What's Today's Excuse? Enforcing Attendance Rules, But Offering "Reasonable Accommodation"

2019 Employment Law & Legislative Conference
Discover HR best practices for ensuring productivity, despite the complex and intertwined demands of the ADA, the FMLA and employee relations.

Perpetually absent employees: How can a company comply with its wide-ranging legal obligations when a worker is ill or injured ... and allegedly unable work? When must the company hold the person's job open and offer the worker an opportunity for reinstatement? How can the company offer "reasonable accommodation" to the employee without changing the essential functions of the job? When must the company offer an alternative light-duty job? When can the company enforce its attendance policy and actually terminate the employee for missing work? This session will help attendees realistically evaluate the company's options and exposure when trying to remain in legal compliance but still ensure employee productivity, specifically in these areas:

  • Business efficiency: learning how to regain control when employees unfairly try to take advantage of the broad protections afforded to them under federal law, which allow them to miss work for extended periods yet keep their jobs.
  • Risk management: learning how to effectively manage absenteeism situations without incurring legal liability.
  • Employee relations: learning how to keep employee morale high, even when reliable employees are burdened by an extra workload because other workers are excessively absent.
Date(s) & Time(s): 
Tuesday, March 19, 2019 - 10:30am to 11:30am
Presenter: 

Gregory J. Hare

Gregory J.
Hare

Greg Hare has been an employment lawyer at Ogletree Deakins his entire career, since 1991. He assists companies with human resources and employment-related litigation matters, including wrongful termination claims, sexual harassment, employment discrimination, employment contracts, trade secrets, and non-compete agreements. He advises clients on a wide range of human resources topics, such as drug testing, employee discipline and discharge, severance planning, independent contractor classifications, wage payment, family and medical leave, disability law, military leave, joint employment issues, affirmative action, and reductions in force. Mr. Hare also counsels clients on traditional labor relations and matters involving the National Labor Relations Board.

Location: 
Room: Grand Ballroom North
Amount of Credit: 
1.00
Credit Type: 
SHRM PDCs
Session Type: 
Concurrent Session
Competency: 
Ethical Practice
HR Expertise
Relationship Management
Intended Audience: 
Mid-Level
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