HR Works: The Podcast for Human Resources

In this episode, we discuss substance abuse. While always an issue, substance abuse becomes much more widespread and serious during crises. This crisis in particular offers an especially troubling environment for abuse. You may also listen here: https://bit.ly/3cc2Lcc Today’s episode is brought to you by The Standard, a family of businesses united by a shared purpose of compassion for their customers. The Standard’s Workplace Possibilities Program offers a proactive, whole-person approach to disability, helping employers provide customized solutions to help employees stay at work or return sooner. More information on this program can be found here: https://bit.ly/2RevH9U. We are joined by Dr. Dan Jolivet. Dan started working in the behavioral health field in 1980 as he was completing a degree in mathematical statistics and wanted to get some hands-on experience in an applied scientific discipline. Dan has held a variety of roles throughout his career. He has worked in inpatient hospitals, residential treatment centers, partial hospitalization programs, intensive outpatient programs, employee assistance programs and in private practice. He moved into supervision to multiply his impact and began working in managed care soon after that. He joined The Standard as its Behavioral Health Director in 2016 and says his favorite part of the job is still helping people—both claimants and people on his team—find solutions to seemingly intractable problems. Dan received his bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Washington, and his master's degree and a doctorate in clinical psychology from Georgia State University.

In this episode, we go over the latest workplace COVID-19 testing strategies and capabilities. What types of tests exist and how available are they? What strategies are employers using, especially those that require workers on-site like mines and factories? What technologies are being developed and what will testing look like in the future? You may also listen here: https://bit.ly/2REpnbT This episode's guest, Rich Robillard, Managing Director at SBL Testing Technologies Inc. (https://sbltt.com/), helps answer these and other similar questions.

When I first took over this podcast, my very first guest was Ira Wolfe, and we talked about what HR might look like in 2025. By all accounts, we were well on track to realize that future. But then the pandemic hit and that future has largely been changed. You may also listen here: https://bit.ly/350BEzc In this episode I am pleased to have Ira back with us to ask a few more follow up questions, including what will HR look like next year, and what will it look like by 2030 and 2035? Ira is the president of Success Performance Solutions (https://www.successperformancesolutions.com/), which excels in pre-employment testing software for sales, leadership, service, and production across a number of industries. In addition to being a blogger and prolific business writer, Ira is an accomplished speaker, having visited the stages of TEDx and DisruptHR. He has also published books such as The Perfect Labor Storm and Recruiting in the Age of Googlization: When the Shift Hits Your Plan.

According to our guest this week, retaliation claims surrounding COVID-19 are outpacing many other types of lawsuits. Are your managers well trained when it comes to avoiding retaliation suits? You can also listen to this episode here: https://bit.ly/32V5dzv This episode's guest is once again Maggie Spell (https://www.joneswalker.com/professionals/mary-margaret-spell.html), partner at the New Orleans location of Jones Walker (https://www.joneswalker.com/). Maggie focuses her practice on cases brought under federal, state, and local employment laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. She regularly offers wage and hour compliance advice and has represented employers in numerous Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions and state-law wage and hour class actions.

We recently did a special video interview for Women's Equality Day that we wanted to share with you. You can listen to it here, but if you want to watch the video, check it out here: https://bit.ly/3gQnG5m Music: www.bensound.com

When the pandemic first hit the United States, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) was passed to help protect American citizens. The FFCRA has been in effect for some time since then, and employment lawsuits have begun hitting the courts. You can also listen here: https://bit.ly/3gWirRB In this episode, we are going to go over some of the hot-spots surrounding the FFCRA with returning guest Maggie Spell (https://www.joneswalker.com/professionals/mary-margaret-spell.html), partner at the New Orleans location of Jones Walker (https://www.joneswalker.com). Maggie focuses her practice on cases brought under federal, state, and local employment laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. She regularly offers wage and hour compliance advice and has represented employers in numerous Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions and state-law wage and hour class actions. Please join us next Friday when we'll be releasing another episode where Maggie and I get deeper into one of the most common types of suits that have arisen: retaliation suits.

The early effects of the pandemic on the workforce saw many businesses close, and many others take extreme measures to survive, including downsizing, cutting pay, and reducing or eliminating benefits. Our guests today believe that getting a better handle on your people costs and benefits can help organizations be less draconian in their approach to surviving the ongoing pandemic. We are pleased to have Peter Newhouse with us in this episode. Peter joined Unilever (https://www.unilever.com/) in September 2010 as Global Head of Reward and a member of the Unilever HR Leadership Team, having previously worked as a senior executive at Ford in North America and as Group Head of Remuneration at Standard Chartered Bank in London. Having graduated with a Law degree, Peter started his career in Reward in 1980 when he joined the American consulting company Organization Resources Counselors Inc (ORC). As well as developing the Reward consultancy services of MM&K, specialists in executive and incentive compensation, Peter has also run his own Reward consulting business, Peter Newhouse & Co. We also have with us today Ken Charman. He is the CEO of uFlexReward (https://www.uflexreward.com/), an HR and rewards data platform that collates all costs to do with employees (salary, pension, bonus, shares, etc) into one real-time platform. Ken has been involved in major enterprise software projects since 1987, specifically in financial consolidation and reporting systems, and has built high-performance teams in IT start-ups that were acquired by Oracle, SAP, IBM and Sungard.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 has invited a new wave of discrimination, particularly against pregnant women, employees over the age of 65, and those of Chinese or Asian heritage. There are other issues as well, including managing discrimination while employees are working remotely. As your organization meets the other challenges of COVID-19, make sure you are not accidentally discriminating against these and other protected classes. In this episode, we are pleased to with us attorney Barry Hartstein (https://www.littler.com/people/barry-hartstein), Shareholder and Co-Chair of the EEO & Diversity Practice Group at Littler (https://www.littler.com/) in Chicago. Barry has earned a national reputation for a career that includes more than 30 years of counseling and representing employers in a broad range of labor and employment matters. He is a frequent writer, commentator and lecturer on workplace issues. He also has extensive experience as a litigator and has defended employers nationwide in individual and class action claims and wage and hour collective actions. He has particular expertise dealing with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on both a local and national level, which included an invitation by the EEOC chair to address the Commission at a recent meeting in Washington D.C. on the legal standards governing employers’ consideration of criminal arrest and conviction records.

