WorkersCompensation.com Event Calendar - Workers' Compensation Events

With the ongoing economic crisis, 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 teleconference will discuss some of the key planning steps you should take from before the rehire process begins through actual rehiring and on-boarding. Topics to be covered include setting the stage for a successful rehire process, identifying which employees to rehire, dealing with employees who are not rehired, and logistical issues from communications to benefits issues and reintegrating employees back into the organization. We will also cover legal obligations and liabilities that can arise during the rehire process and tips to minimize those risks.

Traditional safety committees involve a small number of employees and are often managed by the individual responsible for the facility safety and health system. The problem is that the success of the committee, and thus the system success, is predicated by the authority given to the committee and its leadership which in most cases is low to nonexistent. The bottom line is that employee safety will be as good as management wants it to be or as poor as management will allow it to be. And although most managers care for the health and well being of their workers, they usually do not understand the proper way to manage the safety system.

This teleconference will describe how to effectively manage the employee safety and health system. With proper installation and implementation of the system described in this teleconference, you will see a 40 to 50 percent reduction in injuries within the first year of implementation. You will learn the importance of managing safety and health with the same emphasis that we manage all other aspects of the business and how to achieve this effort. As an added benefit, you will learn how to maximize OSHA compliance.

Correctly handling the documentation of employees is one of the most difficult and tedious tasks that human resources professionals need to perform for their organizations. Knowing the proper procedures to follow to document employees in the workplace is a key skill needed by most human resources professionals. This teleconference will provide you with information on the key concepts and issues surrounding proper employee documentation and when to legally dispose of documentation.

The recent debate regarding 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 programs. While many of the measures taken by employers have operated to reduce costs, the cost to provide health care is still high. An often overlooked method to reduce cost is to implement an opt out incentive. It is not uncommon for employees and dependents to be “over covered”. But what if you gave employees with access to other coverage money to opt out of your coverage?

Get the training you need to avoid compliance confusion and expensive litigation.

Prevent the financially crippling employee claims and lawsuits that plague employers in hard financial times. Register for this seminar and get the money-saving employment savvy your company has been looking for.

Let local experts teach you how to create compliant practices and bulletproof policies. With a slew of responsibilities already on your plate, how can you keep up with all the new developments? Easy – enroll today and discover the latest techniques to keep your company out of trouble.

Benefits for You
• Prevent claims from the beginning – learn the right way to hire
• Update your company’s FMLA policies in light of new regulations
• Avoid disability lawsuits by knowing exactly who the amended ADA covers
• Protect yourself and your company with up-to-date discrimination and harassment policies
• Do your part to save the company money by learning how to terminate without causing claims

Sexual and other 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 common errors in drafting policies that create problems and how to draft proper policies that help insulate you from liability. The teleconference will also explain best practices for investigating and documenting investigations of harassment complaints. Failure to have a proper harassment policy and to properly investigate harassment complaints remain the most common errors employers make in this area. They have often led to discrimination and retaliation awards of many hundreds of thousands o

Learn how to motivate, empower and excite employees to build a great place to work. Dixon Schwabl, Inc., CEO Lauren Dixon will share her experiences developing a company culture built on flexibility, freedom and respect for employees, inspiring an innovative approach to everyday workplace practices. No matter the size, geography or industry – any company can be a great place to work. Ms. Dixon will share how she implemented a strategic leadership and talent management initiative, expanded her headquarters in Rochester, New York, and grew her advertising business in one of the most challenging and rapidly changing industries in today’s economy. She believes that creating a great place to work elevates not only employees and clients, but also the entire community with a positive ripple effect. With double-digit growth and national recognition for her firm, Ms. Dixon will discuss how she continues to look for the “WOW” in every part of her business.

Get the training you need to avoid compliance confusion and expensive litigation.

Prevent the financially crippling employee claims and lawsuits that plague employers in hard financial times. Register for this seminar and get the money-saving employment savvy your company has been looking for.

Let local experts teach you how to create compliant practices and bulletproof policies. With a slew of responsibilities already on your plate, how can you keep up with all the new developments? Easy – enroll today and discover the latest techniques to keep your company out of trouble.

