The 2007 Iowa Employment Conference will be held on April 26 at the Sheraton West Des Moines from 8:15 a.m. until 4 p.m.  This one-day premier conference will feature 12 powerful and informative concurrent sessions presented by leading human resource and training consultants, attorneys and benefit consultants on the most critical employment issues likely to affect Iowa employers in 2007. During each concurrent session attendees will participate in lively discussions of practical approaches and new thinking on common employment problems, including: 

§         2007 Employment Law Update

§         Drug Testing in the Workplace

§         Utilizing e-Learning

§         FLSA

§         Hiring Right

§         Knowledge Management

§         Medical Accommodations (FMLA, Worker’s Comp, Pregnancy Leave, ADA)

§         HRAs and HSAs

§         Reinventing Your Training Function

§         Setting Up a Base Compensation Program

§         Best Practices in Diversity Training

 A Legislative Luncheon Update will also be presented by John R. Gilliland Senior Vice President, Government Relations at the Iowa Association of Business & Industry.

After putting Linda Reed, Cedar County’s jail administrator, on paid leave at taxpayer expense, Cedar County paid Ms. Reed $385,000 to drop her sexual harassment lawsuit against the sheriff.  The settlement agreement was reached two years after Reed filed with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission.

The EEOC says a higher percentage of those cases had merit.  Last year, a full 22.2 percent of employee complaints resulted in a finding that the employer had violated the law.  That’s the highest-ever percentage of “merit” findings by the agency and shows that employers continue to make serious mistakes when it comes to complying with the nation’s anti-discrimination laws.

Employers do not expect a decline in the rate of health benefit cost increases any time soon.  Median increases for health care costs will remain at 8 percent in 2007; Employers expect cost increases to stay at 8 percent through 2008.  The survey of 573 large U.S. employers reveals.