Last time on HR Works COVID-19 Update we began to explore the many new types of wage and hour lawsuits that might be coming your way in light of the pandemic. This week we'll hear from a lawyer that specializes in these types of cases to discuss where she is seeing new lawsuits, what they look like, and what might happen going forward. We are pleased to have back on the show Maggie Spell (https://www.joneswalker.com/professionals/mary-margaret-spell.html), Partner at the New Orleans location of Jones Walker (https://www.joneswalker.com/offices/new-orleans.html) with us. In this episode, she helps us unpack some of the most common pandemic-induced wage and hour violations. Maggie focuses her practice on cases brought under federal, state, and local employment laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. She regularly offers wage and hour compliance advice and has represented employers in numerous Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions and state-law wage and hour class actions.

This episode strives to answer one important question: can COVID-19 testing play an effective role in bringing workers back to the workplace? New information and data about the disease are available every day and with it comes changes in best practices for keeping everyone safe. Meanwhile, many employers are bringing workers back to the workplace and they need to understand the most current testing methods and strategies to keep everyone safe. Our guest is at the forefront of putting together testing strategies and packages for employers as they navigate this challenging time. Dr. Sree Chaguturu is the Chief Medical Officer for CVS Caremark (https://www.caremark.com). His organization is striving to put together strategies and testing capabilities for employers. In this episode, we'll explore what kinds of testing is now and will be available in the future. We'll look at how each can be used most effectively, and where the limitations are. We'll also look at the role of vaccines when they come around, and what things will look like over the next year or two.

Imagine this: your employees have been working with a wage cut for the last few months. But there is good news! Your business has recovered enough for you to restore their pay. Not only that, but you also want to make them whole, so you pay everyone a bonus on top of restoring their pay. Did you know that you may have just committed at least three wage and hour violations? Wage and hour laws have always been complex, and the pandemic has added new layers of complexity. Fortunately, we are lucky to have Maggie Spell, Partner at the New Orleans location of Jones Walker (https://www.joneswalker.com/offices/new-orleans.html) with us. In this episode, she helps us unpack some of the most common pandemic-induced wage and hour violations. Maggie focuses her practice on cases brought under federal, state, and local employment laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. She regularly offers wage and hour compliance advice and has represented employers in numerous Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions and state-law wage and hour class actions.

Last week we began to explore employer liability when it comes to COVID-19-related issues. Today we are going to dive in a little deeper, and answer some very important questions like can you force employees to take a COVID-19 test? What about antibody tests? Can you measure their temperatures? Can you make them wear a mask? What happens if they don’t comply; can you fire them? Here to talk about these and other legal issues is employment lawyer and member of Clark Hill (https://www.clarkhill.com) in Collin County Texas, Kim Moore. Kim Moore has been pragmatically solving employer’s problems for almost twenty-five years. A board-certified employment lawyer with an MBA and extensive experience in and out of the courtroom. Kim is passionate about achieving the client’s goals in non-compete, theft of trade secrets, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour matters. Kim genuinely enjoys her work, particularly understanding each client’s business and its people. Kim serves as the Member in Charge of the firm’s Collin County office. Kim is also a AAA trained mediator. She uses her knowledge to help parties resolve all types of conflicts.

While the pandemic has influenced every worker in the united states, it has not done so evenly. Already there are serious differences between essential workers who stay on the front lines and those who were lucky enough to work from home. In short, the country is in total chaos. Some states are closing down for the first time, some are opening back up, others are ignoring their very serious coronavirus issues. Perhaps most disturbingly, many organizations and political figures have been moving towards an “economy matters more than lives” attitude that will put serious burdens on the most vulnerable. According to experts I’ve spoken with and research I’ve read, among the most vulnerable are women of color, particularly single mothers of color. On top of all of the coronavirus-related concerns have also been the rising racial tensions in this country that add another whole layer of uncertainty and unrest to this already unsustainable situation. Here to help us understand the situation, and how HR can help, is Asha Tarry. She’s is an author, award-winning community mental health advocate, psychotherapist, and certified life coach. She is also the founder of Behavioral Health Consulting Services LMSW, PLLC (https://www.bhcsct.org) which provides consulting, counseling, and coaching to creatives and small business owners in the wellness and entertainment industries and educational sector. As a mindfulness practitioner, she has consulted with initiatives on maternal health, global workplace retention, and been a writer and speaker for several outlets focused on mental health.

As the landscape of work changes, so will the landscape of employment law. Across our nation, some states are closing down while others are opening up. That creates a lot of variability in how employers approach keeping everyone safe and the return to work. What are the liabilities? How can they keep up when best practices change constantly? Will due diligence help when, retroactively, employers realize they got something wrong. Here to talk about these and other legal issues is employment lawyer and member of Clark Hill (https://www.clarkhill.com) in Collin County Texas, Kim Moore. Kim Moore has been pragmatically solving employer's problems for almost twenty-five years. A board-certified employment lawyer with an MBA and extensive experience in and out of the courtroom. Kim is passionate about achieving the client's goals in non-compete, theft of trade secrets, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour matters. Kim genuinely enjoys her work, particularly understanding each client's business and its people. Kim serves as the Member in Charge of the firm's Collin County office. Kim is also a AAA trained mediator. She uses her knowledge to help parties resolve all types of conflicts.

The major win for DACA recipients a few weeks ago made the news for how unexpected it was. However, the issue is far from solved. In this episode, we discuss what you need to know about supporting your DACA workers right now before things change. We are pleased to have back with us today, Jonathan Petts, Co-Founder of a non-profit organization called Immigrants Like Us (https://www.immigrantslikeus.org/). In this episode, he helps us understand where things stand right now with DACA and what resources HR needs to have to best serve this vulnerable, hardworking group of people. You can view their DACA renewal guide here: https://www.immigrantslikeus.org/immigration-resources/how-to-renew-your-daca-2020 Jonathan is the proud husband and son of American immigrants. Prior to co-founding Immigrants Like Us, Jonathan practiced at two international law firms and graduated from both law school and college at the University of Pennsylvania. He has served as an advisor on international law to both the IMF and the World Bank. In 2017, Jonathan was recognized by FastCase as one of the 50 most innovative leaders in the legal profession.

