Hear Stamer Speak On Winning The War On Out-Of-Network Claims In 10/7 Virtual Fort Worth HR PEG Meeting

September 22, 2026

Employer-sponsored group health plans and their fiduciaries must update their plan budgets and strategy for pricing and handling out-of-network claims to comply with recent No Surprises Act (“NSA”) rule changes and to defend their plans and plan fiduciaries against existing and future cost overruns and compliance and fiduciary liability risks created by preexisting and future NSA compliance deficiencies in their group health plans. Updating your strategy is especially important, as new government data shows most employer-sponsored health plan out-of-network costs already significantly exceed projections and budgeted rates, even before the new NSA rules increase responsibilities and risks.

Get up to speed on your group health plan’s NSA responsibilities and risks and best practices for managing them by participating in the complementary Fort Worth HR Compensation and Benefits PEG virtual briefing on “Winning The War On Out-Of-Network Claims: Updating Your Battle Plan For Avoiding No Surprises Act & Other Out-Of-Network Claims Compliance, Cost Control & Claims Management Minefield” to be conducted by American College of Employee Benefit Counsel Fellow and Texas Board of Legal Specialization Board Certified Labor and Employment Attorney Cynthia Marcotte Stamer Esq. and The OccuNet Company Chief Production Officer Carol Lockwood on October 7, 2026, from Noon to 1:00 p.m. Central Time.

What You Will Learn

During the meeting, Ms. Stamer and Ms. Lockwood will explain:

  • Why and how common No Surprises Act (“NSA”) and other design and administration defects are fueling significant unanticipated group health plan costs and liabilities for group health plans, their sponsoring employers, and fiduciaries.
  • Key ERISA, NSA, and other legal requirements for processing and paying out-of-network versus in-network emergency and non-emergency claims.
  • How to distinguish NSA-protected claims from other out-of-network claims and the significance of this distinction.
  • The special NSA documentation, notice and other communication, negotiation, Independent Dispute Resolution, and other requirements the NSA requires your plan to meet for NSA-covered out-of-network claims and how mismanagement of these and other out-of-network claims responsibilities fuels significantly higher plan costs and liabilities.
  • Why and how Texas out-of-network claims rules and precedent affect potential costs and liabilities for out-of-network claims not covered by the NSA.
  • Common weaknesses in out-of-network claims cost forecasting, vendor selection and contracting, plan design and documentation, and administration that can and often do fuel higher than necessary out-of-network claims costs and fiduciary, administrative, and other liabilities for plan sponsors and fiduciaries.
  • Practical strategies for forecasting, auditing, managing, and controlling out-of-network claims, regulatory compliance, costs, and liabilities.
  • Key plan design and documentation, vendor selection and contracting, NSA and other out-of-network claims handling, compliance audit, plan year-end stop loss and other reinsurance, and other best practices for managing plan, plan sponsor, and plan fiduciary out-of-network claims costs and liabilities.
  • Best practice options for managing fiduciary and employer liability, and mitigating other plan and employer losses if your plan or its vendor mishandled NSA or other out-of-network claims.

Solutions Law Press is honored to serve as a HRCI recertification education provider. It is proud to announce that participation in this meeting will qualify for 1 hour of HRCI credit sponsored by Solutions Law Press.

The Presenters

Cynthia Marcotte Stamer is an American College of Employee Benefits Counsel Fellow and Texas Board of Legal Specialization board-certified labor and employment attorney, nationally recognized as a “Top Rated Lawyer,” “LEGAL LEADER™,” and “Best Lawyer” in Employee Benefits, Labor & Employment, and Health Care law for her more than 30 years of work, advocacy, scholarship and leadership on employer-sponsored health and other employee benefits, workforce, health care, insurance, and HRIS/IT design, compliance, operations, legislative and regulatory reform, and other related concerns.

Nationally celebrated for her decades of leading-edge health benefit work and advocacy, Ms. Staner advises employers, health and other employee benefit plans, their fiduciaries, insurers, third-party administrators, managed care organizations, health/HR technology, their investors and vendors, federal and state legislators and regulators, and others about health and other plan design, vendor selection and contracting, claims and appeals administration, fiduciary responsibility and governance, regulatory compliance and enforcement, participant education and management, and other compliance, risk management and operations concerns.

A former lead advisor to the Government of Bolivia on its Social Security Pension Privatization, Cindy also regularly provides input to federal and state legislators and regulators on health, severance, pension and other employee benefits, compensation, workforce, disability, health care, and other legislation, regulation, and enforcement.  Cindy also is a popular speaker and prolific author on emerging health and other benefits, compensation, employment, and other workforce, health care, insurance, and other compliance, risk management and operations strategies and concerns, with a lengthy resume of leadership and other service in the American Bar Association, the Society of Human Resources Management, the Texas Association of Business, and many other professional, civic, and other organizations.

