@work

2025 Employer Compliance Issue

January-March 2025

Ensuring employer compliance requires creativity and due diligence; a commitment to detail and a dedication to helping employees during vulnerable times. This issue showcases the variety and complexity of this work as well as competing demands on disability and absence managers. It also emphasizes the value of community and access to colleagues, who share challenges and successes and lean in to provide guidance. Read about lessons learned during the first year of implementing the Colorado Family and Medical Leave Insurance program, how assessing cognitive demands can help protect employees from reinjury when they return to work, tools to help teams take an unbiased approach to accommodations, and more.

The CEO's Desk

Education and training is the best way to ensure compliance, and the most successful professionals are those who embrace lifelong learning and seek innovative solutions to support employees while protecting their organizations.

Spotlight Articles

Compliance Showcase

Redefining Essential Functions to Ensure Compliance

Using job analyses or factual documents that outline a position and its essential functions can help evaluate situations objectively and reduce the emotional elements to finding accommodations that work.

Industry Showcase

The Difference Between Theory and Practice: 3 Lessons Learned from Colorado FAMLI

A year after Colorado started offering Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) benefits, the team shares lessons learned and advice for disability and absence managers across the country.

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

Reframing employers’ ideas (and assumptions) about loneliness could save them $1.54 billion annually and enhance employee experience in myriad ways. Learn how during this episode with Wendy Coduti, PhD, Regional Director of Health and Productivity Analytics and Consulting Practice for Prudential Group Insurance; and LaToya Rodriguez, MS, CRC, Regional Director of Health and Productivity Analytics and Consulting Practice for Prudential Group Insurance.

DMEC Podcast

Get details on how you can identify (and fill gaps) in disability and absence management from Deborah LaBonar, PhD, DMEC director of benchmarking and research. In addition to providing context for why benchmarking tools created by and for disability and absence management professionals are valuable, you’ll get details on how measuring something against a standard helps employers of all sizes and industries, and ways you can use different comparators for different business units within your organization!

Columns

Absence Matters
How should employers prepare for changes in federal guidance and regulation as the new administration takes control in January?
Benchmarking
Knowledge is power when creating benefit plans that attract and retain top talent. As you start to benchmark your plans and policies, start with these three questions.
Common Sense Compliance
What lessons can you learn from thousands of complaints the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission received during the 2024 fiscal year?
The Disabled Workforce
How can employers remove emotion and personal opinion from the accommodation request process to ensure compliance?
Employer Solutions
Each generation has diverse needs, issues, and prevalent health conditions that can affect their experiences. Recognizing these differences and identifying what motivates employees of all ages can reduce return-to-work durations.
Engaging Today’s Workforce
Remember that federal and state programs — paid and unpaid — can run concurrently or in tandem. Get details for navigating this complex terrain.
Featured Case
How can employers ensure compliance with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) when it comes to medical certifications?

DMEC Resources

DMEC News
The DMEC team hit the ground running this year with a new cadence for member communication, a new season of the DMEC podcast, and more.

Legislative and Paid Sick Leave Updates

Check out the latest federal, state, and local compliance updates on the DMEC Legislative Updates page, and don’t miss new updates on paid sick leave that have been introduced through a variety of state and local regulations. It is essential for employers to remain informed about ongoing changes in order to effectively adapt. And follow DMEC on TwitterFacebook, and LinkedIn for additional insight and up-to-date news

DMECommunities

The DMECommunities Americans with Disabilities Act Group offers a forum to pose questions, get guidance from colleagues, find resources, and more! This exclusive online networking group gives DMEC members the opportunity to connect with industry peers, ask/answer questions, share resources, and seek feedback. Get started.

@Work

@Work™ magazine is the official publication of the Disability Management Employer Coalition. Copyright© 2024. Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC). All rights reserved.

Editorial Staff

Editor: Heather Grimshaw
Editorial Advisory Group Members: Linda Croushore, Rebecca Fisco, Jenny Haykin, Terri Morris, Fred Schott, Jessica Thornton, and Lori Vickory

Editorial Policy

The goal of @Work is to present industry and Association news, highlight member achievements, and promote the exchange of specialized professional information. The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Association, its staff, board of directors, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers does not constitute an endorsement of products or services featured in this, past, or subsequent issues of this publication. DMEC makes no representations, warranties, or assurances as to accuracy of the information contained in the articles, and no content herein is legal or tax advice. Consult appropriate professionals for legal or tax advice.

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Seth Turner, Chief Strategy Officer
Seth Turner

Chief Strategy Officer

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