36th Annual
Honda-Vorys Employment Law Review

Workplace Accommodations Update: Religion, Pregnancy, and Nursing

Recent changes in federal law require shifts in how employers accommodate various issues and conditions within the workplace. This segment will cover changing accommodation requirements arising from three developments: the Supreme Court’s Groff v. DeJoy decision expanding religious accommodation standards; the new “PUMP Act” requirements for nursing mothers; and pregnancy accommodation rules under the new Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

Wage and Hour Update

This session will discuss legislative and case law updates and guidance on the wage and hour issues that companies deal with every day. From a new FLSA certification standard in the Sixth Circuit, to many changes on the horizon from the Department of Labor.

NLRB and Labor Update

We will provide an update on recent developments in labor law and NLRB activity over the past year. This will include a discussion of the recent cases on union election petitions and election conduct. We will also discuss other recent labor developments.

Child Labor: How can we prevent the hiring of minors using varied U.S. Immigration Tools and Employment Law Provisions 

This panel will cover how to prevent the hiring of undocumented or minor children by using various U.S. immigration tools, including the vigilant use of Form I-9, ensuring there are robust I-9 programs in place and if using E-Verify, how to work with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security system to avoid the hiring of minors. This discussion will encompass the I-9 practices at contingency agencies. We will also have a discussion of employment law components, such as the child labor provisions under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Lastly, we will present some “practical” tips to suppliers on the employment labor side.

Dealing with Politics in the Workplace

This session will dive into dealing with politics in the workplace,

Reviewing and Updating Your Employee Handbook

In this session we will look at implementing and drafting handbook policies, along with policy language. We will also cover recent legal developments and how they may affect overall approaches to handbook policies in the workplace.

Breakout Sessions:

1) Workers' Compensation Update

This session will include an analysis of legislative and regulatory developments; case law updates; a review of hearing officer manual policy updates, WeBex hearing updates, the new Industrial Commission hearing rule and background on the new Commissioner appointed by the Governor.

2) What's OSHA Been Up To?

Join us as we highlight some of OSHA’s recent significant activities and discuss hot topics, including electronic records submission, instance-by-instance citations, heat illness, ensuring a safe workplace for workers who speak English as a second language and more.

3) Immigration 2023: Employment-based Immigration

This breakout session will discuss recent developments in employment-based immigration, including policy announcements and latest trends. There will be ample time for questions and answers, so bring your questions and be ready to participate in a meaningful discussion of recent developments.

CAR Presentation

This session will provide an update on the automotive industry.

HIPAA Privacy Tune-Up

When was the last time you considered HIPAA privacy compliance for your company’s group health plans? This session will provide an overview of HIPAA privacy requirements and best practices. Additionally, this session will highlight specific areas that may be in need of update or compliance review, including sneaky group health plans, changes in privacy practices and expanded scope of PHI access.

2023 Discrimination Law Update

We will provide an update and refresher on recent developments in the discrimination law sphere, including Ohio discrimination laws, EEOC activity, recent verdicts and litigation themes. We will also introduce evolving topics such as caregiver discrimination, religious discrimination in the context of vaccinations, and LGBTQIA+ protections under Title VII. 

Ensuring Temporary Workers Don’t Cause Long-Term Headaches  

This presentation will cover hot-button issues that often arise with temporary employees. The presentation will address current legal issues impacting your contingent workforce and offer best practices with respect to communication, training, discrimination allegations, managing leave issues, classification, wage and hour issues and benefit eligibility.

Background Check Update and Best Practices

This session will include discussion of what to do when a current associate is arrested.

Administering the FMLA – believe it or not, questions remain

The FMLA became effective in 1993 and yet many questions arise on a daily basis. This presentation will cover some recent nuances and interpretations coming from court decisions and the Department of Labor.

Responding to Disruptive & Distressed Individuals

Detective Cassandra Shaffer is with the Ohio State University Police Division. She currently serves as the threat assessment/crisis investigator, and in her role, serves on two internal teams. Additional duties include liaison to several university stakeholders, executive protection officer for the Office of the President and she participates in community engagement. She is a veteran of the U.S. Army and a certified master trainer through Homeland Security’s National Threat Evaluation & Reporting Program.

Cannabis Conundrums and Testing Tribulations: An Update on Drug Testing in the Age of Cannabis

This session will discuss the current state of marijuana legalization and legal protections for medical and recreational marijuana users. It will cover best practices for substance abuse policies, including policies and procedures for reasonable suspicion and post-accident drug testing, with a focus on marijuana-related issues.

Navigating Workplace Generational Differences

A multi-generational panel will discuss their workplace experiences and provide an overview of research and practical tips for dealing with generational differences in the workplace.