A popular lecturer and prolific author on health benefit and other employee benefits, compensation and workforce concerns, Ms. Stamer is the founder and managing member of her law firm, Cynthia Marcotte Stamer P.C., and its education and advocacy affiliate, Solutions Law Press, a HRCI-accredited reeducation provider.  Before founding her firm, Ms. Stamer practiced as a partner or shareholder in the employee benefits, labor and employment, and health care practices of several large national and multinational law firms.  Connect with Cindy on LinkedIn to learn more.

Carol Lockwood is the Chief Production Officer of The OccuNet Company and a healthcare industry executive with more than 30 years of experience in healthcare cost containment, provider contracting, network development, claims operations, and benefit administration. Her experience spans commercial group health, accident and health, workers’ compensation, pharmacy benefit management, dental benefits, product and vendor management, technology, and healthcare operations.

At The OccuNet Company, Ms. Lockwood helps lead contracting strategy and develop innovative solutions designed to improve healthcare affordability and the member experience. Her background includes extensive experience with out-of-network claims, provider negotiations, reference-based pricing, network development, reimbursement strategies, and the operational challenges faced by health plans, employers, TPAs, and other medical bill payers.

Before joining The OccuNet Company, Ms. Lockwood spent 18 years with Zelis, formerly GlobalCare, where she served as Vice President of Product and Vendor Management and held leadership roles in network development, information technology, and operations. Earlier in her career, she served as Assistant Vice President of National Contracting with BeechStreet, which was subsequently acquired by MultiPlan.

Her combination of provider contracting, network, claims, and cost-containment experience provides a practical operational perspective on managing out-of-network claims, controlling healthcare costs, and navigating the evolving requirements of the No Surprises Act.  Connect with Carol on LinkedIn to learn more.

When and How To Participate

The Fort Worth HR Compensation and Benefits PEG will host the complimentary virtual briefing as part of the monthly meetings it hosts for compensation and benefits and other human resources professionals. Membership in Fort Worth HR or its Compensation and Benefits PEG is not required to participate. Use the following details to join the meeting:

Winning The War On Out-Of-Network Claims: Updating Your Battle Plan For Avoiding No Surprises Act & Other Out-Of-Network Claims Compliance, Cost Control & Claims Management Minefields

Wednesday, October 7, 2026

12:00 PM CST- 12:10 PM CST: Networking

12:11 -1 PM CST: Presentation

Where: Zoom

Meeting ID: 896 5958 5581

Passcode: 835760

Logo of Fort Worth HR Compensation & Benefits PEG featuring a star and the abbreviation FWHR.

Founded in 1966, Fort Worth HR is a nonprofit, SHRM-affiliated organization serving HR professionals, veterans, and students in the Fort Worth metroplex. With more than 600 human resources professional members from 480 countries, Fort Worth HR hosts monthly luncheons, two annual conferences, workshops, networking events, online forums and other activities. To learn more about Fort Worth HR and involvement opportunities, see fwhr.org.

About Solutions Law Press™

Solutions Law Press™ provides health care, insurance, human resources and employee benefit, data and technology, regulatory and operational performance, and other business risk management, legal compliance, management effectiveness and other coaching, tools and other resources, training and education. These include extensive resources on leadership, governance, human resources, employee benefits, data security and privacy, insurance, health care and other key compliance, risk management, internal controls and operational concerns. If you find this of interest, you also be interested reviewing some of our other Solutions Law Press™ resources or training.

If you or someone else you know would like to receive future updates about developments on these and other concerns, please be sure that we have your current contact information including your preferred e-mail by creating your profile here.

Solutions Law Press is proud to be a HRCI Recertification Provider.

NOTICE: These statements and materials are for general information and purposes only. They do not establish an attorney-client relationship, are not legal advice or an offer or commitment to provide legal advice, and do not serve as a substitute for legal advice. Readers are urged to engage competent legal counsel for consultation and representation considering the specific facts and circumstances presented in their unique circumstances at the particular time. No comment or statement in this publication is to be construed as legal advice or admission. Solutions Law Press and its authors reserve the right to qualify or retract any of these statements at any time. Likewise, the content is not tailored to any particular situation and does not necessarily address all relevant issues. Because the law constantly and often evolves, subsequent developments that could change the currency and completeness of this discussion are likely. Solutions Law Press and its authors disclaim and have no responsibility to provide any update or otherwise notify anyone of any fact or law-specific nuance, change, limitation, or other condition that might affect the suitability of reliance upon these materials or information otherwise conveyed in connection with this program. Readers may not rely upon, are solely responsible for, and assume the risk and all liabilities resulting from their use of this publication.

