Managing Employees with Chronic Health Conditions while Meeting ADA and FMLA Requirements
Duration: 90 minutes
Speaker: Dr. Jim Castagnera, Esq.
Webinar Description
Employees with chronic health conditions --- such as heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and arthritis, to name but a few --- enjoy the same rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family Medical Leave Act as do all other persons with disabilities and illnesses. Finding the right balance between workplace efficiency and compassionate leadership, while walking the legal tightrope as well, requires knowledge and finesse.
The challenge frequently is enhanced by the complications of chronic illness and pain. Along with the underlying condition and the overt symptoms may come depression, drug dependence and unpredictable absenteeism. Fashioning reasonable accommodations that meet the employee's legitimate needs, while avoiding undue hardship for the organization and its other employees, is one of the most demanding challenges facing management and HR in the modem American workplace.
How large a challenge are we talking about? Available data indicate that one in four American adults suffers from two or more chronic health issues ... most commonly cancer, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, and/or obesity. How best to deal with this looming workplace challenge?
AGENDA
- An overview of the ADA and the FMLA as they apply to chronic illnesses
- The trends in state laws and local ordinances that expand federal rights of the disabled
- The significance of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit's opinion on obesity as a chronic illness
- How to have an open dialog with the chronically-ill employee that meets the requirements of ADA regs and brings a mutually-acceptable resolution
- Creating job descriptions that adequately and accurately identify fundamental job duties
- Thinking outside the box and flexing to the employee's own ideas and suggestions
- Tactics and practices to enable chronically ill employees to stay connected, even when working remotely
- The do's and don'ts of the ongoing communication process
Logistics
- 90-minute webinar (Travel-Free) delivered over the Internet.
- Unlimited listeners per connection - bring the entire department.
- Q&A session with the expert.
This event will be presented live with a PowerPoint presentation to be viewed on your computer. You may listen to the audio of the webinar by telephone or through your computer. The PowerPoint slides will be provided shortly before the event. Once you register, you will receive an email which is your receipt and which includes your instructions for dialing in and logging on. You will also receive an email reminder 24 hours before the webinar.
What is a webinar?
A webinar is a live Internet based seminar. Webinars are a way for participants in many different locations to see and hear a presentation and view PowerPoint slides. You can also have your colleagues attend the webinar using one connection.
What kind of equipment do I need?
You will need a computer with an Internet connection (high speed service such as DSL or cable works best) and a telephone. You may listen to the webinar through your computer speakers, in which case you will not need to use a telephone connection. Internet access is not required for phone-only participants, but you will not be able to see the speaker’s slides.
How can I share the webinar with my colleagues who may not be able to attend the event?
CDs of each program will be available for sale and can be shared with your business associates.
Can I get a copy of the PowerPoint slides used in the webinar?
The PowerPoint slides will be available on the materials page link in the confirmation email that will be sent to you no later than the morning of the day a webinar is presented.
How do I ask a question during the webinar? Will my question be answered during the presentation?
A question and answer session will be scheduled at the end of each webinar. You can then ask a question by typing it into the question box that will be provided to you duringthe webinar. You may also ask a question through the telephone connection. As many questions as possible will be answered during the Question and Answer period.