This audio conference was recorded on Tuesday - May 12, 2009

Credits:

This program has been approved for 1.5 recertification credit hours toward PHR and SPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HRCI homepage at www.hrci.org. The use of this seal is not an endorsement by HRCI of the quality of the program. It means that this program has met HRCI’s criteria to be pre-approved for recertification.

Description:

Employers and employees alike have been hit hard (repeatedly!) this year with bad economic news - from possible layoffs and reduced work schedules to benefits cuts, disappearing raises, and dwindling retirement plans.

It's no wonder, then, that you may find it difficult as an employer or HR professional to focus every day at work. Instead of growing your organization and expanding productivity, you're dealing with disgruntled and demoralized workers who're worrying more about their next paychecks than your strategic goals and quarterly numbers.

In this 90-minute audio conference on recording, you'll learn best practices and hands-on strategies for dealing with the many legal and morale challenges in today's workplaces.

Speaker(s):

Anne Ciesla Bancroft, Esq., is a partner in the nationwide law firm Fox Rothschild. She practices in all areas of labor and employment law, ranging from defending employers in federal and state courts and before administrative agencies to counseling them in issues such as reductions in force, leaves and absences, discrimination and harassment claims, and union negotiations. She reviews and drafts employee handbooks and policies, negotiates employment and severance agreements, and conducts workplace audits to review employers' compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements. Bancroft serves as managing editor of the New Jersey State Bar Association's "Labor & Employment Law Quarterly," and she produces her firm's blog on workforce reductions and employee terminations. She earned her law degree from American University.

You and your colleagues will learn:

• Practical steps you can take immediately to monitor and restore morale in your workplace, despite layoffs and benefit cuts and other discouraging news
• What you can do now to cushion the bad news if you're unable to give raises and bonuses this year
• How to decide whether reductions in force are required–and, if they are, what you can do to minimize disruptions and avoid legal troubles
• What options you should explore to avoid reductions in force (from hiring and salary freezes and benefits changes to caps in overtime and schedule changes)
• How you can comply with federal and state laws that may be triggered if you lay off employees now (including WARN, ADEA, and OWBPA)
• What's changed recently with COBRA rules that will affect your employees this year
• The HR issues you must handle if you're merging with (or acquiring) other organizations during the current recession
• How to handle special issues that may arise in a recession (such as reinvigorated union organizing drives and employees returning from active military duty to face possible layoffs)