Circular 230 Compliance. The following disclaimer is included to ensure that we comply with U.S. Treasury Department Regulations. Any statements contained herein are not intended or written by the writer to be used, and nothing contained herein can be used by you or any other person, for the purpose of (1) avoiding penalties that may be imposed under federal tax law, or (2) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any tax-related transaction or matter addressed herein.

©2026 Cynthia Marcotte Stamer. Non-exclusive right to republish granted to Solutions Law Press.™ For information about licensing for republication, please contact the author directly. All other rights reserved.

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Posted by Cynthia Marcotte Stamer

Travis Nicholson Named New EEOC Dallas District Director

September 2, 2022

Travis Nicholson is taking over as the new Dallas District Director of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”). The EEOC announced Nicholson’s appointment to head up the Dallas District on August 30,2022.

As Director of the Dallas District Nicholson will oversee and manage the EEOC’s work in more than 200 counties in north, central, and west Texas, including the district office and its approximately 100 employees.  He will also supervise the EEOC’s work with several of the agency’s state and local Fair Employment Practices Agencies that work with the EEOC on employment discrimination in Texas. A former compliance officer with the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs U.S. Army veteran, Nicholson began his career with the EEOC in 2009 as a bilingual investigator in its Detroit Field Office, investigating charges, including systemic and class matters, and conducting outreach to underserved communities and in line with the agency’s Youth at Work initiative. He then served as the Charlotte District Office’s outreach and education coordinator and a program analyst in the Office of Field Programs before becoming Houston’s deputy director in 2017. As the deputy district director in Houston, Nicholson was responsible for day-to-day operations and led process improvements and efficiencies in charge management, systemic investigations, and legal enforcement interaction

More Information

We hope this update is helpful. For more information about these or other health or other legal, management or public policy developments, please contact the author Cynthia Marcotte Stamer via e-mail or via telephone at (214) 452 -8297.

Solutions Law Press, Inc. invites you receive future updates by registering on our Solutions Law Press, Inc. Website and participating and contributing to the discussions in our Solutions Law Press, Inc. LinkedIn SLP Health Care Risk Management & Operations Group, HR & Benefits Update Compliance Group, and/or Coalition for Responsible Health Care Policy.

About the Author

Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a Fellow in the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel repeatedly recognized by her peers as a Martindale-Hubble “AV-Preeminent” (Top 1%) and “Top Rated Lawyer” by LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell® as “LEGAL LEADER™ Texas Top Rated Lawyer” in Health Care Law and Labor and Employment Law and among the “Best Lawyers In Dallas” in “Labor & Employment,” “Tax: ERISA & Employee Benefits,” “Health Care” and “Business and Commercial Law” by D Magazine, Cynthia Marcotte Stamer is a practicing attorney and management consultant, author, public policy advocate and lecturer widely known for 30+ years of advising, representing and defending domestic and international public, closely held and government organizations on workforce, employee benefits, internal controls and governance, and other risk management, compliance and government relations concerns as well as her coaching, scholarship, training and legislative and public affairs advocacy on these and related areas.

Ms. Stamer helps health industry and other organizations and their management manage. Ms. Stamer’s legal and management consulting work throughout her nearly 30+ year career has focused on helping organizations and their management use the law and process to manage people, process, compliance, operations and risk. Highly valued for her rare ability to find pragmatic client-centric solutions by combining her detailed legal and operational knowledge and experience with her talent for creative problem-solving, Ms. Stamer helps public and private, domestic and international businesses, governments, and other organizations and their leaders manage their employees, vendors and suppliers, and other workforce members, customers and other’ performance, compliance, compensation and benefits, operations, risks and liabilities, as well as to prevent, stabilize and cleanup workforce and other legal and operational crises large and small that arise in the course of operations.