In this special episode of HR Works Podcast, my colleague Justin Scace from the EHS On Tap Podcast (https://ehsdailyadvisor.blr.com/podcasts/) joins me to interview an EHS and an HR professional from one of the largest private companies in the United States: Koch Industries, Incorporated (https://www.kochind.com/). Our collective goal is to better understand how EHS and HR work together, overcome challenges, and otherwise collaborate to make their workplace safe during a crisis. Our guests are Walt Malone, VP of HR for Koch, and Sheryl Corrigan, director of environmental, health, and safety for Koch. Walt Malone joined Koch in 1991 and is responsible for Koch Industries’ corporate human resources team and the global Market-Based Management capability which provides training and development services to Koch companies. He serves on the boards of Georgia-Pacific Equity Holdings LLC and Koch Business Solutions, LP, both subsidiaries of Koch Industries. Walt, welcome, and thank you for joining us for today’s show. And we are also joined by Sheryl Corrigan, director of EHS for Koch Industries, where she provides oversight of Koch companies’ compliance with regulations and internal policy and tracking and ensuring follow-up on emerging issues. Sheryl was previously commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, advising the governor and helping set the strategic direction for the state on environmental matters.

Between general travel restrictions, anti-immigrant travel restrictions, massive unemployment, closed businesses, and now the recently announced ban on certain foreign national visas, immigrant workers in the U.S. are undergoing particularly challenging times. They are not the only ones feeling the pain; employers of foreign national workers are also struggling. In this episode we are pleased to have with us Jonathan Petts, Co-Founder of a non-profit organization called Immigrants Like Us (https://www.immigrantslikeus.org/) to help us understand the immigrant perspective so that HR managers and employers alike can have a better context for when they interact with immigrant workers in general but especially during this challenging time. Jonathan is the proud husband and son of American immigrants. Prior to co-founding Immigrants Like Us, Jonathan practiced at two international law firms and graduated from both law school and college at the University of Pennsylvania. He has served as an advisor on international law to both the IMF and the World Bank. In 2017, Jonathan was recognized by FastCase as one of the 50 most innovative leaders in the legal profession.

In this episode I speak with a highly respected authority on the psychology of change about the return to work. Many have adjusted to the new realities presented by the coronavirus, and yet states and workplaces alike are reopening their doors. What does that mean for those of us who stayed home? What if we don’t want to go back? What if we can’t? Can it even be done safely and does anyone else feel like this is being rushed. We are pleased to have with us today Michelle Rozen PhD (https://www.drmichellerozen.com/). She is an author, a Huffington Post contributor, and a frequent guest on NBC, ABC, FOX News, CNN, and other media outlets. Dr. Rozen holds a Masters and a PhD in Psychology. She consistently speaks for Fortune 500 companies and her clients include some of the most recognizable companies in the world including Johnson & Johnson, Merrill Lynch, and The U.S. Navy.

Now more than months into the pandemic, we are starting to see the first COVID-related employee lawsuits. Last week we began to discuss which employee policies need to be updated or created to handle new legal challenges surrounding the coronavirus. For example, we recently saw a wrongful death and survival action for the coronavirus related fatality of an employee who worked in a Pennsylvania meat processing plat for the world’s largest beef processing company. We are pleased have back with us for this episode attorney Andrew B. Zelman (https://www.bergersingerman.com/team/andrew-b-zelman), Partner at Berger Singerman, a business law firm out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In this episode, we will discuss what happens when an employee refuses to return to work as well as what Andrew is seeing in terms of new lawsuits surrounding COVID-19. Andrew Zelman is a member of the Dispute Resolution Team based in Berger Singerman’s Fort Lauderdale office. He represents businesses and individuals in a variety of complex commercial disputes, including intellectual property, class action, and general liability cases in both state and federal courts. Andrew also has an established practice devoted to counseling and defending employers in employment litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Andrew spent years handling a wide range of cases at a full-service AmLaw 100 firm. Andrew currently serves as the Chair of the Grievance Committee of The Florida Bar and is a Member of the Federal Court Practice Committee, a standing committee of The Florida Bar.

COVID-19 has changed everything, but has your employee handbook been updated? In this episode of HR Works COVID-19 Update, my guest discusses the critical policy updates that your organization needs to make in order to avoid an upcoming wave of coronavirus-related litigation. Now three months into the pandemic, we are starting to see the first COVID-related employee lawsuits. For example, the world’s largest beef processing company is facing a wrongful death and survival action for the coronavirus related fatality of an employee who worked in one of their Pennsylvania factories. If history is any guide, this is likely the tip of the iceberg. Employers beware! We are pleased to with us today attorney Andrew B. Zelman (https://www.bergersingerman.com/team/andrew-b-zelman), Partner at Berger Singerman, a business law firm out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Andrew Zelman is a member of their Dispute Resolution Team . He represents businesses and individuals in a variety of complex commercial disputes, including intellectual property, class action, and general liability cases in both state and federal courts. Andrew also has an established practice devoted to counseling and defending employers in employment litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Andrew spent years handling a wide range of cases at a full-service AmLaw 100 firm. Andrew currently serves as the Chair of the Grievance Committee of The Florida Bar and is a Member of the Federal Court Practice Committee, a standing committee of The Florida Bar.

