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Workshop Descriptions

    Conference Workshop Descriptions

     

    Keynote: HR in Turmoil – Will it be Tougher to Do Business in NYS in 2010?

    Tom Minnick will discuss why HR professionals need to be involved in advocacy and the importance of participating and influencing federal/state public policy and regulatory reform. He will also review and analyze several new NYS requirements from the 2009 Legislative session. In addition, he will provide an update on HR and labor-related proposals expected in the 2010 State Legislative sessions, as well as an update on the Federal level, with regard to “Card Check” (EFCA) legislation and the Healthy Families Act of 2009 (HR 2460).

    Pandemic Preparedness: Best Practices

    Immunize Your Workplace With Proper Pandemic Planning: Lessons Learned from the H1N1 Outbreak and How to Prepare for the Next Pandemic. Attorney Joseph Lynett will discuss OSHA and Workplace Safety Precautions, situations to anticipate with regard to leave, as well as Wage and Hour Issues, Privacy, and Employee Benefits Issues.

    Employee Engagement

    Barry Manus will share some of the knowledge he has acquired about employee engagement and its importance in participating in Best Companies programs. He will define the three key elements to the best company initiative, and describe how companies can identify engaged employees, behaviors that they demonstrate.

    Strategic Planning/Compensation

    Strategic compensation is possible. Deb Grigson will inform attendees of key steps to actualizing management’s vision of the organization’s mission and culture and how to apply these over-arching concepts to direct pay. Attendees will also learn how to break down the elements of pay and think through the effects of pay decisions. In addition, they will learn how to help their organizations draw up a compensation road map.

    Drug Free Workplace

    Attorney David Wise will identify legal aspects of drug testing in the workplace, including the steps needed to formulate an employer policy. He will also provide attendees with an understanding of New York State guidelines that pertain to drug testing.

    Generational Diversity

    Allison Davis will help attendees understand what organizations are doing to manage generational differences and identify best practices. The session will focus on managing a multi-generational workforce; specifically, how an organization can attract, develop, and retain talent with such diverse needs. There are more generations concurrently in the workforce than ever before. Traditionalists are working shoulder to shoulder with Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, and the Millennials. This has led to a number of management challenges, including: clashing expectations of appropriate and inappropriate work behaviors, knowledge management issues as baby boomers retire, coping with working for a manager much younger than you are and differing work life balance perspectives

    Reducing Employee Benefits Cost

    David Melby and Rob Ranieri of Rose & Kiernan, Inc, will introduce attendees to practical approaches to restructure and reduce healthcare costs. They will also provide a glimpse of next generation approaches for workforce health and risk management, and inform attendees about existing resources to influence employee behavior. Lastly, they will provide a brief update on the status of the National Healthcare Debate.