Sponsored by Pullman & Comley Participating sponsors: Hooker and Holcombe & Worldwide Employee BenefitsDo your compensation plans motivate your employees? Do your retirement plans prepare them for the future? Is your benefits strategy ready for healthcare reform in 2014? This full day of presentations from leading legal and total rewards experts teaches you ways to enhance employee benefits and support the overall success of your company.This program has been approved for 5 (General) recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR and GPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute.The use of this seal is not an endorsement by the HR Certification Institute of the quality of the program. It means that this program has met the HR Certification Institute's criteria to be pre-approved for recertification credit.  Agenda Registration7:30: Registration and networking breakfastPlenary Sessions8:40 to 9:40 am | What PPACA Means for Employers With the arrival of healthcare reform, many employers are grappling with how to ensure the viability and success of their benefit plans and strategies. Our experts will provide you with a brief overview of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), last year’s Supreme Court decision and subsequent developments, and offer important insight on issues such as:Employer responsibilities under PPACAStrategies for addressing the individual mandateThe impact of exchanges on company strategyPPACA’s effects on a unionized environmentTax liabilitiesSpeakers: Nancy D. Lapera, George J. Kasper, Elliott B. Pollack and Jonathan B. Orleans Attorneys, Pullman & Comley, LLC 9:50 to 10 50 am | There Is No ‘Merit’ in Base Pay Merit Increases Most compensation professionals and HR managers are increasingly aware that a 2.8% wage increase doesn’t exactly fire up the troops. So why do companies keep rolling out compensation plans based on this premise in hopes of motivating the workforce to meet company goals? John Rubino, a internationally known compensation consultant, asserts that not only are these plans ineffective, they actually demotivate your workers. In this session, he’ll explore options that actually motivate employees, align pay plans with business goals, and foster an organizational culture in which total rewards is part of the company’s long-term strategy.Speaker: John A. Rubino, President, Rubino Consulting Services Breakout Sessions | 11 am to noon (concurrent)  Congress and Your 401(k)/403(b): What’s in Store Policy makers and industry representatives say that more changes to 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans and retirement investing are likely, but what those changes are remains unknown. Our speaker will outline potential challenges to your 401(k) and 403(b) programs and how to prepare for them, including:Will the yearly cap be lowered on pre-tax contributions? Will pre-tax contributions be eliminated?What changes are coming for ROTH? Will automatic enrollment be effected for all employees?Speaker: Richard Sych, President and Consulting Actuary, Hooker & Holcombe Companies  Pay for Performance, Retention, and Engagement As we emerge from recession and top performers look to realize their worth, pay for performance is on the minds of many organizational leaders and HR. In fact, a recent survey shows that employees consider leaving their organization because they don’t see a link between their performance and pay. Organizations need to address this now or face high employee turnover, increased personnel costs, and lost productivity. This session covers:The impact of employees not understanding the link between pay and performanceWhat pay for performance means to employeesPay for performance and intent to leave the organizationPay for performance and employee engagementHow to strengthen the link between pay and performanceSpeaker: Mark Szypko, CCP, GRP, Managing Director, Compensation at Kenexa, an IBM Company The Smartphone & the Benefits Manager: The Changing Face of Benefits Communication Outdated communication methods like company meetings and memos are no longer the only means of communicating benefits information to your employees. We’ll review technological developments in benefits communications that help you deliver clear, effective messages to your employees.Speaker: Mike Shepherd, Senior Consultant, Towers Watson Lunch | Noon to 1 pmBreakout Sessions 1 to 2 pm (concurrent) Making Sure Benefit Plans Comply with Government Regulations We’ll review what prompts IRS and DOL audits and outline best practices to help prevent them. Our conversation will cover:Building an internal control frameworkDefining organizational rolesValidating compliance with documentationPreparing for and surviving an auditSpeakers: Nancy D. Lapera, Partner, Ira D. Reifer, Associate, Lori L. Underberger, Counsel, Pullman & Comley, LLC Get the Most Out of Your Sales Force with the Right Compensation Plan Your sales force is key to your company’s growth and survival. That’s why your company must take a strategic approach to designing your incentive plan. While it’s challenging to understand the major drivers of successful sales incentive programs and ways to optimize them, we’ll help you identify key factors for designing and administering an effective sales incentive program, including how to:Develop a plan that fully integrates into the business processFocus the sales force on specific goalsEnsure the right compensation mix between base and incentive payDevelop metrics that best reflect sales performanceSpeaker: Marc Wallace, Vice President, National Sales Leader, Hay GroupBreakout Sessions | 2 to 3 pm (concurrent)Focusing Your Healthcare Strategy Does your CFO understand the link between workforce health, productivity, and the bottom line?  Learn how other enlightened employers build their corporate health strategies by leveraging and measuring their investment in workforce health, rather than trying to manage just the cost of health benefits. All attendees will receive a copy of “The Company That Solved Health Care,” by John Torinus.  Speaker: John O’Connell, President, C.M. Smith AgencyOptimizing Executive Incentive Plans Well designed and implemented executive incentive plans are compelling management tools. But many organizations don’t design or execute incentive plans well. Too often variable compensation opportunities morph into “deferred salary,” or discourage executives with unrealistic or unclear expectations. This interactive session reviews the most common pitfalls in executive incentive design and implementation, and presents practical ways to improve effectiveness and help organizations earn a better return on their incentive pay investments.Speaker: Jason M. Adwin, CCP, Vice President, Sibson Consulting, a Division of SegalTune to WFSB Channel 3 or WTIC 1080 for cancellations due to inclement weather. CBIA Member @ $95.00 + CT Sales Tax: $6.03 107.58 Non Member @130.00 + CT Sales Tax: $8.26 146.85