative approach to everyday workplace practices. No matter the size, geography or industry - any company can be a great place to work. Ms. Dixon will share how she implemented a strategic  more...

Health Insurance Basics For Employers ...alth insurance and the various roles played by employers, employees and the government will be discussed. We will describe the different models of plans, including traditional indemnity plans, PPOs, HMOs, point-of-service plans and consumer-driven health plans. You will learn some insurance basics and be exposed to underwriting requirements, as well as a review of applicable government  more...

Internet and Email: Monitoring Employee Conduct ...d to know what is going on in the workplace and to ensure employees are conducting themselves appropriately over the employers electronic communications systems. Companies can access information about their employees in a myriad of ways. Telephone communications, internet access and email accounts are commonly accessed and recorded. Employees on the other hand have a similar capacity; cell  more...

Effective Management of Off-Site Employees ...employees telecommute has evolved from being a personal convenience to a good business strategy, and now taking our current economic challenges it is a business necessity. It has become an imperative to effectively manage employees who are not reporting daily to the normal work site. This 90-minute teleconference will discuss how to properly manage off-site employees, the pitfalls to  more...

Dress Code Liabilities ... deal with complicated and sensitive issues involving how employees dress, the number and type of jewelry worn by employees, and the number and type of tattoos visible on employees while at work. This teleconference will explore the pros and cons of different options in written policies and discuss different approaches in dealing with these types of situations. The teleconference will also  more...

Fundamentals of Form W-2 Processing ...etting the pay checks to associates acutely and timely to employees. But a critical function for the payroll department is to pull all the payroll information together and produce a Form W-2 for all employees. This produces a great challenge to payroll departments to ensure that all elements of the W-2 are complete and accurate along with complying with federal and state tax requirements. This  more...

Dealing with Employee Gambling in the Workplace ... is enjoyed by millions of Americans, including groups of employees in the average workplace. The NCAA or Super Bowl office pool can increase morale, create camaraderie among co-workers and generally be a fun and exciting event, especially with the prospect for a lucky employee of a substantial monetary payout. Workplace gambling, however, also has a dark side. Lost productivity; potential  more...

Employee Engagement in Troubled Times ...employees is particularly critical amid periods of economic uncertainty if organizations are to maintain product and service quality, and lay a foundation for future growth. Yet while challenging economic environments make employee motivation more critical, they also make employee engagement more difficult to achieve. Belt tightening often results in organizational retrenching, reduced staffing  more...

A Privacy Law Primer: What Every Attorney, Compliance and Security Officer Should Know ...ct on your relationships with your customers, clients and employees, as well as on your company's management of personal information. Issue-spotting in this area requires some familiarity with the complex state, federal and international regulatory patchwork and nongovernmental standards that now apply, a sense of the practical contexts in which you are most likely to see privacy issues and  more...

Immigration Compliance for the HR Professional: Employment Authorization Issues and Beyond BenefitsAll United States employers must comply with employment authorization and verification laws, regardless of the size or composition of their workforce. This teleconference will supply you with the information you need to ensure your company is in compliance with employment authorization rules and regulations. Detailed guidance on employment verification procedures, Social Security number  more...

Deductions From Pay ...uirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Misclassifying employees' status can be costly to an employee. It is estimated that at least 70 percent of employers are not in compliance with the FLSA. As Department of Labor audits increase, it is critical for employers to understand the FLSA and to recognize the permissible deductions. This teleconference is intended to provide you with  more...

Setting the Stage for Rehiring: Logistic and Liability Issues ... stage for a successful rehire process, identifying which employees to rehire, dealing with employees who are not rehired, and logistical issues from communications to benefits issues and reintegrating employees back into the organization. We will also cover legal obligations and liabilities that can arise during the rehire process and tips to minimize those risks. Human resource managers,  more...

Tip Credit and Tip Pooling: FLSA Considerations and Limitations ...employees in the service sector are compensated in part by tips rather than wages. This is particularly the case for restaurants and tourist service occupations. Employers are allowed in certain circumstances to claim a tip credit toward satisfying state and federal minimum wage laws. This means that the tips are credited against and thus satisfy a portion of the obligation to pay certain  more...

