Employees are facing unprecedented caregiving challenges ? with more children and elderly parents in the home than at any time in the past 50 years. The resulting stress has accelerated mental health issues, job resignation, work disability, and economic worries. But help is available through community agencies and organizations, consultants, and other resources. Employers who take a proactive approach ? bringing problem-solving resources to their employees ? can avoid many of these undesirable consequences. In this session, we will describe the problem using current data and real-life scenarios and offer practical solutions that employers can implement immediately.

• Learn about the evidence supporting the impact of caregiving on productivity, retention and mental health.
• Understand why employers can have a key role in addressing caregiving issues.
• Identify 3 strategies that employees can use to reduce caregiving stress.

Hundreds of court decisions interpreting employer obligations under the ADA and the FMLA are decided each year ? including frequent large jury verdicts and settlements of ADA and FMLA claims. In this session, we?ll share important lessons learned from recent lawsuits as well as dos and don?ts with regard to ADA/FMLA compliance challenges. You?ll have the chance to participate via interactive polling to predict the jury outcomes and learn what makes courts and juries sympathetic to employers and what does not. And we?ll cover tips to avoid liability and improve your policies, practices, and processes for handling FMLA requests and ADA accommodation issues.

• Review the most recent ADA/FMLA court cases and jury verdicts and settlements.
• Take away ?lessons learned? and practical guidance about how to avoid lawsuits and liability
• Gain insights into why employers win, and also why they lose.
• Laugh at the lengths employees will go to for some time off work and cry at employer?s avoidable mistakes!

Advances in cloud-based technology have opened the door for employers to access leading leave administration platforms ? historically only available to insurers and third-party administrators. Competition in software-as-a-solution (SaaS) continues to drive innovation and is a key differentiator among service providers in the market. Effectively evaluating the market starts with the ability to clearly understand and articulate organizational requirements to potential service providers, and success hinges on selecting the right partner and prioritizing implementation among stakeholders and business partners. In this session, we?ll explore best practices and lessons learned in selecting and implementing a SaaS-based solution.

• Building the Value Proposition 1. Typical Buyer 2. Value Captures (efficiency, compliance, etc.) 3. Business Case
• Market Analysis 1. Understanding your current state 2. Defining future state requirements 3. Tactical steps in requesting and evaluating a proposal
• Implementation 1. Timeframes and key activities 2. Resource requirements
• Key Factors to Consider to Influence Efficiency and Effectiveness

The workplace is forever changed as a result of the significant events of 2020 and 2021. But how is that impacting absence and disability compliance efforts? In this session, we will explore the long-lasting impact of new leave legislation, discuss emerging case law that will impact workplace decisions on leave and accommodation, and review the general state of the workplace including representation impacts. We?ll also offer insights into HR and benefits considerations that are driving programmatic changes for absence and disability programs.

• Discuss changes in paid leave laws and potential impact of pending laws
• Analyze new case law impacting leave and accommodation practices
• Understand emerging workplace trends; shifts in work force demographics & impacts on talent acquisition & retention, flexible work programs & other employee benefits driving changes in absence & disability programs