In today's episode, emotional intelligence expert Don Everett, CEO of Workforce Interactive (https://www.workforceinteractive.com/) joins us with another guest to explore how EQ can be successfully measured and implemented to help HR solve a number of problems. We are also hosting a webinar called Someone Moved My Cheese Again; and It's Okay This Time on June 10th. Register here: https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/2338515/6E949780559193CA44FE002AF0B12DFF It complements today’s episode, which focuses on individual leadership development by extending the discussion into team EQ development. You’ll learn how to develop management EQ so that managers welcome change, and cultivate new team norms that yield ideal employee experiences. Dr. Spencer’s Johnson’s insightful book “Who Moved My Cheese” sold 25 million copies and suggested how we can deal with change more effectively. We’ve since learned that adaptability is one of the most important thinking facets, and that emotional intelligence (“EQ”) can be directly linked with an individual’s capacity to adapt. COVID-19 has underscored the importance of good EQ in our management teams. The new normal, which includes more remote workers, virtual meetings, etc., will place a greater burden on leaders to exercise good EQ so that they can engage and inspire their workforces at optimal levels. The good news is that more often than not EQ can be improved. However, due to the subjectivity that can exist in 360 interviews and other self-reporting techniques, it’s always been a challenge for organizations to accurately assess the EQ of their managers. In this episode we speak with Don Everett, Founder Workforce Interactive, and Maria Randall, Vice President Human Resources for Club Assist, discuss an objective EQ measurement methodology with Nobel Prize nomination credentials. You’ll learn how it can be used to measure the EQ of your leaders with precision so that developmental programs can be effectively implemented. Don Everett (www.linkedin.com/in/donbeverett/) is the founder and CEO of Workforce Interactive. After a 20+ year career in the technology sector with organizations like Oracle, and subsidiaries of Dun & Bradstreet and SAP, he formed his company in 2006 with the intent of providing employers with unprecedented insight regarding human capital analysis. He is a Values Science expert who has compiled data from over half a million examinees. He is certified on a behavioral instrument associated with a Nobel Prize nomination that is used to provide insight regarding emotional intelligence. His knowledge in this area is supported by patented technology that uniquely factors the thinking values and emotional intelligence of managers and their team members. Don is uniquely qualified in the field of correlative analytics involving values, emotional intelligence, and workforce operational data. He has performed over eighty occupational studies in which organizational performance metrics were reconciled with corresponding employee values and emotional intelligence. Don majored in Computer Sciences through the Business College at the University of Florida. We also have with us today Maria Randall, Vice President Human Resources for Club Assist. She has also served as the automotive supplier’s Chief Human Resources Officer since 2016. Prior to joining Club Assist, Maria has an extensive background in Human Resources and has been at the VP level leading domestic and international HR teams during the past 25 years. Her vast experience in mid-sized and large companies covers diverse industries including automotive, health care, financial services, manufacturing, construction, defense, and utilities.

In the last episode we began to explore some of HR's responsibilities when it comes to the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, or the PPP for short. Today we'll continue that conversation and learn about compliance obligations, the likelihoods of audits, and when the loans stay a loan or become forgiven. We are again are joined by Terry Dawson, Partner at Barnes and Thornburg LLP (www.btlaw.com/people/terry-dawson) to discuss this topic. Terry Dawson’s practice involves virtually every issue employers confront today, with an emphasis on labor relations, including arbitrations, collective bargaining negotiation, helping employers remain union-free, business strategy and client counseling. Terry also provides daily counseling to employers on complex FMLA and ADA issues.

As companies struggle to stay in business, many have decided to take advantage of the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program, or the PPP for short. The details surrounding this type of loan has some HR considerations, like whether you have to hire back the same employees to take advantage of loan forgiveness, whether you can pay employees not to work, to name a few. In this episode we are joined by Terry Dawson, Partner at Barnes and Thornburg LLP (https://www.btlaw.com/people/terry-dawson) to discuss this topic. Terry Dawson’s practice involves virtually every issue employers confront today, with an emphasis on labor relations, including arbitrations, collective bargaining negotiation, helping employers remain union-free, business strategy and client counseling. Terry also provides daily counseling to employers on complex FMLA and ADA issues.

The isolation of stay at home orders are accelerating behavioral health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, but even during the best of times, making sure you are aware of the mental health needs of your employees is very important. That means understanding risk factors, having a well trained HR team to handle everything from benefits to interacting with employees when they have a crisis. In this episode of HR Works we discuss this important topic with Dr. Dan Jolivet, Workplace Possibilities Practice Consultant at The Standard. (www.standard.com/bhpodcast) Dan started working in the behavioral health field in 1980 as he was completing a degree in mathematical statistics and wanted to get some hands-on experience in an applied scientific discipline. His first direct service job in the field was a 1981 work-study position at a Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) in Seattle, where he quickly became hooked on trying to understand how people change. Dan has held a variety of roles throughout his career. He has worked in inpatient hospitals, residential treatment centers, partial hospitalization programs, intensive outpatient programs, employee assistance programs and in private practice. He moved into supervision to multiply his impact and began working in managed care soon after that. He joined The Standard as its Behavioral Health Director in 2016 and says his favorite part of the job is still helping people—both claimants and people on his team—find solutions to seemingly intractable problems.

In the last episode of HR Works: COVID-19 Update we began speaking with employment attorney Jacob M. Monty (https://montyramirezlaw.com/attorneys/jacob-m-monty-managing-partner), managing partner and founder of Monty & Ramirez LLP (https://montyramirezlaw.com) about the potential for concerted activity during the pandemic. Today we dig a little deeper into how collective action happens and what you can do to avoid it. For over two decades, Jake Monty has successfully practiced at the intersection of immigration, labor, and employment laws. A nationally recognized authority on issues facing employers with large Hispanic workforces, Jake has written not one, but three books on the topic and speaks regularly in English and Spanish on navigating labor and employment matters in industries with heightened immigration scrutiny. His clients include professional baseball teams, grocery store chains, single establishment and chain restaurants, and leading companies in the construction and facility maintenance fields. Jake has been interviewed by major media outlets such as Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC regarding national immigration concerns. Jake founded Monty & Ramirez LLP to offer an integrated approach to dealing with Hispanic workforces. He and his bilingual partners address all the critical aspects of employer advocacy, from immigration to union matters, workplace safety, and employment disputes.

Employers beware! The situation we find ourselves in provides unique leverage and incentives for collective action. Many low paid workers have been labelled essential and are obligated to work in hazardous conditions for the same low pay, or in some cases even with pay cuts. Workers in non-essential businesses have watched their companies cut pay, furlough, and layoff in great numbers. That means they are more than likely worried for their jobs and perhaps are thinking of using collective action to protect themselves. We are pleased to have back with us today employment attorney Jacob M. Monty (https://montyramirezlaw.com/attorneys/jacob-m-monty-managing-partner), managing partner and founder of Monty & Ramirez LLP (https://montyramirezlaw.com/) to discuss this important topic. For over two decades, Jake Monty has successfully practiced at the intersection of immigration, labor, and employment laws. A nationally recognized authority on issues facing employers with large Hispanic workforces, Jake has written not one, but three books on the topic and speaks regularly in English and Spanish on navigating labor and employment matters in industries with heightened immigration scrutiny. His clients include professional baseball teams, grocery store chains, single establishment and chain restaurants, and leading companies in the construction and facility maintenance fields. Jake has been interviewed by major media outlets such as Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC regarding national immigration concerns. Jake founded Monty & Ramirez LLP to offer an integrated approach to dealing with Hispanic workforces. He and his bilingual partners address all the critical aspects of employer advocacy, from immigration to union matters, workplace safety, and employment disputes.