The New World of EEO: What Is Coming ...on employers involves claims of inconsistent treatment of employees in hiring, disciplinary and termination proceedings engaged in by supervisors and their employers. This teleconference will assist you with labor and employment matters to appropriately assess the risk and implement positive and proactive solutions to the circumstances which create claims and liability. Learn first-hand how to  more...

Implementing a Health Risk Assessment for Your Health Plan: What Works, What Doesn't, What's Legal ... for an effective health risk assessment?,' 'How do I get employees to participate?,' 'What should I look for in a vendor?' and 'Aren't there a lot of legal issues with gathering health information about employees?' This teleconference will allow you to begin the process of implementing a health risk assessment as part of your company health plan or wellness program. Learn about health risk  more...

Managing Benefit Options for Part-Time Employees BenefitsAs the U.S. economy recovers and restructures, many employers find themselves employing more of their workforce on a part time basis. Additionally, in hard to recruit fields such as health care, or with entry level employers such as retailers, part-time employment is the norm and may account for more than 50% of the workforce. Employers struggle with how to design a program that will  more...

Understanding and Troubleshooting Copyright Law ...ity, and with the proliferation of electronic media, your employees and clients have unprecedented access to these protected works. As a result, it is easier than ever for you, your clients or your company's employees to infringe the copyrights of others. Also, with one click of a mouse, a nameless, faceless internet surfer on the other side of the world can easily infringe your rights. This  more...

Changes of Status Checklist BenefitsIf you are an employer who sponsors a cafeteria plan or other health and welfare plans, it can be confusing to administer your plan when an employee has a change in status. This teleconference will assist you in determining when you can allow an employee to change their election under your cafeteria plan. It will also cover what happens when an individual has a change in status while on  more...

Can Medical Tourism Lower Your Healthcare Costs? ... the benefit of offering a medical travel option to their employees. This teleconference will consider liability and other legal issues in this arena that are faced by the principal actors in the field: entities that help facilitate care abroad (often referred to as facilitators), employers offering medical travel as a benefit option and the patients who seek care in foreign destinations. Since  more...

Discipline and Termination Considerations for Employees on Leave ...In an economy when many employers are forced to terminate employees, they should be cognizant of federal and state laws that may be implicated with respect to employees on leave. Employee leave can be as short as a few hours to vote, several months to care for a newborn or longer than a year due to a disability. In the event that an employee who is on leave will be terminated, whether for cause  more...

Determining When an Individual With a Disability Is "Qualified" Under the ADA BenefitsAlthough recent amendments have been made to the Americans with Disabilities Act, the requirement that an applicant or employee with a disability be 'qualified' for the job sought or held has not changed. Drawing on regulations from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and decisions from federal courts across the country, this teleconference will provide participants with  more...

401 (k) Plan Audits-What to Expect of the Process BenefitsThe idea of auditing a 401(k) plan can seem daunting and intimidating to some. In addition, as it is essentially a compliance requirement, few plan sponsors see much value in the audit. This teleconference will explain in depth what is involved in the audit of a 401(k) plan. Gain insight into the various entities involved in the audit process and what they contribute to the successful and  more...

Return-to-Work Compliance When Jobs Are Gone ...f years have been financially difficult for employers and employees. Many organizations have undergone one or more phases of reductions-in-force, as well as restructuring and creative solutions such as reduced work hours or pay. What can such organizations legally do when employees on a leave of absence want to return to such a changed workplace? This teleconference will assist you with making  more...

Total Compensation Statements as a Tool to Communicate Total Value ...employees look at their base salary as the total value provided by your organization. During these challenging economic times when salary increases are low or nonexistent, creating customized compensation statements for your organization can be a valuable communication tool. Generally, total compensation ranges from 30 to 50 percent above base compensation for an organization and most employees  more...

Managing Job Accommodations Under the ADA: Using Medical Experts ...onted every day with requests for job accommodations from employees. You as the employer should control the job accommodation process - but how do you do that? What are your legal obligations? More importantly, what are your rights? When and what type of medical documentation can be requested of the employee? When can you request an IME? When can you use a medical expert? Join us to find the  more...

