Instructors
Course Description
You don’t have to necessarily be ready to return all employees to the office. But you better have a plan. And it better be in writing. The Biden administration is giving you until July 19 to submit that finalized plan with reentry and post-reentry policies and procedures.
A successful return to the physical workplace plan is going to require more than the safety measures, as there are numerous HR-, EEO-, and legal-related challenges that will need to be addressed in your plan.
Time is winding down. Let FELTG help.
On June 30, FELTG President Deborah Hopkins and instructor Ann Boehm share all of the details you need to consider to successfully return your employees to the physical workspace. While safety is key, your initiatives must “satisfy applicable collective-bargaining obligations and provide ample notice to any employees who will be returning to the physical workplace, who will have altered work schedules, or who will otherwise have altered work circumstances, consistent with the agency’s intended post-reentry work environment.”
Ms. Hopkins and Ms. Boehm will address the challenges you’re likely to face so that they can be adequately addressed in your return-to-work plan. How will you handle leave for those employees who are unable to physically return? What EEO implications must be considered? Can you require that employees be vaccinated? What flexibilities can you offer for those whose child or elder care responsibilities make it difficult to return? How do you charge someone who refuses to report?
This 75-minute webinar will not only provide the answers to these questions, but will give ample time for you to ask our presenters about your own specific challenges.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $295 per site, per session (payment made by June 18).
- Standard Tuition: $335 per site, per session (payment made June 19-30).
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Course Description
1
FELTG kicks off its five-part webinar series Reasonable Accommodation in the Federal Workplace with an overview of the the current state of disability law and how the ADA, ADAAA, and Rehabilitation Act apply to federal employees with disabilities. Before you can appropriately manage the complex reasonable accommodation requests you’re likely to receive in the next few months, you need a thorough understanding of the basics. Attendees will learn about:
- Making disability determinations
- What “qualified individual” actually means
- Reasonable accommodation requests
- The interactive process
- Denials of reasonable accommodation
- Reassignment and Medical Inability to Perform removals
Whether you’re an attorney, disability program manager, EEO or HR Specialist or a supervisor, you’ll want to be sure to attend this session.
This program meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $240 per site, per session (payment made by July 2).
- Standard Tuition: $270 per site, per session (payment made July 3 or later).
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Katherine Atkinson, Meghan Droste
Course Description
One of the most important and complex areas in federal employment law is the obligation to provide reasonable accommodation, whether it’s to qualified individuals with disabilities or for individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs. And the pandemic has made these laws even trickier and more important than usual.
The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act is more than ten years old; the ADA is more than 30, and the Rehabilitation Act is nearing 50. However, too many agencies continue to follow outdated procedures that are not compliant with the law. Because there are so many complexities in the reasonable accommodation process, the best way to avoid pitfalls and to be sure you provide accommodations for people who are entitled is to follow the appropriate steps, in the proper order.
Yet, times change, and we learn new information about medical conditions, while new medications and treatments raise different issues. Technological advances create opportunities that previously didn’t exist. And once-in-a-lifetime pandemics create new, multifaceted challenges.
Updated for 2021, FELTG’s annual five-part series on reasonable accommodation provides an opportunity to re-familiarize yourself with the critical foundation of disability law, and apply it to the ever-evolving federal workplace. The series will tackle everything from the basics of the law to challenges, such as providing accommodations to teleworkers and accommodating invisible disabilities. You’ll learn from the mistakes others have made, as well as how the law differs for religious accommodation. Attend one session, or attend them all.
This series meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Click on any event for a full description.
5 (1 per webinar)
Session 1: Reasonable Accommodation Overview and Analysis (July 15)
Session 2: Accommodating Invisible Disabilities (July 22)
Session 3: Telework as Reasonable Accommodation (July 29)
Session 4: Reasonable Accommodation: The Mistakes Agencies Make (August 5)
Session 5: Religious Accommodations: How They’re Different from Disability Accommodations (August 12)
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $240.00 per site, per session (payment made by July 2).
- Standard Tuition: $270.00 per site, per session (payment made July 3 or later).
- Register for all five webinars by July 2 and pay only $1,150.00!
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Course Description
A few weeks ago the MSPB released a report called Agency Leader Responsibilities Related to Prohibited Personnel Practices. As part of the report, MSPB has mandated training for agency supervisors and employees on whistleblowing, prohibited personnel practices, and the new disciplinary procedures required under the Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick Whistleblower Protection Act (Kirkpatrick Act) at 5 U.S.C. § 7515.
In some ways, Kirkpatrick discipline looks like traditional Chapter 75 discipline, but in other ways it varies significantly. Don’t be caught unaware. Join FELTG President Deborah Hopkins as she explains all the specifics.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Understand the reasoning behind Kirkpatrick discipline, and the role of the agency head in such actions.
- Identify the three specific PPPs at issue in Kirkpatrick discipline cases.
- Employ the specific requirements for discipline against management officials who reprise against whistleblowers.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition (payment required by July 9): $285
- Standard Tuition (payment made by July or later): $315
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Course Description
1
Numerous disabilities, such as chronic pain and diabetes, are not always visible or obvious in the workplace. As the federal workforce ages, the number of employees with hidden disabilities continues to grow. And as a result of the pandemic, you’re likely to see more requests for respiratory illnesses and COVID-related conditions, such as chronic fatigue.
Providing reasonable accommodation for so-called invisible disabilities is going to be a major challenge for HR professionals, supervisors, and the people who advise them.
In the second webinar of our Reasonable Accommodation in the Federal Workplace series attorney Katherine Atkinson will explain to how properly navigate Rehabilitation Act regulations and EEOC guidance while taking a common sense approach to reasonably accommodating hidden disabilities. Ms. Atkinson will provide examples of accommodations that have proven successful for hidden disabilities.
Whether you’re an attorney, disability program manager, EEO or HR Specialist or a supervisor, you’ll want to be sure to attend this session.
This program meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $240 per site, per session (payment made by July 2).
