John Ray, Author at Business RadioX ® Page

Overview of Potential HR Employer Violations

July 29, 2022 by John Ray

Advisory Insights Podcast

Overview of Potential HR Employer Violations

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Overview of Potential HR Employer Violations (Advisory Insights Podcast, Episode 2)

On this episode of Advisory Insights, Stuart Oberman gave an overview of potential HR employer violations he’s seeing with clients. Several of these violations can prove to be quite costly.

Advisory Insights is presented by Oberman Law Firm and produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®. The series can be found on all the major podcast apps. You can find the complete show archive here.

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:01] Broadcasting from the studios of Business RadioX, it’s time for Advisory Insights. Brought to you by Oberman Law Firm, serving clients nationwide with tailored service and exceptional results. Now, here’s your host.

Stuart Oberman: [00:00:19] Welcome everyone to Advisory Insights Podcast. I am your host, Stuart Oberman.

Stuart Oberman: [00:00:25] Well, you know, for those that know me, I tell you, we do a lot of H.R. as a firm. We see a lot of problems locally, nationally, regionally, globally on H.R. violations. So, I want to talk a little bit about H.R. violations, really an overview of potential H.R. employer violations. That is such a wide area. I mean, we’re talking about employment law. We’re talking about State, Federal regulatory issues. We’re talking about EEOC. And we’re talking about audits. We’re talking about, you know, employee complaints.

Stuart Oberman: [00:00:57] So, what I want to do is to just talk about a couple of things top of mind that can really get you into trouble. And I’ll tell you, we see a lot of these areas of concern that can really, really be avoided. But it’s going to take some soul searching. It’s going to take some drilling down. It’s going to take some hard decisions. Look, you can’t turn a ship around overnight. You’ve got to make small steps.

Stuart Oberman: [00:01:23] And if you do anything on these podcast, it’s take a look at what we’re talking about and apply it to what you have, whether you’re a health care practice, whether you are a startup, whether you are a billion dollar construction company. It doesn’t matter, the same law applies. So, let’s take a look at some of the most common ways that we feel that employers violate the law.

Stuart Oberman: [00:01:47] It this Great Resignation world that we’re in, our employers use prohibited questions during job interviews. You have to be very, very careful. And we’re going to cover this in future podcasts. So, a lot of these areas we’re going to expand upon, but we’re just going to have top of mind issues. Job interviews, questions, are you prepared? The answer is probably not. Are your candidates recording your conversations? You bet they are.

Stuart Oberman: [00:02:21] So, one of the things that we take a look at also is not allowing employees, depending on the size of the business, a lot of ramifications of employees discuss their pay. Now, we’re looking at National Labor Relations Board issues. So, yeah, the National Labor Relations Board, you bet, will apply to small businesses.

Stuart Oberman: [00:02:42] Overtime, one of the biggest, biggest errors that our employers get in trouble with are overtime. And I say this all the time when I speak, when I talk, overtime is a lot of things. You’re working 40 hours a week, so you’re texting your employees after hours. Yeah, that’s overtime. Your emailing your staff, overtime, yeah. You’re calling your office manager, depending on where they’re located at, if they make $100,000 hours or more, they are still subject to overtime. You’ve got to be careful with this. We’re going to take a look at some of the issues coming forward also.

Stuart Oberman: [00:03:17] Huge issue, independent contractor versus employee. The IRS loves these kind of reviews. Key, are you controlling a time, place, and manner? That’s a whole topic for discussion on employee versus independent contractor. It is very tough to win that argument. It is very tough to win an audit on that.

Stuart Oberman: [00:03:37] So, one thing, this great, great social media world that we live in, are you disciplining your employees who are complaining about you – small, medium, large company – on social media? Do you have restrictions? Are you following them on social media? Are you looking for things that they’re saying about you?

Stuart Oberman: [00:04:07] How to prevent also a hostile work environment, and I’m talking about gender neutral. I’m talking about harassment. I’m talking about all forms of harassment, bullying. I can’t believe what some of our clients tell us happens in their employment situations. I’m talking about Title VII violations. I’m talking about sexual orientation issues. I’m talking about gender identity. I’m talking about religion. I’m talking about race, color, national origin. These are all the things that occur on a hostile work environment that are a violation of Federal Law.

Stuart Oberman: [00:04:45] Look, I could probably take any one of these topics and discuss an hour on them. Again, what do we do with Advisory Insights Podcast? What are we doing? We’re taking the high level topics with a 10,000 foot view and are you looking at these particular areas. Six, seven, eight areas, are you looking at them? Again, short, sweet bullet point topics that we could talk an hour on. That’s the goal on Advisory Insights Podcast. That’s what we want to do. We want to take things at a very high level, apply it to what you’re looking at, whether you’re, again, small, startup. Are you looking at these things?

Stuart Oberman: [00:05:24] We’re going to continue talking about these things in greater detail. We’re going to continue talking about what affects our employers on a regional, national, local basis – excuse me – global basis. I want to talk about also some of these things on future podcasts. And, also, don’t forget, we also cover these on our newsletter, Advisory Insights. If you want to get a copy of our newsletter, please let us know.

Stuart Oberman: [00:05:49] Folks, thank you very much for joining us on our Advisory Insights Podcast. Please visit us at advisoryinsightspodcast.com. If you want to reach me, please feel free to call the office, 770-886-2400 or visit Oberman Law Firm, obermanlawfirm.com, or send me an email, stuart, S-T-U-A-R-T, @obermanlaw.com.

Stuart Oberman: [00:06:14] Thank you, everyone for listening to us. Keep listening to our podcast. If you have any questions, let me know. Have a fantastic day, everyone. Thank you.

Outro: [00:06:24] Thank you for joining us on Advisory Insights. This show is brought to you by Oberman Law Firm, a business-centric law firm representing local, regional, and national clients in a wide range of practice areas, including health care, mergers and acquisitions, corporate transactions, and regulatory compliance.

About Advisory Insights Podcast

Presented by Oberman Law Firm, Advisory Insights Podcast covers legal, business, HR, and other topics of vital concern to healthcare practices and other business owners. This show series can be found here as well as on all the major podcast apps.

Stuart Oberman, Oberman Law Firm

Stuart Oberman is the founder and President of Oberman Law Firm. Mr. Oberman graduated from Urbana University and received his law degree from John Marshall Law School. Mr. Oberman has been practicing law for over 25 years, and before going into private practice, Mr. Oberman was in-house counsel for a Fortune 500 Company. Mr. Oberman is widely regarded as the go-to attorney in the area of Dental Law, which includes DSO formation, corporate business structures, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance, advertising regulations, HIPAA, Compliance, and employment law regulations that affect dental practices.

In addition, Mr. Oberman’s expertise in the healthcare industry includes advising clients in the complex regulatory landscape as it relates to telehealth and telemedicine, including compliance of corporate structures, third-party reimbursement, contract negotiations, technology, health care fraud, and abuse law (Anti-Kickback Statute and the State Law), professional liability risk management, federal and state regulations.

As the long-term care industry evolves, Mr. Oberman has the knowledge and experience to guide clients in the long-term care sector with respect to corporate and regulatory matters, assisted living facilities, continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). In addition, Mr. Oberman’s practice also focuses on health care facility acquisitions and other changes of ownership, as well as related licensure and Medicare/Medicaid certification matters, CCRC registrations, long-term care/skilled nursing facility management, operating agreements, assisted living licensure matters, and health care joint ventures.

