Employers Telephone Seminars - Training Resources

Strategies for Reducing Unemployment Claims Costs ...employers, after terminating an employee, focus on defending against a possible discrimination charge or a lawsuit. Unfortunately, they may pay little or no attention to defending against the ex-employee's unemployment compensation claim. Those employers, albeit mistakenly, believe the ex-employee will be awarded unemployment compensation benefits no matter what they do - so why bother? Not so.  more...

Affirmative Action in Employment - What Does It Really Mean? ...07 ($51,680,950). The compliance reviews are thorough and employers must be in compliance with the latest OFCCP mandates. This teleconference will help you understand the current position of the OFCCP, provide you with an overview of how to prepare a satisfactory affirmative action plan, teach you how to analyze compensation data, and explain how to be prepared for and survive a compliance  more...

Dealing With Employees Who Have Been Charged With a Crime ...iable to do so with or without pay? Because more and more employers are finding themselves faced with this dilemma, this teleconference will discuss the legal limits on what an employer can do when faced with this problem and will also provide useful guidelines in how best to craft workplace policies and procedures to best prepare the employer to address such situations. Human resource  more...

Employee Expense Reimbursement Best Practices ...employers spend significant sums on employee expense reimbursement and need to prepare and enforce robust policies to adequately support and monitor reimbursable expenses. In today's economy, establishment of best practices and ensuring compliance is crucial to minimize the cost and legal risk of inappropriate practices. This teleconference will explore the legal landscape governing employee  more...

Limited Medical Programs: How Employers Are Using Them to Control Health Care Costs ...employers are hitting road blocks in cost saving measures. We are at a point of office visit co-pays approaching $50, prescription drug co-pays of $50 to $100, deductibles exceeding $2,000 for in-network benefits, and more and more premium cost shifting from employer to employee. Employee's are finding it hard to afford the per pay premiums and coupled with huge out-of-pocket expenses, this  more...

Noncompetition Agreements for the HR Professional: Protecting the Company's Business Resources? ...employers are seeing former 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  more...

Employee Wages: Administration of Caps, Freezes, Reductions and Furloughs ...Employers continue to search for ways to control payroll costs in response to economic uncertainty. Layoffs and force reductions have pared many workforces to the bone, but the pressure to manage costs is relentless. Adjustments to compensation and to working time can be viable alternatives to job cuts, but they are not without legal risk. This teleconference will address the legal and business  more...

Hot Wage and Hour Issues: Assuring Proper Exempt and Nonexempt Classification of Your Employees ...requently involve individual and class action claims that employers have misclassified overtime eligible employees as exempt in an effort to cheat them out of their rightful pay. This teleconference will help you understand the overtime exemptions available under the law, the nature of the claims asserted by plaintiffs, and the newest areas of focus and arguments advanced by plaintiffs'  more...

Rewards Transformation: A Unique Approach to Total Rewards Strategy and Design in the Current Economy ...ewards dialogue - an ongoing interactive process by which employers gather employees' views, opinions and preferences about rewards and communicate back with employees and 3) measuring rewards ROI. This teleconference will present multiple case studies and examples, including some sample cost reduction solutions. The material is especially useful to business leaders, HR, finance and total  more...

Complying With OSHA Recordkeeping Requirements ... Inspection Program, designed to ensure that recalcitrant employers OSHA views as not meeting their obligations under the OSH Act are targeted for additional enforcement actions. One of the key components of OSHA's strategy for identifying workplaces to be inspected and an item reviewed in virtually every inspection conducted, is injury and illness recordkeeping. This teleconference is designed  more...

Taxation of Gifts, Prizes, Bonuses and Awards ...employers are looking to provide benefits to employees with the least cost, both to them and employees. Gifts and prizes can be a good yet inexpensive way to boost morale, unless employers and employees alike fail to understand the tax consequences and end up with an unintended and unwanted tax bill. This teleconference will explain the tax consequences of gifts, prizes and other awards to  more...

Avoiding Costly Mistakes In Harassment Policies and Investigations ...ther forms of harassment remain a significant problem for employers. Courts and legislatures continue to create new obligations for employers and continue to increase the potential for liability for employers. Many employers continue to have policies and procedures for harassment that are outdated or that actually create potential liability. This teleconference will help you understand the  more...

