Overview
NOTICE: THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FROM November 11 to November 18th at 1:30 pm.
Overview
While this webcast is open to all EIA members, some of the Eyres Law Group Services are only available to members of the PWC and/or GLl programs.
Statistics indicate that about 40 percent of U.S. workers have at least one chronic ailment that involves episodes of pain and fatigue. About 20 percent have two or more. Some common conditions include fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or other chronic inflammatory conditions, side effects of cancer treatments, seizure disorders, and periods of depression/anxiety.
In addition to the “traditional” legal issues involving accommodations and intermittent leave, when an employee suffers from a chronic illness it can have an adverse effect on workplace productivity and morale. Employers are recognizing the unique opportunity they may have to foster employees’ health by offering comprehensive wellness programs designed to help them kick habits that can lead to, or exacerbate chronic disease. However, as always there are legal limits to designing and implementing wellness and other incentive-based programs.
This webinar will provide practical tips for dealing with employees suffering from conditions that involve chronic pain, fatigue and side effects of long-term treatment, including the stressors for both employee and management team. We will also provide insight into how to ensure that wellness programs, which in many cases may be designed to help your employees to manage chronic conditions, don’t run afoul of federal and State laws.
Webinar Objectives:
- Which laws provide the broadest protections to applicants and employees with physiological and psychological conditions (or treatment side effects) that result in chronic pain, fatigue and anxiety?
- The key legal difference between chronic conditions and those impairments that are episodic or in remission and why they matter for performance management
- Why are doctors increasingly recommending “stand-to-sit workstations" and how to evaluate requests for modified workstations and modified schedules due to inflammatory conditions that result in chronic pain
- How to handle absence and communication issues when an employee has unpredictable “flare ups” of chronic pain, fatigue and medication side effects
- What the HR Department should say -- and never say -- to the employee’s supervisor and coworkers about their frequent and often unexpected absences
- Practical steps to help employees suffering from conditions that affect their ability to concentrate, manage their workloads, meet deadlines, reduce distractions, and boost performance
- How to deal with performance issues and safety concerns that from pain medication, including how to address a doctor’s work restriction: for performing work tasks “as tolerated.”
- When and how to document the need for a fitness-for-duty examination related to an employee’s chronic physiological or psychological condition
- Disciplining and terminating employees with chronic pain or fatigue when adverse employment action is justified under federal law and legal pitfalls to avoid
- ACA, ADA, GINA, HIPPA & Workplace Wellness Programs: how to legally use incentives to help employees successfully manage—and in some cases prevent —chronic conditions
- Legal considerations before launching a workforce health promotion program
- The relationship between wellness plans and the ADA, GINA and HIPPA, including what the “bona fide plan” exception under the ADAAA really means
- How to implement health risk assessments or screens as part of your wellness programs without violating the ADA or FEHA
- The new incentives now available for workplace wellness programs under the ACA
- Coordination between return to work programs and wellness programs for industrial and non industrial conditions
FIRST TIME USERS:
- First time users must register for EIA TV. Please see flier below for instructions.
- Upon log in, the webcast can be found either through the SPOTLIGHT section of the environment or via the SEARCH tool.
- Questions, please contact Ian Chadwick at ichadwick@csac-eia.org
Need More Info or Help?
We hope you can join us. Feel free to contact Ian Chadwick for more details.
Phone: 916-850-7300
Email: ichadwick@csac-eia.org