In addition to his expertise in the health care industry, Mr. Oberman has a nationwide practice that focuses on all facets of contractual disputes, including corporate governance, fiduciary duty, trade secrets, unfair competition, covenants not to compete, trademark and copyright infringement, fraud, and deceptive trade practices, and other business-related matters. Mr. Oberman also represents clients throughout the United States in a wide range of practice areas, including mergers & acquisitions, partnership agreements, commercial real estate, entity formation, employment law, commercial leasing, intellectual property, and HIPAA/OSHA compliance.

Mr. Oberman is a national lecturer and has published articles in the U.S. and Canada.

Oberman Law Firm

Oberman Law Firm has a long history of civic service, noted national, regional, and local clients, and stands among the Southeast’s eminent and fast-growing full-service law firms. Oberman Law Firm’s areas of practice include Business Planning, Commercial & Technology Transactions, Corporate, Employment & Labor, Estate Planning, Health Care, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Privacy & Data Security, and Real Estate.

By meeting their client’s goals and becoming a trusted partner and advocate for our clients, their attorneys are recognized as legal go-getters who provide value-added service. Their attorneys understand that in a rapidly changing legal market, clients have new expectations, constantly evolving choices, and operate in an environment of heightened reputational and commercial risk.

Oberman Law Firm’s strength is its ability to solve complex legal problems by collaborating across borders and practice areas.

Connect with Oberman Law Firm:

Company website | LinkedIn | Twitter

Introduction to the Advisory Insights Podcast

July 29, 2022 by John Ray

Advisory Insights Podcast

Introduction to the Advisory Insights Podcast

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Introduction to the Advisory Insights Podcast

In this introductory episode of the Advisory Insights Podcast, Stuart Oberman welcomed listeners to this new podcast featuring legal, business, HR, and other topics of vital concern to healthcare practices and other business owners. (Advisory Insights is the successor show to Dental Law Radio.) He went on to cover an extensive list of essential topics to be included in employee manuals and guidelines and more.

TRANSCRIPT

Stuart Oberman : [00:00:19] Hello everyone, and welcome to Advisory Insights Podcast. Well, first, I’d like to welcome our dental clients who followed us over to dentallawradio.com, and also our new listeners. I could not be more excited about what we’re doing with Advisory Insights Podcast.

Stuart Oberman : [00:00:36] We had a platform previously, and we discovered that we are getting national exposure on our platforms, what we said before. So, we took a little bit of a break and we decided, You know what? We’re going to take what you can use, no matter whether you are a health care practice or global company. We’re going to keep things simple. We’re going to keep it basic. And what our clients need to know on a day-to-day basis on how to stay, hopefully, out of trouble.

Stuart Oberman : [00:01:04] And we’d like to thank North Fulton Business Radio and Business RadioX for hosting us. But we’re going to start gearing this thing up pretty hard.

Stuart Oberman : [00:01:13] So, what are we going to talk about today? Well, let me just tell you this. In this great world that we live in of the Great Resignation, H.R. is a headache, there’s no doubt about it. So, I’ve been talking for a while on employee manuals and guidelines. I want to start off on a couple of things that, again, no matter what size you are, you need to take a look at this.

Stuart Oberman : [00:01:31] First and foremost, I don’t care if you have $1,000,000 a year on revenue or $50 billion, you need to look at your H.R. annually. You have to take a look at what the company culture is, what the headcount is, what are your benefits, are your renewals up. And in today’s world, I’ve been stressing for a long, long time, look, employee manuals will either make you or break you, and are just no longer an option.

Stuart Oberman : [00:01:56] And we had a really, really great podcast with SHRM Atlanta. For those of you that don’t know what SHRM Atlanta is, it’s an unbelievable organization. And we get a lot of information from those guys on a regular basis. And it’s employee manuals. It’s H.R. It’s a lot of internal information.

Stuart Oberman : [00:02:21] But I want to tell you something, what is no longer an option, you’ve got to know State and Federal law. You’ve got to know about EEOC. You’ve got to know about National Labor Relations Board. You have to know the Age Discrimination and Employment Act of 1967. You’ve got to know Title VII of the Civil Rights Act 1964. You have to know the Equal Pay Act of 1963. You got to know the Worker’s Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. You’ve got to know Sections 1981 and 1983 of the Civil Rights Act. You’ve got to know the American Disabilities Act. You’ve got to know the Family for Medical Leave Act. You’ve got to know the Employees Retirement Income Security Act. You have to know the Old Benefits Protection Act. You have to know the Age Discrimination Act of 1967.

Stuart Oberman : [00:03:04] How in the world are you going to run a business if you don’t know what those things are? Those have got to be in your manual. There’s no longer an option. If you don’t know any of those, if you don’t know a lot of those, or you don’t know really all of those, you need to figure out what you’re doing. You need to look internally at what you’re doing.

Stuart Oberman : [00:03:20] And failure to plan, I can’t tell you how many clients we have that are global, local, regional, and national that have no idea what I’m talking about. And that’s extremely dangerous. Not only is it costly, it’s a nightmare. So, a couple of provisions are really no longer an option. Really, again, drilling it down, What do you need? What do you need?

Stuart Oberman : [00:03:45] You know, first and foremost, in your employee manuals, you’ve got to have the at-will statements, you have the disclaimers, you’ve got to have the EEOC statement, you’ve got to have the anti-harassment issues. You’ve got to have the wage and salary, leave of absence, drug testing, social media policies. You’ve got to have the non-solicitation employment acknowledgment manual. How many employers out there have given their employee manuals to people, documents, and have no signatures acknowledging if it’s not in writing, it never happened. I’ll just telling you that right now.

Stuart Oberman : [00:04:15] You know, do you have your Family and Medical Leave Act policies? Do you have a non-gender discrimination salary ranges? When is the last time you’ve thoroughly evaluated your salaries ranges gender neutral. If they are not gender neutral, you are in a world of hurt. Are we looking at nondiscrimination in dress codes now? Are we looking at tattoo issues? Are we looking at age inquiries of prospective employees? Age inquiries, that’s a no, no. We’re going to cover that in probably our future podcasts. Holiday pay, voting time, Education Assistance Program.

Stuart Oberman : [00:04:58] Look, I know I ran through this so, so fast. I could probably spend 40 minutes on each topic that I ran through on the employee manual requirements, on employee guideline requirements. Here’s the key, again, what we’ve done on a local level, regional, national level, global level, again, whether you are a small health care provider or whether you’re a building company, these are the basics you’ve got to know. We have clients that have no H.R. client, but they’re doing a half-a-billion dollars a year. I don’t really understand that.

Stuart Oberman : [00:05:33] So, look, if you just took one thing away, it is you’ve got to know these things. If you have any questions, let us know. Hopefully, by listening to the podcast, again, we ran through a lot of information. I could talk, you know, an hour on each topic that we talked about. The key is evaluate, evaluate, evaluate.

Stuart Oberman : [00:05:50] And these are the kind of things we want to bring to you on a very, very scaled down basis on advisorypodcast.com. And we’re going to continue to do this and we’re going to continue to broadcast to our constituents, to our clients, to our friends in the industry, whether it’s health care, whether it’s general business that these are things you have to know.

Stuart Oberman : [00:06:11] Well, that is going to be our first episode of advisoryinsightspodcast.com Thank you everyone for joining us. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at 770-886-2400 or visit us at obermanlaw.com, or, in this great world that we live in, email. Please feel free to email at stuart, S-T-U-A-R-T, @obermanlaw.com.