Benefits for You
• Don’t be caught off guard by changing military leave laws
• Stay safely in compliance with immigration regulations to avoid audits and fines
• Stop pay claims before they start – keep your wage and hour policies in line with the law
• Discover how you can use documentation to minimize your liability for wrongful termination
• Protect yourself and your company with up-to-date discrimination and harassment policies

Find out how to minimize workers’ compensation costs – stay afloat in these challenging economic times.

If workers’ comp costs are a thorn in your side – and why wouldn’t they be? – fear not! There is a way for you to immediately lower your costs and your frustration. And it’s easy too! Join us for this seminar and get up-to-the-minute strategies and legal updates.

Minimize future workers’ comp costs and legal hassles with best practices from top experts in the field. Stop wasting valuable time poring over endless legalese – we’ll translate the latest legal updates and trends into plain English so you don’t have to. Stop tearing your hair out – register today!

Benefits for You
• Tips on how to defend against claims – and how to win
• Stay abreast of recent case law and trends in workers’ compensation
• Sort through the complex interplay of workers’ compensation with recently updated leave and disability laws
• Learn crucial information to help you manage claims

IACET Learning Objectives
• You will be able to discuss 2009 legislation and West Virginia OIC rules.
• You will be able to explain comprehensive claims management issues.
• You will be able to review workers’ compensation litigation.

COBRA – It has CHANGED AGAIN! But it wasn’t actually the COBRA law that changed – you must track other laws to be sure you are in compliance. You have heard about the stimulus package but what has it done to our COBRA? The stimulus package now states that employees involuntarily losing their job between September 1, 2008, and December 31, 2009, will have special COBRA privileges including eligibility of a tax subsidy of their COBRA premiums. Actually the employer fronts the money for the majority of the COBRA premium and receives a tax credit off of their payroll taxes. Important questions such as: Who is eligible for the tax subsidy? How does that money flow? What communications must be provided? What are the new election and notice time lines? Every letter must change!

Most companies that care about safety in the workplace have implemented a drug and alcohol testing program. An added benefit to companies is a reduction in their workers’ compensation insurance premiums. What makes an effective program? What kind of safeguards should there be to ensure accuracy? What does a drug test really measure? What is the best sample: urine, hair or oral fluid? Are there products used to beat a drug test? Dr. Taylor answers these and many more questions relating to establishing and maintaining a cost-effective drug-free workplace program to comply with state and federal regulations and also to insurance companies dealing with workers’ compensation claims. We also discuss some of the misinformation in the testing of alcohol and some of the myths surrounding drug testing. Don’t miss this fun and interesting discussion of issues you need to know.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration plans to get tough on workplace safety enforcement. OSHA has received more than $50 million in additional funding, plans to hire between 130 and 160 new inspectors, has suspended certain voluntary compliance programs in order to free up resources for enforcement efforts, and has introduced a new program, the Severe Violators 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 to familiarize you with the requirements of OSHA’s rules on recordkeeping and reporting for occupational injuries and illnesses to enable you to avoid becoming an inspection target and the subject of easy, potentially costly, citations.

Concerned about how workers’ compensation law is changing – and how your practices may be impacted?

If workers’ comp costs are a thorn in your side – and why wouldn’t they be? – fear not! There is a way for you to immediately lower your costs and your frustration. And it’s easy too! Join us for this seminar and get up-to-the-minute strategies and legal updates.

Minimize future workers’ comp costs and legal hassles with best practices from top experts in the field. Stop wasting valuable time pouring over endless legalese – we’ll translate the latest legal updates and trends into plain English so you don’t have to. Stop tearing your hair out – register today!

Benefits for You
• Tips on navigating through the various types of benefits
• Get a handle on return-to-work procedures and issues
• Do’s and don’ts for investigating claims
• Discover how to use an industrial therapist to identify job-related risk factors through job analysis
• Stay abreast of recent case law and trends in workers’ compensation

IACET Learning Objectives
• You will be able to discuss employer and insurer file handling.
• You will be able to explain how workers’ compensation laws interact with employment laws.
• You will be able to understand the significance of recent court decisions.

