Spencer Fane was pleased to return to the annual HR Houston Gulf Coast Symposium on HR Issues on July 30-31. Attorneys Laura Alaniz and DeAndrea Washington presented at the conference while Kami Hoskins, Brittainy Joyner, Victoria Narezo, Stephanie Richter, Anton Stewart, Rachael Thomson, Thalia Villagomez, and Tracey Wallace represented the firm at the Spencer Fane exhibitor booth.
As one of the largest regional conferences for human resources professionals, the Symposium provides a premier educational and networking experience for over 1,400 attendees and 120 exhibiting organizations. This year’s program featured over 150 concurrent sessions on topics such as diversity and inclusion, employment law and labor relations, engagement and retention, global HR, professional development, strategic planning, talent management, and total rewards.
On July 30, Laura led the presentation, Keeping the Peace: Breaking Down How Employers Should Deal with Hot Button Issues in the Workplace. She provided best practices for resolving employee conflicts centered on political and social issues. Laura also discussed how employers can promote respectful dialogue to avoid workplace conflict altogether.
The next day, DeAndrea presented the session, When Mental Health Enters the Workplace: A Deeper Dive into Navigating the Nuts and Bolts of Accommodating Mental Illnesses under the ADA. She addressed the mental health crisis sweeping the nation and advised employers on minimizing the chances of ADA discrimination lawsuits while generating a positive impact in the workforce. Topics included when and how mental health conditions trigger disability laws; providing necessary workplace accommodations; and best practices to comply with the ADA, FMLA, and other interacting laws.
Learn more about HR Houston and the 2025 Symposium here.