The Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) applies to employers with at least 50 employees. It intersects with other significant workplace laws such as the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, state workers’ compensation, short-term disability, and employer-provided leave. The inconsistency in regulations and application, along with 13 states plus DC having their own systems of laws, has created significant compliance challenges for organizations. This session aims to explore key similarities and differences among these programs to enhance understanding and ensure compliance.
Learning Outcomes:
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Jason Kanter
HR and Labor Policy Executive
IBM’s Government and Regulatory Affairs
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Jason Kanter is the HR and Labor Policy Executive on IBM’s Government and Regulatory Affairs team, focusing on issues related to the use of AI in employment, labor and employment rules, and employee benefits such as paid leave, health care, and retirement programs. Prior to joining IBM, Jason worked on Capitol Hill for 15 years. Most recently, he worked as a professional staff member on the Democratic staff of the Ways and Means Committee’s Worker and Family Support Subcommittee, where he played a key role in the effort to create a national paid leave program and the enactment of the historic expansion and enhancement of unemployment insurance due to COVID-19. He has also worked as a policy advisor on the Joint Economic Committee, at the Congressional Affairs Office of the U.S. Department of Labor, and in the offices of U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). In these positions, Jason worked on a range of economic and workforce policy and legislative issues. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and government from Connecticut College and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago, where he was an Irving B. Harris fellow. A proud native of Swampscott, MA, Jason currently resides in Alexandria, VA, with his wife and two young children.
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Sharyn A. Tejani
Associate Legal Counsel
EEOC Office of Legal Counsel
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Sharyn A. Tejani, Associate Legal Counsel, EEOC Office of Legal Counsel, Washington, D.C. Sharyn A. Tejani joined the EEOC as an Associate Legal Counsel in the Office of Legal Counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in March 2022. Ms. Tejani oversees and directly works on developing regulations, guidance, and other documents regarding Title VII and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. Ms. Tejani also coordinates the EEOC’s litigation regarding its regulations and guidance. Prior to joining the EEOC, Ms. Tejani worked at the National Women’s Law Center and the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice, among other positions. Ms. Tejani graduated from Yale University and the Georgetown University Law Center.
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Lynne Sousa
Senior Leave Management Legal and Compliance Counsel
Voya Financial
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Lynne is Senior Leave Management Legal and Compliance Counsel at Voya Financial. In this role she advises on regulatory and compliance matters applicable to leave management and accommodations. As an employment attorney, Lynne has many years of experience counseling management and Human Resources professionals on all aspects of workplace issues including the Family and Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, Paid Family and Medical Leave laws and general employment policies and procedures. Prior to her current role, Lynne held roles as senior counsel for a software company advising on compliance for the absence and accommodations products and as a labor and employment attorney for a major corporation. Lynne frequently speaks at industry conferences about legal and compliance issues related to absence management. She has also written extensively on FMLA, ADA, PFML and related areas of leave management. Lynne received her undergraduate degree from American University and her law degree from Suffolk University Law School.
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Jim Link, SHRM-SCP
CHRO
SHRM
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Jim Link is the Chief Human Resources Officer for the Society for Human Resource Management. With more than 315,000 members around the world, SHRM is the largest HR professional association in the world and the leading voice for matters related to workers and the workplace.
Jim’s career includes roles of increasing responsibility across a variety of industries and companies including General Electric, the Pillsbury Company, Porsche Cars, and Randstad. In his most recent role as CHRO for Randstad North America, he led a global team of 150 HR professionals who were instrumental in transforming the company into an award-winning, inclusive, and sustainable global leader.
Jim has served as a volunteer leader in several organizations including the SHRM Foundation Board, the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank Human Capital Advisory Board, and the Human Resources Leadership Forum.
Jim holds undergraduate and master’s degree from Murray State University. Born and raised on a working family farm in western Kentucky, he currently resides in Atlanta and Alexandria, VA.
Jim is an adjunct instructor in the Executive MBA program at the University of Poznan (Poland) School of Economics and Business and the University of Liège (Belgium) Asia-Pacific campus in Taipei, Taiwan.