April 2026 Chapter Meeting - Tricky issues including medical marijuana, absenteeism and work from home issues. (Thursday, April 23, 2026)

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:45:00 GMT

ANNOUNCEMENTS - 7:45 AM

Jon Anderson, SHRMA President

PROGRAM - 8:00 - 9:00 AM

DESCRIPTION/COURSE OVERVIEW

Tricky issues including medical marijuana, absenteeism and work from home issues.

Today’s workplace presents HR professionals with increasingly complex challenges, from medical marijuana and absenteeism to managing remote work arrangements. In this session, an experienced employment attorney will provide practical guidance on navigating these tricky issues while remaining compliant and minimizing risk.

Attendees will gain real-world insights, explore common pitfalls—including Form I-9 compliance—and walk away with strategies to make confident, legally sound decisions in gray-area situations.

Learning Objectives

Interpret evolving legal considerations related to medical marijuana in the workplace, including accommodation obligations, safety-sensitive roles, and state-specific compliance challenges.
Evaluate absenteeism issues through a legal and practical lens, distinguishing between protected and unprotected absences under laws such as FMLA, ADA, and state/local regulations.
Apply best practices for managing remote and hybrid work arrangements, including wage and hour compliance, workplace safety, and performance management considerations.
Identify common compliance risks associated with Form I-9 administration, including proper completion, document verification, and audit preparedness.
Develop practical strategies to mitigate legal risk while maintaining fair, consistent, and employee-centered workplace practices.
Analyze real-world scenarios involving complex employee relations issues and determine appropriate, legally compliant courses of action.

SPEAKER BIO

Renee C. Mattei Montgomery
Member Chair, Pro Bono Committee
Eckert Seamans

Renee Mattei Montgomery focuses her practice on a wide variety of labor and employment matters in state and federal trial and appellate courts throughout Pennsylvania. She has experience defending employers against discrimination claims under Title VII, Americans with Disabilities Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, and Pennsylvania Human Relations Act. Renee represents employers before administrative agencies including the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor. She also designs and implements training sessions for managers and supervisors on employment law issues, conducts audits of employer policies, and provides general employment advice to human resource managers in a wide range of industries on matters including hiring, discipline and discharge, family and medical leave issues, wage and hour issues, and reductions-in-force. Renee serves as the chair of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee, and previously spent over 10 years as the chair of the firm’s Associates Committee. She is also the Harrisburg representative for the Women’s Initiative at Eckert (WIE).

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Login information for the Zoom session will be sent to you after registration is complete. Payments for non-members will be verified before confirming registration and sending zoom link. Payment instructions will be included in invoice.

This session has been submitted for recertification credits with SHRM and HRCI. Chapter members in good standing with their dues and non-members that have paid the nominal fee will receive these credits if in attendance for a minimum of 50 minutes of the program.

Susquehanna Human Resource Management Association upcoming events

April 2026 Chapter Meeting - Tricky issues including medical marijuana, absenteeism and work from home issues. (Thursday, April 23, 2026)