Informational Briefings Employee Advocacy Can Provide

Employee Advocacy is pleased to accept invitations to provide informational briefings on employee rights and the laws under the Congressional Accountability Act (CAA) to groups of any size, either independently or in partnership with House offices that have an overlapping mission. 

Many House organizations and entities have found it valuable to have Employee Advocacy provide a focused briefing on CAA issues of interest or importance to them. Other House offices desire a cozy information session on particular rights and benefits – or all the rights and benefits – granted under the CAA, with an explanation of the services Employee Advocacy can provide to assist employees with securing or protecting those rights and benefits. Further, some seek Employee Advocacy’s input and feedback as a subject matter expert on employment and labor law matters. 

Previous customers have included Staff Associations, Officer Offices’ individual business units and offices, Member Office staff, Members, Committees, gatherings of Chiefs of Staff and Deputy Chiefs of Staff, talent development and empowerment groups, human resources personnel, House customer experience offices, and New Members. Below are examples of briefings that Employee Advocacy has provided for House entities. 

For more information, please contact us.

Briefings List

• Intersection of the FMLA and the ADA: This briefing outlines where the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) overlap and how they differ when it comes to addressing an employee’s request for health-related leave and/or workplace accommodations. Further, the briefing includes a description of recommended practices and considerations for communications between an employee and supervisor when addressing requests for disability accommodations and for health-related leave. The session concludes with a checklist that will help ensure that FMLA and ADA legal requirements are met.
• Requesting Religious Accommodations: This briefing outlines the rights that employees have to accommodations for sincerely held religious beliefs and practices. These are rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The briefing includes guidance on how to navigate the process of requesting accommodations as well as an explanation of what may constitute reasonable religious accommodations.
• Overview of the Office of Employee Advocacy: This presentation provides an overview of Employee Advocacy and how it assists House employees. The overview includes the Office’s mission, the laws the Office applies and the rights granted to employees under those laws, and the wide range of legal services the Office can provide. Presenters explain that Employee Advocacy is a resolution-focused legal office that helps secure benefits and improve workplace situations, often informally, but also through litigation. The briefing includes how the Office assists with parental leave, leave related to the health needs of employees or their family members, disability and pregnancy-related reasonable accommodations, union representation, discrimination and harassment concerns related to protected categories (e.g., age, gender, race, national origin, military service, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, pregnancy), retaliation concerns, and matters related to military leave, overtime compensation, safety, and equity in pay. Further, the Office explains how its services include merits assessment, individualized advice, attorney work product, and personal representation of employees, and thus are broader than the CAA-related services provided by OCWR.
• Employee Advocacy Attorney vs. OCWR Confidential Advisor: This briefing explains the differences between the roles and services that Employee Advocacy can provide compared to those of the Confidential Advisor in the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR). The briefing includes an overview of Employee Advocacy, including the functions of the attorneys, to whom they can provide services, and what those services are. One aspect of the briefing is a helpful chart that demonstrates the differences and similarities between Employee Advocacy attorneys and the OCWR Confidential Advisor.
• Employee Advocacy’s Interplay with HR and OCWR’s Confidential Advisor: This presentation outlines the assistance that Employee Advocacy can provide to employees before and during the employee’s work with Human Resources to secure workplace benefits or seek remedies for workplace concerns. The briefing also explains the differences between the roles of OCWR’s Confidential Advisor, HR, and Employee Advocacy as a legal adviser, advocate, and representative.
• Office of Employee Advocacy As a Workplace Rights Resource: This briefing, previously provided for Workplace Rights and Responsibilities Training instructors, describes Employee Advocacy as a resource for House employees. The presentation explains the Office’s client base (non-supervisory and supervisory employees exploring their individual rights), the services that Employee Advocacy can provide, and how Employee Advocacy benefits Member offices. The briefing also includes the trends in workplace concerns that Employee Advocacy has observed.
• Union Activities and House Employees: Employee Advocacy explains the assistance the Office can provide in helping employees form collective bargaining units, proceed through union elections, and engage in collective bargaining processes. Further, Employee Advocacy explains rules and regulations regarding unions in the House.