- Standard Tuition: $270 per site, per session (payment made July 3 or later).
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Katherine Atkinson, Meghan Droste
Course Description
One of the most important and complex areas in federal employment law is the obligation to provide reasonable accommodation, whether it’s to qualified individuals with disabilities or for individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs. And the pandemic has made these laws even trickier and more important than usual.
The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act is more than ten years old; the ADA is more than 30, and the Rehabilitation Act is nearing 50. However, too many agencies continue to follow outdated procedures that are not compliant with the law. Because there are so many complexities in the reasonable accommodation process, the best way to avoid pitfalls and to be sure you provide accommodations for people who are entitled is to follow the appropriate steps, in the proper order.
Yet, times change, and we learn new information about medical conditions, while new medications and treatments raise different issues. Technological advances create opportunities that previously didn’t exist. And once-in-a-lifetime pandemics create new, multifaceted challenges.
Updated for 2021, FELTG’s annual five-part series on reasonable accommodation provides an opportunity to re-familiarize yourself with the critical foundation of disability law, and apply it to the ever-evolving federal workplace. The series will tackle everything from the basics of the law to challenges, such as providing accommodations to teleworkers and accommodating invisible disabilities. You’ll learn from the mistakes others have made, as well as how the law differs for religious accommodation. Attend one session, or attend them all.
This series meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Click on any event for a full description.
5 (1 per webinar)
Session 1: Reasonable Accommodation Overview and Analysis (July 15)
Session 2: Accommodating Invisible Disabilities (July 22)
Session 3: Telework as Reasonable Accommodation (July 29)
Session 4: Reasonable Accommodation: The Mistakes Agencies Make (August 5)
Session 5: Religious Accommodations: How They’re Different from Disability Accommodations (August 12)
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $240.00 per site, per session (payment made by July 2).
- Standard Tuition: $270.00 per site, per session (payment made July 3 or later).
- Register for all five webinars by July 2 and pay only $1,150.00!
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Course Description
1
Telework is one of the the most commonly requested accommodations for individuals who have physical and mental disabilities. And after a year of pandemic-induced work challenges, it’s more clear than ever: Telework can be a very effective accommodation, too. In light of that, you can expect even more reasonable accommodation requests for telework than ever before. Are you ready to do the appropriate interactive discussion and analysis?
Join FELTG President and Attorney at Law Deborah Hopkins for a discussion on this timely topic during the third event in our Reasonable Accommodation in the Federal Workplace webinar series. Ms Hopkins will detail the required three-step process for agencies to be compliant when dealing with reasonable accommodation requests.
From there, she’ll discuss:
- What to do if telework would be an effective accommodation – but something else would work too
- Who gets to choose the accommodation
- What the EEOC says about accommodating an employee’s commute
- When an agency can legally deny telework as an accommodation
Often times the best way to learn is by looking at real-life case studies, so the session will include a discussion on recent federal cases – won and lost – involving telework requests as reasonable accommodation. Because of the cost incurred when handling a reasonable accommodation complaint, your agency EEO staff, reasonable accommodation coordinators, disability coordinators, HR staff and supervisors truly cannot afford to miss this event.
This program meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $240.00 per site, per session (payment made by July 2).
- Standard Tuition: $270.00 per site, per session (payment made July 3 or later).
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Katherine Atkinson, Meghan Droste
Course Description
One of the most important and complex areas in federal employment law is the obligation to provide reasonable accommodation, whether it’s to qualified individuals with disabilities or for individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs. And the pandemic has made these laws even trickier and more important than usual.
The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act is more than ten years old; the ADA is more than 30, and the Rehabilitation Act is nearing 50. However, too many agencies continue to follow outdated procedures that are not compliant with the law. Because there are so many complexities in the reasonable accommodation process, the best way to avoid pitfalls and to be sure you provide accommodations for people who are entitled is to follow the appropriate steps, in the proper order.
Yet, times change, and we learn new information about medical conditions, while new medications and treatments raise different issues. Technological advances create opportunities that previously didn’t exist. And once-in-a-lifetime pandemics create new, multifaceted challenges.
Updated for 2021, FELTG’s annual five-part series on reasonable accommodation provides an opportunity to re-familiarize yourself with the critical foundation of disability law, and apply it to the ever-evolving federal workplace. The series will tackle everything from the basics of the law to challenges, such as providing accommodations to teleworkers and accommodating invisible disabilities. You’ll learn from the mistakes others have made, as well as how the law differs for religious accommodation. Attend one session, or attend them all.
This series meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Click on any event for a full description.
5 (1 per webinar)
Session 1: Reasonable Accommodation Overview and Analysis (July 15)
Session 2: Accommodating Invisible Disabilities (July 22)
Session 3: Telework as Reasonable Accommodation (July 29)
Session 4: Reasonable Accommodation: The Mistakes Agencies Make (August 5)
Session 5: Religious Accommodations: How They’re Different from Disability Accommodations (August 12)
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $240.00 per site, per session (payment made by July 2).
- Standard Tuition: $270.00 per site, per session (payment made July 3 or later).
- Register for all five webinars by July 2 and pay only $1,150.00!
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Course Description
1
Are you likely to outright deny a reasonable accommodation request for leave or a flexible work schedule? Do you think undue hardship is a viable reason to deny most reasonable accommodations? Do you think it’s the supervisor’s responsibility to determine if the individual is really disabled? Have you reached out to an employee’s doctor to find out more about his disability? If so, we have one word for you: Uh-oh.
Oftentimes the best way to learn is by making mistakes. But not when it comes to reasonable accommodation law. Instead, learn from the costly and embarrassing blunders that other agencies have already made. Attorney Robert Woods will review recent EEO cases to share these mistakes so you know how to avoid them.
During this session, the fourth in our Reasonable Accommodation in the Federal Workplace webinar series, attendees will learn:
- What steps to take when an employee informs you of his or her disability
- How to determine if telework would be an effective accommodation
- When leave would be considered an accommodation
- Why undue hardship is rarely a successful defense for denying an accommodation request
Learn how to handle reasonable accommodation requests with confidence.