In the current economic environment, organizations are concerned with reducing costs while retaining top talent. Total rewards costs can often exceed 40 percent of company’s revenue and in many cases it is difficult to demonstrate ROI. This teleconference presents a unique approach to total rewards strategy, design and cost management called rewards transformation. Rewards transformation focuses rewards investment on employees in critical workforce segments who can contribute the most business value in return. Key components of the rewards transformation approach are 1) critical workforce segments, 2) rewards 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 rewards professionals who are interested in retaining top talent while reducing total rewards costs. You will gain an understanding of the rewards transformation approach, how it can be applied to your organization and other total rewards cost reduction strategies you may want to consider.

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 cases for compensation adjustments and provide a road map for implementing wage cuts, caps and freezes so that employers can realize their goal of cost savings without buying expensive legal claims as part of the package. This teleconference will also outline the best way to adjust working hours and to create a successful furlough programs. Additionally, this teleconference will discuss the viability of these cost savings measures in the cross border context.

Get the training you need to avoid compliance confusion and expensive litigation.

Prevent the financially crippling employee claims and lawsuits that plague employers in hard financial times. Register for this seminar and get the money-saving employment savvy your company has been looking for.

Let local experts teach you how to create compliant practices and bulletproof policies. With a slew of responsibilities already on your plate, how can you keep up with all the new developments? Easy – enroll today and discover the latest techniques to keep your company out of trouble.

Benefits for You
• Update your company’s FMLA policies in light of new regulations
• Prevent claims from the beginning – learn the right way to hire
• Protect yourself and your company with up-to-date harassment policies
• Find out what most managers don’t understand about at-will employment and its exceptions
• Boost your bottom line by increasing employee productivity, morale and retention

Get the training you need to avoid compliance confusion and expensive litigation.

Prevent the financially crippling employee claims and lawsuits that plague employers in hard financial times. Register for this seminar and get the money-saving employment savvy your company has been looking for.

Let local experts teach you how to create compliant practices and bulletproof policies. With a slew of responsibilities already on your plate, how can you keep up with all the new developments? Easy – enroll today and discover the latest techniques to keep your company out of trouble.

Benefits for You
• Prevent claims from the beginning – learn the right way to hire
• Stop pay claims before they start – keep your wage and hour policies in line with the law
• Do your part to save the company money by learning how to terminate without causing claims
• Stay safely in compliance with immigration regulations to avoid audits and fines
• Protect yourself and your company with up-to-date harassment policies

Employers who sponsor ERISA covered health and welfare plans are required to communicate the terms of the plan to participants in a summary plan description. The SPD is an important disclosure document that describes, in understandable terms, the rights, benefits and responsibilities of participants and beneficiaries in ERISA covered health and welfare benefit plans. The SPD must include important information regarding the plan, such as information on how the plan works, eligibility requirements, what benefits the plan provides and how those benefits may be obtained. The Summary of Material Modification describes changes made to the plan and changes in the information in the SPD. This teleconference will help you understand what a summary plan description is, what ERISA requires to be included in the document and how to distribute the SPD. You’ll also discover what a summary annual report is, what is required under ERISA and the distribution requirements.

Find a wealth of solutions to effectively and efficiently manage the recession's impact on workers' compensation and disability management.

Now in its 18th year, the National Workers' Compensation and Disability Conference^® & Expo is where hundreds of workers' comp, risk management, and disability management professionals and practitioners head each year for cutting-edge, yet practical, solutions to industry challenges.

This year's event offers a balanced mix of 30 unique sessions to choose from in five distinct topic areas — presented in a variety of formats and for varying experience levels. Plus, two powerful general sessions, a luncheon honoring 2009's best workers' compensation and disability management programs, a high-energy Expo, invaluable networking opportunities and so much more.

If you're feeling the economic crunch, then you can't afford not to attend. Check out some of this year's informative sessions:

Making Sense of Now and Forecasting the Future: The Economy's Impact on Workers' Compensation
"TechKnowledgy": De-mystifying Hi-tech to Improve Your Claims Management Process
60 Workers' Comp Tips in 60 Minutes
Building Your "Toolbox" for a Model Return-to-Work Program
Conquering Challenges to Integrating Your Workers' Comp and Disability Programs
What to Do With Injured Workers When There's No Job for Them

Get more info and register here