Don't Bet the Company: Understanding and Avoiding Class Actions in Labor and Employment Law! ...horror of class actions is that a small claim among a few employees can mushroom into a huge claim worth millions of dollars once some ferocious plaintiff's lawyers get their teeth into it and add hundreds of additional claims through the simple process of becoming a class action. Not only do you have to pay a huge settlement to a large number of class members, but attorney's fees are added  more...

Best Practices to Manage Your Multistate Payroll ...e laws but often times neighboring state laws if you have employees across state lines. The taxability of employee benefits is confusing and the regulations are constantly changing. Working time for nonexempt employees is not well-understood throughout the payroll profession and many professionals spend more time on payroll forms than is either necessary or available. This teleconference will  more...

Paperless Payroll: Essentials to a Seamless Transition ...be a healthy boost to the bottom line without eliminating employees. The notion of paperless payroll has come a long way since the introduction of direct deposit in the 1970's, but despite the advances, most companies are still distributing paper checks, pay advices and W2s. In this teleconference, we'll take a look at the cost saving potential of a fully paperless payroll process; the range of  more...

Benchmarking your Health Benefit Program: How Do You Stack Up? ... your health benefit program's cost, design and impact on employees with an eye to comparing your plan to others - regionally and nationally. In addition, we will discuss the trends in health benefits and give you benchmarking statistics on the current landscape for including that trend in your health benefit package. During this 90-minute teleconference, we will outline concepts such as  more...

Paid Sick Leave Update: Policies and Procedures in an Evolving Workplace ...employees with paid sick leave. Increasingly, however, states and localities are dictating that employers allow employees to use these voluntarily-provided paid sick leave benefits for reasons beyond those covered by the employer's program. In some cases, states and localities have begun to mandate that employers provide employees with a minimum paid sick leave benefit if an employer does not  more...

Enforcing Arbitration Agreements: 14 Penn Plaza and Other Recent Developments in Arbitration of Statutory Employment Claims ...nion-negotiated arbitration agreement can bind individual employees to arbitrate statutory age discrimination claims. This decision continues the trend of enforcing agreements to arbitrate employment discrimination claims. 14 Penn Plaza should cause all legal professionals to consider the advantages of agreements to arbitrate statutory claims - whether in the union or individual employee  more...

Smoking Discrimination in the Workplace: On and Off the Clock ...ployer's interest in the smoking habits of applicants and employees ends at the employer's property line, and that an employer has no business regulating whether applicants or employees smoke off-duty, away from the employer's premises. They caution that if an employer can regulate an individual's off-duty smoking habits at home or even on vacation, the "slippery slope" could lead to an  more...

California Employment Law Update ...employees in California face a bewildering and complicated set of employment laws, which are often inconsistent with federal law. This three-hour teleconference will address the most important and current issues facing California employers (or out-of-state companies with employees in California), including wage and hour compliance and litigation trends, California's unique disability and  more...

7 Questions to Ask When Establishing Cause for Disciplining and Terminating Employees nThis teleconference will focus on understanding and implementing a simple, yet comprehensive approach to investigating and documenting potential disciplinary and termination actions. You will learn seven questions to establish cause for discipline or termination, as well as why proper investigation and documentation minimizes potential for the filing of discrimination claims, decreases settlement  more...

Effective Utilization of Employee Waivers ...ation and invasion of privacy. Pre-employment waivers put employees on notice of employment screens such as background checks and drug testing. During employment, employee waivers define employee expectations of privacy in the workplace and limit company liability for employee activities. After employment has ended, particularly in the context of group layoffs, effective and legally compliant  more...

Managing And Disciplining Unsafe Employees - A Cornerstone Of An Effective Safety Program ...xamine the importance of managing and disciplining unsafe employees on the success of any business. Part of the discussion will examine the potential detrimental impact of ignoring unsafe employees can have on a company and the possible civil and criminal liability that can occur. This teleconference will examine the policies and procedures that need to be in place to deal with these issues.  more...