This program meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $240 per site, per session (payment made by July 20).
- Standard Tuition: $270 per site, per session (payment made July 21 or later).
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Katherine Atkinson, Meghan Droste
Course Description
One of the most important and complex areas in federal employment law is the obligation to provide reasonable accommodation, whether it’s to qualified individuals with disabilities or for individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs. And the pandemic has made these laws even trickier and more important than usual.
The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act is more than ten years old; the ADA is more than 30, and the Rehabilitation Act is nearing 50. However, too many agencies continue to follow outdated procedures that are not compliant with the law. Because there are so many complexities in the reasonable accommodation process, the best way to avoid pitfalls and to be sure you provide accommodations for people who are entitled is to follow the appropriate steps, in the proper order.
Yet, times change, and we learn new information about medical conditions, while new medications and treatments raise different issues. Technological advances create opportunities that previously didn’t exist. And once-in-a-lifetime pandemics create new, multifaceted challenges.
Updated for 2021, FELTG’s annual five-part series on reasonable accommodation provides an opportunity to re-familiarize yourself with the critical foundation of disability law, and apply it to the ever-evolving federal workplace. The series will tackle everything from the basics of the law to challenges, such as providing accommodations to teleworkers and accommodating invisible disabilities. You’ll learn from the mistakes others have made, as well as how the law differs for religious accommodation. Attend one session, or attend them all.
This series meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Click on any event for a full description.
5 (1 per webinar)
Session 1: Reasonable Accommodation Overview and Analysis (July 15)
Session 2: Accommodating Invisible Disabilities (July 22)
Session 3: Telework as Reasonable Accommodation (July 29)
Session 4: Reasonable Accommodation: The Mistakes Agencies Make (August 5)
Session 5: Religious Accommodations: How They’re Different from Disability Accommodations (August 12)
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $240.00 per site, per session (payment made by July 2).
- Standard Tuition: $270.00 per site, per session (payment made July 3 or later).
- Register for all five webinars by July 2 and pay only $1,150.00!
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Course Description
1
A request for religious accommodation requires a much different response than a request for reasonable accommodation of a disability. Failure to understand the important distinctions between religious accommodations and those made for individuals with disabilities could lead to costly mistakes and embarrassing gaffes.
Join attorney Katherine Atkinson for the final session in our five-part Reasonable Accommodation in the Federal Workplace webinar series, and leave with specific guidance to help you with accommodation requests involving religious clothing and headwear, grooming, proselytizing, religious displays, and work schedules.
After a review of the relevant law and regulations law that pertain to religious accommodation, the instructor will discuss:
- What religions qualify for accommodation
- The definition of “undue hardship” and case examples
- The most common accommodations for religion
- Issues related to dress code and grooming
- What to do when employees request to be excused from performing certain job tasks because of religious reasons
Whether you’re an attorney, EEO program specialist, HR specialist or manager, you’ll want to be sure to join us for this important session.
This program meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $240 per site, per session (payment made by July 20).
- Standard Tuition: $270 per site, per session (payment made July 21 or later).
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Katherine Atkinson, Meghan Droste
Course Description
One of the most important and complex areas in federal employment law is the obligation to provide reasonable accommodation, whether it’s to qualified individuals with disabilities or for individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs. And the pandemic has made these laws even trickier and more important than usual.
The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act is more than ten years old; the ADA is more than 30, and the Rehabilitation Act is nearing 50. However, too many agencies continue to follow outdated procedures that are not compliant with the law. Because there are so many complexities in the reasonable accommodation process, the best way to avoid pitfalls and to be sure you provide accommodations for people who are entitled is to follow the appropriate steps, in the proper order.
Yet, times change, and we learn new information about medical conditions, while new medications and treatments raise different issues. Technological advances create opportunities that previously didn’t exist. And once-in-a-lifetime pandemics create new, multifaceted challenges.
Updated for 2021, FELTG’s annual five-part series on reasonable accommodation provides an opportunity to re-familiarize yourself with the critical foundation of disability law, and apply it to the ever-evolving federal workplace. The series will tackle everything from the basics of the law to challenges, such as providing accommodations to teleworkers and accommodating invisible disabilities. You’ll learn from the mistakes others have made, as well as how the law differs for religious accommodation. Attend one session, or attend them all.
This series meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Click on any event for a full description.
5 (1 per webinar)
Session 1: Reasonable Accommodation Overview and Analysis (July 15)
Session 2: Accommodating Invisible Disabilities (July 22)
Session 3: Telework as Reasonable Accommodation (July 29)
Session 4: Reasonable Accommodation: The Mistakes Agencies Make (August 5)
Session 5: Religious Accommodations: How They’re Different from Disability Accommodations (August 12)
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $240.00 per site, per session (payment made by July 2).
- Standard Tuition: $270.00 per site, per session (payment made July 3 or later).
- Register for all five webinars by July 2 and pay only $1,150.00!
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Course Description
Agencies face many challenges and unanswered questions as they attempt to bring workers back the physical workspace, especially as they pertain to reasonable accommodation requests and medical information. In this 60-minute webinar, the first in our three-part Navigating the Return to the Federal Workplace series, Attorney at Law and FELTG Instructor Katherine Atkinson provide guidance for those challenges and answer those questions, such as:
- How do you accommodate someone with ‘long COVID’ or post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC)?
- What do you do with the results of an employee’s COVD-19 test?
- Where do you store the Certifications of Vaccination?
- Must you accommodate employees who refuse to get the vaccine?
- If a supervisor treats an employee like she has COVID-19, could that employee have a “regarded as” claim under the ADA/Rehabilitation Act?
- Do agencies have to provide a reasonable accommodation of permanent telework for an employee who refuses to get the vaccine for religious reasons?
Join us for the other two webinars in this three-part series:
- October 19: Vexing Vaccine Requirements: Responding to Requests for Exemptions
- October 26: Post-Pandemic Accountability: Handling Employee Performance and Misconduct in a COVID-19 World
This webinar and this series meet the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site, per session (payment made by October 1).