Stuart Oberman : [00:06:37] Thank you, everyone, and we appreciate your attendance in today’s podcast. And we look forward to jumping on some more hot topics. Have a great day, everyone. Thank you.

Outro: [00:06:49] Thank you for joining us on Advisory Insights. This show is brought to you by Oberman Law Firm, a business-centric law firm representing local, regional, and national clients in a wide range of practice areas, including health care, mergers and acquisitions, corporate transactions, and regulatory compliance.

About Advisory Insights

Stuart Oberman, Oberman Law Firm

Mr. Oberman is a national lecturer and has published articles in the U.S. and Canada.

Oberman Law Firm

Oberman Law Firm’s strength is its ability to solve complex legal problems by collaborating across borders and practice areas.

Connect with Oberman Law Firm:

Company website | LinkedIn | Twitter

Heat Illness

July 28, 2022 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

Heat Illness

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Heat Illness (Episode 78, To Your Health with Dr. Jim Morrow)

On this episode of To Your Health, Dr. Jim Morrow of Village Medical offered common sense information about heat illness. After a brief update on monkeypox, Dr. Morrow discussed how to recognize heat illness, how to prevent it, what causes it, ways to treat it, when to call 911, and much more.

To Your Health is brought to you by Village Medical (formerly Morrow Family Medicine), which brings the care back to healthcare.

About Village Medical (formerly Morrow Family Medicine)

Village Medical, formerly Morrow Family Medicine, is an award-winning, state-of-the-art family practice with offices in Cumming and Milton, Georgia. The practice combines healthcare information technology with old-fashioned care to provide the type of care that many are in search of today. Two physicians, three physician assistants and two nurse practitioners are supported by a knowledgeable and friendly staff to make your visit to Village Medical one that will remind you of the way healthcare should be. At Village Medical, we like to say we are “bringing the care back to healthcare!” The practice has been named the “Best of Forsyth” in Family Medicine in all five years of the award, is a three-time consecutive winner of the “Best of North Atlanta” by readers of Appen Media, and the 2019 winner of “Best of Life” in North Fulton County.

Village Medical offers a comprehensive suite of primary care services including preventative care, treatment for illness and injury, and management of chronic conditions such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and kidney disease. Atlanta-area patients can learn more about the practice here.

Dr. Jim Morrow, Village Medical, and Host of To Your Health with Dr. Jim Morrow

Dr. Jim Morrow is the founder of Morrow Family Medicine. He has been a trailblazer and evangelist in healthcare information technology, was named Physician IT Leader of the Year by HIMSS, a HIMSS Davies Award Winner, the Cumming-Forsyth Chamber of Commerce Steve Bloom Award Winner as Entrepreneur of the Year and he received a Phoenix Award as Community Leader of the Year from the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. He is married to Peggie Morrow and together they founded the Forsyth BYOT Benefit, a charity in Forsyth County to support students in need of technology and devices. They have two Goldendoodles, a gaggle of grandchildren and enjoy life on and around Lake Lanier.

Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter

The complete show archive of To Your Health with Dr. Jim Morrow addresses a wide range of health and wellness topics.

Dr. Morrow’s Show Notes

What are heat exhaustion and heatstroke?

Heat exhaustion happens when your body gets too hot.
- If you don’t treat heat exhaustion, it can lead to heatstroke.
- This occurs when your internal temperature reaches at least 104°F.
- Heatstroke is much more serious than heat exhaustion.
  - It can cause shock, organ failure, or brain damage. In extreme cases, heatstroke can kill you.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion and heatstroke

Symptoms of heat exhaustion are:
- Muscle cramps
- Heavy sweating
- Pale or cold skin
- Weakness and/or confusion
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
- Fast heartbeat
- Dark-colored urine, which indicates dehydration

In addition to these symptoms, warning signs of heatstroke also include:
- Fever of 104°F or higher
- Flushed or red skin
- Lack of sweating
- Trouble breathing
- Fainting
- Seizures

What causes heat exhaustion and heatstroke?

Heat-related illnesses occur when your body can’t keep itself cool.
- As the temperature rises, your body produces sweat to stay cool.
  - On hot, humid days, the increased moisture in the air slows down this process.
  - When your body can’t cool, your temperature rises and you can become ill.
Hot weather and exercise are the main causes of heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
- In hot settings, you need to be mindful of the temperature outside.
- The heat index is not the same as the temperature.
  - It measures the air temperature plus the effects of humidity.
  - A heat index of 90°F or higher calls for extreme caution.
  - Prolonged exposure to high temperatures increases your risk of heat-related illnesses.

How are heat exhaustion and heatstroke diagnosed?

If a person is displaying known heat illness symptoms,
- take their temperature.
- A reading of 104°F or more means they probably have heatstroke.
- You should call 911 and get medical care right away.

Can heat exhaustion and heatstroke be prevented or avoided?

There are many things you can do to prevent heat-related illnesses.
- Babies, children, and elderly people are more sensitive to heat and require extra attention.
- You also are at greater risk if you are ill or obese, or have heart disease.
- People who work outside or in a hot setting also are at risk of heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
Don’t go outside when the temperature and heat index are high.
If possible, stay indoors in air-conditioned areas.
If you must go outside, take the following precautions.
- Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
- Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a hat or using an umbrella.
- Use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher.
- Drink plenty of water throughout the day.
  - Dehydration and lack of salt contribute to heat-related illnesses.
  - Some sports drinks can help replenish the salt in your body lost through sweating.
  - Drink water or other fluids every 15 to 20 minutes, even if you don’t feel thirsty.
  - If your urine is clear, you are probably drinking enough fluids.
  - Dark-colored urine is a sign that you’re dehydrated.
- Avoid or limit drinks that contain caffeine (such as tea, coffee, and soda) or alcohol.
- Schedule outdoor activities for cooler times of the day — before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
- Take frequent breaks from the heat and outdoor activities.
- Do not stay in or leave a child in your car when it is hot outside.
  - Even if you open the windows, the intense heat can be extremely dangerous.
Certain medicines can put you in danger of heatstroke.
- They affect the way your body reacts to heat.
  - Talk to your doctor if you take any of these or have an ongoing health problem.
  - They can help you manage the heat with your condition.
  - These medicines include:
    - Antibiotics
    - Allergy medicines (antihistamines)
    - Some medicines used to manage blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart disease (beta-blockers and vasoconstrictors)
    - Some medicines that treat mental health problems (antidepressants and antipsychotics)
    - Seizure medicines (anticonvulsants)
    - Water pills (diuretics)
    - Laxatives
    - Some diet pills
    - Prescription acne medicines
    - Illegal drugs, such as cocaine (amphetamines)

Heat exhaustion and heatstroke treatment

If you or someone else has heat exhaustion, treat symptoms in the following ways.
- Get out of the heat quickly
  - and into a cool place, or at least shade.
- Lie down and elevate your legs
  - to get blood flowing to your heart.
- Take off any tight or extra clothing.
- Apply cool towels to your skin or take a cool bath.
  - This will help regulate and lower your internal body temperature.
- Drink fluids, such as water or a sports drink.
  - Do not guzzle them, but take sips.
  - Do not drink fluids with caffeine or alcohol.
Call 911 if:
- Symptoms don’t improve
  - or they still have a fever of 102°F after 30 minutes of initial treatment.
- The person goes into
  - shock,
  - faints,
  - or has seizures.
- The person is not breathing.
- You also should begin CPR right away to try and revive them.

