When:  Thursday, October 15, 2015    8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Where:  New York Hilton Midtown, 1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019

This year, Epstein Becker Green’s Annual Workforce Management Briefing focuses on the latest developments that impact employers nationwide, featuring senior officials from the U.S. Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. We will also take a close look at the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and its growing impact on the workplace.

In addition, we are excited to welcome our keynote speaker Neil Cavuto, Senior Vice President, Managing Editor, and Anchor for both FOX News Channel and FOX Business Network.

Our industry-focused breakout sessions will feature panels composed of Epstein Becker Green attorneys and senior executives from major companies, discussing issues that keep employers awake at night.  From the latest National Labor Relations Board developments to data privacy and security concerns, each workshop will offer insight on how to mitigate risk and avoid costly litigation.

View the full briefing agenda here. Contact Kiirsten Lederer or Elizabeth Gannon for more information and to register.   Seats are limited.

Pamela Manning, a former sales associate at Kohl’s, had type I diabetes.  For two years, she worked predictable shifts as a full-time sales associate.  Following a restructuring of the staffing system nationwide in January 2010, however, Manning began working a schedule with unpredictable shifts, including some night shifts followed by day shifts (in Kohl’s parlance, “swing shifts”).  Manning alleged that the new schedule aggravated her diabetes.

After informing her supervisor that working erratic shifts was endangering her health, Manning obtained a doctor’s note requesting that she be scheduled to work “a predictable day shift.”  Manning’s store manager contacted human resources to discuss Manning’s request.  Kohl’s determined that it could not provide Manning’s preferred schedule of day-time hours only, but authorized the store manager to offer a schedule with no swing shifts.

On March 31, 2010, during a meeting with her store manager and immediate supervisor, Manning again requested a “steady shift” with mid-day hours, but was told that she could not be given a consistent schedule.  Manning stormed out of the meeting, saying that she had no choice but to quit.  Her supervisor followed her and asked what she could do to help, but she could not convince Manning to reconsider her resignation or to discuss any alternative accommodations.

Two days later, Manning contacted the EEOC to file a charge of discrimination.  On April 9, 2010, the store manager called Manning and asked that she rethink her resignation and consider alternative accommodations for both part-time and full-time work.  Manning ignored this overture and got off the phone as quickly as possible.  A week later, after hearing nothing further Manning, Kohl’s treated her departure as voluntary and terminated her employment.

Based on this record, on December 19, 2014, the First Circuit concluded that Kohl’s made earnest attempts to discuss potential reasonable accommodations.  By contrast, Manning’s conduct constituted a refusal to participate in the interactive process in good faith, warranting summary judgment in favor of Kohl’s.  In addition, the First Circuit ruled against the EEOC on Manning’s constructive discharge claim, finding that a reasonable person would not have felt compelled to resign when her employer offered to discuss other potential work arrangements with her.

In reaching its decision, the First Circuit emphasized that both the employer and the employee have a duty to engage in good faith, and that empty gestures by the employer will not satisfy this duty.  But if an employer does engage in the interactive process in good faith, and the employee refuses or fails to cooperate in the process, the employer cannot be held liable for a failure to provide a reasonable accommodation.

Employers addressing reasonable accommodation requests from their employees can learn from Kohl’s actions in this case.  Kohl’s benefited from its representatives’ diligence in documenting their response to Manning’s request (including the internal discussions) and in following up with Manning to give her an opportunity to propose alternative accommodations for her diabetes.  Thus, even though the store manager never conveyed an offer of “no swing shifts,” the First Circuit was able to find that Kohl’s made real efforts to work with Manning and that Manning unreasonably refused to continue the dialogue with Kohl’s.  And Kohl’s succeeded in winning dismissal of the ADA claim.  Employers who follow this course of conduct ensure their compliance with the ADA and, in the event an employee refuses to reciprocate discussions, may establish a defense to liability in a failure to accommodate lawsuit.

Since the Presidential election, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is moving quickly to implement the Affordable Care Act. Rules have been released in the past few weeks concerning participation in federal exchanges, discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, essential health benefit requirements, and expanded employment-based wellness.

During this program, Epstein Becker Green practitioners will:

• Review the ACA implementation timeline
• Discuss the structure of the law and basic concepts affecting retail employers
• Discuss critical employer decision making and planning for 2014
• Review alternative plan design options available to retail employers

This is the second in the Employer Affordable Care Act Webinar Series for retail employers on upcoming rules and regulations implementing the Affordable Care Act. Please stay tuned for upcoming webinars on:

• Exchange Implementation
• Shared Responsibility
• Calculation of Full-time Employees
• Quality Reporting
• And others…

Presenters:
Gretchen Harders
Frank C. Morris, Jr.
Adam C. Solander

Registration Is Complimentary and Seating Is Limited

Don’t Miss This Opportunity!

To Register, please click here.

In addition to this blog, EBG’s PPACA blog will also post ACA regulatory developments.

For additional Information, please contact Elizabeth Gannon at 202/861-1850 or [email protected].

On Friday, November 30, Epstein Becker Green attorneys Frank C. Morris, Jr., and Adam C. Solander offered a one-hour webinar titled “The New Wellness Program Regulations, Part of a Webinar Series on the New ACA Implementation Regulations: Employer Impact.”

The webinar discussed:

• Proposed regulations and the impact these regulations could have on your overall wellness strategy
• Areas where employer comment is needed
• Recent wellness litigation trends
• Where EEOC fits in the picture

The audio recording and presentation slides for “The New Wellness Program Regulations” webinar are now available and you may contact Elizabeth Gannon at 202/861-1850 or [email protected], to obtain a password to download the files.

This was the first in the Employer Affordable Care Act Webinar Series for retail employers on upcoming rules and regulations implementing the Affordable Care Act. Please stay tuned for upcoming webinars on:

• Exchange Implementation
• Shared Responsibility
• And others …

In addition to this blog, EBG’s PPACA blog will also post regulatory developments.

For additional Information, please contact Elizabeth Gannon at 202/861-1850 or [email protected]