For businesses handling day-to-day employment issues, it seems like the only constant is change.

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment recently overhauled regulations governing how employees are paid even as state and federal courts change how various aspects of employment laws are interpreted. Federal agencies change employer responsibilities and employee rights on what seems like a weekly, if not daily, basis.

For employers responsible for keeping abreast of these changes, the Western Colorado Human Resource Association will offer help at its annual spring employment law conference scheduled for April 29.

Bechtel, Santo & Severn, a Grand Junction law firm that advises employers on day-to-day employment law issues, will present the conference and offer sessions on a variety of employment topics.

The conference is scheduled to begin with a morning session offering a legislative and case law update. Employment laws change at a rapid pace. This session will address those changes.

The new Colorado overtime and minimum pay standards order makes sweeping changes to the way private employers compensate employees. The update will address these changes, including rest breaks, meal periods, uniforms, tips and who qualifies for overtime exemptions.

The update also will address the Colorado Equal Pay Act with its quickly approaching implementation date as well as how changes in the “alphabet soup” of such federal legislation as the  Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and  National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) affect employers.

A session will enable participants to ask a panel of lawyers their most pressing questions.

A session will address the 10 mistakes employers most often make and how to address them. In a perfect world, laws would be clear and employers would know how to comply. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world, and employers occasionally make mistakes in complying with employment laws. This session will address some of the inadvertent missteps employers make and how to fix them. Separate presentations are planned for large and small employers.

Michael Santo is a cofounder and partner at Bechtel, Santo & Severn, a Grand Junction law firm that advises employers on employment law issues. Reach him through the website at www.bechtelsanto.com. For more information about the Western Colorado Human Resources Association, log on to  www.wchra.org.

The Western Colorado Human Resource Association and Bechtel, Santo & Severn law firm has scheduled a spring employment law conference for April 29. Admission is $230 for WCHRA members and $300 for others. Prices will increase April 4. To register or obtain more information, visit www.wchra.org.