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site, per session (payment made October 2 or later).
- Register for all three webinars by October 1 and pay only $785.
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per webinar per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Katherine Atkinson
Course Description
When you think about it, the federal workforce’s response to the pandemic was nothing short of remarkable. A majority of employees began working remotely for the first time in their careers. And by most accounts, it was a success.
So you’d think the eventual return back to the physical workspace would be a breeze.
Think again.
Even before the delta variant began ravaging the country, there was uncertainty on how to best return to the workplace. Now the variant has put us back almost to square one for a safe and easy return. This makes the Biden Administration’s recent Executive Order mandating all Federal employees and onsite contractors be vaccinated even more prescient.
Between the variant, the vaccination requirement, and the sheer challenge of creating a new hybrid work environment, there is more uncertainty than ever before. FELTG’s “The Return to the Workplace” webinar series offers to provide clear-cut answers, along with the appropriate framework for you to address these unique and unprecedented challenges.
October 12: Handling Pandemic-Related Reasonable Accommodation Requests and Medical Documentation
- How do you accommodate someone with ‘long COVID’ or post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC)?
- What do you do with the results of an employee’s COVID-19 test?
- Where do you store the Certifications of Vaccination?
- Must you accommodate employees who refuse to get the vaccine?
- If a supervisor treats an employee like she has COVID-19, could that employee have a “regarded as” claim under the ADA/Rehabilitation Act?
- Do agencies have to provide a reasonable accommodation for an employee who refuses to get the vaccine for religious reasons?
October 19: Vexing Vaccine Requirements: Responding to Requests for Exemptions
- Does asking the pre-vaccination screening questions create a violation of Title II of the Genetic Information and Nondiscrimination Act?
- Can you require employees to provide proof of vaccination, rather than simply “attest” to vaccination status?
- What do you do if an employee refuses to share his or her vaccination status?
- How will you determine whether an employee’s religion or medical condition requests vaccination exemptions?
- How do you hold remote workers accountable for performance and conduct?
- Is failure to comply with a COVID-19 screening test a performance or conduct issue?
- How do you provide a performance demonstration period for an employee who is teleworking?
- What actions can you take against employees who refuse to get vaccinated?
This series meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site, per session (payment made by October 1).
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site, per session (payment made October 2 or later).
- Register for all three webinars by October 1 and pay only $785.
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per webinar per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Course Description
Agencies face many challenges and unanswered questions as they attempt to bring workers back the physical workspace, especially as they pertain to vaccine requirements and attestations. In this 60-minute webinar, the second of our three-webinar Navigating the Return to the Federal Workplace series, Attorney at Law and FELTG Instructor Katherine Atkinson provide guidance for those challenges and answer those questions, such as:
- Does asking the pre-vaccination screening questions create a violation of Title II of the Genetic Information and Nondiscrimination Act?
- Can you require employees to provide proof of vaccination, rather than simply “attest” to vaccination status?
- What do you do if an employee refuses to share his or her vaccination status?
- How will you determine whether an employee’s religion or medical condition requests vaccination exemptions?
- How do you discipline an employee for lying on the certification of vaccination form?
Join us on October 26, for the final webinar in this series: Post-Pandemic Accountability: Handling Employee Performance and Misconduct in a COVID-19 World.
This series meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site (payment made by October 1).
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site (payment made October 2 or later).
- Register for all three webinars in the Navigating the Return to the Federal Workplace series by October 1 and pay only $785.
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per webinar per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Katherine Atkinson
Course Description
When you think about it, the federal workforce’s response to the pandemic was nothing short of remarkable. A majority of employees began working remotely for the first time in their careers. And by most accounts, it was a success.
So you’d think the eventual return back to the physical workspace would be a breeze.
Think again.
Even before the delta variant began ravaging the country, there was uncertainty on how to best return to the workplace. Now the variant has put us back almost to square one for a safe and easy return. This makes the Biden Administration’s recent Executive Order mandating all Federal employees and onsite contractors be vaccinated even more prescient.
Between the variant, the vaccination requirement, and the sheer challenge of creating a new hybrid work environment, there is more uncertainty than ever before. FELTG’s “The Return to the Workplace” webinar series offers to provide clear-cut answers, along with the appropriate framework for you to address these unique and unprecedented challenges.
October 12: Handling Pandemic-Related Reasonable Accommodation Requests and Medical Documentation
- How do you accommodate someone with ‘long COVID’ or post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC)?
- What do you do with the results of an employee’s COVID-19 test?
- Where do you store the Certifications of Vaccination?
- Must you accommodate employees who refuse to get the vaccine?
- If a supervisor treats an employee like she has COVID-19, could that employee have a “regarded as” claim under the ADA/Rehabilitation Act?
- Do agencies have to provide a reasonable accommodation for an employee who refuses to get the vaccine for religious reasons?
October 19: Vexing Vaccine Requirements: Responding to Requests for Exemptions
- Does asking the pre-vaccination screening questions create a violation of Title II of the Genetic Information and Nondiscrimination Act?
- Can you require employees to provide proof of vaccination, rather than simply “attest” to vaccination status?
- What do you do if an employee refuses to share his or her vaccination status?
- How will you determine whether an employee’s religion or medical condition requests vaccination exemptions?
- How do you hold remote workers accountable for performance and conduct?
- Is failure to comply with a COVID-19 screening test a performance or conduct issue?
- How do you provide a performance demonstration period for an employee who is teleworking?
- What actions can you take against employees who refuse to get vaccinated?
This series meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site, per session (payment made by October 1).
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site, per session (payment made October 2 or later).
- Register for all three webinars by October 1 and pay only $785.
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per webinar per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Course Description
Agencies face many challenges and unanswered questions about performance and conduct as they attempt to bring workers back the physical workspace, while maintaining some type of hybrid work environment. In this final webinar of our three-part Navigating the Return to the Federal Workplace series, Attorney at Law and FELTG President Deborah Hopkins provide guidance for those challenges and answer those questions, such as:
- How do you hold remote workers accountable for performance and conduct?