Note: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 Website: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org The topic of this episode is a difficult one, but one that is very important in the context of employee mental health: suicide. What does HR do when an employee threatens suicide? What if they attempt it? What if they succeed? These troubling circumstances are more than a maybe. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States with over 47,000 Americans dying of suicide in 2017. For every successful suicide there are many attempts, and odds are that HR professionals will have to deal with a situation like this at their workplace at some point. In this episode, we feature two guests to discuss this important topic. The first is Andrew Adams, an attorney at Skoler Abbott (https://www.skoler-abbott.com) which operates out of Springfield Massachussetts. After receiving his undergraduate degree in marine biology Andrew enlisted in the United States Navy before eventually returning back home to Hampden County. For the next six years and throughout law school Andrew worked as a Correctional Officer for the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, until he left to pursue his passion for the law. In his final year of law school Andrew was a law clerk at a premier tort litigation firm in Connecticut, before finding his home at Skoler, Abbott. We also have with us Jamie Vinck, MC, LPC, NCC and Group Chief Executive Officer at Sierra Tuscon (https://www.sierratucson.com), a residential treatment center for drug and alcohol addiction as well as behavior health located in Arizona. Successfully Operating Acadia Healthcare’s Flagship behavioral health facility, Jaime, is the second female CEO at Sierra Tucson. Jaime has introduced groundbreaking outcomes measurement and recovery programs that have earned the facility top recognition within and outside the industry. The program, which provides support through an industry-leading app, helps individuals stay connected and engaged, while also providing one-on-one access to their own personal nationally-certified recovery coach.

Last week we began discussing the Trump Administration's immigration freeze and what that means for employers with Jacob M. Monty, managing partner and founder of Monty & Ramirez LLP (montyramirezlaw.com/). We discussed furloughs and layoffs affecting the status of foreign national workers, details about the freeze itself, and more. This week we finish that talk and dive into what kinds of ICE activity employers can expect during the crisis, those that rely on highly skilled laborers that get visas like the H-1B Specialty Occupation visa, and what accommodations have been made for employers hiring new employees in light of the crisis. For over two decades, Jake Monty has successfully practiced at the intersection of immigration, labor, and employment laws. A nationally recognized authority on issues facing employers with large Hispanic workforces, Jake has written not one, but three books on the topic and speaks regularly in English and Spanish on navigating labor and employment matters in industries with heightened immigration scrutiny. His clients include professional baseball teams, grocery store chains, single establishment and chain restaurants, and leading companies in the construction and facility maintenance fields. Jake has been interviewed by major media outlets such as Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC regarding national immigration concerns. Jake founded Monty & Ramirez LLP to offer an integrated approach to dealing with Hispanic workforces. He and his bilingual partners address all the critical aspects of employer advocacy, from immigration to union matters, workplace safety, and employment disputes.

As you may be aware, the Trump Administration recently announced a 60 day suspension of immigration to the united states. The freeze is said to prevent green card workers from moving to the U.S. but will allow temporary workers on non-immigrant visas to enter. Today we will discuss the consequences of the ban for U.S. employers. We are pleased to have with us today employment attorney Jacob M. Monty, managing partner and founder of Monty & Ramirez LLP (https://montyramirezlaw.com/). For over two decades, Jake Monty has successfully practiced at the intersection of immigration, labor, and employment laws. A nationally recognized authority on issues facing employers with large Hispanic workforces, Jake has written not one, but three books on the topic and speaks regularly in English and Spanish on navigating labor and employment matters in industries with heightened immigration scrutiny. His clients include professional baseball teams, grocery store chains, single establishment and chain restaurants, and leading companies in the construction and facility maintenance fields. Jake has been interviewed by major media outlets such as Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC regarding national immigration concerns. Jake founded Monty & Ramirez LLP to offer an integrated approach to dealing with Hispanic workforces. He and his bilingual partners address all the critical aspects of employer advocacy, from immigration to union matters, workplace safety, and employment disputes.

In this episode we discuss the new remote workforce. Most of us that remain employed do so from our homes. This has created a host of new problems. That includes people having to setup their home offices that didn’t have the technology or space to do so. People are working alongside their children, pets, and spouses. Risk factors for mental health and other issues are through the roof including isolation, increased drug and alcohol use, and anxiety to name a few. Experts have been calling for the move to remote for years now, but it seems we have finally been pushed there whether we were ready or not. We have two experts with us today to discuss this topic. The first is Andrew Meadows, SVP of HR, Brand, and Culture at Ubiquity Retirement and Savings (https://www.myubiquity.com). He has worked for two decades in the retirement and savings space and is a fierce advocate for the small business. Having worked and transformed every area of Ubiquity including client experience, partnerships, and more, Andrew has now devised a new structure of consistent quality and brand promise, moving on to extend that promise internally throughout the company’s culture. We also have with us today Matt Fairhurst, the co-founder and CEO of Skedulo (https://www.skedulo.com), a mobile workforce management service. Matt is driven by the possibilities technology creates for the ever-growing mobile workforce.

