A National Authority

Speaking & Workshops

Fran Sepler has spoken at hundreds of conferences, seminars, and events. She is a national authority on workplace fact-finding and employee relations matters. Fran is often the most highly ranked speaker at conferences and is asked to return year after year.

THE FAIRNESS QUOTIENT: ALTERNATE PLENARY AT THE UPPER MIDWEST EMPLOYMENT LAW INSTITUTE AND BREAKOUT SESSION AT HR WEST, 2016

Employers inevitably make decisions that make employees unhappy, whether it’s acting on specific findings, making strategic decisions, or deciding who gets promoted. In these matters, the gold standard is perceived fairness. A high “fairness quotient” means employee trust, resilience and engagement, while low “FQ” can result in negative behavior, sabotage and legal claims. This session provides HR professionals with new ways to talk to management about the importance of fairness and ways to increase organizational FQ.

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS DILEMMAS: FIFTY SHADES OF GRAY: MINNESOTA STATE SHRM CONFERENCE AND SMAHRA REGIONAL CONFERENCE

When it comes to employee problems, conflicts and challenges, it can seem as though HR professionals must be counselors, ethicists, advisers, philosophers, mediators and sometimes even magicians. In this session using audience participation technology, we will use a series of case studies to discuss best practices in employee relations. Will you choose the same strategy as others? Is there really a “right way?” Each case example, based on recent real life events, will be discussed, alternatives considered, and “best practices” reviewed. Topics will include alleged retaliation, supervisory competence issues, intractable conflict between coworkers, challenging grievances and more. You won’t want to miss this!

IMPLICIT BIAS: THE FACE OF DISCRIMINATION MAY BE YOUR OWN: KEYNOTE, LAW FIRM EMPLOYMENT LAW SEMINAR; BREAKOUT SESSION, SHRM

There is a growing body of rigorous, evidence based research that informs our understanding of why organizations face challenges retaining non-traditional employees, whether those are women in a largely male industry or people of color in predominantly white firms. Their discomfort comes not from overt bigotry or acts of discrimination, but the corrosive effects of implicit bias—the bias harbored by people who are well-meaning and egalitarian. By sharing compelling information and demonstrating the ubiquity of hidden bias, we can begin to examine our own small actions, assumptions and schemas that may cause inadvertent harm. This information is eye opening and compelling, and will leave attendees wanting to learn more.

THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF RESPECTFUL WORKPLACE CULTURE

For executives and boards of directors, this session focuses on the salient cultural perceptions of safety, fairness and respect, and the role of leaders in building those cultural elements. How these cultural attributes lead to good organizational outcomes and help organizational resilience is presented along with the benefits of reducing misconduct and increasing organizational self-correction.

WORKPLACE BULLYING: THE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY HARASSER AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT THEM: UPPER MIDWEST EMPLOYMENT LAW INSTITUTE AND KEYNOTE, LAW FIRM EMPLOYMENT LAW SEMINAR

Workplace bullies come in many forms. They can be loud or quiet, politically astute or socially awkward. What is clear is their effect on the workplace. From the target of their bullying who may become a failing employee to observers, who may find themselves paralyzed by fear of being next, bullies undermine organizational engagement, creativity and productivity. Recognizing bullies and their targets is only the beginning. Organizations can begin to create anti-bullying cultures, promote bystander interventions and craft policies and procedures that make a difference.

SLOW LEARNING: THE CALL OF INNOVATION IN PHYSICIAN LEADERSHIP: KEYNOTE, PHYSICIAN LEADER RETREAT

Innovation is a constant in medicine – sometimes the innovation comes slowly, through experimentation and sometimes changes are adopted with lightning speed. Collaboration is a change in medicine that brings about massive amounts of benefit, but it has been slow to take hold in a culture of solitary decision making, task orientation and technical orientation. The call to innovation starts by understanding the commitments leaders must make to actualize collaboration, and an understanding of how to shepherd new ways of behavior. Through challenging physician leaders to self-examine and by challenging old paradigms, participants are given tools and understanding to increase their collaborative leadership.