Living with heat exhaustion and heatstroke

After you’ve had heat exhaustion or heatstroke,
- you will be sensitive to heat.
- This can last for about a week.
- It’s important to rest and let your body recover.
- Avoid hot weather and exercise.
- Ask your doctor when it’s safe to return to your normal activities.

Complications

Complications include secondary infections, pneumonia, sepsis, encephalitis, and loss of vision if severe eye infection.
- If infection occurs during pregnancy, still birth or birth defects may occur.
- The disease may be milder in people vaccinated against smallpox in childhood.

Causes

Monkeypox in both humans and animals is caused by infection with the monkeypox virus – a double-stranded DNA virus.
- The virus is found mainly in tropical rainforest regions of Central and West Africa.
- The virus is split into Congo Basin and West African clades, matching the geographical areas.

Most human cases of monkeypox are acquired from an infected animal,
- though the route of transmission remains unknown.
- The virus is thought to enter the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract, or the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Once a human is infected, transmission to other humans is common, with family members and hospital staff at particularly high risk of infection.

Human-to-human transmission is thought to occur primarily through close contact with an infected subject.
- There are indications that transmission occurs during sexual intercourse.

Monkeypox symptoms tend to begin 5 to 21 days after infection.

Prevention

Vaccination against smallpox is assumed to provide protection against human monkeypox infection
- because they are closely related viruses
  - and the vaccine protects animals from experimental lethal monkeypox challenges.
  - This has not been conclusively demonstrated in humans because routine smallpox vaccination was discontinued following the eradication of smallpox.

Treatment

In the European Union and the United States, tecovirimat is approved for the treatment of several poxviruses, including monkeypox.
- Best Practice recommends tecovirimat or the smallpox treatment brincidofovir as the first line antiviral treatment if required,
  - alongside supportive care (including antipyretic, fluid balance and oxygenation).
  - Empirical antibiotic therapy or aciclovir may be used if secondary bacterial or varicella zoster infection is suspected, respectively.

LIVE from SOAHR 2022: Jason Cline and Liz Beltramini, SHRM-Atlanta

July 28, 2022 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

LIVE from SOAHR 2022: Jason Cline and Liz Beltramini, SHRM-Atlanta

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North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 478)

SHRM-Atlanta’s Jason Cline and Liz Beltramini joined host John Ray live from SOAHR 2022 to sum up what proved to be a fantastic conference. Jason and Liz shared conference highlights, the enthusiasm of attendees, the collaboration and helpfulness SHRM-Atlanta chapter members offer each other, and more. They also announced that SOAHR 2023 will be held at the Gas South District in Duluth on March 28th-29th. Save the date!

This show was originally broadcast live from SOAHR 2022, the annual conference of SHRM-Atlanta, held at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Georgia on July 27th and 28th, 2022.

North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

SHRM-Atlanta is one of the largest chapters of SHRM and shares its purpose of elevating the HR profession. As a leader in the Atlanta metro business community, SHRM-Atlanta strives to be the premier resource for those working in and supporting the human resource function. SHRM-Atlanta’s predominant goal is to be the voice of HR in metro Atlanta and be the first contact for those seeking information and solutions.

This will be achieved through the growth and diversity of members, education, and delivery of content, and by strengthening partnerships with organizations that share its vision.

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

Jason Cline, CAE, Chief Executive Director, SHRM-Atlanta

Jason Cline brings over 18 years of association management and leadership experience to SHRM-Atlanta. Previously, Jason was the President & CEO of the Printing & Imaging Association of Georgia. There, Jason spearheaded the development and execution of a strategic plan and led a highly profitable insurance arm of the organization. Prior to that role, he was the Strategic Initiatives Executive at the Association of College Unions International, the Section Membership Development Manager at the American Bar Association, and he began his association career as the Director of Membership at the Roller Skating Association International.

Jason earned both his undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management from Indiana University. He also holds the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership. Jason has called Atlanta home since 2016 when he moved here from Indianapolis.

Liz Beltramini, Chief Content Officer & DEI Advisor, SHRM-Atlanta

Elizabeth Beltramini leads SHRM-Atlanta in providing members with content they need to advance as HR professionals. In joining the team, Liz hopes to grow the Association’s efforts related to equity and inclusion. Previously, Liz was a director and senior diversity officer for the Association of College Unions International. She also served as a consultant and project manager for Atria association management services. During her 20 years working with associations, Liz has overseen conferences and events, publications, websites, assessment and research, marketing, and membership.

Liz has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Indiana University, a certificate in diversity and inclusion management from Cornell University, and is a qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory.

Questions and Topics in this Interview:

Highlights of SOAHR 2022
Remaining events for SHRM-Atlanta 2022
Looking ahead to SOAHR 2023

North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Special thanks to A&S Culinary Concepts for their support of this edition of North Fulton Business Radio. A&S Culinary Concepts, based in Johns Creek, is an award-winning culinary studio, celebrated for corporate catering, corporate team building, Big Green Egg Boot Camps, and private group events. They also provide oven-ready, cooked-from-scratch meals to go they call “Let Us Cook for You.” To see their menus and events, go to their website or call 678-336-9196.

Keith Parker, Goodwill of North Georgia

July 27, 2022 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

Keith Parker, Goodwill of North Georgia

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Keith Parker, Goodwill of North Georgia (GNFCC 400 Insider, Episode 77)

Keith Parker, President and CEO of Goodwill of North Georgia, joined host Kali Boatright to share the tremendous work his organization performs for jobseekers securing employment. Keith shared Goodwill success stories, their specific work in North Fulton, his career journey, which includes a five year stint as CEO of MARTA, and much more.

The GNFCC 400 Insider is presented by the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce and produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®.

Goodwill of North Georgia

At Goodwill of North Georgia, their mission is a simple one: they put people to work.

Every day, thousands of men and women face barriers that make it difficult for them to find work and earn a paycheck to support their families. Sometimes it’s lack of training or education, limited job skills, or a disability. But with the support of donors and shoppers like you, Goodwill overcomes those barriers.

At career centers throughout North Georgia, Goodwill offers job-search resources, helps with writing a professional résumé and cover letter, provides access to employment opportunities, delivers hands-on skill training, and so much more.

They provide access to important job search resources like computers, résumé writing tools, local job listings, telephones, and photocopiers. They also host regular recruiting events, employment seminars, and even offer software training. As an extension of their career center services, they launched Career Connector powered by Goodwill of North Georgia, a site that allows you to register online and access job search resources from anywhere.

Their training programs prepare people for careers in a wide array of fields such as retail, financial services, floor technology, healthcare, traditional and green construction, forklift operations, and more.

Think about Goodwill and the good they do the next time you’re deciding what to do with your gently used goods, or even when you’re about to go treasure hunting for a bargain. If you’d like to help them improve our communities, strengthen families, and energize the economy, they welcome your donations and invite you to visit their stores.

Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Keith Parker, President and CEO, Goodwill of North Georgia

Keith T. Parker is president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Goodwill of North Georgia. One of the largest nonprofit organizations in the southeast, Goodwill spans a 45-county territory, operating 60 stores, 58 donation centers, and 13 career centers. Goodwill employs nearly 3,000 people, each of whom plays a direct or supporting role in the organization’s donated goods retail operations and its career services. Annually, Goodwill collects upwards of 2.5 million donations and serves more than 7 million shoppers. Through the revenue generated in its stores, the organization is able to connect tens of thousands of North Georgians to jobs each year. Parker took the helm at Goodwill of North Georgia in October 2017. Prior to transitioning into his leadership role at Goodwill, Parker has served as CEO of the largest transit systems in several cities, including San Antonio, Charlotte and most recently, Atlanta.

Throughout his career, Parker has received numerous awards and accolades for his work as an organizational leader and transportation visionary. He won Texas CEO of the Year Awards in 2011 and 2012. He was recognized as the nation’s Outstanding Public Transportation Manager by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) in 2015. METRO Magazine named Parker as one of its 20 Most Influential People of the Decade. In 2016, Parker was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC). In November the same year, he was named one of eight Public Officials of the Year by Governing magazine. In August 2017, Parker was selected as one of Atlanta’s Most Admired CEOs by Atlanta Business Chronicle.

A native of Petersburg, Virginia, Parker was appointed to the Virginia Commonwealth University Board of Visitors by Governor Terry McAuliffe in 2016. Parker received VCU’s Alumni Star Award in 2015.

Parker served on the board of directors for Goodwill of San Antonio and Goodwill of North Georgia. He remains active and engaged in civic and charitable organizations, including service on various national and local boards of directors – such as Georgia Chamber of Commerce Board of Advisors, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, National Infrastructure Advisory Council, The Eno Center for Transportation, Park Over Georgia 400 Steering Committee, Virginia Commonwealth University Board of Visitors, Virginia Commonwealth University Health Systems Board of Directors, Grande West Board of Directors and Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Parker holds an MBA from the University of Richmond, as well as a Master of Urban and Regional Planning and a BA in Political Science from Virginia Commonwealth University.

About GNFCC and The GNFCC 400 Insider

**Kali Boatright, President and CEO of GNFCC**

The GNFCC 400 Insider is presented by the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce (GNFCC) and is hosted by Kali Boatright, President and CEO of GNFCC. The Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce is a private, non-profit, member-driven organization comprised of over 1400 business enterprises, civic organizations, educational institutions, and individuals. Their service area includes Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton, Mountain Park, Roswell and Sandy Springs. GNFCC is the leading voice on economic development, business growth and quality of life issues in North Fulton County.

The GNFCC promotes the interests of our members by assuming a leadership role in making North Fulton an excellent place to work, live, play and stay. They provide one voice for all local businesses to influence decision-makers, recommend legislation, and protect the valuable resources that make North Fulton a popular place to live.

For more information on GNFCC and its North Fulton County service area, follow this link or call (770) 993-8806. For more information on other GNFCC events such as this North Fulton Mayors Appreciation Lunch, follow this link.

For the complete show archive of GNFCC 400 Insider, go to GNFCC400Insider.com. The GNFCC 400 Insider is produced by John Ray and the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®.

Scott Jordan, Rose Sharif, and Matthew Ricks, Pinnacle Financial Partners

July 27, 2022 by John Ray

Business Beat

Scott Jordan, Rose Sharif, and Matthew Ricks, Pinnacle Financial Partners

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Frazier & Deeter’s Business Beat: Scott Jordan, Rose Sharif, and Matthew Ricks, Pinnacle Financial Partners

On this edition of Business Beat, host Roger Lusby welcomed three seasoned banking professionals, Scott Jordan, Rose Sharif, and Matthew Ricks, who joined Pinnacle Financial Partners in order to start and build the bank’s North Fulton presence. Scott, Rose, and Matt shared why they joined Pinnacle, their perspective on the North Fulton economy, how they plan to grow, Pinnacle’s recognition as a “best place to work,” and much more.

Business Beat is presented by Alpharetta CPA firm Frazier & Deeter and is produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®

Pinnacle Financial Partners

The Pinnacle approach is a very people-centric one. It takes an unwavering focus and commitment of leadership to make it work.

The same five key business strategies Pinnacle has employed since its inception shape our focus today: Focus on businesses, real estate professionals, and consumers that desire a deep relationship with their financial partner. Provide distinctive service and effective advice. Hire and retain highly experienced and qualified financial services professionals. Offer a full line of financial services including banking, investments, mortgage, trust, insurance, and financial planning. Offer extraordinary convenience.

Pinnacle is much more than a bank. It’s a place for people to find true partners for their business. It’s a place where seasoned professionals give clients unmatched service and advice that betters their financial well-being. And it’s a place where people love coming to work every day.

Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook

Scott Jordan, Senior Vice President / Area Manager, Pinnacle Financial Partners

In 1999, Scott was accepted into the SunTrust Bank (now Truist) Management Associate Program. Upon graduation, he served in various roles including Financial Services Representative and Account Executive. He transitioned to BB&T (now Truist) in 2001 and served as a Financial Center Manager and Business Banker.

Scott was recruited by Accenture in 2004 as part of a new team focused on Bank Mergers & Acquisitions. He returned to BB&T (now Truist) in 2005 and spent the next 16 years in various business development and leadership roles including Commercial Banking Relationship Manager, Market President – North Metro Atlanta, Market President – Central Atlanta, and Market President – Northeast Metro Atlanta.

Currently, he is leading the newly created North Metro Atlanta Banking/Financial Services Division for Pinnacle Financial Partners.

Scott currently serves on the Boards of Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia, North Fulton Community Charities, Forsyth Chamber of Commerce, and Leadership Forsyth. Furthermore, he is a graduate of Leadership North Fulton, Leadership Gwinnett, Leadership Forsyth, and Leadership Atlanta.

Rose Sharif, Senior Vice President / Office Leader, Pinnacle Financial Partners

Rose Sharif is the office leader for Pinnacle Financial Partners and will be opening the New Avalon office in Q4 of 2022. She works very closely with the Commercial lenders at her office to help expand current and new clients’ business and personal relationships.

Rose grew up in the Food and Beverage industry working for her family’s business. Once she married, she moved to Houston Texas where she worked as a food and beverage manager for Hilton Hotels and later for the 4 Seasons Hotels. But in 1990 she decided she was ready to raise a family and decided to enter the banking industry. She completed the Management Associate Program for C & S and has held multiple positions in retail bank and the private bank at various institutions.

Rose as a child lived in multiple states but at the age of 15, her parents moved to New Orleans LA where she attended and graduated from St. Mary’s Dominican College. She has a Major in Business Management and Administration with a minor in Finance. In 1985 she married her husband Kaz, and they have 2 wonderful sons, Armand and Cameron, and 2 grandchildren, Iris and Luka. She has lived in the Roswell area the entire time she has lived in Georgia but has worked in the Alpharetta market since 2004.

Matthew Ricks, Senior Vice President / Financial Advisor, Pinnacle Financial Partners

Matthew Ricks comes to Pinnacle Financial Partners with 18 years of banking experience, all of it with the Bank of North Georgia and Synovus. He began as a personal banker but quickly moved into lending after graduating from the Management Trainee program and began working with commercial clients in 2006.

Ricks earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Georgia and graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. He was also a member of the 2013 class of Leadership Cobb.

