Kindred Spirits - Tricks & Treats for Public and Private Employers

Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center

11.05.2025 | 8:30 a.m. to Noon

Originally Held: November 5, 2025
Registration: 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Seminar Time: 8:30 a.m. to Noon
Location: Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center
Cost: Complimentary

Program Description

This fun, fast paced and informative seminar told the story of Hades, Michigan, a fictional city haunted, so it seems, by a never-ending string of mysterious employment-related debacles.

Like a paranormal crisis team being called in to help, our intrepid band of attorneys “travelled” to Hades to help officials separate fact from fiction and rumor from legend. Did they succeed or fall prey to the city’s toxic witches’ brew of poor decision making, failed regulatory compliance and lack of best employment law practices?

We explored a range of public- and private-sector employment law topics, including:

PUBLIC SECTOR SPECTERS This first panel discussion touched upon various employment liability issues plaguing public employers, including the following: Public employer issues with social media, including policies on social media use FOIA/OMA issues Union issues Public employer best practices First Amendment issues, including distinguishing between private and public speech Application for private employers Employee discipline Investigations

PRIVATE SECTOR POLTERGEISTS  Employers in our fictional town have been subject to poor decision making, failed regulatory compliance and have “toxic” employment law practices. This panel discussion touched upon numerous employment and labor issues the town is facing, including:  ADA/FMLA issues FLSA pitfalls Union organizing Collective bargaining Unfair labor practice charges and NLRB investigations

POTIONS & SPELLS FOR THE WORKPLACE  This will be a rapid fire segment that includes audience Q&A, case law updates and legislation review. It will also allow our presenters to tell tales about what keeps them up at night.

Who Should Attend?

This program was designed to benefit elected and appointed municipal officials, human resources professionals and employment liability insurance providers. 

Continuing Education Credits:

This Program was approved for 3.50 HR (General) recertification credit hours toward aPHR™, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™ and SPHRi™ recertification through HR Certification Institute® (HRCI®). For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HR Certification Institute website at www.hrci.org. This approval is valid through Nov. 5, 2025 and is not transferable. (Programs that have been approved for a specialized credit, will be recognized by the recertification system as HR General credit for those certification holders who do not have a need for Business, California, or Global recertification credits.)

The use of this seal confirms that this activity has met HR Certification Institute's® (HRCI®) criteria for recertification credit pre-approval. For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HR Certification Institute website at www.hrci.org.

Plunkett Cooney is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM-CP^SM or SHRM-SCP^SM. This program is approved for 3.5 PDCs for the SHRM-CP^SM or SHRM-SCP^SM. For more information about certification or recertification, please visit www.shrmcertification.org. 

Presenters

The panels included members of Plunkett Cooney's Governmental Law and Labor & Employment Law practice groups.