For Colorado business owners and managers handling day-to-day employment issues, it might seem as though the only constant these days is change. 

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment recently overhauled regulations for how employers must treat paid leave even as state and federal courts change how employment laws are interpreted. The Colorado Legislature proposes new employment measures — including bills that would dramatically alter how employees report work-related injuries, provide employees greater rights to use medical marijuana on employers’ premises and restrict an employers’ rights to contract with its employees on noncompete agreements.

Moreover, it’s likely the Colorado Legislature will soon propose a bill that would overhaul state laws involving discrimination, harassment and retaliation issues. In the process, the bill could create additional responsibilities for organizations to investigate work-related complaints. 

To help employers, keep abreast of these changes, the Western Colorado Human Resource Association has scheduled its annual spring employment law conference. Bechtel & Santo, a Grand Junction law firm that advises clients on day-to-day employment issues, will present the conference, offering sessions on a variety of topics.

The conference is set for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 26. The conference will be offered virtually as well as an in-person event at the Colorado Mesa University ballroom in Grand Junction. Admission is $199 for WCHRA members and $349 for others. Prices will increase April 1. To register or obtain more information, visit the website at www.wchra.org.

The conference is set to begin with a morning session offering a legislative and case law update. The update will will include all employment-related measures before the Colorado Legislature. The update also will also address such topics as the Colorado Equal Pay Act as well as how changes in the alphabet soup of federal laws and agencies affect employers — the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

A session will address paid leave requirements in Colorado under the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act as well as Colorado Proposition 118, which will provide 12 weeks of paid leave for most employers.  

After lunch, a question-and-answer session will enable attendees to pose questions to a panel of lawyers.

A train the trainer session on discrimination and harassment with a focus on equity, diversity and inclusion will help employers learn how to develop their teams in the changing workplace.  

In sum, the conference will offer a full day of presentations and guidance on constantly changing employment law issues.