Originally presented on August 5, 2009
10:30 a.m. to Noon (Pacific)

Order Option       Price   CD Recording Only       $219

Two out of three employees who fail to show up for work aren't staying home because they're sick. A recent survey found that 21 percent miss work to handle "family issues," another 18 percent are dealing with "personal needs," and the rest say they're stressed or simply need a day off.

If you're already operating a lean workforce in this tough economy, every missing worker cuts productivity and increases the strain on your employees who show up for work as promised. And, your bottom line takes a hit as well, with $660 in added costs per employee every year due to unscheduled absences.

Moving from a traditional time-off program to a PTO program can help you better plan for and manage worker absences—but there are some legal pitfalls to watch out for as you make the transition.

Listen to an in-depth audio conference on setting up a PTO program—specifically for California employers. You'll learn:

• The primary reasons your workers take sick leave when they're not ill
• Why you should consider introducing a PTO bank that combines sick days with holidays, vacations, and "mental health days"
• The pros and cons of PTO vs. traditional time-off policies
• How your time-off policies may be affected by state and federal laws (e.g., the Family and Medical Leave Act) and by your insurance benefits (e.g., short-term disability)
• The options you should consider when a worker has exhausted his or her leave but still needs time off due to hardships or emergencies
• How to handle PTO carryover (and how to cash out unused days when an employee terminates)
• The best techniques for communicating new leave policies to your workers and encouraging their buy-in
• Whether capping and "use it or lose it" practices are legal
• When and how to change accrual rates

About Your Speaker:

Laura Innes, Esq.a director of Simpson, Garrity, Innes & Jacuzzi, PC, in South San Francisco, has been engaged exclusively in the practice of labor and employment law for over 20 years. Her practice combines preventive counseling for management with civil and administrative trial defense.

Recognized by Martindale Hubbell as an "AV" rated practitioner, Innes regularly publishes articles on a wide range of employment law topics and is a frequent speaker for client and community groups. She has been named a Northern California "Super Lawyer"—one of the top 5% of lawyers in Northern California—by San Francisco Magazine every year since 2004 and was featured in an interview entitled "America's Most Influential Women" for the Forbes SkyRadio program airing on American Airlines and United Airlines flights in January and March 2005, respectively.

Innes is a mediator in labor and employment matters and serves as an expert witness regarding all labor and employment matters with special emphasis on employment practices, discrimination and sexual harassment claims and wage and hour disputes.

This program has been approved for 1.5 recertification credit hours toward PHR and SPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). This program is also a California-specific continuing education activity for PHR-CA and SPHR-CA recertification. For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HRCI homepage at www.hrci.org. The use of this seal is not an endorsement by HRCI of the quality of the program. It means that this program has met HRCI's criteria to be pre-approved for recertification credit.

The Employer Resource Institute is an approved MCLE Multiple Activity Provider, and this program has been approved for 1.5 hours of MCLE credit by the State Bar of California. For more information, please contact our customer service department at (800) 695-7178.

Bonus Offer

As an additional benefit, you will receive a no-risk trial subscription to Employment Law Compliance for California Supervisors when you register for this Audio Conference (or purchase a CD recording). Each month, you'll receive copies of the current issue to share with your front-line supervisors. If you want to continue to receive the newsletter, simply pay the invoice you will receive in the mail. If you decide the newsletter isn't for you, just write cancel on the invoice and return it. You will owe nothing, and all issues you receive are yours to keep. As with all ERI products, your satisfaction is guaranteed 100%. (Offer good for new subscribers only.)

How Do Audio Conferences Work?

An Audio Conference is remarkably cost-effective and convenient. You participate from your office using a regular telephone. You have no travel costs and no out-of-office time.

Plus, for one low price you can get as many people in your office to participate as you can fit around a speakerphone.

Because the conference is live, you can ask the speakers questions' either on the phone or via e-mail.

With your registration, you also receive conference materials with additional practical information from Employer Resource Institute sent to you via e-mail shortly before the conference.

Why You Can Sign Up To Attend This Event with Confidence

As with all Employer Resource Institute products, you're completely protected. If for any reason you are unsatisfied with this Audio Conference, simply let us know and we will return your entire registration fee.