Texas Conference for Employers

TWC’s Office of the Commissioner Representing Employers sponsors the Texas Conference for Employers, a series of employer seminars held each year throughout the state. Employers who attend the seminars learn about state and federal employment laws and the unemployment claim and appeal process. We assemble our best speakers to guide you through ongoing matters of concern to Texas employers and to answer any questions you have regarding your business.

We encourage every employer to attend at least one of these conferences every year, since the topics are updated whenever there are new laws, regulations or court cases. Each conference is geared toward small business owners, HR managers and assistants, payroll managers, and anyone responsible for the hiring and managing of employees.

All in-person meetings do have a virtual option available that is attended via Zoom. The same material is presented and all informational handouts provided in-person, are provided in a digital format to virtual attendees. The virtual option is also great for companies that are headquartered outside of Texas and have operations within the state or planning to. 

One-day conference sample agenda

7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.       Registration
8:30 a.m. – 8:40 a.m.       Welcome & Opening
8:40 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.       Injured Employees / Recent Issues Under the NLRA
9:40 a.m. – 9:55 a.m.       Exhibit Hall & Networking Break
9:55 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.    Wage and Hour Law and Other Payroll Issues
11:00 a.m. – 11:40 a.m.  Workers’ Compensation  for Texas Employers
11:40 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.    Lunch:  On Your Own
1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.      Independent Contractors
1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.      An Introduction to Creating an Effective Policy Handbook
2:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.      Exhibit Hall & Networking Break (CPA, Non-CPA, MCLE, and HRCI/SHRM Certificates of Attendance will be available)
2:45 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.      Skills Training Opportunities for Business Video/Workforce Services
2:55 p.m. – 3:55 p.m.      Handling Unemployment Claims & Appeals
3:55 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.      Question and Answer Session/Closing Remarks

Two-day conference sample agenda (registration includes both days)

Day 1

7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.       Registration
8:30 a.m. – 8:40 a.m.       Welcome & Opening Session
8:40 a.m. – 9:25 a.m.       An Introduction to Creating an Effective Policy Handbook
9:25 a.m. – 10:25 a.m.     Wage and Hour Law and Other Payroll Issues
10:25 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.   Exhibit Hall & Networking Break
10:40 a.m. – 11:40 a.m.   Employment Law Update: Recent Court, Legislative, and Regulatory Activity
11:40 a.m. – 1:10 p.m.     Lunch:  On Your Own
1:10 p.m. – 2:10 p.m.       Background Checks, Social Media and Other Arresting Developments
2:10 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.       ADA, FMLA, and Other Leave-Related Laws
2:40 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.       Exhibit Hall & Networking Break
2:55 p.m. – 3:05 p.m.       Skills Training Opportunities for Business
3:05 p.m. – 4:05 p.m.       Handling Unemployment Claims & Appeals
4:05 p.m. – 4:25 p.m.       Question and Answer Session/Closing Remarks

Day 2

8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.         Independent Contractors
9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.       Injured Employees / Recent Issues Under the NLRA
10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.     Exhibit Hall & Networking Break
10:30 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.     Advanced Topics in Wage and Hour Law
11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.     Workers’ Compensation for Texas Employers
11:45 a.m. – 1:10 p.m.       Lunch:  On Your Own
1:10 p.m. – 2:10 p.m.         Workplace Privacy Issues
2:10 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.         Developments in Disability Discrimination Law
2:55 p.m. – 3:10 p.m.         Exhibit Hall & Networking Break (CPA, Non-CPA, MCLE, and HRCI/SHRM Certificates of Attendance will be available)
3:10 p.m. – 3:40 p.m.         Drug Testing and Unemployment Claims
3:40 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.         Question and Answer Session/Closing Remarks

Information on Important Employment Topics

Topics are selected based on the most common inquiries we receive from employers. We send out a tentative agenda with your registration confirmation. Due to occasional scheduling conflicts of our speakers and the travel variables that can arise, we sometimes substitute a topic or change the order of topics.

Seminar topics typically include:

• Texas Employment Law and Hiring Legally
• Federal and Texas Wage and Hour Law
• Unemployment Claims and Appeals
• Independent Contractors
• Employee Policy Handbooks
• Drug Testing
• Workplace Privacy Issues
• Background Checks and Social Media

Handout Materials

Participants receive informative handouts and the latest edition of the popular publication Especially for Texas Employers which address basic legal issues regarding hiring, post-employment and work-separation policies.

Most of the written materials in the conference notebook are designed by our speakers to be used in conjunction with their oral presentations. The materials are best understood in the context of the presentations. For this reason, we highly recommend someone attend in your place if you are unable to attend the conference.

Professional Development Credits

Certified public accountants who attend can earn continuing education credit, and other conference participants may qualify for general professional credit.

TWC's Commissioner  Representing Employers and the Society for Human Resource Management Texas State Council (Texas SHRM) are pleased to announce the formulation of a collaborative partnership between the two organizations to co-sponsor the Texas Conference for Employers - an educational showcase of business, employment law and human resource topics being offered in many cities throughout Texas. As a co-sponsor with TWC's Commissioner Representing Employers, Texas SHRM will begin offering SHRM and Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) recertification credits, targeted specifically for Human Resource professionals attending the conferences.

Attorneys may receive up to 5.5 hours of Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) credit if they attend the entire conference. Information needed for the credit hours will be made available to all attorneys who sign an MCLE attendance roster at the registration table.

For more information on how to apply for these professional development credits upon attending Texas Conference for Employers, please visit the Texas SHRM website.

What's Not Covered

Neither the conference nor the Office of the Commissioner Representing Employers handles inquires about COBRA, HIPAA, ERISA or other similar insurance or retirement/pension topics. The conference also does not address labor unions or collective bargaining issues. Because all of the aforementioned topics are highly technical, they do not lend themselves to the high volume of business done in our office. If you have problems or questions in these areas, we strongly recommend that you hire private legal counsel to assist you.