Impact of the New ADA Amendments on Schools ...ied to the areas of hiring and working conditions for all employees and also to students eligible for education accommodations under Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973. In subsequent years, Supreme Court decisions (Sutton v. United Airlines [1999], Toyota v. Williams [2002] and others) severely narrowed the range of disabled individuals considered eligible for ADA protection.  more...

Effective Exit Interviews ...oking for ways to improve employee relations, attract new employees and retain the ones they have. But how do you know what to do to improve if you don't know what employees are looking for or why they are leaving? n nImplemented properly, a good exit interview program can provide an employer with a host of valuable information that can be used to improve its employee relations and HR function.  more...

Paycheck Calculation Basics nThis is an excellent teleconference for those new at withholding payroll taxes or for those who need a refresher course. You will learn tips on how and why to determine if the worker is exempt or nonexempt. We will cover the calculation of and the maximum deductions for Social Security and Medicare taxes in 2009. n nThere are multiple methods of calculating federal withholding, which one should  more...

Workplace Flexibility: Innovative Strategies for an Evolving Workforce nOver the last three decades, the needs of the American workforce have changed dramatically. In response, many businesses have turned to workplace flexibility in order to recruit and retain the best workers, boost productivity and increase their competitive advantage. At the same time, policymakers in Washington have been exploring various approaches for increasing access to workplace flexibility  more...

Retirement Benefit Solutions For Nonprofit Organizations and Government Entities ...egarding use of retirement benefits to attract and retain employees and executives as for-profit companies, but the tools available to them are often more limited. This teleconference will explore both broad-based retirement programs and executive deferred compensation available to nonprofit organizations. It will highlight new rules for 403(b) plans and pending IRS guidance that will restrict  more...

Form W4: Impact on Payroll nThis teleconference will clear up questions on the effects of filing status and exemption on payroll checks, how to handle exempt forms, time allowance for making changes, where to locate new forms, how frequently the employees should complete forms and how long employers must retain them. We will include a quick review of Form W-4P, W4-SP and W-4S and discuss which states accept Form W-4 for  more...

Employee Retaliation: Supreme Court Update ...CBOCS West, Inc. v. Humphries, 128 S.Ct. 1951 (2008) that employees can bring retaliation claims under Section 1981, a post-Civil War era race discrimination act, even though the law does not expressly refer to retaliation. Moreover, the CBOCS West decision recognizes a retaliation claim brought by an individual of any race, who suffers an adverse action as a result of attempting to help  more...

What the New Ledbetter Pay Act Means for Employers ...n claims. The act greatly expands the amount of time that employees have to bring claims of discriminatory pay practices, which could have a substantial impact on employers. This teleconference will help the people responsible for handling their organization's compensation practices to understand the key provisions of the act and potential implications for their organization. You'll learn how  more...

Same-Gender Marriage Rulings: Impacts on Employee Benefit Plans Across the Nation nIn May 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled that the state cannot deny same-gender couples the right to marry. Same-gender couples - many of them, in fact - flocked to California and started getting legally married on June 17, 2008. But then in November 2008, California voters approved Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriage going forward. Massachusetts and Canada also allow same-gender  more...

Multiplaintiff Settlement Negotiations ...el simply bring multiplaintiff cases naming long lists of employees as co-plaintiffs. Dukes v. Wal-Mart may herald a revival and expansion of discrimination class actions. Employers are confronted with the burden, expense and difficulty of defending large numbers of claims joined in a single action, and their opponents seek to capitalize on those factors. Employers face numerous practical and  more...

Religious Accommodations in the Workplace ... awareness of religious workplace accommodation rights by employees. This teleconference is designed not only to update employers about legal developments in religious workplace accommodation, but to also provide practical strategies to deal with the thorny conflicts that arise when an employee seeks religious accommodation. Mr. Stewart, the presenter, has dealt with religious discrimination  more...

Curbing Unauthorized Overtime ...loyers face is keeping track of the hours their nonexempt employees work and correctly paying any required overtime premium. When unauthorized overtime occurs, labor costs skyrocket, and businesses face a budgeting nightmare. And when employees perform compensable work off the clock, the potential overtime liability for an employer can be staggering. This teleconference will help businesses  more...