Technology can be a valuable asset for absence and disability management professionals, who align expectations among team members and build plans for reasonable goals. Learn how to make the most of technology in this podcast episode that elaborates on concepts shared in the Technology & Innovation issue of DMEC's @Work magazine. We've unlocked the column "Integration Technology 101: Master the Basics for a Better Leave Experience" so listeners get the full story.

Hear how employers can encourage employees to show up as their "whole selves" at work, create supportive environments, and recognize the value of lived experience. One key: Be honest about failures, share details about goals, and always be transparent, advises Jamira Burley, an award-winning social impact advisor and strategic initiatives lead for worldwide education at a large technology company. Burley is the keynote speaker for the 2023 DMEC FMLA/ADA Employer Compliance Conference. Her presentation "Fearlessly Authentic: The Story of Self" is scheduled for March 28 in Orlando, Fla.

Resources:

• A Q&A with Jamira Burley: Redefining the Term Expert and Creating Workspaces Where People Can Be Authentic
• iamhereto
• Jamira Burley
• 2023 DMEC FMLA/ADA Employer Compliance Conference March 27-30 in Orlando, Fla.

What's the best way to protect employers and provide for employees who are pregnant? "Avoid lawsuits," advises Marjory Robertson, Esq., assistant vice president and senior counsel for Sun Life, in this episode of Absence Management Perspectives: A DMEC Podcast. The topic is especially timely with new legislation that requires employers with at least 15 employees to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant employees. The issue of how (and whether) to accommodate pregnant workers could get easier for employers once the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act become effective June 27, 2023. Listen in to this episode for insights on court cases that illustrate the costs and complexity involved now and how the federal legislation could change behavior to ensure all employees are treated equally and fairly.

Resources noted during the podcast:

1. Navigating the Complex Web of Pregnancy and Parental Leave Laws and Programs feature article in @Work magazine: http://dmec.org/2022/11/20/navigating-the-complex-web-of-pregnancy-and-parental-leave-laws-and-programs/
2. DMECommunities: http://dmec.org/resources/dmecommunities/
3. Insights from Marjory Robertson about recent court cases on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjoryrobertson

Tracking the growing number of “safe leave” laws, an umbrella term that applies to domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking laws, could be a full-time job for human resources and absence management specialists, say legal experts from Matrix Absence Management, who provide resources and guidance in this episode.

Additional resources mentioned in the episode:

• A Better Balance
• State Leave Laws Relating to Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking
• Leave for Domestic Violence Victims Best Practices Checklist

Employers get a unique and valuable insider perspective on how they can encourage a feeling of belonging in their workplaces, and how those efforts lead to more collaborative environments that tap into the rich experiences and differences of employees. Get insights into how differences make teams stronger and more resilient and ways (and resources) to encourage open and honest dialogue, embrace differences, and build stronger relationships.

Resource links:

• https://drnancydome.com/

• https://epocheducation.com/

Confronted with massive change and instability, savvy employers will focus on people skills and the core tenets of what leadership means, says Debra Dupree, Psy.D., chief executive officer of Relationships At Work. An absence management consultant and mediation specialist, Dupree recommends that employers invest more in training and education for managers to ensure their actions align with the organization's mission, vision, and values, and that they update policies and procedures to be more inclusive.

Read the Q&A in the Healthcare And Wellness issue of @Work magazine: http://dmec.org/2022/11/20/industry-qa-a-different-mindset-to-ensure-inclusive-environments/

While compliance questions continue to top the list for integrated absence management professionals, DMEC education experts discuss trends they're seeing and what that says about an increasing knowledge gap that can put employers at risk.

An innovative, integrated approach to population health has improved employee engagement (four-fold), reduced short-term disability days, and saved close to $2,000 per episode at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center UPMC. Listen in for details from Kristen Hasley, Senior Director of Health and Productivity Integration and Maria Henderson, Vice President of Workforce Health Strategy and Innovation, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center UPMC.

Absence management professionals are faced with an increasingly challenging landscape of paid family and medical leave laws and paid sick and safe laws. Get tips and tools for ways you can support employees and stay compliant.

More employers are questioning how they create time away programs that are meaningful to employee populations of all ages and backgrounds. Listen in as Ali Schaafsma, senior absence consultant with Brown and Brown Strategic Non-Medical Solutions, and Rachel Foster, lead specialist II with CHG Healthcare, talk about how bucketing leaves can empower employees to take the time they need to maintain a work-life balance in this episode of Absence Management Perspectives: A DMEC Podcast.