Our closing “Ask the Experts” session allows attendees to submit their most challenging, uncensored questions to our panel of distinguished Family and Medical Leave Act/Americans with Disabilities Act legal experts who will provide unfiltered answers. Come prepared with your toughest questions and the most perplexing challenges faced by your company. 

Even the most experienced human resources professionals can struggle with certain unique and quirky aspects of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This presentation is designed to explore those lesser known, tricky FMLA provisions, including in loco parentis, care of an adult child, shared entitlement between spouses, the key employee rule, and minimum increments for intermittent leave.  

Workforce absence administrators know that managing leave laws is not getting easier. Four states begin paid family and medical leave in 2026. Multiple jurisdictions recently added and expanded paid sick leave and paid time off mandates. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act turns two years old in June 2025. And administration of the Family and Medical Leave Act and similar state laws is complicated.  

In this interactive, game-show themed session, compliance experts will test your knowledge of many workplace leave laws and their latest developments. Best guesses can be registered through the polling function. The harder the question, the bigger the points. Whatever your goal — exciting refresher, building your knowledge toolkit, or perhaps just bragging rights — you will not want to miss this session covering a wide range of important and inherently complex leave laws.

According to The Hartford’s 2024 Future of Benefits Study, 89% of employers who responded said they would welcome a service that tracks all the leaves in one place, but first-time outsourcing can feel intimidating. In this session, The Hartford and Bridgestone Americas will discuss the keys to success when outsourcing leave and disability plans. This presentation will include an overview of how to review and design policies for efficient administration, engage vendors in a rigorous selection process, understand vendor technology and communicate leave plans and vendor relationships.  Participants will leave with an understanding of how to improve benefits while finding ease and efficiency through partnering with a leave vendor.

Minnesota Paid Family and Medical Leave (MN PFML) is coming Jan. 1, 2026! In this session, Minnesota employers will learn about eligibility rules, leaves covered, benefits payable, job protection, integration with FMLA and other benefit programs, and more. Most importantly, new employer responsibilities will be discussed to enable employers to consider if the state plan or a private plan is right for their organizations and employees. 

Designing leave and time-off policies can be tricky. If not drafted correctly, these policies can have unforeseen consequences. This session will help employers navigate that minefield of legal issues when considering trending leave policies, including parental leave, unlimited paid time off, leave donations, non-Family and Medical Leave Act leave, and bereavement leave policies. 

Successful employment outcomes achieved through the interactive accommodations process hinge on effective communication among all parties involved. This training, presented by experts from the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), emphasizes the significance of constructive dialogue and collaborative exploration to find reasonable job accommodation solutions that meet the diverse needs of individuals with disabilities in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Participants will recognize that each accommodation situation is unique, receive key strategies for facilitating accommodation discussions, and learn about JAN services and resources designed to support the accommodations process.

In today’s complex regulatory environment, employers and brokers face significant challenges in determining employee eligibility for various types of leaves, their regulatory obligations, and the tangled interceptions between laws that offer leave protections, such as the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), state FMLA laws, and paid family and medical leave. This session will explore the intersections and nuances that can complicate compliance through a series of short, real-world scenarios. Presenters will illustrate common pitfalls and offer practical solutions for managing the intricacies of employee leave effectively to help ensure compliance while supporting a workforce’s diverse needs.  

Managers and supervisors are often the first line of communication for an employee who needs a leave. This requires managers to have some basic knowledge of leave laws, especially the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), American with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). This session will explore the key training areas that will empower managers to support their employees and remain in compliance. Attendees will learn tips on how to keep managers engaged and informed so they are ready when one of their employees needs to take leave. This session will be interactive and allow the audience to answer specific questions to gauge their own level of knowledge on FMLA, ADA, and PWFA. 

In today’s competitive business landscape, a well-structured leave program is more than a compliance requirement – it's a strategic advantage. We know investing in comprehensive and inclusive leave policies can lead to measurable improvements in employee productivity, retention, and overall engagement. But every organization has different challenges and goals. And launching, revising, and measuring the success of programs can be daunting. We will delve into the tangible benefits of robust leave programs and provide a hands-on workshop on how to build an effective absence program. You'll learn what to consider when designing your policies, implementation best practices, and metrics to measure success. Join us to discover how a strong leave program can support both your employees and your business outcomes.