Frazier & Deeter

The Alpharetta office of Frazier & Deeter is home to a thriving CPA tax practice, a growing advisory practice and an Employee Benefit Plan Services group. CPAs and advisors in the Frazier & Deeter Alpharetta office serve clients across North Georgia and around the country with services such as personal tax planning, estate planning, business tax planning, business tax compliance, state and local tax planning, financial statement reviews, financial statement audits, employee benefit plan audits, internal audit outsourcing, cyber security, data privacy, SOX and other regulatory compliance, mergers, and acquisitions and more. Alpharetta CPAs serve clients ranging from business owners and executives to large corporations.

Roger Lusby, host of Frazier & Deeter’s Business Beat, is an Alpharetta CPA and Alpharetta Office Managing Partner for Frazier & Deeter. He is also a member of the Tax Department in charge of coordinating tax and accounting services for our clientele. His responsibilities include a review of a variety of tax returns with an emphasis in the individual, estate, and corporate areas. Client assistance is also provided in the areas of financial planning, executive compensation and stock option planning, estate and succession planning, international planning (FBAR, SFOP), health care, real estate, manufacturing, technology, and service companies.

You can find Frazier & Deeter on social media:

LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

An episode archive of Frazier & Deeter’s Business Beat can be found here.

Workplace MVP LIVE from SHRM 2022: Louis Lessig, Brown & Connery, LLP

July 26, 2022 by John Ray

Minneapolis St. Paul Studio

Workplace MVP LIVE from SHRM 2022: Louis Lessig, Brown & Connery, LLP

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Workplace MVP LIVE from SHRM 2022: Louis Lessig, Brown & Connery, LLP

Louis Lessig, a partner with Brown & Connery, LLP, joined Jamie Gassmann on Workplace MVP LIVE from SHRM 2022. Louis is an employment attorney who got his start in HR. He and Jamie talked about his journey, his work, and hot topics in the HR space these days, including marijuana & ADA. He also shared highlights from his presentations on ADA and retention at SHRM and much more.

Workplace MVP is underwritten and presented by R3 Continuum and produced by the Minneapolis-St.Paul Studio of Business RadioX®.

This show was originally broadcast live from the 2022 SHRM Annual Conference held at the New Orleans Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Louis Lessig, Partner, Brown & Connery, LLP

Louis Lessig is a partner with the firm of Brown & Connery, LLP. His practice concentrates in labor and employment counseling, litigation, negotiations, and training.

Mr. Lessig represents clients in all types of employment matters, including but not limited to claims of discrimination, harassment, hostile work environment, wage and hour irregularities, and retaliation in state and federal courts as well as before administrative agencies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Labor Relations Board, U.S. Department of Labor, American Arbitration Association, New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, New Jersey Office of Administrative Law, Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, and Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations.

In 2018, he received the Delaware Valley HR Consultant of the Year Award. In 2016 he was an Honoree for the SmartCEO Centers of Influence Awards. In 2015, he received the SmartCEO ESQ Industry Practice Award – recognizing the region’s most trusted advisors. Since 2012, Mr. Lessig has been selected each year as a “Super Lawyer” in Labor and Employment law. In 2010, Mr. Lessig was selected by the New Jersey Law Journal as one of the “Top 40 Attorneys Under 40” in New Jersey. Mr. Lessig was also selected in 2010 as a Delaware Valley Human Resources Consultant of the Year Nominee. Mr. Lessig is a nationally recognized speaker and publishes articles that have appeared in periodicals including Westlaw Journal Employment, Westlaw Journal Computer and Internet, the Family and Medical Leave Handbook, Employment Litigation Reporter, Corporate Risk Spectrum, HR Professional, The Tri-State and Labor and Employment Law Quarterly. He was an adjunct professor at the Comey Institute for Industrial Relations at St. Joseph’s University. Mr. Lessig was also a principal in the Pinnacle Employment Law Institute (PELI), which conducted training sessions and provided developmental assistance in employment relations.

After graduating from law school, he served as judicial law clerk to the Honorable M. Allan Vogelson, Presiding Civil Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey in Camden County.

In addition to his professional activities, Mr. Lessig currently serves on the Garden State Council – SHRM as the New Jersey State Director. He is also immediate Past President of the Board for the National Speakers Association (NSA), Philadelphia chapter. He is also a member of Tri-State HRMA where he is a Past President of the chapter and serves as Chair of the Legislative Committee. Mr. Lessig is past President of the Muhlenberg College Alumni Board.

Martindale-Hubbell “AV” Preeminent® Rating

Brown & Connery, LLP

Brown and Connery is one of South Jersey’s oldest and most well-regarded law firms. In 1928, Horace G. Brown, a preeminent trial lawyer, and Thomas F. Connery, a distinguished litigator, founded the practice in Camden, New Jersey. The firm has continued to evolve to meet changing times, changing culture and changing client needs. Driven by the ideal of excellence, Brown and Connery is proud to have earned an “AV” rating by Martindale-Hubbell*, its highest rating.

We take our work and our client’s needs seriously, and have built a reputation for quality legal services grounded in our founder’s tradition of thoroughness, hard work and integrity. Our talented attorneys and support staff are committed to our high standards, which means those who turn to our firm can count on us to maintain the highest ethical and intellectual standards when representing their needs.

The firm practices all across New Jersey with offices conveniently located in Westmont, Woodbury and Camden. Our Philadelphia office supports our practice in Pennsylvania.

Brown and Connery provides a wide range of legal services to its clients. These services can be seen listed and more fully described on this website among our Key Practices.

Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook

About Workplace MVP

Every day, around the world, organizations of all sizes face disruptive events and situations. Within those workplaces are everyday heroes in human resources, risk management, security, business continuity, and the C-suite. They don’t call themselves heroes though. On the contrary, they simply show up every day, laboring for the well-being of employees in their care, readying the workplace for and planning responses to disruption. This show, Workplace MVP, confers on these heroes the designation they deserve, Workplace MVP (Most Valuable Professionals), and gives them the forum to tell their story. As you hear their experiences, you will learn first-hand, real-life approaches to readying the workplace, responses to crisis situations, and overcoming challenges of disruption. Visit our show archive here.

Workplace MVP Host Jamie Gassmann

**Jamie Gassmann, Host, “Workplace MVP”**

In addition to serving as the host to the Workplace MVP podcast, Jamie Gassmann is the Director of Marketing at R3 Continuum (R3c). Collectively, she has more than fourteen years of marketing experience. Across her tenure, she has experience working in and with various industries including banking, real estate, retail, crisis management, insurance, business continuity, and more. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communications with special interest in Advertising and Public Relations and a Master of Business Administration from Paseka School of Business, Minnesota State University.

R3 Continuum

R3 Continuum is a global leader in workplace behavioral health and security solutions. R3c helps ensure the psychological and physical safety of organizations and their people in today’s ever-changing and often unpredictable world. Through their continuum of tailored solutions, including evaluations, crisis response, executive optimization, protective services, and more, they help organizations maintain and cultivate a workplace of wellbeing so that their people can thrive. Learn more about R3c at www.r3c.com.

Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:02] Broadcasting live from SHRM 2022 at the New Orleans Convention Center, it’s time for Workplace MVP. Brought to you by R3 Continuum, a global leader in helping workplaces thrive during disruptive times. Now, here’s your host.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:19] Hey, everyone. You’re host, Jamie Gassmann here, and I’m coming to you from SHRM 2022 Exhibit Hall. And I’m in R3 Continuum, our sponsor’s booth. And joining me is Louis Lessig from Brown and Connery. Did I pronounce that all correctly?

