HR departments today must navigate an increasingly complex landscape of employee leave and accommodation requests. Between overlapping federal requirements, new expectations around pregnancy-related accommodations, and a growing patchwork of state laws, even well-intentioned employers can stumble into compliance risks that lead to litigation, costly disputes, and employee relations challenges.
This webinar will provide HR professionals with actionable guidance for handling medical leave, disability accommodations, pregnancy-related requests and return-to-work decisions using defensible, consistent processes. Attendees will learn how to evaluate leave requests, engage in effective communication with employees, manage intermittent and extended leave cases and update internal policies to reflect today’s legal standards. The program will draw on current regulations, practical examples and real-world case insights to help HR reduce exposure while supporting employee wellbeing and organizational performance.
Attendees will learn:
- How to evaluate and manage overlapping leave and accommodation obligations
- Why outdated leave-termination policies create avoidable risk
- How to conduct a legally defensible interactive process
- Best practices for managing intermittent leave and long-term medical absences
- What recent federal changes mean for pregnancy-related accommodations
- How to strengthen manager training and internal documentation procedures
Meet the Presenters
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Steven Van Yoder
Steven Van Yoder is co-founder of the Returns on Wellbeing Institute (ROWI), a strategic advisory firm that helps organizations improve workforce wellbeing to achieve strategic business outcomes. ROWI develops actionable, real-world frameworks that help HR leaders, companies, and industry associations build effective well-being strategies that boost bottom line. ROWI also conducts original research, such as the Workplace Wellness: Best Practices Study, which analyzed and validated leading employer wellness programs. Its work has appeared in CNBC, SHRM, Harvard Business Review, HR Executive, World at Work, Chief Executive and Corporate Board Member.
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Jennifer Faroldi Kogos
Jennifer Faroldi Kogos is a partner in the Labor & Employment Practice Group at Jones Walker LLP, where she represents employers in complex compliance matters and employment disputes involving the ADA, FMLA, Title VII and related federal and state laws. She is a frequent speaker and trainer on disability accommodations, leave administration and harassment prevention, and serves as co-editor of the Southeast Employment Law Letter as well as Louisiana’s annual “50 Employment Laws in 50 States.”
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Trevor J. Hardy
Trevor J. Hardy is a shareholder in Littler Mendelson P.C.’s Cleveland office, where he focuses his practice on providing advice and counsel to employers facing complex leave and accommodation issues. His practice spans animal accommodations at work and in public accommodations, fitness for duty, long-term leave, navigating the interactive process, day-to-day accommodation implementation and administration, reassignment as an accommodation, and developing and implementing compliant leave and accommodation policies and procedures. Trevor also maintains an active, national training practice focused on state and federal leave and accommodation obligations and lawful hiring practices.
SHRM certification has approved this webinar for 1 PDC toward SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP recertification. A program code will be provided at the end of the webinar.