2023 Technology & Integration Issue

Technology & Integration

January/February 2023

What holds absence management professionals back from using technology to automate manual processes that leave them more vulnerable to compliance risks? The latest issue of @Work explores this question and illustrates the benefits to automation with examples of employer successes and return on investment, practical technologies that help employees stay at work and streamline return-to-work policies, and more.

The CEO’s Desk

Finding the Sweet Spot for Technology in Leave Management

As the volume of leave management work expands, the need to embrace technology is increasingly essential for absence and disability managers to comply with local, state, and federal laws, and provide the type of support that employees expect. Read more.

Features

Considerations for Choosing Absence Management Technology

Managing absence is increasingly complex, which has prompted employers to assess technology solutions. Updating an in-house solution, moving to full outsourcing, or changing absence management partners requires commitment from human resources; support from information technology; and change management skills from everyone involved, including the employees who need time away. Read more.

Technology Helps Employers Customize Leaves and Reduce Employee Confusion

Employers invest a significant amount of money in benefits to support employees and to bolster recruitment and retention efforts. Yet studies show that most American workers don’t understand their benefits. There is an opportunity for employers to reduce confusion — and build trust and loyalty — by helping employees understand their leave entitlements and use them. Read more.

Spotlight Articles

Employer Perspective

Optimizing Technology Transforms and Elevates Risk Management Team

For the Adecco Group, a national temporary staffing and workforce productivity company, embracing technology helped the risk management team shift from a culture of “no” to a culture of “know,” with more effective assessment and mitigation of safety issues. Read more.

Employer Showcase

Using Technology to Promote Engagement with Mental Health Offerings

Puget Sound Energy prioritizes mental health and encourages employees to use resources to assess and maintain their mental wellness on a regular basis. Technology makes access easier for employees to engage with resources any time they need them. Read more.

RTW/SAW Showcase

Flipping the Switch: Lighting Can Help or Hinder Employee Productivity

Lighting can have a big effect on employee health and performance — especially for people who are sensitive to light — and can cost employers billions of dollars. With accommodations, employees with light sensitivity or photophobia can thrive in the workplace and deliver even more value to your organization. Read more.

Expanded Perspectives:
@Work to Share

DMEC provides the following @Work magazine articles and podcast episodes to offer additional perspectives on and increase awareness of integrated absence management trends and challenges. The resources — available to members and nonmembers — can be shared with your colleagues and through social media channels.

DMEC Podcast

Developing a Culture of Mental Health

Puget Sound Energy has registered unprecedented engagement with its mental health and wellness programs. Learn how they design offerings, customize programs to align with company culture, and use data to gauge success. Listen in.

DMEC Podcast

Tips to Master HR Tech and Capitalize on Data

Listen in for guidance on how to get the most out of your technology solutions and ensure a “true marriage,” as outlined by Megan Holstein, head of Absence Management for The Hartford. She provides step-by-step suggestions including necessary homework, identifying and sharing assumptions, assembling appropriate team members, aligning expectations, and tips for successful implementation. Listen in.

2023 Trends

Line of Sight: Absence and Disability Management Trends to Watch in 2023

In addition to an increasing number of leave-related laws, the dynamic of work and the role of employers are fundamentally different than they were even 10 years ago. As a result, a willingness and ability to draw outside the lines when it comes to managing absence and disability have never been more important. An industry that was once dominated by issues related to risk and leave now reaches into every aspect of employer success, as demonstrated in these top five trends. Read more.

DMEC Podcast

Encourage Employees to be “Fearlessly Authentic”

Hear how employers can encourage employees to show up as their “whole selves” at work, create supportive environments, and recognize the value of lived experience. One key: Be honest about failures, share details about goals, and always be transparent, advises Jamira Burley, an award-winning social impact advisor and strategic initiatives lead for worldwide education at a large technology company. Burley is the keynote speaker for the 2023 DMEC Compliance Conference. Listen in.