Louis Lessig: [00:00:36] You absolutely did. Thank you.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:38] Awesome. Well, welcome to the show, Louis.

Louis Lessig: [00:00:40] I’m thrilled to be here. Thank you.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:41] Oh, we’re excited to have you on. I know we’ve been doing a lot of talking before getting on the actual microphone. So, give us a little background about your career journey into this space and coming into the kind of H.R. perspective. I know you’re not an H.R. person, but talk to me a little bit about how you got here.

Louis Lessig: [00:00:57] So, actually my undergrad is in H.R., and I was a student member of SHRM. We won’t say when, but when I got out –

Jamie Gassmann: [00:01:05] Ten years ago?

Louis Lessig: [00:01:05] Sure. Absolutely. But when I was in my major, I was doing an internship at a hospital and the generalist turned to me and said, “Do you want to do benefits your whole life?” I’m sure no one listening to this does benefits. I said, “Actually, I absolutely do not.” And he said, “Well, then you know what you should do? You should go to law school.” So that’s what I did.

Louis Lessig: [00:01:29] And then, while I was in law school, I gravitated towards the labor and employment kind of work, got out and started – I clerked for a judge and then went to one firm, spent 11 months there, and then went to the firm I’m with now, doing employment labor. Simultaneously, I was also doing a – I had a training company where we were doing harassment sort of stuff, all on the side. So, I was doing both till 9/11 and the training stuff went south and I’ve been doing the whole employment labor stuff since.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:02:01] Wow! And you’re in a great spot here, lots of H.R. leaders. So, what are some of the hot topics you’re seeing with your clients right now in the labor and employment law arena?

Louis Lessig: [00:02:12] Well, it depends on what state you’re in.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:02:14] Oh, okay.

Louis Lessig: [00:02:15] Because the whole medical versus recreational marijuana component is fascinating. The truth is, because of everything around COVID, there’s been a lot of the reasonable accommodation components around the ADA and, of course, how we deal with leave and the desire or shifting desires, if you will, in terms of the workforce and how much do they want to come back to the workplace, do they not want to come back to the workplace? How do we make that happen? Because the law is always trying to catch up. And so, it’s been a bit more of a challenge than one might think. And, of course, everybody dumps all the stuff at H.R.’s feet, which makes sure that the billable hours just keep on rolling.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:02:57] I bet. Yeah. And I got to imagine with a lot of this remote work, people working from home, that’s got to be a whole new kind of caveat with some of the different like Work Comp rules. Like, if I slip in my own kitchen, is that Work Comp because I was on the clock? I mean, like, I’m just so curious and fascinated about that. Like, what are you seeing from that perspective with some of the changes in the work environment that employers are facing?

Louis Lessig: [00:03:22] Well, you can start as early as taking a look at things like how much real estate do they really need anymore? And then, from there, you move into like to your question. You probably don’t know this, but if you own your own home, the comprehensive insurance you currently have in your home already includes part-time Workers’ Comp generally speaking. You can get a rider if you want full comp coverage on top of your homeowners. Most people don’t know this. But when my kids were really young, had like the nanny working full time and I inquired about this, it was a $60 rider a year for full Worker’s Comp coverage.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:03] Wow!

Louis Lessig: [00:04:04] That’s 60 bucks I cut every year.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:06] Yeah. And that covers you as the worker because you’re inside the home.

Louis Lessig: [00:04:11] Correct.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:11] Interesting. Okay. Well, that’s a great lesson for our listeners to be hearing about it. I might have to call my insurance company. So, now I know you’re speaking at this year’s conference and it sounds like you’ve got a couple of different presentations. So, let’s start with you giving kind of the titles of the two, and then let’s dive into each of them and talk a little bit about each one of them.

Louis Lessig: [00:04:30] Sure. So, tomorrow I’ll be talking on “ Adventures in ADA, the Good, the Bad, and the Oh My’.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:38] I love that, oh my.

Louis Lessig: [00:04:40] Any time I’m dealing with the ADA, it’s always a function of you cannot make this up.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:47] Yeah.

Louis Lessig: [00:04:47] And your jaw would either hit the floor or you’re just going to start dying laughing. The other, on Wednesday morning, the intro to the president speaking actually. I will be talking on “Positive Conversations Using Employment Laws as a Retention Tactic”.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:05:05] Interesting. And I suppose that’s going to be a hot topic with all the labor and the great resignation or the great reshuffle, depending on who you ask. So, let’s dive into your ADA and the oh my. So, looking at that presentation, what are you hoping your attendees come out of that with like a top three takeaways that you want them to get from your presentation?

Louis Lessig: [00:05:27] So both presentations are hybrid. So, the cool part is I’ve designed them to engage both the virtual audience as well as the live audience. When we talk about the ADA, it’s really about having folks understand two things, the lay of the land in terms of some of the court decisions that have come out over the last year but then it’s also what’s in those decisions that are the true takeaways. Because I can tell stories till the cows come home, but it’s really what’s in it for me, right? That’s why everybody’s coming to a session.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:05:58] Yeah.

Louis Lessig: [00:05:59] And a lot of what you see in the ADA is employers end up tripping up because they don’t legitimately go through the interactive process, or they have a manager that says, “Oh, I’m sort of fed up with this person. They’ve got too many issues. I don’t want to play ball”. And it’s as if they want to buy litigation. So, the hope is that you understand the good in terms of good for employers, the bad in terms of did you really want to do that? And the oh my in terms of, seriously, this fact pattern just makes my skin crawl.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:06:32] Yeah.

Louis Lessig: [00:06:33] And, hopefully, what they take away from that is a level of empathy for the people that they work with.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:06:42] Yeah. I love that. And now, let’s look at your Wednesday presentation because I think that that, you know, anything you can do to try to increase retention for some of these organizations, it’s got to be huge, so talk to me a little bit about that one. What are the takeaways of that presentation?

Louis Lessig: [00:06:56] So, that presentation I’m very passionate about. I sort of view the ADA, it’s very nuts and bolts. This other one that’s on Wednesday is really taking the way in which everyone presumes as an employment lawyer I would approach things and flip it on it’s head.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:07:14] Interesting.

Louis Lessig: [00:07:15] And what I mean by that is this, most folks look at employment laws, ADA, FMLA, FLSA, it’s a bunch of acronyms and it’s all about this crazy thought process of compliance, like the most overused word in the H.R. space. That’s not what it’s about. It is a road map to help us, help our employees get what they need, have them understand, look, we’re here for one another. The better we do, the better we do. And really taking a look at those employment laws, appreciating what the parameters are and how you can better your business by sort of following the proverbial path rather than, “Oh, my God. What did we do wrong? I think we got to go run or cut a check.”

Jamie Gassmann: [00:08:00] Oh, yeah. I love that. They’re going to be taking definitely some interesting points from that, something different hopefully than what they’ve probably thought of it before.

Louis Lessig: [00:08:09] Exactly.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:08:11] Amazing. So any other things you want to leave our audience with? You know, you got the microphone here, you know, your expertise in the employment law. What are your thoughts? What do you think that H.R. leaders need to be watching out for?

