Preparing for the New Normal - Business and Employment Law Considerations for Long-Term Hybrid and Remote Work

Online registration is now closed.
If you would still like to join, email kerbach@mnbars.org by 11:00 am on June 22.

One senior market research analyst puts it this way, "Many companies succeeded working remotely in 2020 largely because everyone was doing it – there was no built-in preference for office workers or stigma against remote workers. Hybrid is going to make managing this difference harder.… It's no longer: 'Do you offer remote work?' But, do you offer it with enough organizationalsupport so I can be as successful as the people who work in the office?" (quoting Andrew Hewitt of Forrester) (The pandemic forced a massive remote-work experiment. Now comes the hard part Kathryn Vasel, CNN Business, March 11, 2021). So, how can employers best navigate the myriad of issues to consider as they consider transforming their workplaces to long-term hybrid or full-time remote work. This program will tackle key employment law and HR and business challenges and provides practical tips in this quickly evolving area. Topics will include: How does an employer decide who can/must work from home and who can/must be onsite (on a full-time or part-time basis) – and are there possible employment law risks attendant to those decisions? If having at least some onsite work is determined to be desirable, how does an employer successfully map out the necessary logistics (e.g. schedules, workspaces) to meet those objectives? How does an employer make sure that mentoring, promotion, and other types of job opportunities that have traditionally involved in-person interactions continue successfully in a new hybrid environment? How does an employer effectively train managers to make and implement these decisions in a way that is compliant and effective? How does an employer address employees who want to have their primary work location be from home? What if that home is another state or country? And much more.