Oschner Health, one of the largest healthcare systems in Louisiana, saw a huge surge in accommodation requests when the pandemic hit. Some employees needed schedule accommodations due to caregiver commitments, while others who were at greater risk for COVID-19 needed to be switched to other workstations or rotations. In this session, we will share the unique nature of accommodation requests received by Oschner Health throughout 2020 and discuss how they addressed requests and challenges through innovative strategies.

Presenters:
Carrie Bibens, Director, Clinical Vocational and Accommodation Services, Sun Life US
Nancy Folse, Manager, Leave and Disability Benefits, Oschner Health
Casey Hatten, Vocational Rehabilitation Consultant, Sun Life US
Arieuna Hawkins, Employee Leave Administrator, Ochsner Health

Moderator:
Kristin Esposito, Associate Director, Vocational and Accommodation Services, Sun Life US

The complex patchwork of federal, state, and local leave laws is not only challenging to keep up with, but it is also resulting in some unintended consequences for employers and employees alike. One of them is leave inequity — when employee location dictates disparities in coverage, benefits, and costs. In this session, we will discuss why, more than ever, this matters to employers today, and how it can be overcome by applying a consistent methodology to leave plans, policies, and processes.

Presenters:
Karen English, CPCU, ARM, Senior Vice President, Spring Consulting Group
Susan Uhl-Miller, Associate Vice President Talent Management, Northeastern University
Teri Weber, PMP, ACI, Senior Vice President, Spring Consulting Group

It might seem odd, but only receiving a few ADA accommodation requests is not something for an employer to brag about. Rather, it could be a warning sign of trouble ahead. While the total number of charges filed with the EEOC has declined in recent years, ADA violations have steadily increased in number, percentage of charges filed, and damages paid by employers. In this session, we will share current benchmarking data on accommodation requests, such as the demographics of employees requesting accommodations; the typical incidence rate; the duration and types of accommodations being sought and granted; and different trends across industries. We will also discuss practical (and compliant!) ideas for identifying and handling ADA accommodation requests efficiently and fairly.

Presenters:
Marti Cardi, JD, Vice President, Product Compliance
Suzanne Wilson, MBA, Vice President, Reporting & Analytics

This “mock trial” session will take into consideration 2020’s best FMLA, ADA, ERISA, and employment cases — allowing you to participate in a real-life jury trial experience. You will explore discovery, testimony, jury deliberation, verdict, and continued implementation of the outcomes for the employer. Arguments will be presented from the employee, employer, and claims administrator for a holistic viewpoint. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to work through and complete the ADA interactive process as an employer, employee, and third-party administrator.

Presenters:
Ashlee Brennan, Esq, Senior Compliance Counsel, ReedGroup
Carla O’Sullivan, Senior Compliance Manager, ReedGroup
Sheri Pullen, Senior Compliance Manager, ReedGroup

With rising labor costs and expanding paid leave legislation across the country, employers are dealing with higher daily absence rates than ever before. Workforce management and productivity have become critical business issues. In this session, we will explore the current absence management landscape and discuss Trion’s 2021 Leaves of Absence survey data — which represents employer sponsored leave of absence plans for over three million U.S. workers across 15 different industries. We’ll also discuss how General Dynamics, a global aerospace and defense company, is using new technology that allows its absence data to become a leading indicator for its workforce management strategy.

Presenters:
Harry Norman, Business Development, Trion
Gregory B. Norton, National Practice Leader, Trion
Paula Riepl, Senior Consultant and Account Executive, Trion
Bob Restivo, Global Director of Benefits Strategy, General Dynamics

During this engaging session, we will provide you with a provocative look at the comprehensive cost of health within an organization, and why, if you’re not utilizing integrated data from across your company’s benefit programs, you’re not optimizing the mitigation of absence, risk, and ultimately expense within your employee population.

We will walk you through the stark differences between an analytics program within a siloed absence structure versus one that aggregates information across the organization — including benefit data, job factors, health risks, job performance, business characteristics, and community metrics — to illuminate otherwise undetectable issues within an employee population as well as unique opportunities for engaging those employees.

Presenters:
Andrew Yohe, Chief Operating Officer, WorkPartners
Linda Croushore, MEd, CRC, LPC, Sr Director of Disability Services, UPMC
Jennie Wheeler, MBA, Sr Director Integrated Analytics, WorkPartners

Now more than ever, employers need to have the ability to understand what’s happening with their absence and disability programs — whether that is delivering timely reporting, recognizing trends, or making data-driven decisions on workforce management. To make confident decisions, it is essential for business leaders to have actionable data that is customized to their business, industry, and workforce. In this session, we will discuss how you can strengthen and customize your organization’s lost time data dashboards, which will allow you to easily spot patterns and trends and make informed decisions quickly.

Presenters:
Patty Borst, National Practice Leader, Total Absence Management, The Partners Group
Kristi Durr, Human Resources Operational Manager, St. Charles Health System
Case Escher, Managing Director Partner, Interas, The Partners Group

When you review your absence claims, your first priority should always be accessing your data. However, the next step is a bigger leap. Transforming your data into actionable results can enable your organization to do more than just tell a story — it can help shape your strategic actions for supporting your employees and managers.

In this session, we will share insight from case studies highlighting different ways to approach utilizing absence management data. We will discuss the importance of effective reporting, dive into the complexities of analytics, and explore the potential impact of data-driven leave management strategies.

Presenters:
Kara Coutu, Senior Lead, Consultative Analytics, Broadspire
Lindsay Lueken, Vice President – Disability & Leave Operations, Broadspire

Taking a leave of absence can be a stressful and complicated time for employees. Many employers are focusing on how to enhance that employee experience to help employees navigate this challenging time in their lives, improve employee (and manager) satisfaction, and increase employee retention. During this session, we will discuss the components of an exceptional employee leave experience and how to develop a process to best support their leave experience. Learn how to evaluate and implement technology solutions to effectively measure the quality of your employees’ leave experiences.

Presenters:
Gretchen Hockman, Manager, Leave of Absence, Select Medical
Yvonne May, VP, Human Resources, Alorica
Kim Thomsen, RN, LOA & ADA Supervisor, Denver Health Medical Center

Moderator:
Seth Turner, Chief Strategy Officer, AbsenceSoft

The term “user experience” is a buzzword in today’s digital age, but what does it really mean? Are companies truly addressing the user experience or is it simply a catchy term they like to throw around? What can employers do to improve their own users’ experience with a self-service leave portal?

Over the past year, Majesco has conducted hundreds of interviews with users, companies, and designers to better understand the expected experience when using a self-service portal. In this session, we’ll share our findings from this research, examine how leading companies have addressed the user experience, and discuss the impact elevating the leave of absence experience can have on the workforce.

Presenter:
Angie Brown, CPDM, Absence Practice Leader, Majesco