The perennial employment challenges remain the same:  hiring and retaining good people, and ensuring that departing employees do not take valuable company assets when they are let go.

How should these challenges be dealt with in the legal and economic climate in the Fall of 2009?

This workshop will offer practical pointers on the following topics:

• for misappropriation of trade secrets, when new hires bring electronic data from their prior employers on their personal devices (thumb drives, smartphones, hard drives);
• for wrongful termination, by failing to conduct a thorough background check (should employers include a check of Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, others?); and
• alleging a class action for wage/hour violations, by misclassifying employees as exempt/non-exempt, or as consultants/contractors;

• by minimizing risk to equal pay claims under the Lily Ledbetter Act;
• by union avoidance measures in light of increased union activity and recent pro-union Executive Orders affecting government contractors (whether or not the Employee Free Choice Act is passed);
• to comply with recently issued regulations regarding employee benefits; and

• by enhanced exit interview processes; and
• by use of enforceable non-solicitation or; non-competition agreements.

New Technology Tools for the HR Professional - a quick survey and demonstration of some of the latest, Web 2.0 and Social Media tools that HR professionals should be aware of and can consider evaluating and implementing in their organizations.

• internal and external micro blogging
• activity streaming
• 'flow' based collaboration
• wiki based collaboration
• corporate social networking.

In times of uncertainty, companies and organizations must clearly communicate plans to build confidence, connect strategies to future success and effectively address employee and customer concerns.

Hill & Knowlton will share their experience with crafting messages that deeply resonate with employees and Strategic Interactions, known for their live simulation training, will teach participants about critical two-way communications and messaging delivery skills that fit specific organizational cultures.

• Best practices from companies who are successfully communicating change to their employees while minimizing the risks during the current economic climate;
• Strategies for leveraging internal/external communications that will increase employee engagement and acceptance of change as well as customer loyalty; and,
• Skills for predicting and responding to employee/customer concerns about critical business changes.

Lindsay Hutter's career spans leadership in multiple communications disciplines and deep leadership on change and employee communications assignments, Lindsay provides strategic insights to clients on a wide range of business and internal corporate issues. She is most passionate about helping organizations communicate honestly and effectively with their employees to create a culture of dignity, respect and corporate and personal achievement.

Since 1990, Strategic Interactions, Inc. (SI) has helped people in organizationsimprove their performance by engaging them to learn communication skills, envision workplace changes, and integrate corporate values far more successfully than with traditional methods. SI is well known as the pioneer of a powerful adult learning methodology, interactive behavioral simulations®. SI’s Learning Facilitators have diverse backgrounds including psychology, law, business, training and organizational development. They are subject matter experts and skilled actors who take roles in customized workplace simulations, eliminating the need for participants to “role-play” and pretend to be someone other than themselves. SI’s approach creates an effective learning environment that is engaging, entertaining, and transferable to the real world. Strategic Interactions' award-winning methods have been featured 3 times by 60 Minutes and by The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The LA Times, and other news media. SI’s principals, Jennell Evans, David Swink, and M.E. Hart will deliver the WTPF presentation with Lindsay Hutter of Hill & Knowlton.

With the most educated workers, wealthiest households and largest IT cluster in the country, we all know that the Washington, DC area is unique. But – just how unique is it? Learn today what your HR peers are doing and thinking.

When you register, please complete the “pulse” survey indicating how the downturn has impacted your programs and what you foresee as the “new normal” including business changes your company is facing and how they may transform your workforce and impact program designs.

Using survey results for context, our panel of experts will provide their insights, perspectives and recommendations for meeting today’s challenges and tomorrow’s emerging opportunities. Be ready to discuss with us what we will be dealing with a year from today regarding:

• Business forecasts, shifting market priorities and their impact on human capital
• Recruitment and retention
• Pay and benefits
• Work life
• Engagement

Gary A. Cluff is the Manager, Corporate Recruiting for the MITRE Corporation in McLean, VA.
Prior to joining MITRE in 2001,Mr. Cluff served as a Special Assistant to the Director of the CIA where he introduced and implemented competitive recruitment strategies and more efficient recruitment practices.  For more than 30 years, as a consultant and as an employee, he has shared his recruiting expertise with government agencies, public corporations, and non-profit organizations, as well as thousands of individuals who have attended his popular recruiting forums and interviewing skills workshops.
Gary is the founder and facilitator of Project SAVE, a networking group of recruiting professionals in the Washington, DC area.
Gary holds a B.A. in Psychology from Penn State University.

Andrew Klein (SAIC) is a human resource executive who is charged with creating “total rewards” alignment with the employment value proposition and business strategy with the goal of driving business success and employee engagement. Andy was previously with Booz Allen Hamilton where he was Worldwide Director of Compensation and Compliance, and prior to that Andy spent ten years with Mercer Human Resource Consulting as the Performance Measurement and Reward Principal and Practice Leader in the-Washington office
Andy has a Ph.D. from Tulane University and is a licensed psychologist in the Commonwealth of Virginia

Keith Greene, SPHR, is Director of Membership & Customer Relations for BoardSource.  Previously, he was with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), where he served as Vice President of Workforce Readiness and was also previously Vice President of Member Relations. 
Prior to joining the staff of SHRM, Keith was an HR practitioner for thirteen years.  He holds a BBA Degree in Personnel Management from George Washington University.

Jane Weizmann is the Washington, DC Area Office Practice Leader for Compensation at Watson Wyatt Worldwide.  In this role, she oversees all work in the area of compensation and performance management with special emphasis on strategic design, performance based rewards, pay banding, incentive design, governance and salary administration.  Jane has been associated with Watson Wyatt since 1989. 
As a recognized compensation expert, Jane is frequently quoted in professional and business journals and is a regular speaker and commentator on current human resource issues.  She is the author of Rewards and Business Strategy: People, Pay and Performance, and Designing and Managing Variable Incentive Pay Programs.