Q&A with Keynote Speaker Jamira Burley

An award-winning activist and social impact adviser, DMEC Compliance Conference keynote speaker Jamira Burley has worked in more than 30 countries and shares insights on how employers can encourage employees to be authentic, respect lived experience in the workplace, and engage with all generations. Read more.

DMEC Podcast

Which Laws Apply to Pregnancy Accommodation Requests?

Hear why avoiding lawsuits related to accommodation requests from pregnant workers is better than winning them, and guidance for navigating a “crazy patchwork” of federal and state laws that apply. Listen in.

DMEC Podcast

A Monumental Task: Complying with “Safe Leave” Laws and Supporting Employees

Tracking the growing number of “safe leave” laws, an umbrella term that applies to domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking laws, could be a full-time job for human resources and absence management specialists, say legal experts from Matrix Absence Management, who provide resources and guidance in this episode. Listen in.

Columns

Absence Matters

The Missing Link: Using Absence Data to Fuel Innovation

With medical absences at an all-time high, employers seek innovative well-being programs to address employees’ critical health needs. From mental health to diabetes, leave data can help employers design and build a more effective wellness and disease management program. Read more.

Integrated Absence Management

The HRIS Equation

Investing in a human resource information system (HRIS) can be a daunting experience, and getting the most out of it is increasingly important. When providers and employers work together to automate these services, they reduce the potential for gaps, mistakes, and inconsistencies. Read more.

Engaging Today’s Workforce

Understanding the Benefits and Challenges of Telehealth for Individuals with Disabilities

Between accessibility, personal preference, and convenience, various factors influence how employees, including those with disabilities, care for their health and wellness. By providing benefits that cover in-person and virtual care, employers will be able to ensure a more productive and healthier workforce. Read more.

Employer Solutions

Integration Technology 101: Master the Basics for a Better Leave Experience

Modern technology, designed to ease administration, can be overwhelming. Becoming a “technologist” isn’t required to embrace employee benefit and leave technology tools, but it is important to understand the lingo and the basic principles of integration, resources, and benefits. Read more.

Common Sense Compliance

The Role of Technology in Absence and Accommodation Compliance

Technology has revolutionized aspects of leave and accommodation and helped employers stay compliant whether they outsource or handle the responsibilities in-house. Explore how employers can leverage technology to maintain compliance. Read more.

Featured Case

How to Manage Noncooperative Employees

Employers often struggle with employees who make vague references to a disability or impairment, fail to identify reasonable accommodations, and are not cooperative throughout the interactive process. Three tips can help employers manage these situations. Read more.

Leave Technology

Maturity Models Help Employers Assess Next Steps as They Grow

A common growing pain for companies is the need to evolve leave processes. Identifying next steps becomes easier with maturity model assessments, which help employers understand the status of the organization and identify reasonable next steps. The goal is to meet business objectives and take care of employees while the organization scales. Read more.

The Disabled Workforce

Using Technology to Evaluate Telework as an Accommodation

Telework/work from home may be a form of reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, because changing the location where work is performed is one way to ensure employees can be productive. How then does an organization evaluate whether telework is reasonable for a disabled employee? Read more.

DMEC RESOURCES

DMEC News

As 2023 kicks off, DMEC welcomes four new members to the Board of Directors, eight new Employer Advisory Council members, and three new National sponsors. Read more.

Legislative Updates

Check out the latest federal, state, and local compliance updates on the DMEC Legislative Updates blog. Recent posts cover updates to New York COVID-19 requirements, details on Colorado’s FAMLI program, and more. Read more.

Be sure to follow DMEC on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn for additional insight and up-to-date news.

Continue the Conversation

Share insights and ideas about the Technology & Integration issue with other DMEC members in the DMECommunities Technology Solutions group. DMEC’s online networking groups give you the opportunity to connect with industry peers, ask/answer questions, share resources, and seek feedback. Get started.