38th Annual Employment Law Seminar
Date and Time
Thursday May 6, 2021 Friday May 7, 2021
Location
The seminar will be held virtually. To register, CLICK HERE.
Fees/Admission
$40 per person for a 2-day seminar
Website
Contact Information
Jennifer Mowen
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38th Annual Employment Law Seminar
Description
This event will be held virtually over a two-day period. There will be a total of 10 sessions to choose from, and you can choose up to six sessions to attend. The session descriptions are listed below. You will be prompted to select your sessions when you register. If you register for this event, you will be added to our employment law mailing list. This program is approved for attendees to receive up to 7.5 HRCI and SHRM professional development credits.
Agenda
Webinar Series Day 1 - Thursday, May 6
1. Diversity and Inclusion: A Legal and Institutional Perspective
Presented by Jennifer Craighead Carey; Kim Brister, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition, Diversity & Inclusion, WellSpan Health; Bernadette Taylor, Senior EVP & Chief Human Resources Officer, Fulton Financial Corp.
This session will include a brief primer on the legal aspects of diversity and inclusion. It will be followed by a panel discussion with representatives from two area companies talking about what they are doing internally to address these important issues.
Session 2 - 12:30 PM to 1:45 PM
2A. Important Factors to Consider with Teleworking Employees
Presented by Michael Crocenzi and Sarah Yerger
With so many employees working from home because of COVID-19, it’s important for employers to be aware of the legal issues impacting working from home. We will explore the importance of keeping track of an employee’s time, workers’ compensation, travel time, overtime, withholding taxes/paying payroll taxes and complying with the laws and regulations of the state where the employee is working/living.
2B. The COVID-19 Pandemic: Employee Benefit Plan Lessons Learned and Unfinished Business
Presented by Mark Smith
Entering the COVID-19 pandemic, most employers had no reason to contemplate the impact of such a crisis on their ability to maintain their workforce and the related financial impact on employees which prompted a number of employee benefit plan considerations including the differences in layoffs and furloughs, the suspension of retirement plan contributions, maintaining health coverage and offering immediate access to retirement savings. In certain instances, employers discovered unexpected limitations on their ability to manage their employee benefit plan expenses and incomplete policies for addressing changes in the employees’ status under the employee benefit plans. As we begin to slowly return to normal operations, there are any number of employee benefit plan issues to address as the IRS and the DOL have continued to provide additional relief and guidance. Please join us for an in-depth analysis of the lessons learned from COVID-19 related employee benefit plan issues and an examination of outstanding key employee benefit plan considerations for employers.
Session 3 - 2:15 PM to 3:30 PM
3A. Drafting Employee Handbooks
Presented by Joshua Schwartz and Kareemah Mayer
2020 came with significant changes to the workplace: an increase in remote work, a focus on cleanliness and disease control, and a renewed commitment to nondiscrimination and equity. This new era presents a perfect time for employers to update their policies with the latest guidance. This session will review best practices for handbooks more generally and provide practical recommendations for the inclusion of specific policies. Participants will be invited to submit questions in advance of the session.
3B. 2021 Immigration Update for Employers
Presented by David Freedman and Lauren Berkowitz
This session will bring human resource professionals up-to-date regarding the latest immigration law developments. Some of the topics David and Lauren will discuss are policy changes and priorities for employment-based immigration under the Biden administration, the H-1B lottery and upcoming H-1B program changes, as well as the current state of travel and visa bans.
Webinar Series Day 2 - Friday, May 7
4. Leave Issues under the FMLA, ADA and the COVID-19 Relief Bill
Presented by Michael Crocenzi
This session will address leave and other workplace accommodation issues under the FMLA, ADA and the COVID-19 Relief bill, including the interplay of the three statutes and how employers can mitigate risks. Participants will learn about the latest cases and trends and how to manage difficult situations. Participants will be invited to submit questions in advance of the session. This session assumes some advanced knowledge of FMLA and ADA and is not a basic-level course.
Session 5 - 12:30 PM to 1:45 PM
5A. Workplace Investigations
Presented by Jennifer Craighead Carey
This session will address best practices for conducting workplace investigations to mitigate risks in the event of litigation. The session will also include hypothetical situations that demonstrate how to put the strategies discussed into practice.
5B. Employer Obligations under OSHA and the Workers’ Compensation Act
Presented by Joshua Schwartz
The Biden administration has placed workplace safety at the forefront of its list of priorities, especially during and in the aftermath of the pandemic. With an aggressive federal agency and a number of obligations under federal and state law in the event of an emergency, a lack of preparation can add stress and confusion to an already difficult situation. This session will include the latest information regarding OSHA’s stated priorities and provide best practices to ensure compliance and minimize risks.
Session 6 - 2:15 PM to 3:30 PM
6A. Biden Administration’s First 100 Days: Employment Law Edition
Presented by Jill Sebest Welch and Kareemah Mayer
The Biden administration has been quick to roll back many of the employment-related executive orders issued by the Trump administration in its waning days, and to back legislation that could dramatically change the employment landscape. This session will review which executive orders and final rules are on the chopping block, and introduce you to the new leaders shaping this change at the DOL and the EEOC. We will also review the employment initiatives in the Biden administration’s "First 100 Days" – those in the economic stimulus plan, the immigration reform bill, wage and hour developments, status of paid leave initiatives and proposed nationwide limitations on non-compete agreements.
6B. NLRB Updates under the Biden Administration
Presented by Joshua Schwartz and Sarah Yerger
Times are changing at the National Labor Relations Board. With our new president comes a complete reversal in labor policy – a much more labor and employee friendly environment is in store for employers. This session will go over some of the issues that will affect employers under the new leadership, including changes in the NLRB Board of Directors, changes with the general counsel, significant developments at the board and in the courts, and what passage of the PRO Act might mean for employers.
