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TRANSCRIPT
You have questions. We have answers.
2014 SeminarStrategy, Risk Management and Best Practices
for Benefits and HR Professionals April 22 at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
The regulatory landscape for Human Resources professionals continues to evolve, with new laws, policies and litigation creating challenges and opportunities for managing employees and employment issues. Join Warner for a one-day seminar that will update the latest regulatory changes and provide the tools you need to effectively address issues related to: the Affordable Care Act; communicating about employee benefits; retirement plans; fiduciary responsibilities; workplace investigations; FMLA; employee discipline and discharge; and bullying in the workplace. Other highlights of this year’s seminar:
• “The Flip Side.” Get in the trenches with Warner’s employment litigation team to review real cases and see what happens when companies fail to follow best practices.
• A program-free lunch. No videos, presentations or interruptions, just a chance to network with colleagues and discuss best practices.
Continuing Education CreditsThis program has been awarded 6.5 hours of general credit toward PHR and SPHR recertification through the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI). For more information, please visit the HRCI website at www.hrci.org. Only those in attendance will receive certification documentation.
Pricing WNJ Non- Client Client
Full-Day Program $140 $190
Half-Day Program $80 $130
Multi-Attendee Discount: Take 15% off of your registration fee if three or more people from your organization attend.
Materials, parking and lunch are included with every registration.
Program materials are provided online in advance of the seminar.
2014 Seminar Strategy, Risk Management and Best Practices for Benefits and HR Professionals
Register OnlineWNJ.com/2014_HR_Seminar
Morning General Session / 8:00-9:00 AM
Health Care Reform UpdateWhat’s the latest with the Affordable Care Act? This session will focus on current developments in the health care reform process, with a special focus on the employer responsibility rules. This session will also cover the impact of the Supreme Court’s DOMA decision on employer-sponsored group health plans.
9:00-9:45 AM
Hot Topics in Retirement PlansJoin us for a review of the latest hot topics in retirement plans, including fiduciary litigation, fee disclosure and the impact of the Supreme Court’s DOMA decision on 401(k) and defined benefit pension plans.
10:00-10:45 AM
Communicating Employee BenefitsEmployers must disclose to employees information about welfare benefits and retirement plans, but making the information understandable can be challenging.This session will review benefit plan disclosures an employer must make, including the law applicable to their content, form and distribution. We will also discuss the challenges to communicating benefits accurately and understandably, the risks posed by inaccurate communications, retaining records, and other best practices.
10:45-11:45 AM
The Nuts and Bolts of Fiduciary Protection and Due Diligence: Seven Steps to Putting Your Plan in OrderPlaintiffs’ lawyers recently discovered that Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) plans have won sizable judgments against plan sponsors. The IRS emphasizes that plans should have adequate internal controls, and the Department of Labor routinely reviews plan governance and practices and fiduciary compliance and training. This
Norbert Kugele Heidi LyonApril Goff
Justin Stemple
John McKendry
Tony Kolenic
April 22 at Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
session will outline seven steps for putting an employer’s plan house in order to insulate employers from possible fiduciary liability and to assure that, upon IRS or DOL review, adequate procedures are in place to demonstrate the required levels of due diligence.
Lunch Program - Networking Lunch / 11:45 AM-12:45 PM
A program-free lunch. No videos, presentations or interruptions, just a chance to network with colleagues and discuss best practices.
Afternoon General Session / 12:45-1:45 PM
“The Flip Side”Like a lot of professional training, application of personnel management principles is often best learned “in the trenches,” or by experience. This session will explore the use of best practices from the flip side, demonstrating through mock trial vignettes what happens to the HR Professional or other manager who fails to follow best practices. Participants will learn from others’ mistakes, by seeing how those mistakes play out months later, under cross examination.
1:55-2:40 PM (three concurrent sessions to choose from)
1A) Data Driven Human ResourcesGood data can make the HR leader a better executive. This session will explore human resources metrics that can be used to help drive decision-making on both a tactical and strategic level.
1B) Employment Legislative Updates While the past year was relatively quiet on the legislative front, the courts and administrative agencies have been busy interpreting and enforcing the various state and federal laws impacting the employment relationship. Join us for a review of the significant developments regarding employment discrimination, the National Labor Relations Act, wage and hour issues, leaves of absence, accommodating disabilities in the workplace, and a discussion of what you need to do to stay in compliance with the law. We will also look ahead at proposed regulations and legislation, as well as cases pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, and what they could mean for your business.
Rob Dubault
Lou Rabaut
Amanda FielderAndrea Bernard
Register online at WNJ.com/2014_HR_Seminar
1C) FMLA/ADA and Workers’ Comp Join us for an in-depth look at recent developments in the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. We will also discuss the interaction of these statutes with workers’ compensation laws and provide guidance on avoiding workers’ compensation headaches.
2:50-3:35 PM (three concurrent sessions to choose from)
2A) How to Handle and Properly Document Discipline and Discharge IssuesDo you find yourself wondering about the best way to handle employee misconduct or document issues with a problem employee? In this session, we’ll explore why harsh written discipline can be as bad as no discipline, why consistent record-keeping is a must, and discuss how to make sure your disciplinary records don’t come back to haunt you.
