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Free education series tackles workplace, productivity issues

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- For the eighth year, Unum (NYSE:UNM) is teaming up with the Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC) to offer a series of educational forums on workplace topics ranging from return to work, to changes in the Family and Medical Leave Act. The Virtual Education Forum is made possible by Unum's sponsorship and is part of DMEC's distance learning offerings.

"The forums offer human resources professionals, benefits brokers, and other industry experts insights into legal and benefits trends," said Marcia Carruthers, chief executive officer for DMEC. "They are a great resource for information and ideas, especially in this economy of tight budgets and limited travel."

DMEC is the only non-profit devoted to integrated disability and absence management. Its membership represents employers from the Fortune 500 to those with fewer than 500 employees. Unum is a long-time member of DMEC and the sole sponsor of the Virtual Education Forums.

"These forums encourage peer-to-peer conversations about the best ways to manage employee health, disability, absence and productivity," said Phil Bruen, vice president of large case practice at Unum. "Last year nearly 2,500 individuals participated in these virtual learning forums and the attendance grows each year."

The line-up of topics reflects the variety of challenges and questions that confront human resources professionals and benefits brokers, Bruen said. The 2010 winter-spring forum schedule is as follows:

• Feb. 9:"No More Light Duty as a Career Path! - Achieving the Transitional Work Dividend" - This session presents and analyzes several different types of employer-based transitional work models. Outcomes for selected impairments and benefit programs (e.g. back injury, depression, and cancer, short term disability and worker's compensation) will be presented.

Presenters: The employer roundtable will include representatives from the Ohio State University disability management team and the Mayo Clinic's return-to-work program. The presenters will emphasize the return on investment of transitional work along with strategies in dealing with employees, managers and health care providers who appear to be reluctant to participate in or support the transitional work process.

• March 9: "A Pain in the Work Place!" - The program reviews clinical and employer-based strategies for managing chronic pain as a residual of trauma, as well as related to chronic conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia and migraines. Emphasis will be on understanding the connection between treatment and return-to-work efforts, as well as mitigating co-morbid depression as a barrier to returning to work.

Presenter: Dr. Christopher D. Sletten, psychologist in the neuro-oncology and pain medicine programs, and assistant professor of psychiatry and psychology at the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla.

• May 11: "Forecast ....Cloudy with Chance of Intermittent FMLA" - This program presents the 2010 FMLA regulation changes, new case law decisions, administrative issues, as well as new research illustrating the impact on the workforce and leave management programs.

Presenters: Angela Ripper, Unum assistant vice president and senior counsel, a representative of the Department of Labor's FMLA Division, and corporate commentator TBD.

• June 15: "The New Benefit Paradigm: Voluntary Benefits, Benefit Communication and Enrollment Strategies" - This edition provides new information and trends on employers' migration to voluntary benefit programs and their impact on health, productivity and benefit costs.

Presenter: A national leader in voluntary benefit strategies and enrollments

These sessions are held on Tuesdays at Noon Eastern/9 a.m. Pacific. The one-hour presentations will be followed by a 30 minute question-and-answer session. Participation is free and registration opens six weeks before the event. To register, visit www.dmec.org and select Virtual Education Forums under the Education Events tab.

Topics for fall 2010 forums will be announced later in the year.

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 (DMEC) is a non-profit organization that provides educational resources to employers in the areas of disability, absence, health, and productivity. The primary goal of DMEC is to assist employers in developing cost-saving programs, encouraging responsive market products, and returning employees to productive employment. Visit www.dmec.org for more information about educational publications and events.

    Source: Unum