Guardian at the DMEC Compliance Conference

The Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC) held their annual Compliance Conference in Orlando, Florida from March 27-30, 2023.  Industry leaders presented on various topics ranging from Paid Family Leave and the ever-changing leave landscape, to managing workplace accommodations under the ADA.

This informative conference reiterated that carriers and leave administrators continue to struggle with similar challenges regarding absence management within the post-COVID landscape.

A few key takeaways from the conference include:

* Employers and leave administrators continue to struggle with ADA.

Among the challenges addressed were the issues surrounding hybrid, remote, and gig worker environments, which continue to complicate the administration of accommodation requests. Speakers also highlighted the increase in accommodation requests for mental health reasons. Moving on to potential solutions, speakers focused on the increased need for technology aimed at improving the ADA process and ensuring employer compliance. In short, most employers want better reporting capabilities – including the ability to slice and dice by location, division, etc. – and expect that enhancements will allow them to stay on top of absenteeism and presenteeism.

*Changes to the state Paid Family and Medical Leave landscape continue to be a challenge for employers of all sizes.

Importantly, speakers explained how to determine if remote employees are eligible for state leave if they live in one state and work in another. In addition, speakers addressed how to coordinate state leave programs with other leave and/or benefit programs.

*Briefings on the latest Department of Labor (DOL) updates.

Attendees were alerted to recent updates to DOL web pages and publications, including the DOL’s FAQs and fact sheets. They were also briefed on new web pages – including one entitled Mental Health & the FMLA – and learned about improved navigation that will make it easier to locate specific materials.

The Compliance Conference was a great success and a timely opportunity for employers to receive continuing education on key trends and developments. As a leader in absence management solutions, Guardian was pleased to participate, and we look forward to being part of the DMEC’s Annual Conference in August 2023. We hope to see you there!