News Details

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Unum (NYSE:UNM) is working with the Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC) to offer a series of educational forums on workplace topics ranging from changes to FMLA law to the abuse of prescription drugs in the workplace. This Virtual Education Forum is a free service to the industry, made possible by Unum's sponsorship and part of DMEC's distance learning offerings.

Hosted by experts in a variety of workplace topics, the forums offer human resources professionals, benefits brokers, and other industry experts insights into legal and benefits trends. This is the seventh year Unum has teamed up with the Disability Management Employer Coalition to offer the series.

"These forums draw hundreds of participants looking for the chance to hear from industry experts on top-of-mind workplace issues," said Marcia Carruthers, chief executive officer for the Disability Management Employer Coalition. "They are a great resource for information and ideas, especially in this economy of tight budgets and limited travel."

The line-up of topics reflects the variety of challenges and questions that confront human resources professionals and benefits brokers, said Phil Bruen, vice president of large case markets for Unum.

"The chance to hear from experts in these fields is one that Unum is pleased to be able to offer," Mr. Bruen said. "These forums encourage real conversations about the best ways to manage employee health, disability, absence and productivity."

The forum schedule, also available under the 'educational events' tab at www.dmec.org, is as follows:

Tuesday, March 10: FMLA update: Application of new regulations This timely discussion will offer practical insights and authoritative information on the application of the 2009 changes of the FMLA regulations. Special attention will be paid to the respective employer, administrative, compliance and legal implications.

Presenters: Angela Ripper, JD, AVP & Senior Counsel, Leave Management; Unum US, Chattanooga, TN

Helen Applewaite, Branch Director, Wage/Hour Division, FMLA Group, U.S. Department of Labor, Washington D.C.

Tuesday, April 14: Prescription drugs: New addictions in the workplace New addictive behaviors are leading to new forms of health and productivity predicaments for employers. The growing abuse of prescription drugs requires employers to identify and create a wide range of screening, prevention and treatment programs.

Presenter: Marcia Scott, MD, Clinical Instructor/Lecturer, Harvard Medical School/Brigham & Women's Hospitals; Consultant to Boston Police Department; Distinguished Life Fellow, APA, Boston, MA

Tuesday, June 9: Cutting through the benefit fog: Communicating the value and outcomes related to effective group and voluntary health, wellness and disability benefit programs will be highlighted. All too often, health, wellness and benefit programs are poorly communicated, creating confusion, misunderstanding and limited utilization. This program will offer corporate communication strategies that offer innovative ways in communicating such programs across a work force.

Presenters: Dani McCauley, Senior Vice President, Univers Workplace Benefits, Hammonton, NJ

Katherine McCary, VP, Human Resources, Sun Trust, Richmond, VA

Robert (Bobby) Silverstein, JD, U.S. Business Leadership Network, (Former advisor to Senator Harkin, D-IA)

1. We invite you to register for the program by clicking on this link: http://www.dmec.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=348. There is no fee, but registration allows us to ensure sufficient call-in lines.

2. To ensure a quality Virtual Education Forum participation experience, please log on the link below on the day before the presentation to verify internet connection integrity.

3. To participate in the program, please go to the following internet site and teleconference number on the respective Tuesday at 11:55 AM Eastern as follows:

DAY OF PROGRAM PARTICIPANT LINK: https://xchange.unumprovident.com?ConfRef=956162&Pin=331654

Dial in for PARTICIPANTS outside Unum: (877) 472-2389; access code 5858#

Dial in for PARTICIPANTS inside Unum: 5-6703; access code 5858#

About Unum

Unum (www.unum.com) is one of the leading providers of employee benefits products and services in the United States and the United Kingdom. Through its subsidiaries, Unum Group provided nearly $6 billion in total benefits to customers in 2008.

About DMEC

The Disability Management Employer Coalition, Inc., DMEC, is a nonprofit, employer-focused professional association founded in 1992 to advance the development of integrated disability and absence management processes in all disability-related employer programs. The coalition encourages employers, health and disability providers, and the government at all levels to support the concept of disability, benefits and absence integration.

In addition to annual conferences, publications and training programs, DMEC offers members access to an Internet library of specialized assistance in the development, implementation and monitoring of integrated programs. Take a look at the benefits of membership at www.dmec.org.

    Source: Unum