• Being "in the know" as a benefits and HR professional is vital not only to your success, but the success of your business as well. This session will cover recent legal decisions and developments affecting benefits, labor, and employment law so you'll be in the know.
  
  

Breakout Sessions:

• Session I: The Termination Decision
  • Hasty termination decisions and careless implementation of those decisions inevitably leads to costly litigation. This session will help you keep your organization out of court by teaching you to identify and manage even the most subtle issue that may rise up to cause post-termination problems.
    
    
• Session II: Arrest and Conviction Record Discrimination in Wisconsin
  • Wisconsin is somewhat unique in having a law that prohibits employers from making employment decisions on the basis of an individual's criminal record. Learn about the "substantial relation defense" and how to best avoid liability for this type of discrimination.
    
    

• Session III: Sorting Out the Issues Raised by FMLA, ADA, and Worker's Compensation
  • Some leaves of absence can become complicated. Is it Worker’s Comp? Does it qualify under FMLA? Does an accommodation need to be offered under ADA? Maybe all three laws apply to the situation? This session will provide an overview of the relationship between these laws that will help you sort out these situations and determine your obligations as employer.
    
    
• Session IV: Responding to a Discrimination Charge
  • This nuts and bolts session will demystify the agency process. The session will cover how the EEOC or Equal Rights Division handle a charge of discrimination, communications with these agencies, and how to approach the writing of the company's response to a charge of discrimination.
    
    

• The law gives employees certain rights in the workplace and employers must respect those rights to avoid liability. These rights include protection from termination for reasons that violate public policy; rights to communicate with coworkers in certain ways on certain topics; privacy rights in relation to searches and monitoring; and protections from types of discrimination and retaliation beyond the typical protected categories. On the other hand, some myths have arisen that exaggerate some of these rights. This session will enlighten you on the extent of employee rights, and will separate fact from fiction so that you can balance the organization's interests with employees' rights.