Welcome to the second weekly episode of HR Works: COVID-19 Update. Going forward, will be publishing these shorter episodes every week with the goal of covering employment law issues surrounding COVID-19. For this second episode we are pleased to have our returning guest, employment attorney Jonathan Mook, of DiMuroGinsberg PC, with us. We discuss more details about the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, or the FFCRA for short, including how the entitlements, tax credits, and enforcement work for this bill. Jonathan is an attorney at DiMuroGinsberg PC , attorneys at law operating out of Virginia. He is a nationally recognized authority on the Americans with Disabilities Act and is the author of two treatises published by Matthew Bender Company, “Americans with Disabilities Act: Employee Rights and Employer Obligations” and “Americans with Disabilities Act: Public Accommodations and Commercial Facilities.” Learn more about Jonathan here: www.dimuro.com/meet-our-attorneys/jonathan-r-mook/ And you can view the FFCRA employee rights poster here: www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/…422_Non-Federal.pdf

Welcome to the first weekly episode of HR Works: COVID-19 Update. We will be publishing these shorter episodes every week with the goal of covering employment law issues surrounding COVID-19. We are pleased to have employment attorney Jonathan Mook with us today to discuss the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, or the FFCRA for short. Jonathan is an attorney at DiMuroGinsburg PC, attorneys at law operating out of Virginia. He is a nationally recognized authority on the Americans with Disabilities Act and is the author of two treatises published by Matthew Bender Company, “Americans with Disabilities Act: Employee Rights and Employer Obligations” and “Americans with Disabilities Act: Public Accommodations and Commercial Facilities.” Learn more about Jonathan here: https://www.dimuro.com/meet-our-attorneys/jonathan-r-mook/ And you can view the FFCRA employee rights poster here: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/posters/FFCRA_Poster_WH1422_Non-Federal.pdf

When HR professionals and hiring managers need to fill a slot, what do they do? They go to LinkedIn and job boards. According to the guest of this episode, such an approach may not be going far enough. In fact, they might be a big waste of time. This episode features Michael “Batman” Cohen. He is the Founder of Wayne Technologies, a contract sourcing and recruitment training organization. His unique approach to sourcing is one based on deliverables, transparent data, and using multiple sources/platforms to find the greatest diversity and quality of candidates. Michael is also going to be speaking at our annual RecruitCon 2020 (https://live.blr.com/event/recruitcon-denver/) in Kissimmee, Florida on November 10th at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center. The session is called “Recruiting Hacks” and Michael’s talk during that session is called “Innovative Ways to Use Tech Tools to Reduce Time-to-Fill.” Additionally, RecruitCon will be co-located with two of our other events, HR Comply and Workforce L&D. A pass to HR World, which combines all three events is also available.

Rare is the HR professional that was formerly a firefighter paramedic and hazardous materials engineer. One such individual found that much of what he learned in his former careers gave him the tools he needed to meet the many challenges that he faced as an HR professional. Taylor Bradley is the Director, HRBP of Global Product Development at Datto (https://www.datto.com). As mentioned he was also formerly a firefighter paramedic and hazardous material technician. He started in HR as a Talent Acquisition Specialist for Princess Cruise Lines. He was also the first HRBP at Remote Medical International and the HRBP for Engineering at DocuSign. Graphic Content Warning: this episode contains some content that some might find disturbing.

In this episode of HR Works we tackle the so-called résumé black hole: the place where job applicants’ resumes vanish to without hiring managers ever seeing them. What is this mysterious place? Why does it exist? And most importantly: is it really doing anyone any good? We have two experts with us to speak about this. The first is Liz Wessel is the Co-Founder & CEO of WayUp (https://www.wayup.com), a venture-backed startup based in NYC that transforms how employers recruit students and recent grads—helping them hire diverse and qualified early-career talent. Liz has been featured in Forbes 30U30, the “18 Coolest Women in Silicon Valley” by Business Insider and NY Business Journal’s “Most Influential Women.” Liz has also been a speaker at TEDx, TechCrunch Disrupt, SXSW and more. Prior to WayUp, Liz worked in marketing at Google in Mountain View and India. We also have Steve Flook, CEO of iHire (https://www.ihire.com). A technologist focused on software systems and information architecture, Steve has been at the forefront of the HR and recruitment technology space for nearly a decade. Since 2011, Steve has served as a change agent with many operational roles at iHire, including president, VP of product development, and director of engineering. As president, Steve helped iHire reach record revenue in 2018 – a feat achieved by continuously improving iHire’s products and services while appealing to both the employer and job seeker market segments.

If you want to combat sexual harassment in a meaningful way, you have to get comfortable having uncomfortable conversations. In fact, a major reason sexual harassment in the workplace still takes place has to do with the culture of silence that surrounds it. Additionally, if your employees are not trained to handle situations as they are happening, an opportunity to stop harassment in its tracks or redirect it toward something less damaging slips away. My guest for this episode of HR Works is an expert when it comes to training workplaces to both prevent sexual harassment and handle incidents when they do happen. Sarah Beaulieu is an author and a speaker and trains workplaces on sexual harassment prevention and response. Beaulieu just published a book, Breaking the Silence Habit: A Practical Guide to Uncomfortable Conversations in the #MeToo Workplace (https://sarahbeaulieu.me/breaking-the-silence-habit), and offers employees and managers a path forward to learn—and teach—the skills required for safe and respectful workplaces for people of all genders. Beaulieu writes and speaks frequently about sexual harassment and violence. Her work and expertise have been featured in the Harvard Business Review, the Boston Business Journal, Fox News, the Providence Journal, AskMen.com, Cognoscenti (WBUR), the Nonprofit Quarterly, Commonhealth (WBUR), The Chronicle of Philanthropy, the Good Men Project, HuffPost, and the Stanford Social Innovation Review. She’s been a featured speaker at TEDxBeacon Street and the Business Innovation Factory Summit. Beaulieu enjoys engaging and training audiences at a wide variety of organizations ranging from start-ups to larger companies and from national conferences for fraternity members to members of the Junior League.

What are your training roadblocks? Perhaps you don't have the time or resources to roll out the training you need. Maybe you can't get buy-in from leadership. It could be that your training never sticks, so why bother. In this episode of HR Works Podcast, our guest believes that such roadblocks are far from insurmountable. We are pleased to have Diane Sadwoski-Joseph, Director of Facilitator Development at LifeLabs Learning (https://lifelabslearning.com/) with us today. She uses her specialization in adult learning, strategic communication, and behavior change to help LifeLabs Facilitators become world-class educators. Before LifeLabs, Diane built People Ops, L&D, and train-the-trainer programs in organizations around the globe. She also studies the differences between average and great influencers in the People Ops space.