2B) Workplace Violence and BullyingBullying was once confined to the playground. Now, more and more employees are being subjected to bullying in the workplace. Far too many cases of violence in the workplace occur every year and not all of them are high profile, front page news. In this program we will discuss how to recognize and prevent bullying and develop a workplace violence policy that works.
2C) Workplace InvestigationsHow you conduct investigations into employee behavior could either protect your company or potentially expose it to additional liability. This session will focus on ways to conduct different types of investigations, including allegations of harassment, accidents and theft, and their legal implications.
Karen VanderWerff
Jon Kok Steve PalazzoloGeri Drozdowski
Ed Bardelli Ryan Grondzik
Brian Lennon
3:45-4:30 PM (three concurrent sessions to choose from)
3A) Succession Planning in Your OrganizationMany organizations look to the HR department to prepare a robust succession plan with strategic talent acquisitions and employee development. We will explore the legal, business and practical challenges to this important process.
3B) FMLA/ADA and Workers’ Comp (Repeat of session 1C)
Join us for an in-depth look at recent developments in the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. We will also discuss the interaction of these statutes with workers’ compensation laws and provide guidance on avoiding workers’ compensation headaches.
3C) Background Checks: The Biggest Employment Litigation Risk You Aren’t Worrying About (But Should Be)When making hiring decisions, more employers are relying on background checks. But what’s legal and what’s not? In an effort to balance an employer’s “need to know” with an employee’s privacy and Equal Employment Opportunity rights, many federal and state laws regulate the type and amount of
information that employers may obtain. We’ll discuss the litigation risks associated with background checks and what information employers can and cannot use.
Dean Pacific
Seminar MaterialsTo support our firm’s sustainability initiatives, we offer our seminar materials electronically. Materials for your selected sessions will be e-mailed to you two days prior to the seminar. You may opt to print the materials to bring with you or you may access them from your computer. You will not receive additional hard copies at the seminar. Complimentary WiFi access will be available during the seminar to all attendees.
Lou Rabaut
Register OnlineWNJ.com/2014_HR_Seminar
WNJ Non- Client Client
Full-Day Program $ 140 $ 190
Employee Benefits Program $ 80 $ 130(morning only)
Labor & Employment Program $ 80 $ 130(afternoon only)
Multi-Attendee Discount: If three or more people from the same organization attend, please deduct 15% from each registration fee.
Registration and Payment Options
First, Register Online at: WNJ.com/2014_HR_Seminar
Next, Choose Your Payment Method:• Paypal/credit card via the online registration form• Check (send checks payable to Warner Norcross & Judd
LLP, Attn: Sharon Sprague, 900 Fifth Third Center, 111 Lyon Street NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503)
Cancellation Policy: A full refund will be issued if cancellation is received by Thursday, April 17, 2014.
Please check if you would like a vegetarian lunch.
LUNCH: Please check this box if you will be joining us for lunch. Lunch is included in your registration fee.
Hot Topics in Retirement Plans9:00 - 9:45 am
10:00 - 10:45 am
1:55 - 2:40 pm (please select one)
3:45 - 4:30 pm (please select one)L
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2:50 - 3:35 pm (please select one)
Succession Planning In Your Organization (3A)
How to Handle and Properly Document Discipline and Discharge Issues (2A)
Data Driven Human Resources (1A)
Communicating Employee Benefits
FMLA/ADA and Workers’ Comp (repeat of 1C) (3B)
Workplace Violence and Bullying (2B)
Employment Legislative Updates (1B)
The Nuts and Bolts of Fidicuary Protection and Due Diligence: Seven Steps to Putting Your Plan In Order
Background Checks (3C)
Workplace Investigations (2C)
FMLA/ADA and Workers’ Comp (1C)
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S
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sStrategy, Risk Management and Best Practices for Benefits and HR Professionals / April 22 / Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
10:45 - 11:45 am
8:00 - 9:00 am Health Care Reform Update
Complimentary WiFi will be available at the seminar.
11:45 - 12:45 am Lunch Program - Networking Lunch
12:45 - 1:45 am “The Flip Side”
A BETTER PARTNERSHIP®WNJ.com
Grand Rapids Holland Kalamazoo Lansing Macomb County Midland Muskegon Southfield
DirectionsThe program will take place in the Ambassador Ballroom of the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel.
The hotel is located in downtown Grand Rapids on the corner of Monroe Avenue and Pearl Street at 187 Monroe Ave. NW.For a detailed map, go to www.amwaygrand.com/maps.
Once in the hotel, go to the second level (Concourse Level) and follow the signs to the Ambassador Ballroom.
ParkingParking is available in the DeVos Place ramp, with entrances on Bridge Street and Lyon Street. You will receive a parking voucher at the seminar registration table. This voucher is only valid for the DeVos Place parking ramp and does not apply to the hotel ramp or valet parking.
Accommodations Overnight accommodations are available at the Amway Grand Plaza. Please call the hotel at (800) 253.3590 to reserve your room. Be sure to identify yourself as a WNJ HR Seminar attendee to receive the special room rate of $144. Please reserve your room before April 15.
QuestionsIf you have any questions about the program, please contact Sharon Sprague at (616) 752.2326 or [email protected].
WNJ.com/2014_HR_Seminar