For employers interested in keeping abreast of changes in employment laws — and there certainly have been a lot of them — the Western Colorado Human Resource Association has scheduled its annual spring employment law conference set for May 23 at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction.

Bechtel & Santo, a Grand Junction law firm that specializes in advising employers on day-to-day employment issues, will present the conference in conjunction with the WCHRA.

The conference is set for 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the CMU University Center. The conference also will be broadcast as virtual presentation over Zoom.Admission is $249 for members of the WCHRA and other Colorado chapters of the Society for Human Resource Management. Students and special guests will pay $199. Others will pay $349. To register or obtain more information, visit www.wchra.org.

Sessions will address a variety of topics:

Legislative and case law update. The conference is scheduled to begin with a morning session offering a legislative and case law update. The update will cover recent and potential changes to federal and state laws, including a number of measures under consideration by the Colorado Legislature. Federal and state measures concern new discrimination and harassment standards, workers’ compensation benefits and unemployment requirements as well as changes to severance agreements. The session also will cover recent developments in federal and state case law as well as potential changes to employment and labor laws in 2023 and beyond.

Wage and time theft. This session will cover new provisions related to the wages and work of employees. The presentation will cover what employers are required to do to avoid wage theft allegations as well as touch on such employee behaviors as quiet quitting and time theft. The discussion will address whether or not employers can cite these behaviors in defense of wage claims, maintain records of these behaviors and what employers can do when experiencing these behaviors.

Retaliation for the exercise of legal rights and  whistleblower claims. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), more than 55 percent of claims received last year involved retaliation claims. This session will explore how employers can protect themselves against claims and examine the recently released EEOC enforcement guidance on retaliation and related issues.

The three “Cs” of human resource ethics: conflict, confidentiality and compassion. This session will cover the ethical considerations of businesses and human resources personnel related to conflicts of interest in the workplace, confidentiality in business dealings and interactions between employers and employees. The session also will explore how managing with compassion can help an organization interact with employees to avoid litigation or other negative outcomes.

Family and medical leave insurance. Starting next year, Colorado employees will be able to access paid leave under the family and medical leave insurance (FAMLI) program. Between now and then, employers have the opportunity to implement attendance, financial and policy planning to ease the transition to a new system of employee rights and employer obligations.

Attendees will receive lunch as part of the conference. As always, a question-and-answer session will give participants an opportunity to ask a panel of lawyers their most pressing questions.

In sum, the conference will offer a full day of presentations and guidance on employment law issues with the goal of helping participants maintain their balance on a tight rope of requirements and work force empowerment.