Opt-Out Incentives and Other Cost Cutting Measures for Health Plans ...ng health care reform has highlighted for the public what employers have known for years - health care is expensive. Employers have for years looked for creative ways to alleviate double digit annual 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  more...

Payroll Tax Pitfalls: Preventing IRS Penalties and Personal Liability for Late Payments ...employers face the ongoing requirement to timely withhold and remit payroll taxes to the federal government. People responsible for fulfilling a company's payroll tax obligations often do not realize the substantial penalties that can be imposed by the IRS against the company when payroll taxes are not timely deposited or paid at all. Additionally, in certain situations, officers and employees  more...

Jeopardizing Exempt Status: Top 10 Mistakes Employers Make and How to Avoid Them ...tion 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 will also address certain myths regarding what you can  more...

Conducting Background Checks ...employers are recognizing the benefits that can be derived from conducting 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  more...

Setting the Stage for Rehiring: Logistic and Liability Issues ...employers across the country have undertaken unprecedented workforce reductions. However, eventually the economic pendulum will swing the other way and employers will be faced with the task of re-staffing their depleted workforce. Smart employers plan and prepare for that day so they can quickly identify and rehire the key talent necessary to meet their business needs moving forward. This  more...

Deductions From Pay ...Employers often have difficulties navigating through the complex requirements 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  more...

Mental Illness and the ADA ...h claimed mental conditions creates unique challenges for employers attempting to comply with the ADA. What mental impairments does the ADA protect? How does the employer know of these often invisible disabilities and of the employee's need to accommodate the condition? How does an employer accommodate conditions that cause employees to violate work rules or request treatment? May an employer  more...

Wellness Programs: Legal Developments, Requirements and Risks ...vidual rights. Despite the regulatory uncertainties, more employers than ever are looking to wellness programs to control health insurance 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  more...

Employer's HIPAA Privacy and Security Responsibilities ...andates Under HIPAA and State Laws Create Obligations for Employers /strong Personal and company confidential data, exceedingly valuable assets, are under siege. Organizations across the country and locally have experienced significant data breaches resulting in unauthorized access to a vast amount of personal and company confidential information. At the same time, technology continues to  more...

Immigration Compliance for the HR Professional: Employment Authorization Issues and Beyond ...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 issues and  more...

Health Care Reform: Implications for Employers, Insurers, and Individuals ...san politics and media hype are the practical concerns of employers, HR professionals, attorneys, third-party administrators, and other consultants and professionals who work with group health plans and related benefits on a daily basis. This teleconference will address the status of the various health care reform bills in Congress as of September 23, 2009, and address the likelihood of passage  more...

Workers' Compensation Handbook Best Practices ...task. In this difficult economy, it is essential that all employers take every step they can to reduce their workers' compensation exposure and costs. This 90-minute teleconference is geared to provide you with the best handbook practices - policies, procedures and techniques - for staying in control of your workers' compensation claims and explaining these issues to employees. Human resource  more...

The Interrelationship Between Social Security Disability, Medicare and Workers' Compensation Settlements ...secondary payer statute. Anyone who represents claimants, employers or insurers in workers' compensation claims must understand the interrelationship between Social Security disability, Medicare and workers' compensation settlements. You will learn the necessary steps to take to minimize the Social Security offset that can occur when a workers' compensation case is settled. The teleconference  more...

Satisfying OFCCP's Internet Applicant Rules ...n of an Internet applicant and the revised guidance gives employers additional direction and assistance into this new and growing area of employment issues. Moreover, the OFCCP has initiated a systematic process for monitoring adherence to the Internet Applicant Rule. This teleconference will review the new and expanded OFCCP guidance and provide you with a greater understanding of what is  more...

Reductions in Force Litigation Update ...employers have been faced with significant challenges to reduce costs. Since personnel accounts for a major proportion of overhead, one possible area of consideration is that of a reduction in the workforce. While reaching and implementing such a decision will, in optimum circumstances, involve significant input from counsel experienced in both employment and labor law issues, even the  more...

Employment Law Compliance: Disciplining or Terminating a Workers' Comp Claimant ...ricking, there is no debating that employee absences cost employers in lost productivity, missed deadlines, supervisor stress and tension among co-workers who are required to pick up the slack. Often an employer's plan to discipline or discharge is put on hold when the employee goes out on leave. How can employers deal with these situations? This teleconference will review when you may legally  more...