In this special episode we address the so-called coronavirus. With cases numbering in the tens of thousands across dozens of countries, and hundreds of deaths, this poorly understood disease has created no small amount of chaos and fear. Some of those fears are justified and some not. The U.S. currently has around one dozen confirmed cases. What does this mean for HR? HR is often the department that sets sick leave policies and might be responsible for the safety side of the organization as well. Additionally, with HIPAA and various discrimination laws, navigating the legal side of the employment issue can be tricky. We are lucky to have two experts with us to help understand the best practices for preventing the spread of the disease (and other diseases) at work and understand the legal complexities at play. First, we have Elaine Hanh Le, MD, Senior Director, Medical Affairs at Healthline. She brings her years of clinical and healthcare technology experience to help consistently create high-quality, empathetic, and engaging content and products that uphold the highest medical integrity. We are have Alka Ramchandani-Raj, an attorney at Littler’s Walnut Creek office. She focuses on Federal and State Occupational Safety and Health law and assists employers with a wide range of complex situations with the workforce. If you are interested in learning more about this, consider attending our webinar on Friday, March 6th at 1:30PM Eastern Time titled "Coronavirus and Other Contagions: HR and Safety’s Role in Preventing the Spread of Infection When a Potential Pandemic Strikes." https://store.blr.com/coronavirus-030620

Tackling training can be quite challenging. Other than getting training sticky and making sure it reaches the right people, another major concern concerns how training for one employee might not work so well. In this episode we to discuss an approach to training that takes those differences into account. And, we talk about birds. Merrick Rosenberg co-founded Team Builders Plus in 1991 and Take Flight Learning (https://takeflightlearning.com/)in 2012. He is the author of The Chameleon and Taking Flight!, two books about tapping into the power of our personality. Merrick reinvented how we learn about ourselves and the people in our lives…and you are going to get a taste of that in this episode. Merrick developed a range of personality-based training programs that are delivered by his staff and a growing network of certified trainers around the world. He has worked with more than half of the Fortune 100 companies and under his leadership as CEO, Take Flight Learning has been selected as the New Jersey Business of the Year and has repeatedly been named one of the Fastest Growing Companies and Best Places to Work in the Philadelphia area.

Workplace investigations are very serious, usually resulting from unfortunate or unpleasant events. Furthermore, the entire process can easily end up under the scrutiny of a number of legal professionals including employment lawyers and judges. It is very important that HR professionals get their investigations right. This episode's guest specializes in workplace investigations and is here to help us dispel some of the common myths of these stressful procedures. Allison West, Esquire, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, AWI-CH is the founder of Employment Practices Specialists (https://employmentpractices.net/) Allison started her company to fulfill her personal mission of helping companies build and maintain safe, respectful and productive workplaces. Allison focuses her practice on conducting workplace investigations, delivering one-on-one sensitivity training for executives, managers and employees concerning sexual harassment, discrimination, and diversity awareness issues, coaching managers and employees with disciplinary and/or behavioral problems, providing expert witness and litigation assistance, and offers clients a 24/7 employee complaint line.

Whatever your aims, be they improving retention and engagement, upskilling your employees, encouraging innovation, or improving inclusion; training your employees is a critical tool. Everyone wants to know: how do we make sure that training is effective, that it lasts, and that employees engage the training process? This episode’s guest has been part of a unique training effort at Liberty Mutual Insurance. They have developed a series of eLearning training videos with the goal of building a more inclusive environment within their company. They have had so much success that they have decided to provide their videos to other companies. All proceeds from those videos go to a non-profit. Here to discuss the creation and success of those videos is SVP and Chief Diversity & Inclusion officer at Liberty Mutual Insurance, Dawn Frazier-Bohnert. Prior to joining Liberty Mutual, Dawn’s previous positions include: Chief Administrative Officer and Partner at Global Novations, Vice President, Global Diversity and Inclusion at The Gillette Company and HR leadership positions at Lotus/IBM, Fidelity Investments and Millennium Pharmaceuticals. She attended Mount Holyoke College and graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science degree. She has served on the Women’s Network Advisory Board for the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. Dawn has been recognized by the GK100 list of Boston’s 100 Most Influential People of Color, the 2016-2018 Profiles in Diversity Journal Diversity Leader Award, the 2016 Black Enterprise List of "Top Executives in Corporate Diversity“ and Insurance Business America's Hot 100 2018 list.

With limited resources and time, it can be challenging for employers to initiate annual Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) training programs for their managers and supervisors. However, the Department of Labor routinely reports that supervisor training is a top area of non-compliance for employers. If organizations don’t properly train their front-line employees, costly litigation could result. As several recent court cases demonstrate, there is a compelling business case for prioritizing annual training to ensure supervisors and managers are equipped to navigate a potential FMLA or ADA request from an employee. Today we’ll explore best practices and resources that support employers in integrating supervisor training into their compliance and training programs. Founded in 1992, the Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC) is the only association dedicated to providing focused education for HR professionals who manage absence and disability in their organizations. Through in-person and online events, certification and training programs, and tools and resources, DMEC delivers effective strategies and best practices to maintain regulatory compliance, improve workforce productivity, and enhance employee engagement and health. DMEC supports over 14,000 members across the United States and Canada, and offers the knowledge and networking they need to effectively manage their integrated benefit programs and expanding workforce challenges. To address these challenges DMEC provides a training program called FMLA/ADA Training for Supervisors and Managers that includes a 25-minute video, a 10-question quiz to test knowledge, a certificate of completion and ADA and FMLA roadmaps, and the ability to track who has successfully completed the training. Find out more information about DMEC at www.dmec.org. We are pleased to have the CEO of DMEC, Terry Rhoades with us today. Terri has extensive knowledge and expertise in all aspects of absence and disability program management and prior to DMEC dedicated her career to designing, developing, and managing various organization’s absence programs. Terri has been leading DMEC strategically since 2012 and became the Chief Executive Officer in 2015. Terri holds an MBA (Business Management) from Columbus University, a Certified Professional in Disability Management (CPDM), and a Certified Case Management Professional (CCMP) from the Insurance Educational Association, Certified Leave Management Specialist.

As an HR professional you know how important diversity and inclusion are. This episode's guest is a leader of the conversation surrounding these efforts. We are pleased to have Claudia Chan, CEO of S.H.E. GLOBL, a coalition+content+convening platform that helps companies unlock a diverse and inclusive workforce to transform both its culture and its communities. She is the founder of their award-winning leadership conference S.H.E. Summit that has made advancing women and workplace inclusion both accessible and actionable. That event is attended by some of the largest organizations in the world including Deloitte, Samsung, Bacardi, Home Depot, and Adidas to name a few. Claudia is also the author of the leadership book THIS IS HOW WE RISE: Reach Your Highest Potential, Empower Women, Lead Change in the World which was named by CNBC as a “top career book of 2018” and also featured in The New York Times. Claudia was also recently named 1 of 8 UN Women Champions for Innovation. She has been referred to as “the change-agent maker” and Fast Company has called her the “Richard Branson of women’s empowerment.”