- Is failure to comply with a COVID-19 screening test a performance or conduct issue?
- How do you provide a performance demonstration period for an employee who is teleworking?
- What discipline is appropriate for an employee who refuses to get the COVID-19 vaccine?
This series meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site (payment made by October 1).
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site (payment made October 2 or later).
- Register for all three webinars in the Navigating the Return to the Federal Workplace series by October 1 and pay only $785.
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per webinar per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Katherine Atkinson
Course Description
When you think about it, the federal workforce’s response to the pandemic was nothing short of remarkable. A majority of employees began working remotely for the first time in their careers. And by most accounts, it was a success.
So you’d think the eventual return back to the physical workspace would be a breeze.
Think again.
Even before the delta variant began ravaging the country, there was uncertainty on how to best return to the workplace. Now the variant has put us back almost to square one for a safe and easy return. This makes the Biden Administration’s recent Executive Order mandating all Federal employees and onsite contractors be vaccinated even more prescient.
Between the variant, the vaccination requirement, and the sheer challenge of creating a new hybrid work environment, there is more uncertainty than ever before. FELTG’s “The Return to the Workplace” webinar series offers to provide clear-cut answers, along with the appropriate framework for you to address these unique and unprecedented challenges.
October 12: Handling Pandemic-Related Reasonable Accommodation Requests and Medical Documentation
- How do you accommodate someone with ‘long COVID’ or post-acute sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC)?
- What do you do with the results of an employee’s COVID-19 test?
- Where do you store the Certifications of Vaccination?
- Must you accommodate employees who refuse to get the vaccine?
- If a supervisor treats an employee like she has COVID-19, could that employee have a “regarded as” claim under the ADA/Rehabilitation Act?
- Do agencies have to provide a reasonable accommodation for an employee who refuses to get the vaccine for religious reasons?
October 19: Vexing Vaccine Requirements: Responding to Requests for Exemptions
- Does asking the pre-vaccination screening questions create a violation of Title II of the Genetic Information and Nondiscrimination Act?
- Can you require employees to provide proof of vaccination, rather than simply “attest” to vaccination status?
- What do you do if an employee refuses to share his or her vaccination status?
- How will you determine whether an employee’s religion or medical condition requests vaccination exemptions?
- How do you hold remote workers accountable for performance and conduct?
- Is failure to comply with a COVID-19 screening test a performance or conduct issue?
- How do you provide a performance demonstration period for an employee who is teleworking?
- What actions can you take against employees who refuse to get vaccinated?
This series meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site, per session (payment made by October 1).
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site, per session (payment made October 2 or later).
- Register for all three webinars by October 1 and pay only $785.
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per webinar per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Course Description
EEO law protects employees from reprisal based on EEO activity, and retaliation is asserted in almost 45 percent of EEO complaints.
Think about that as you process the numerous religious and reasonable accommodation requests for exceptions to the vaccine mandate coming across your desk. Those requests are a protected EEO activity. The EEOC is concerned enough about retaliation in pandemic-related situations that it recently published guidance on the topic.
In this 75-minute webinar, FELTG Instructor Katherine Atkinson will walk you through the details of the EEOC guidance, discuss the various forms of EEO reprisal and why it’s the most common category in discrimination findings, and provide important guidance on what can be done to limit retaliation from happening at your agency.
This is an important area of focus in federal employee statutory protections, especially as it involves highly-charged emotional and political issues. Whether you’re an attorney, LER specialist, EEO specialist, or supervisor, you can’t afford to miss this event.
This webinar meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $295 per site (payment made by January 4).
- Standard Tuition: $325 per site (payment made January 5 or later).
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per webinar per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Course Description
Navigating the FMLA is one of the most complex challenges a federal agency can face and the addition of Paid Parental Leave (PPL) has further complicated matters. Let Federal leave expert Barbara Haga break it all down for you. During this 90-minute webinar, Ms. Haga will explain entitlements, notice requirements, medical certifications and how to hold employees accountable for conduct and performance matters when FMLA leave is involved.
Attendees will work through scenarios to learn how and when to grant FMLA. And there will be several opportunities to ask questions.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Manage substitution of paid leave (including PPL) in place of unpaid FMLA leave.
- Decide what to do when medical documentation is insufficient.
- Identify covered serious health conditions.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $295 per site (payment required by January 21)
- Standard Tuition: $325 per site (payments made January 22 or later)
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Course Description
There is a lot of confusion about where the authority comes from to hold employees accountable for many things related to their positions. Position descriptions, performance plans, conduct standards, as well as requirements for training and licenses/certifications all fit into this scheme.
This two-part series will help you navigate which tool works best for building in the accountability that your agency should demand. In Part I, the focus will be on establishing effective performance elements and standards. This workshop will include detailed on guidance on writing measures that are understandable and workable as well as defensible.
FELTG Senior Instructor Barbara Haga will explain requirements for establishing various kinds of elements as well as writing standards that measure what is truly important about an employee’s performance. This workshop will include discussion of important MSPB cases about the content of standards.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Identify what critical elements and performance standards are intended to cover
- Craft workable standards that managers can explain and can effectively measure the key things regarding an employee’s performance
- Understand concepts from MSPB case law that explain how to write standards which will withstand scrutiny in grievances and appeals
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $295 per site, per webinar (payment required by March 28)
- Standard Tuition: $335 per site, per webinar (payments made March 29 or later)
Register for both webinars by March 28 and pay only $570!
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, per webinar, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Course Description
In this second part of the Tools for Accountability series. FELTG Senior Instructor Barbara Haga will cover the range of tools that are available to set job duties and functions, conduct standards, medical standards and physical requirements, and conditions of employment. The session will include discussion of utilizing position descriptions and other agency tools to establish what conduct standards employees are expected to meet. Ms. Haga will explain how to maximize the effectiveness of the tools management can employ to deal with situations when employees fail to meet those requirements.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Ensure effective use of well-crafted position descriptions.