Social Networking in the Workplace: Policies, Monitoring and Discipline Issues ...nation of trade secret information and lost productivity, employers have been slow to adopt and disseminate policies for appropriate usage of these web sites. Thus, employees are left to guess at what kind of conduct is permissible online; and, without effective policies in place, employers may be opening themselves to liability on a host of issues. It is therefore crucial for employers to  more...

ADA Update: Overview of Americans with Disabilities Act and Practical Implications for Employers BenefitsThe ADA Amendments Act of 2008 takes effect January 1, 2009. The new amendments substantially alter and expand the definition of disabled under the ADA and who might be protected. This teleconference will review the ADA amendments and related issues, provide you with practical advice on how to comply with the ADA, and address common ADA and employment issues that may be impacted by the new  more...

Benchmarking your Health Benefit Program: How Do You Stack Up? ...owing the kinds and the quality of health insurance other employers are offering. Measuring your health plan against meaningful benchmarks will help fuel your strategies not only for reducing cost, but also for recruiting, employee retention and health plan design. n nThis teleconference will work through several methods to evaluate your health benefit program's cost, design and impact on  more...

Paid Sick Leave Update: Policies and Procedures in an Evolving Workplace ...employers voluntarily provide their 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  more...

Smoking Discrimination in the Workplace: On and Off the Clock ...sent more frequently than nonsmokers, a growing number of employers have implemented programs to minimize the number of smokers in its workforce. These employer programs range from offering quit smoking programs to refusing to hire smokers and even terminating smokers. Privacy advocates argue an employer's interest in the smoking habits of applicants and employees ends at the employer's  more...

California Employment Law Update ...s 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 discrimination laws, recently enacted legislation, and important case law developments including cases pending before the California Supreme Court. The teleconference will also  more...

Presenteeism: Measurement and Intervention Issues for Employers and Health Plans nProductivity is fast becoming an even more vital issue to the business world. Presenteeism, or work loss due to underlying health conditions when individuals remain at work, is one important facet of productivity. One study found that approximately 6 percent of a global company's total compensation (salaries, wages and all benefit costs) were lost due to presenteeism. Work site wellness programs  more...

Why Is This Guy Still on My Health Plan? ...employers overlook but which has the potential to create significant exposure - that is, failing to coordinate a company's leave policies with the eligibility and termination provisions of its benefit plans. This results many times in inactive employees (inactive usually because of a disability or other leave of absence) lingering on employer's health and other benefit plans (dental, group  more...

Understanding Pregnancy Leave and Return to Work Issues ...employers must not treat pregnant employees any differently from other employees. But, what exactly does this mean? Questions often arise as to how much leave a woman may take, what her rights are when she is on leave and what rights does she have when she returns to work. Employers often times are unwittingly violating the law. This teleconference will help you avoid common pitfalls and ensure  more...

IRS Form 941 Reporting Update nThe IRS collects hundreds of billions of dollars of employment taxes each year - more than any other source of revenue. Form 941 and related forms lie at the heart of the IRS's employment tax collection system. Much of the administrative burden under that system falls on employers. An employer's failure to understand and comply with its obligations can result in IRS assessments, audits and  more...

Effective Utilization of Employee Waivers ...loyee waivers establish employee expectations and protect employers from liability for employment-related claims such as discrimination, harassment and retaliation, as well as contract claims and tort claims such as defamation and invasion of privacy. Pre-employment waivers put employees on notice of employment screens such as background checks and drug testing. During employment, employee  more...

Form I-9: Updates and Compliance Strategies for Employers nThe Department of Homeland Security recently issued new employment verification rules and Form I-9. Join us as we examine these changes. A wide range of Form I-9 issues and compliance tips will be addressed, including E-Verify program considerations.  more...

The New HIPAA Special Enrollment Rules and Related Disclosure Issues ...ans and imposes new notice and disclosure obligations for employers that maintain such plans. While many of these obligations are not effective until after 2009, the special enrollment changes are effective April 1, 2009. In addition, the new law imposes civil penalties of up to $100 a day for failure to comply with the new notice and disclosure requirements. By attending this teleconference,  more...

