Skip to main content
 This program is not active.
Live Webcast Replay

Whistleblower Policies and Procedures


Total Credits: 1.5 including 1.5 Business Management & Organization - Non-technical

Average Rating:
   10
Categories:
Partner Produced |  Human Resources |  Industry |  Practice Management
Speaker:
Karen Kienbaum, Esq.
Course Levels:
Overview
Duration:
1.5 Hours
License:

Dates


Description

Encouraged by the chaos of the international pandemic, companies have experienced creative and higher levels of fraud and other financial irregularities or conduct that is inappropriate and exposes them to embarrassing and costly litigation. Discuss the current landscape and what employers can do to blunt the costly malfeasance hidden in plain sight. Employees usually are aware at some level of these bad actors, but for many reasons, including now the inaccessibility of leaders, they do not take responsible actions to prevent or stop abuses. Whistleblower hotlines/helplines are one of many features of a comprehensive compliance program to help prevent and identify wrongdoing by employees and suppliers and others. The importance of creating a whistleblower hotline/helpline cannot be underestimated as not only does it identify fraud, but allows employees without fear of retaliation, to raise other concerns, such as discrimination and harassment. Today in the international marketplace, having accessible and effective hotlines\helplines serve then improve a company’s competitive edge while reducing fraud, litigation, government regulatory exposure. As an added benefit to hotlines, they improve employee morale, as it provides a way for them to do the right thing and participate anonymously in the company’s success.

Basic Course Information

Learning Objectives
  • To gain an understanding of the rapidly-evolving state of Whistleblower laws and protections, how they ought to be investigated and addressed, and how an employer can protect itself before, during, and following a whistleblower complaint


Major Subjects

 

  • Recent developments in Whistleblower law and practice, both generally and in relation to:
    • Financial Irregularities
    • Discrimination
    • #MeToo complaints and preventive measures
  • How employers can protect themselves from the public disclosures that usually accompany a Whistleblowing case
  • Steps for conducting legitimate investigations involving complaints, to:
    • Determine the legitimacy and urgency of the matter, and
    • Assist management in its response.

Course Materials

Speaker

Karen Kienbaum, Esq. Related Seminars and Products


Karen is the founder and principal in her AV rated Detroit law firm. In 2008 it was designated as one of ‘Michigan’s Best Businesses’ by CORP! MAGAZINE. Karen was honored as one of Michigan’s Top 10 Business Women in 2007 by the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), and has been designated as a ‘SUPERLAWYER’ by her peers since the inception of that honor.

She is a litigator who also serves as an arbitrator and facilitator. She has represented individuals, and private, public, for-profit and non-profit entities. She has fourteen (14) years in-house legal experience, at BCBSM and at Ford. These experiences give her a unique perspective on the health care industry, and business and labor priorities, locally and internationally.

She is a recognized authority in the areas of commercial contracts, labor and employment law and corporate litigation. She has spoken in Europe, Africa and across the United States. Topics include: best business practices, compliance, litigation prevention, discrimination, outsourcing, streamlining HR functions, ethics, sex harassment, workplace violence, employment contracts preventive fraud practices and commercial contracts. Recently she conducted programs for the Michigan Association of CPA’s, the Labor and Management Association of Michigan and a Webinar for federal contractors on the necessity of an effective employee Complaint Process.

Ms. Kienbaum is also President of JustUs®, a Michigan corporation that provides innovative risk management for local, multi-state or multi-national companies. JustUs® ensures compliance with laws and regulations, including those of the EEOC and SOX and reduces fraud exposure.

Ms. Kienbaum received two undergraduate degrees from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and her Juris Doctorate in Law from the University of Detroit-Mercy School of Law. She has appeared at all levels in the regulatory and court systems, including the state and federal trial and appeals courts and the Michigan Supreme Court and is admitted to the US Supreme Court.

She serves as a Member of the Board and Quality Committee of the Medical Resources Group St. John Providence Health System. Ms. Kienbaum lives in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan. Her personal interests include outdoor sports and reading. She has a daughter, Ursula, an employment attorney, who practices in Portland, Oregon.


Additional Info

Basic Course Information

Prerequisites

General familiarity with Michigan whistleblower laws, including:

  • Whistleblowers Protection Act (MCL 15.361, et seq.)
  • General familiarity with the federal whistleblower law, including:
  • Whistleblowers Protection Act of 1989
  • Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012
  • Americans With Disabilities Act (“ADA”)
  • Dodd-Frank
  • Equal Employment Opportunity Act
  • Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”)
  • Occupational Health & Safety Act (“OSHA”)
  • Sarbanes-Oxley

Advanced Preparation

None


Designed For

CPAs, attorneys, human resources and accounting personnel, CFOs, controllers, or business owners.


Original Recording Date

9/2021


Yellow Book

No


Course Developer

MICPA


Date Added to Catalog

09/2021


Additional Information

Complaint Resolution Policy

Please contact Anne Taylor for any complaints.  anne.taylor@acpen.com, (972-377-8199).


Official Registry Statement

Business Professionals' Network, Inc. is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org


Instructional Delivery Method

Group Internet Based


Course Registration Requirements

Online Registration


Refund/Cancellation Policy

Please contact the ACPEN help desk 1-877-602-9877 or help@acpen.com if you wish to cancel your attendance for a previously purchased webcast and are requesting a refund or transfer.


Reviews

5
4
3
2
1

Overall:      4.8

Total Reviews: 10

Comments

Heather B

"Good points to consider. I am now reviewing my own company's policies."

Charles S

"Very knowledgeable instructor"

David V

" "