- Establish conditions of employment and taking action when they are not met.
- Understand how medical examinations and physical requirements are established to ensure that employees can safely and effectively perform.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $295 per site, per webinar (payment required by March 28)
- Standard Tuition: $335 per site, per webinar (payments made March 29 or later)
Register for both webinars by March 28 and pay only $570!
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, per webinar, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Course Description
Are you likely to outright deny a reasonable accommodation request for leave or a flexible work schedule? Do you think undue hardship is a viable reason to deny most reasonable accommodations? Do you think it’s the supervisor’s responsibility to determine if the individual is really disabled? Have you reached out to an employee’s doctor to find out more about his disability? If so, we have one word for you: Uh-oh.
Oftentimes the best way to learn is by making mistakes. But not when it comes to reasonable accommodation law. Instead, learn from the costly and embarrassing blunders that other agencies have already made. Attorney Katherine Atkinson will review recent EEO cases to share these mistakes so you know how to avoid them.
During this webinar, attendees will learn:
- What steps to take when an employee informs you of his or her disability
- How to determine if telework would be an effective accommodation
- When leave would be considered an accommodation
- Whether long-term telework during the pandemic affects an agency’s processing of telework accommodation requests
- Why undue hardship is rarely a successful defense for denying an accommodation request
Learn how to handle reasonable accommodation requests with confidence.
This program meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $270 per site, per session (payment made by April 5).
- Standard Tuition: $295 per site, per session (payment made April 6 or later).
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Course Description
After two-plus years of pandemic upheaval, agencies are finally bringing most employees back to the physical workplace, at least some of the time. After previous attempts were upended by COVID variants, agencies now have tangible plans on who is coming back, and when. And with those plans come brand-new challenges for your agency.
- Uncertainty about the future of the vaccination requirement.
- Medical considerations as new variants continue to circulate.
- Strongly held feelings and belief about COVID-related matters.
- Employees, now used to the flexibilities of remote work, who don’t want to return to the physical workplace.
- And the uncertainty about the new hybrid workplace that many agencies are creating.
FELTG’s “The Return to the Workplace” webinar series offers to provide clear-cut answers, along with the appropriate framework for you to address these unique and unprecedented challenges.
May 4: New EEO Challenges: Preventing Post-COVID Reprisal and Harassment
Rather than bringing people together to fight a common cause, the pandemic widened the deep politicization in this country, which, unfortunately, has filtered into workplaces. Federal agencies should be prepared to identify and handle expected increases in COVID-related reprisal and harassment. In this 60-minute webinar, FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will provide answers to numerous questions, including:
- What’s the difference between COVID-related harassment and reprisal?
- How can you prevent adverse treatment of individuals who requested an exemption to the vaccine requirement?
- Is harassing someone who doesn’t believe in COVID an EEO issue?
- What parameters can employers set about COVID- and vaccine-related conversations in the workplace?
May 11: Managing Post-pandemic Reasonable Accommodation Requests and Medical Documentation
Before a Federal district judge in Texas issued an injunction on the vaccine requirement for many (but not all) Federal employees, many of you were dealing with multiple requests for exemptions. And with the injunction set to be lifted May 31, those requests – plus any new ones that are filed – will once again require processing. And even more new accommodation challenges await you, along with potential minefields that if not avoided could lead to ADA/Rehabilitation Action violations. In this 60-minute webinar, FELTG Instructor Ann Boehm will provide answers to numerous questions, including:
- How do you accommodate someone with ‘long COVID’?
- What do you do with the results of an employee’s COVID-19 test or vaccine documentation?
- If an employee successfully performed remotely, must you grant his accommodation request for permanent telework?
- Should you review all of the reasonable accommodations offered before employees return to the workplace?
- What should agencies be doing with all those requests for vaccine exemptions?
May 18: Managing Return-to-the-Workplace Conduct Challenges
Many Federal employees are eager to return to the physical workplace. However, it’s important to remember that there are just as many employees, if not more, who are comfortable in their current remote work situation, and do not look forward to a return. There are likely numerous other employees who continue to carry a chip on their shoulder about how the pandemic was handled. In this 60-minute webinar, FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will address how to handle some of the conduct challenges you’re likely to face. She’ll provide answers to numerous questions, including:
- Is failure to comply with a COVID-19 screening test or mask requirement a performance or conduct issue?
- Where do things stand with the vaccine requirement?
- What actions can you take against employees who refuse to return to the workplace?
- If an employee is AWOL, what options does your agency have?
- Can you discipline someone for publicly sharing their personal opinions about COVID restrictions?
This series meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $290 per site, per session (payment made by April 25).
- Standard Tuition: $320 per site, per session (payment made April 26 or later).
- Register for all three webinars by April 25 and pay only $830.
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per webinar per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Course Description
After two-plus years of pandemic upheaval, agencies are finally bringing most employees back to the physical workplace, at least some of the time. After previous attempts were upended by COVID variants, agencies now have tangible plans on who is coming back, and when. And with those plans come brand-new challenges for your agency.
- Uncertainty about the future of the vaccination requirement.
- Medical considerations as new variants continue to circulate.
- Strongly held feelings and belief about COVID-related matters.
- Employees, now used to the flexibilities of remote work, who don’t want to return to the physical workplace.
- And the uncertainty about the new hybrid workplace that many agencies are creating.
FELTG’s “The Return to the Workplace” webinar series offers to provide clear-cut answers, along with the appropriate framework for you to address these unique and unprecedented challenges.
May 4: New EEO Challenges: Preventing Post-COVID Reprisal and Harassment
Rather than bringing people together to fight a common cause, the pandemic widened the deep politicization in this country, which, unfortunately, has filtered into workplaces. Federal agencies should be prepared to identify and handle expected increases in COVID-related reprisal and harassment. In this 60-minute webinar, FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will provide answers to numerous questions, including:
- What’s the difference between COVID-related harassment and reprisal?