In episode 101 of HR Works Podcast, we tackle the performance review: an issue that is sometimes hotly debated. Some organizations still believe in yearly reviews, others on informal discussions, and still others believe that there should be no reviews at all. Today’s guest is an expert on performance reviews, especially the 1 on 1 meeting. We are pleased to have Shane Metcalf, Co-founder & Chief Culture Officer, at 15Five. Shane is a seasoned executive coach and speaker who is obsessed with building healthy organizations, and creating the opportunity for people to have meaningful work and meaningful relationships. Driven by his deep belief in the potential of our species, Shane co-founded 15Five, industry-leading performance management software that is unlocking the potential of the global workforce. As Chief Culture Officer, Shane understands what fundamentally motivates people, how to architect high performance, and which principles and rituals create “self-organizing cultures.” This episode is sponsored by 15Five (https://www.15five.com/podcast).

HR plays a central role in keeping abreast of the constant change that organizations must undergo to survive. Having a strategy for change is critical, but with so many voices out there on how to do that, one can be easily lead astray. With that in mind, we are pleased to celebrate our 100th episode of HR Works Podcast with legendary expert Dave Ulrich. In this episode, we discuss the latest approaches towards transforming HR in a constantly changing world. For those of you unfamiliar with Dave, he is the Rensis Likert Professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan and a partner at The RBL Group, a consulting firm focused on helping organizations and leaders deliver value. He studies how organizations build capabilities of leadership, speed, learning, accountability, and talent through leveraging human resources. He has helped generate award winning data bases that assess alignment between strategies, organization capabilities, HR practices, HR competencies, and customer and investor results. Dave has published over 200 articles and book chapters and over 25 books. He edited Human Resource Management 1990-1999, served on editorial board of 4 Journals, on the Board of Directors for Herman Miller, and Board of Trustees at Southern Virginia University, and is a Fellow in the National Academy of Human Resources.

How do you qualify employee engagement? This episode's guest, Chris Meroff, is an employee engagement specialist who believes that not all engagement is created equally. While everyone agrees that engagement is important, the execution of engagement is where employers tend to make mistakes, says Meroff. A successful program addresses the employee's need for fulfillment. That means investing in who they are and how that complements or doesn't complement their job. In this podcast, we'll explore how HR can dive into what makes employees unique, what is their world view, and how HR can partner with them to achieve their fulfillment. This episode is sponsored by 15Five (https://www.15five.com/podcast).

What happens when an HR professional finds themselves in the middle of a high growth phase at their organization? Do you scale up your HRIS? Do you hire more staff to handle the new employees? How do you maintain culture during such a disruptive time? We aim to answer these questions in episode 98 of HR Works Podcast. Today’s guest has a lot of experience surrounding high growth. Greg Brown is the CEO of Reflektive, a people management platform. Before that, Brown served as Senior Vice President of International Business at Blackhawk Network, which helps companies create rewarding experiences and relationships. Prior to Blackhawk Network, Brown held the position of Chief Revenue Officer at Achievers, an employee recognition and engagement solutions company. He has held many other roles as well, but the current shared among them is that he helped each undergo periods of high growth.

We all know that performance and safety issues surrounding substance abuse in the workplace are big concerns. My guests for episode 98 of HR Works Podcast discuss a much wider range of legal and other challenges surrounding substance abuse. For example, working with your insurance company before obtaining Narcan (the anti-drug for opioid overdoses) to make sure you have coverage should administration of Narcan goes poorly. Another example involves ensuring that a well thought out plan for handling an overdose on premises is in place, including what to do when there are actual drugs present after an overdose or which authorities to contact and when. Today’s guests are attorneys Dale L. Deitchler and Jeffrey E. Dilger. Deitchler is a shareholder at Littler and represents management in all phases of labor law, labor relations, and standards. Dale also counsels clients on a wide variety of employment law issues, offering advice and practical solutions about the Family and Medical Leave Act, discipline and discharge, employment discrimination, employment and non-competition agreements, and unemployment compensation. Dilger represents and counsels clients in a broad range of labor matters, including: Unfair labor practice proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board, labor arbitration, labor negotiations, and National Labor Relations Board elections. In addition to a robust labor law practice, Jeff routinely counsels clients in the ever-evolving field of federal and state drug and alcohol testing laws. Jeff’s practice includes assisting clients with all aspects of drug and alcohol testing programs, including creation, implementation and enforcement.

Even if you onboard the best employees, if you don’t train them well (or at all), everything suffers from the employees right down to the bottom line. In this episode of HR Works, we are lucky to be joined by learning expert Tanya Staples, VP of Product, Learning Content at LinkedIn. Over 10 years ago, Tanya was an author and online video creator at lynda.com, a LinkedIn property. Driven by her passion for education, she joined the company full-time, and has worked closely with co-founder Lynda Weinman to ensure her teaching style and philosophy are represented in all lynda.com instructional content. She now oversees both the Content Management team who defines the content strategy and the Production team who executes against that vision.

When a workplace lacks civility, it creates fear, anxiety, a lack of transparency, and the whole place descends into a dark place. Our guest in this episode of HR Works specializes in workplace civility training. Colleen Passard is a writer, mediator and coach. She has a Masters in Humanistic Counseling Psychology and is certified in many areas of conflict resolution, circle processes and restorative justice. Colleen has facilitated empowerment workshops and conflict resolution trainings to a wide variety of audiences and organizations, from CEO’s to prison inmates. She currently serves on a mediation panel for the Department of Homeland Security. Colleen’s work focuses on helping her clients actuate new ways of relating and behaving that bring their inner and outer conflicts into harmony and balance. If you want to learn more about this topic from Colleen, join us on November 14th in Nashville, Tennessee at our event, Workforce L&D. She will be co-hosting a session titled: Management Training to Foster Civility and Respect—and Banish Cultural Negativity. You can learn more here: https://live.blr.com/event/workforce-learning-development/ Additionally, you can learn more about Colleen at her website: https://colleenpassard.com/