This half-day law seminar will cover three Hot Topics in Employment Law including: 

• The Absent Employee:  Deciding Between Discipline and Accommodation
• When Employees Bite Back…How Dismissals and Resignations Become Dangerous and Costly
• Social Media and Its Impact at the Workplace

The Absent Employee: Deciding Between Discipline and Accommodation 

Employee absenteeism is an increasingly costly phenomenon for employers.  An increase in mental health problems, coupled with human rights obligations and privacy concerns, workplace absenteeism has become more difficult than ever to crack down on.  

This portion of the seminar will look at:

• Effective attendance management programs: how to implement them and how to effectively carry them   out.  
• When can workplace absenteeism lead to discipline?
• When does it trigger your duty to offer reasonable accommodation?
• What is reasonable accommodation: how far do you have to go? What can you ask the employee?
• What type of objective medical and other information should you ask for?  
• What if the employee refuses to provide the information?

      We will also explore practical strategies for obtaining medical information and engaging in a dialogue with the employee’s medical providers - as well as tips on how to deal with the uncooperative employee or the employee who plays the "privacy card” in relation to releasing medical information. 

When Employees Bite Back…How Dismissals and Resignations Become Dangerous and Costly
This portion of the seminar will cover:

• Wrongful hiring (false representation of hiring opportunities, variable compensation and long-term incentive prospects)
• Unresolved complaints (human rights, workplace harassment, workplace violence)
• Disgruntled resignations – today’s angry quit becomes tomorrow’s constructive dismissal
•  Unexpected claims (overtime, vacation, pay increases)
• References – duty of care and negligence
• Enforcing restrictive covenants and fiduciary obligations – measures available

Social Media and Its Impact at the Workplace
This portion of the seminar will cover:

• Off duty, online activities: can employers ever discipline employees for online activities at home? 
• Monitoring employees online activities in the workplace: is it a good idea?
• Acceptable use policies: why employers should have one.
• Where is the line between an employer’s right to monitor employees online activity and the employees right to privacy?

About the Speaker
Stephen Carpenter, Partner, Stewart McKelvey
Stephen Carpenter’s practice focuses primarily on employment law, labour relations, workplace human rights and workers’ compensation.  Stephen’s clients include employers in a cross-section of industries, from owner-managed businesses to national employers.

A native Islander, Mr. Carpenter is a graduate of the University of Prince Edward Island (B.A.) and received his L.L.B. from the University of New Brunswick. Mr. Carpetner is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, and serves as a Director and Legal Counsel to Pat and the Elephant, a Charlottetown-based specialized transportation service for persons with mobility impairments. He is also a regular contributor to Stewart McKelvey’s labour and employment publication, Atlantic Employers’ Counsel.  

Agenda
8:30 am     Participant Check-in
8:45 am     Seminar
12:00 pm   Seminar Ends 

Early Bird Price until September 4:
Members: $65 including HST
Non-Members: $95 including HST

Price after September 4:
Members: $120 including HST
Non-Members: $150 including HST

To Register:
Pre-registration is required
Register online by clicking the Register! icon at the bottom of this page.
The registration deadline is Thursday, September 13, 2012 at 12:00 noon.
Please note that registrations cannot be accepted after online registration has closed. Registration cannot be purchased at the door.

Payment Terms:
Payment is due by the registration deadline which is Wednesday, September 13, 2012. Payments can be made online by credit card at the time of registration or by cheque. Cheques must be received by the registration deadline by HRANS at Suite 103, 84 Chain Lake Drive, Halifax, NS B3S 1A2. Credit card payments may also be made by phoning the HRANS office at (902) 446-3660 ex 2 after registering online and before September 13th.

Cancellation Policy:
A full refund, less a $25 administration fee (plus tax), will be issued for cancellations received in writing prior to Monday, September 10, 2012 at 12:00 noon. Those who make reservations and do not attend will be required to pay for the full workshop fee. Cancellations received in writing prior to noon on Monday, September 10, 2012 will only be charged the administration fee. Substitutions are permitted up to the day of the event. Member/non-member rates will be applied to the substitutions. 

For additional information, contact the HRANS office at (902) 446-3660 ex 2 or office@hrans.org