- How can you prevent adverse treatment of individuals who requested an exemption to the vaccine requirement?
- Is harassing someone who doesn’t believe in COVID an EEO issue?
- What parameters can employers set about COVID- and vaccine-related conversations in the workplace?
May 11: Managing Post-pandemic Reasonable Accommodation Requests and Medical Documentation
Before a Federal district judge in Texas issued an injunction on the vaccine requirement for many (but not all) Federal employees, many of you were dealing with multiple requests for exemptions. And with the injunction set to be lifted May 31, those requests – plus any new ones that are filed – will once again require processing. And even more new accommodation challenges await you, along with potential minefields that if not avoided could lead to ADA/Rehabilitation Action violations. In this 60-minute webinar, FELTG Instructor Ann Boehm will provide answers to numerous questions, including:
- How do you accommodate someone with ‘long COVID’?
- What do you do with the results of an employee’s COVID-19 test or vaccine documentation?
- If an employee successfully performed remotely, must you grant his accommodation request for permanent telework?
- Should you review all of the reasonable accommodations offered before employees return to the workplace?
- What should agencies be doing with all those requests for vaccine exemptions?
May 18: Managing Return-to-the-Workplace Conduct Challenges
Many Federal employees are eager to return to the physical workplace. However, it’s important to remember that there are just as many employees, if not more, who are comfortable in their current remote work situation, and do not look forward to a return. There are likely numerous other employees who continue to carry a chip on their shoulder about how the pandemic was handled. In this 60-minute webinar, FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will address how to handle some of the conduct challenges you’re likely to face. She’ll provide answers to numerous questions, including:
- Is failure to comply with a COVID-19 screening test or mask requirement a performance or conduct issue?
- Where do things stand with the vaccine requirement?
- What actions can you take against employees who refuse to return to the workplace?
- If an employee is AWOL, what options does your agency have?
- Can you discipline someone for publicly sharing their personal opinions about COVID restrictions?
This series meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $290 per site, per session (payment made by April 25).
- Standard Tuition: $320 per site, per session (payment made April 26 or later).
- Register for all three webinars by April 25 and pay only $830.
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per webinar per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Course Description
After two-plus years of pandemic upheaval, agencies are finally bringing most employees back to the physical workplace, at least some of the time. After previous attempts were upended by COVID variants, agencies now have tangible plans on who is coming back, and when. And with those plans come brand-new challenges for your agency.
- Uncertainty about the future of the vaccination requirement.
- Medical considerations as new variants continue to circulate.
- Strongly held feelings and belief about COVID-related matters.
- Employees, now used to the flexibilities of remote work, who don’t want to return to the physical workplace.
- And the uncertainty about the new hybrid workplace that many agencies are creating.
FELTG’s “The Return to the Workplace” webinar series offers to provide clear-cut answers, along with the appropriate framework for you to address these unique and unprecedented challenges.
May 4: New EEO Challenges: Preventing Post-COVID Reprisal and Harassment
Rather than bringing people together to fight a common cause, the pandemic widened the deep politicization in this country, which, unfortunately, has filtered into workplaces. Federal agencies should be prepared to identify and handle expected increases in COVID-related reprisal and harassment. In this 60-minute webinar, FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will provide answers to numerous questions, including:
- What’s the difference between COVID-related harassment and reprisal?
- How can you prevent adverse treatment of individuals who requested an exemption to the vaccine requirement?
- Is harassing someone who doesn’t believe in COVID an EEO issue?
- What parameters can employers set about COVID- and vaccine-related conversations in the workplace?
May 11: Managing Post-pandemic Reasonable Accommodation Requests and Medical Documentation
Before a Federal district judge in Texas issued an injunction on the vaccine requirement for many (but not all) Federal employees, many of you were dealing with multiple requests for exemptions. And with the injunction set to be lifted May 31, those requests – plus any new ones that are filed – will once again require processing. And even more new accommodation challenges await you, along with potential minefields that if not avoided could lead to ADA/Rehabilitation Action violations. In this 60-minute webinar, FELTG Instructor Ann Boehm will provide answers to numerous questions, including:
- How do you accommodate someone with ‘long COVID’?
- What do you do with the results of an employee’s COVID-19 test or vaccine documentation?
- If an employee successfully performed remotely, must you grant his accommodation request for permanent telework?
- Should you review all of the reasonable accommodations offered before employees return to the workplace?
- What should agencies be doing with all those requests for vaccine exemptions?
May 18: Managing Return-to-the-Workplace Conduct Challenges
Many Federal employees are eager to return to the physical workplace. However, it’s important to remember that there are just as many employees, if not more, who are comfortable in their current remote work situation, and do not look forward to a return. There are likely numerous other employees who continue to carry a chip on their shoulder about how the pandemic was handled. In this 60-minute webinar, FELTG President Deborah Hopkins will address how to handle some of the conduct challenges you’re likely to face. She’ll provide answers to numerous questions, including:
- Is failure to comply with a COVID-19 screening test or mask requirement a performance or conduct issue?
- Where do things stand with the vaccine requirement?
- What actions can you take against employees who refuse to return to the workplace?
- If an employee is AWOL, what options does your agency have?
- Can you discipline someone for publicly sharing their personal opinions about COVID restrictions?
This series meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $290 per site, per session (payment made by April 25).
- Standard Tuition: $320 per site, per session (payment made April 26 or later).
- Register for all three webinars by April 25 and pay only $830.
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per webinar per teleworker, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Course Description
1
FELTG kicks off its five-part webinar series Reasonable Accommodation in the Federal Workplace with an overview of the the current state of disability law and how the ADA, ADAAA, and Rehabilitation Act apply to federal employees with disabilities. Before you can appropriately manage the complex reasonable accommodation requests you’re likely to receive in the next few months, you need a thorough understanding of the basics. Attendees will learn about:
- Making disability determinations
- What “qualified individual” actually means
- Reasonable accommodation requests
- The interactive process
- Denials of reasonable accommodation
- Reassignment and Medical Inability to Perform removals
Whether you’re an attorney, disability program manager, EEO or HR Specialist or a supervisor, you’ll want to be sure to attend this session.