Impact of the New ADA Amendments on Schools ...nder ADA and Section 504. These changes will require many employers and school officers serving special needs students to change hiring, employment and student eligibility practices which may have been legal under the earlier Court opinions but are no longer valid under ADAAA. This teleconference will provide educators responsible for serving special needs students, as well as school  more...

Responding to an EEO Charge nThe most effective way to avoid an EEOC charge is to make sure you have appropriate anti-discriminatory policies 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 teleconference will tell you how to protect your company when an EEOC  more...

Handling Federal Garnishments from Receipt to Termination ...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 limitations. It will provide you with a common sense and practical guide for fulfilling the legal imposed by such garnishments, including  more...

Effective Exit Interviews ...employers are always looking 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  more...

Workplace Flexibility: Innovative Strategies for an Evolving Workforce ...t are part of the field of workplace flexibility, and how employers in a range of industries and regions are using flexibility to improve business and employee outcomes. You will gain the ability to communicate effectively about policy approaches on workplace flexibility currently being considering in Washington - and understand how those policies may impact your business practices and  more...

The Do's and Don'ts of Telephone Monitoring ...employers monitor or record employee telephone conversations as a routine part of doing business. This monitoring must comply not only with the federal wiretap statute, but with a variety of differing requirements imposed by state statutes. Since courts in California have changed the rules for telephone monitoring for anyone who makes a call into California and other states with mutual consent  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...

What the New Ledbetter Pay Act Means for Employers nOn January 29, 2009, President Obama signed into law the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, effectively changing the landscape of the statute of limitations for equal pay discrimination 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  more...

Using Medical Certifications to Minimize Employer Liability: FMLA, ADA and Workers' Comp ...ertifications has proven to be a valuable tool to protect employers from liability under the ADA, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1994, and state workers' compensation statutes. But the legal landscape for managing employee health issues has had many changes in recent months. Amendments to the ADA took effect January 1, 2009. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act also takes effect  more...

Same-Gender Marriage Rulings: Impacts on Employee Benefit Plans Across the Nation ...ornia, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Canada. n nWhat are employers to make of these conflicting developments? Whether or not you have been presented with employees entering into same-gender marriages, it is wise to examine your plans and policies to prepare for this situation. n nThis teleconference will explain the recent legal developments in detail and present strategies for evaluating your  more...

E-Verify Mandates and Mechanisms for Compliance ...employers to check the work status of new hires by comparing information from an employee's Form I-9 against Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security databases. Although initially implemented as a voluntary program, many states now require the use of E-Verify. Additionally, as a result of a presidential executive order released in June, federal contractors are also  more...

Employee Discipline for Conduct Outside of Work ..., you will learn the legal rights and responsibilities of employers in disciplining employees for conduct outside of work. You'll 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  more...

Multiplaintiff Settlement Negotiations ...nd collective actions continue to increase. More and more employers are facing wage and hour cases and collective actions under the FLSA. Plaintiffs' counsel increasingly are relying on the benefits of Rule 23 certification to bring their wage and hour claims under applicable state wage and hour laws, bypassing the more restrictive FLSA collective action "opt-in" process. Where courts have  more...

Answers to Top 10 Common Payroll Questions ...employers throughout the country are hit with wage/house lawsuits, resulting in protracted litigation, business interruptions and costly settlements. Employers are often shocked to learn that their payroll practices, which may be entirely compliant under federal regulations, do not comply with differing state laws and regulations. Register for this teleconference and learn how to prevent 10  more...

FMLA Regulation Update: Managing FMLA Leave under the New Regulations ...Employers are continually faced with the problem of FMLA abuse. Unfortunately, many employers are unaware of the tools at their disposal to effectively manage FMLA leave. This teleconference will help you understand lawful methods you can use to restrict unwarranted use of leave. You'll get a firm grasp of the most effective FMLA policies that may be instituted. Failing to adhere to FMLA  more...

Return on Investment for Wellness Programs ...ic health plan. These plans can offer a valuable tool for employers to promote a fit and health-conscious work force that will save employers money by keeping health insurance premiums down, reducing workers' compensation costs, and by increasing productivity and decreasing lost time. Implementing a plan takes time, attention and deserves a well thought-out strategy to ensure it is effective  more...

Religious Accommodations in the Workplace ...oyees. 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 and accommodation issues for more than 24 years and has a wealth  more...

Curbing Unauthorized Overtime ...fits Year after year, one of the most challenging tasks employers 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  more...