Hosted By: Warner
Please join Warner’s employee benefits and labor and employment attorneys for the 2022 HR Seminar, hosted on Wednesday, May 4, 2022, in the Ambassador Ballroom of the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel. This full day of presentations will focus on a variety of legal topics and current trends impacting the employee benefits and labor and employment landscape.
Agenda
8:00 - 8:30 a.m. Health and Welfare Plan Update
Stephanie Grand and Norbert Kugele
Changes in federal law in the last year significantly affect health and welfare plans, including the CARES Act, the No Surprises Act and transparency rules in the Consolidated Appropriations Act. Recent state laws regarding prescription drug coverage push the limits of ERISA preemption. During this session, we’ll update you on how these and other changes impact your health and welfare plans.
9:30 ‑ 10:30 a.m. Retirement Plan Update
Heidi Lyon and Justin Stemple
Retirement plans continue to face constant law changes and ongoing fee litigation. New laws such as the CARES Act, SECURE Act and guidance regarding cybersecurity, proxy voting and investing in ESG funds have created challenges for plan sponsors and fiduciaries. The courts continue to grapple with breach of fiduciary duty claims related to retirement plan investments and fees. This session will review recent developments affecting qualified retirement plans and their practical impact.
10:30 ‑ 10:45 a.m.Break10:45 - 11:45 a.m. Returning to Normal? Preparing Your Benefit Plans for a Post-Pandemic World
Heidi Lyon and Stephanie Grant
Two years into the pandemic, life seems to be slowly returning to normal as the world prepares to emerge from the other side of the pandemic. This session will focus on benefit plan issues you should address as the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end.
11:45 - 1:00 p.m.Lunch1:00 - 1:50 p.m. The Great Resignation
Ed Bardelli, Steve Palazzolo, Kelsey Dame and guest panelist Kelly Calvert – Vice President of Talent for the Custer Family Companies
There's been a lot of noise in recent months about what's been nicknamed "The Great Resignation." The popular phrase refers to the roughly 33 million Americans who have quit their jobs since the spring of 2021. Many employees leave in search of “better jobs” and have cited compensation, work/life balance, general frustration and benefits as reasons for their departures. This panel will discuss flexible work arrangements, restrictive covenants, employee engagement and the other legal obstacles employers will need to overcome while wading through this drastic change in the workforce. We will also hear from Kelly Calvert for an employer’s perspective on the challenges companies are facing.
1:50 - 2:40 p.m. Leave Law Compliance and Best Practices Update
Jon Kok and Anne Steen
Navigating the employee leave landscape has become increasingly complicated for employers in recent years. The COVID pandemic, new legislation, and a new administration have all brought changes to employer obligations when considering employee requests for time off. This session will provide an overview of leave-law basics under the FMLA, ADA, workers’ compensation, and paid sick leave statutes as well as zero-in on both the legal and practical effects of the pandemic and shift in administration when addressing leave issues.
2:40 - 2:50 p.m. Break
2:50 - 3:40 p.m. Remote Work
Allyson Terpsma, DeAndre’ Harris and Sean Cook
Employees are increasingly demanding greater control over where they work, and remote work arrangements have taken center stage as a tool to attract and retain employees. This session will help employers increase the flexibility of their workplace without simultaneously increasing their legal risk. Specifically, employers will gain a practical understanding of how to manage issues related to wage and hour laws, worker safety, privacy and unique concerns that may arise when employees work remotely in other states. Also, the session will spend some time on the payroll and business tax implications for the employer.
3:40 - 4:30 p.m. New Twists on Some Old Issues: Discrimination, Retaliation, Harassment, Hiring and Wage & Hour Compliance
Rob Dubault, Karen VanderWerff and Janelle Shankin
At both the federal and state levels, new workplace protections, prohibitions and obligations are being created, enhanced and enforced. From court interpretations clarifying who and what conduct is protected, to states implementing new laws protecting individuals and imposing reporting requirements, to administrative agencies reinterpreting the laws and regulations and promising to crack down on employers who step over their new lines, employers will have their hands even more full than they previously were. Our panel will discuss what employers should be doing to avoid legal trouble and what additional challenges to expect on the horizon.
Pricing
Full-Day Program: $150 WNJ Clients $200 Non-Clients
Half-Day Program: $100 WNJ Clients $150 Non-Clients
Multi-Attendee Discount: If three or more people from the same organization attend, you may receive a 15% registration discount. Be sure to enter “wnj-hr-2022” as the promotional code to receive the discount.
Lunch and materials are included with every registration. Program materials are provided online in advance of the seminar.
Parking is free for those who park in the DeVos Place parking lot. (Vouchers are only valid for the DeVos Place parking lot/ramp and will not apply to the hotel ramp or valet parking.)
Continuing Education Credits
This program has been approved for 6.25 HR (General) recertification credit hours toward a PHR™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™ and SPHRi™ recertification through HR Certification Institute® (HRCI®).
This program qualifies for SHRM Professional Development Credits (PDCs) which relate to the SRHM Body of Competency and Knowledge™ (SHRM BoCK).
Questions
If you have questions about the program, please contact Lori Folkertsma at 616.752.2492 or lfolkertsma@wnj.com.