This program meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $250 per site, per session (payment made by July 11).
- Standard Tuition: $280 per site, per session (payment made July 12 or later).
- Register for all five webinars in the series by July 11 and pay only $1195!
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, per webinar, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future course.
Download Individual Registration Form
Instructor
Course Description
Performance appraisals. End of cycle ratings on tough-to-track elements. Discussing performance problems with employees. Taking defensible performance actions. Dealing with generic performance plans. Understanding when an issue is best dealt with through performance and when conduct would be a better answer.
If you really want to make performance a priority for your team, especially as you juggle the work of remote and onsite employees, as well as those working a hybrid schedule, then join us for this new half-day virtual training from FELTG Senior Instructor Barbara Haga.
Ms. Haga will take the mystery out of how the system is supposed to work in the Federal government by helping you review your own performance plans to see what’s good and what needs tweaking. She’ll also explain understand appraisal system requirements, including documenting performance and the the importance of timely and effective feedback. Ms. Haga will review important concepts about developing workable performance plans and how to differentiate between conduct and performance matters. The session will include discussion of the necessary steps to take action on deficient. performance improvement plans, and will also guide you through challenging issues like managing a poor performer who requests reasonable accommodation.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition (register by July 12): $355
- Standard Tuition (register July 13 or later): $395
- Rates per registrant.
- Want to register a group? Group discounts for 10 or more attendees are available through July 12. Contact FELTG.
Event FAQs
- Can I attend Virtual Training from my government computer?
- FELTG uses Zoom to broadcast this Virtual Training Institute event. Many government computers and systems allow Zoom access. If for some reason your firewall will not allow access, you’re welcome to use your personal email address to register, and to attend the sessions from your personal device.
- Can I earn CLE credits for this class?
- CLE applications are the responsibility of each attendee; FELTG does not apply for the credits on behalf of attendees. If you are seeking CLE credit, attendees may use the materials provided by FELTG in submission to your state bar. Attendees may also request a certificate of completion which will contain the number of training hours attended.
- Can I share my access link with co-workers?
- No. Registration for this event is per individual, and access links may not be shared. Each link may only be used by one person.
- Can I register a teleworker?
- This event is individual registration, so the cost is the same whether the person is teleworking or in an agency facility.
- How do I receive a group rate discount?
- Group rates are available for agencies registering 10 or more individuals. Group discounts are available through July 12.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructors
Deborah Hopkins, Ann Boehm, Bob Woods
Course Description
One of the most consistently challenging and complex areas in federal employment law is the obligation to provide reasonable accommodation, whether it’s to qualified individuals with disabilities, or for individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs.
And that was the case before the pandemic.
Now understanding the intricacies of these important laws is trickier and more challenging than ever.
For the past several years, FELTG’s annual Reasonable Accommodation series has re-familiarized Federal supervisors, HR professionals, disability program managers, and EEO leaders with the critical foundations of disability law, as well as how to apply that foundation to the ever-changing Federal Workplace.
The series is back again for 2022 — updated and refreshed. Attendees will leave with the proper framework for providing accommodations for people who are entitled, while avoiding the pitfalls that lead to unwanted conclusions. Attendees will also learn how properly conduct an interactive process and legally deny telework as reasonable accommodation. The series wraps with a look at how the law differs for religious accommodation. Attend one session, or attend them all.
This series meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Click on any event for a full description.
5 (1 per webinar)
Session 1: Reasonable Accommodation Framework: Disability Accommodation Overview and Analysis (July 21)
Session 2: The Importance of the Interactive Process (July 28)
Session 3: Telework as Reasonable Accommodation (August 4)
Session 4: Reasonable Accommodation: The Mistakes Agencies Make (August 11)
Session 5: Religious Accommodations: How They’re Different from Disability Accommodation (August 18)
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $250 per site, per session (payment made by July 11).
- Standard Tuition: $280 per site, per session (payment made July 12 or later).
- Register for all five webinars by July 11 and pay only $1195!
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, per webinar, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.
Instructor
Course Description
1
Before the pandemic, telework was one of the the most commonly requested accommodations for individuals with physical and mental disabilities.
After the success of two years of pandemic-induced remote work, you better believe that you’ll be getting even more reasonable accommodation requests for telework as employees are directed to return to the physical workplace. Are you ready to do the appropriate interactive discussion and analysis?
Join FELTG President and Attorney at Law Deborah Hopkins for a discussion on this timely topic, during the third event in our Reasonable Accommodation in the Federal Workplace webinar series. Ms Hopkins will detail the required three-step process for agencies to be compliant when dealing with reasonable accommodation requests.
From there, she’ll discuss:
- What to do if telework would be an effective accommodation – but something else would work too
- Who gets to choose the accommodation
- What the EEOC says about accommodating an employee’s commute
- When an agency can legally deny telework as an accommodation
Often times the best way to learn is by looking at real-life case studies, so the session will include a discussion on recent federal cases – won and lost – involving telework requests as reasonable accommodation. Because of the cost incurred when handling a reasonable accommodation complaint, your agency EEO staff, reasonable accommodation coordinators, disability coordinators, HR staff and supervisors truly cannot afford to miss this event.
This program meets the President’s mandate to provide training on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in the Federal workplace.
Price
- Early Bird Tuition: $250 per site, per session (payment made by July 11).
- Standard Tuition: $280 per site, per session (payment made July 12 or later).
- Register for all five webinars in the series by July 11 and pay only $1195!
Teleworkers may be added to a main site registration for $50 per teleworker, per webinar, on a space-available basis.
Cancellation and No-show Policy for Registered Participants: Cancellations made after the cancel date on the registration form will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. Pre-paid training using the “Pay Now” option will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses. No-shows will not be refunded or given credit toward future courses.