• Guidance on FSLMRS and Unionization: This presentation provides comprehensive information about the rights granted to employees under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (FSLMRS). The Office explains labor concepts and unionization processes, such as establishing a collective bargaining unit, a unit’s election of a union to represent the unit, and collective bargaining between the union and management. The presentation also includes guidance on unfair labor practices and use of official duty time for union-related activities. Employee Advocacy explains how it can assist with union and other labor matters.
• Potential Employee Advocacy Equivalents in the Federal Government:  The briefing assists Members and Committees as part of their exploration into creating an office providing employee and claimant-side legal counsel in various Executive Branch government agencies and departments. Employee Advocacy describes the procedural, administrative, and security measures utilized to create within an organization a legal office that serves employee needs related to statutory workplace benefits and rights. Further, the Office answers questions regarding the role, caseload, and jurisdiction of Employee Advocacy in the House. The Office further addresses the circumstances surrounding the founding of the Office.
• Employee Advocacy Overview to CAO Partners: The Office describes its role and services for CAO programs such as the Office of Employee Assistance, Human Resources, and Customer Advocates. Contexts have included new employee onboarding orientation. Because there is high value in establishing a connection between Employee Advocacy and other House service offices, this overview helps equip other service partners with a solid understanding of Employee Advocacy’s role and services.
• Office of Congressional Conduct Overview: This information session clarifies the operations of the Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC) and the Committee on Ethics for employee complainants. Employee Advocacy outlines the structure of OCC Board, including the list of board members and their term limits. The Office also provides information regarding OCC’s evidentiary analysis in identifying matters to investigate. In addition, the Office describes third-party ethics complaints, the Ethics Task Force, and the interplay between potential claims under the Congressional Accountability Act and allegations of violations of House Rules, including the House Standard of Conduct.
• Workplace Protections for House Staff and Salary Information: This information addresses questions about staff workplaces in the context of staff workplace concerns. Employee Advocacy provides information related to salary trends, minimum wage for House staff, and national cost of living data to address inquiries about compensation reasonableness. Further, the Office explains employer accountability created by the CAA, staff perceptions of managerial  accountability, and existing and potential measures to protect staffers from allegedly inappropriate manager conduct.
• FEPLA and Telework Return-to-Office Guidelines: This information discusses the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act (FEPLA) provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The Office explains how FEPLA grants paid parental leave rights to all House employees without regard to tenure or hours worked. Employee Advocacy describes how it can guide and assist employees in requesting FEPLA leave.
• Employee Advocacy’s Assistance as Subject Matter Expert: In various circumstances, Employee Advocacy provides information upon request to high-level staff, House Members, House Committees and Commissions, Senate entities explaining statutory language, regulations, and potential implications of CAA laws. Employee Advocacy uses its knowledge and experience with workplace rights laws to provide information and guidance to House institutions to help them craft their trainings, surveys, policies, rules, and legislative proposals. The Office also provides input on how proposed or new laws, rules, or regulations can affect employee rights.
• Launching a New Office or Program: This presentation provides information regarding how to create a new House program or office. It uses the creation of Employee Advocacy as a case study, highlighting the lessons the Office learned starting from the ground up.
• Collaboration on Training of New Members: For New Member Orientation and during Congressional Transition, Employee Advocacy partners with the Office of House Employment Counsel, Office of Employee Assistance, and Office of Congressional Workplace Rights to explain each office’s role in addressing the workplace rights laws that grant Members’ staff benefits and protections. The presentation includes an overview by each office of their mission, their primary clientele, the services they provide, and how each office’s role compares to the other offices on the presentation panel. Employee Advocacy and the other offices also use a series of case studies to demonstrate how each office can assist House Members and their staff when workplace questions or issues arise. Also, the presenting offices respond to questions by the New Members.
• HR and Employment Law Resources: The briefing, typically provided in partnership with other House organizations, provides an overview of resources available to House staffers. It outlines the work of the Office of Employee Advocacy and other resource and assistance offices. It includes a Question and Answer portion. Presenters explain the differences in function and jurisdiction between the resources.