The Winston-Salem Society for Human Resource Management is hosting its June 2020 Update, sponsored by Womble Bond Dickinson. This update is designed to assist HR professionals when responding to the host of challenges posed by COVID-19 and the new laws, regulations, and agency guidance. We will learn about emerging legal and regulatory issues, and receive practical tips and best practices on managing workforces, legal compliance, workers’ compensation claims, employee privacy, disability accommodation, and workforce restructuring and related wage and hour rules.
Agenda
9:30 am – 10:30 am
Managing Your Workforce in a Pandemic: Richard Rainey & Patricia Holliman
This session will help equip employers to address the practical and legal issues related to workforce management, including
- Understanding legal and employee relations issues when returning employees to the workplace and managing the workforce upon their return
- Proactive steps to prepare for reasonable accommodation requests
- How to “right size” in a legally compliant manner
- Guidance on anticipating workforce management challenges for 2021 and steps to take now to prepare for the next year
10:30 am – 11:30 am
Workers’ Compensation and COVID-19: Gemma Saluta
This session will provide guidance and education on emerging issues in workers’ compensation, including:
- Guidance for businesses on the unsettled issues regarding whether COVID-19 is an occupational disease or an ordinary disease of life
- National trends regarding presumption of occupational disease
- Managing COVID-19 and workers’ compensation costs
- Managing the work from home liabilities and injuries in the age of remote work
- Guidance on best practices for policies and procedures regarding workers’ compensation and reopening for business
11:30 am – 12:00 pm
Break
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Compliance Challenges and COVID-19: John Pueschel
With the pace of new statutes and guidance increasing, compliance challenges abound. This session will provide guidance and practical advice covering:
- Overview of new statutes, regulations, and agency guidance in 2020 (so far), and steps employers need to take now, including the FFCRA, CARES Act, and OSHA and EEOC pandemic guidance
- Legal compliance and risk mitigation strategies in connection with workforce restructuring, furloughs, layoffs, and the WARN Act
- Recommendations on implementing pay reductions effectively, and wage and hour compliance for remote workers and reduced hours
- Guidance on employee privacy and handling medical information, including the legal framework relevant to monitoring a remote workforce
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Navigating Employee Benefits in the Time of COVID-19: Patrick Allen
This session will provide attendees with information and guidance on the following:
- Key retirement plan provisions from legislation and guidance passed in response to COVID-19 including those addressing: COVID-19-related distributions; the temporary waiver of required minimum distributions (RMDs); the increase in loan limits from qualified plans; and relief from certain ERISA deadlines
- Key welfare plan provisions including those addressing: COVID-19 testing coverage; telemedicine coverage; HSA and FSA eligibility and reimbursement; relief from certain COBRA and HIPAA deadlines; and increased flexibility in mid-year election changes under Section 125