Louis Lessig: [00:08:25] I think they need to be very unique in their view of the world. We can’t look at -whether you have ten employees or 10,000 employees, we are truly at a point where the level of customization that we need to do in this space is in a way that no one has ever anticipated before. I’m not sure everybody’s really ready for. But that’s why the talk on the ADA makes so much sense right now because it is individualized and most organizations want to be able to say, “Here’s the cookie-cutter approach.” You know, you guys do some behavioral health stuff. And when you think about it, the challenge there is what each person needs is something different. And that’s where life gets hard. Because when you have issues, you try to figure out, well, how do I avoid it or how do I get past it? And if it’s individualized in nature, it can be more challenging. And I’m really here to tell everybody, take the time to figure it out. It’s better to spend a little bit up front to try and come up with those policies and the procedures that are going to allow you to engage with your employees rather than deal with them when they’re complaining and filing litigation.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:09:33] Yeah. It’s kind of like don’t take the one-size-fits-all approach.

Louis Lessig: [00:09:37] Exactly.

Jamie Gassmann: [00:09:38] Look for how you can tailor it. Great advice. Love that. Well, Louis, it’s been an absolute pleasure to have you on our show. Thank you so much for stopping by.

Louis Lessig: [00:09:46] It has been my honor. Thank you so much.

Outro: [00:09:53] Thank you for joining us on Workplace MVP. R3 Continuum is a proud sponsor of this show and is delighted to celebrate most valuable professionals who work diligently to secure safe workplaces where employees can thrive.

Stuart Oberman, Oberman Law Firm and the Advisory Insights Podcast

July 26, 2022 by John Ray

Advisory Insights Podcast

Stuart Oberman, Oberman Law Firm and the Advisory Insights Podcast

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North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 477)

Over the past year, Oberman Law Firm has grown significantly, adding attorneys with various areas of expertise which extend well beyond the firm’s highly regarded and well-known work with dental practices. Stuart Oberman joined host John Ray to discuss this growth, the firm’s work with other healthcare practices and even international clients, and the rebranding and relaunch of Dental Law Radio into the Advisory Insights Podcast.

North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Oberman Law Firm

Oberman Law Firm’s strength is its ability to solve complex legal problems by collaborating across borders and practice areas.

Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

Stuart Oberman, Founder and President, Oberman Law Firm

Stuart J. Oberman is the founder and President of Oberman Law Firm. Mr. Oberman graduated from Urbana University and received his law degree from John Marshall Law School. Mr. Oberman has been practicing law for over 25 years, and before going into private practice, Mr. Oberman was in-house counsel for a Fortune 500 Company.

Mr. Oberman is widely regarded as the go-to attorney in the area of Dental Law, which includes DSO formation, corporate business structures, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance, advertising regulations, HIPAA, Compliance, and employment law regulations that affect dental practices.

As the long-term care industry evolves, Mr. Oberman has the knowledge and experience to guide clients in the long-term care sector with respect to corporate and regulatory matters, assisted living facilities, and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). In addition, Mr. Oberman’s practice also focuses on health care facility acquisitions and other changes of ownership, as well as related licensure and Medicare/Medicaid certification matters, CCRC registrations, long-term care/skilled nursing facility management, operating agreements, assisted living licensure matters, and health care joint ventures.

Mr. Oberman also represents clients throughout the U.S. in a wide range of practice areas, including mergers & acquisitions, partnership agreements, commercial real estate, entity formation, employment law, commercial leasing, intellectual property, and HIPAA/OSHA compliance.

Mr. Oberman is a national lecturer and has published articles in the U.S. and Canada. In addition, Mr. Oberman has received the Martindale-Hubbell Client Distinction Award, which is based on client review ratings of communications ability, responsiveness, and quality of service.

Questions and Topics in this Interview:

What is new at Oberman Law Firm?
How has the firm expanded?
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Creating a Unique Weather System

July 25, 2022 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

Creating a Unique Weather System

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Creating a Unique Weather System

On a recent trip to Alaska, I was fortunate to enjoy spectacular views of Mt. Denali without the usual cloud cover which often shrouds views from below. That cloud cover is created because of Denali’s unusual height relative to surrounding peaks. Mt. Denali creates its own unique weather system, and there’s a vital analogy here for us as professional services providers.

The Price and Value Journey is presented by John Ray and produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®.

TRANSCRIPT

John Ray: [00:00:00] Hello. I’m John Ray on The Price and Value Journey, Creating a Unique Weather System. I’ve been away from the podcast for a few weeks and part of that time in Alaska. And it’s a fantastic trip, by the way, I highly recommend if you’ve never been there.

John Ray: [00:00:20] One of the highlights of our trip was seeing Mount Denali. At over 20,000 feet, Denali is the tallest mountain in North America, and it’s the third highest of the Seven Summits. The Seven Summits being the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. While Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world at 29,000 feet, Denali is the taller of the two. Now, in measuring mountains, height or high refers to feet above sea level, while tall is a measurement from the base to the summit.

John Ray: [00:00:58] Denali has a vertical rise of 18,000 feet from its base, in contrast to Everest, 12,000 feet. Because Denali is so tall relative to peaks in the surrounding geography, it creates its own weather system, which makes this mountain, in addition to its very cold temperatures, extremely challenging for climbers. We were extremely fortunate to see Denali on a sunny day. As more often than not, the mountain is shrouded in clouds.

John Ray: [00:01:34] So, how does all this apply to professional services? Well, there are those professional services providers who first seek to be people of value, freely sprinkling value to all those around them without worrying about what they’ll directly receive in return. They’re confident enough in their value that they know they’ll receive enormous long term rewards for this behavior. They make connections for others. They offer help to those coming behind them who will never be able to repay them.

John Ray: [00:02:10] Because of the value they throw off, you know you’re going to be better off just hanging around them, whether in-person or virtually. These individuals create their own weather systems, if you will. They draw others to them naturally and organically. And they stand much taller with substantially more authority than the surrounding peaks. Their practices are as large as they want them to be, and they have a fulfilling professional and personal life.

John Ray: [00:02:42] I’m John Ray on The Price and Value Journey. If you’d like to connect with me directly, you can send me an email, john@johray.co. And past episodes of this series can be found at pricevaluejourney.com. And I’d be honored, if you’re not a subscriber, if you would do that. Thank you so much for joining me.

About The Price and Value Journey

The title of this show describes the journey all professional services providers are on: building a services practice by seeking to convince the world of the value we offer, helping clients achieve the outcomes they desire and trying to do all that at pricing which reflects the value we deliver.

If you feel like you’re working too hard for too little money in your solo or small firm practice, this show is for you. Even if you’re reasonably happy with your practice, you’ll hear ways to improve both your bottom line as well as the mindset you bring to your business.

The show is produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® and can be found on all the major podcast apps. The complete show archive is here.

John Ray, Host of The Price and Value Journey

John Ray The Price and Value Journey — **John Ray, Host of “The Price and Value Journey”**

John Ray is the host of The Price and Value Journey.

John owns Ray Business Advisors, a business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneur and small professional services firms on their pricing. John is passionate about the power of pricing for business owners, as changing pricing is the fastest way to change the profitability of a business. His clients are professionals who are selling their “grey matter,” such as attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, consultants, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.

In his other business, John is a Studio Owner, Producer, and Show Host with Business RadioX®, and works with business owners who want to do their own podcast. As a veteran B2B services provider, John’s special sauce is coaching B2B professionals to use a podcast to build relationships in a non-salesy way which translate into revenue.

John is the host of North Fulton Business Radio, Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Radio, Alpharetta Tech Talk, and Business Leaders Radio. house shows which feature a wide range of business leaders and companies. John has hosted and/or produced over 1,300 podcast episodes.