Ms. Stamer works with businesses and their management, employee benefit plans, governments and other organizations deal with all aspects of human resources and workforce management operations and compliance. She supports her clients both on a real time, “on demand” basis and with longer term basis to deal with daily performance management and operations, emerging crises, strategic planning, process improvement and change management, investigations, defending litigation, audits, investigations or other enforcement challenges, government affairs and public policy. Well known for her extensive work with health care, insurance and other highly regulated entities on corporate compliance, internal controls and risk management, her clients range from highly regulated entities like employers, contractors and their employee benefit plans, their sponsors, management, administrators, insurers, fiduciaries and advisors, technology and data service providers, health care, managed care and insurance, financial services, government contractors and government entities, as well as retail, manufacturing, construction, consulting and a host of other domestic and international businesses of all types and sizes. Common engagements include internal and external workforce hiring, management, training, performance management, compliance and administration, discipline and termination, and other aspects of workforce management including employment and outsourced services contracting and enforcement, sentencing guidelines and other compliance plan, policy and program development, administration, and defense, performance management, wage and hour and other compensation and benefits, reengineering and other change management, internal controls, compliance and risk management, communications and training, worker classification, tax and payroll, investigations, crisis preparedness and response, government relations, safety, government contracting and audits, litigation and other enforcement, and other concerns. She also represents and defends clients in investigations, audits, enforcement actions and other dealings with the the Department of Labor, IRS, HHS, DOD, FTC, SEC, CDC and other public health, Department of Justice and a multitude of federal, state, and locate agencies, state attorneys’ general and other federal and state agencies, public and private credentialing, licensing and accreditation bodies, as well as conducts and counsels clients on private litigation, employment and other services disputes, regulatory and public policy advocacy, training and discipline, enforcement  and other strategic and operational concerns.

Ms. Stamer uses her deep and highly specialized health, insurance, labor and employment and other knowledge and experience to help employers and other employee benefit plan sponsors; health, pension and other employee benefit plans, their fiduciaries, administrators and service providers, insurers, and others design legally compliant, effective compensation, health and other welfare benefit and insurance, severance, pension and deferred compensation, private exchanges, cafeteria plan and other employee benefit, fringe benefit, salary and hourly compensation, bonus and other incentive compensation and related programs, products and arrangements. She is particularly recognized for her leading edge work, thought leadership and knowledgeable advice and representation on the design, documentation, administration, regulation and defense of a diverse range of self-insured and insured health and welfare benefit plans including private exchange and other health benefit choices, health care reimbursement and other “defined contribution” limited benefit, 24-hour and other occupational and non-occupational injury and accident, expat and medical tourism, onsite medical, wellness and other medical plans and insurance benefit programs as well as a diverse range of other qualified and nonqualified retirement and deferred compensation, severance and other employee benefits and compensation, insurance and savings plans, programs, products, services and activities. As a key element of this work, Ms. Stamer works closely with employer and other plan sponsors, insurance and financial services companies, plan fiduciaries, administrators, and vendors and others to design, administer and defend effective legally defensible employee benefits and compensation practices, programs, products and technology. She also continuously helps employers, insurers, administrative and other service providers, their officers, directors and others to manage fiduciary and other risks of sponsorship or involvement with these and other benefit and compensation arrangements and to defend and mitigate liability and other risks from benefit and liability claims including fiduciary, benefit and other claims, audits, and litigation brought by the Labor Department, IRS, HHS, participants and beneficiaries, service providers, and others. She also assists debtors, creditors, bankruptcy trustees and others assess, manage and resolve labor and employment, employee benefits and insurance, payroll and other compensation related concerns arising from reductions in force or other terminations, mergers, acquisitions, bankruptcies and other business transactions including extensive experience with multiple, high-profile large scale bankruptcies resulting in ERISA, tax, corporate and securities and other litigation or enforcement actions.

Ms. Stamer also is deeply involved in helping to influence workforce, health care, pension, social security, insurance and other policies critical to the workforce, benefits, and compensation practices and other key aspects of a broad range of businesses and their operations. She both helps her clients respond to and resolve emerging regulations and laws, government investigations and enforcement actions and helps them shape the rules through dealings with Congress and other legislatures, regulators and government officials domestically and internationally. A former lead consultant to the Government of Bolivia on its Social Security reform law and most recognized for her leadership on U.S. health and pension, wage and hour, tax, education and immigration policy reform, Ms. Stamer works with U.S. and foreign businesses, governments, trade associations, and others on workforce, social security and severance, health care, immigration, privacy and data security, tax, ethics and other laws and regulations. Founder and Executive Director of the Coalition for Responsible Healthcare Policy and its PROJECT COPE: the Coalition on Patient Empowerment and a Fellow in the American Bar Foundation and State Bar of Texas, Ms. Stamer annually leads the Joint Committee on Employee Benefits (JCEB) HHS Office of Civil Rights agency meeting and other JCEB agency meetings. She also works as a policy advisor and advocate to many business, professional and civic organizations.

Author of the thousands of publications and workshops these and other employment, employee benefits, health care, insurance, workforce and other management matters, Ms. Stamer also is a highly sought out speaker and industry thought leader known for empowering audiences and readers. Ms. Stamer’s insights on employee benefits, insurance, health care and workforce matters in Atlantic Information Services, The Bureau of National Affairs (BNA), InsuranceThoughtLeaders.com, Benefits Magazine, Employee Benefit News, Texas CEO Magazine, HealthLeaders, Modern Healthcare, Business Insurance, Employee Benefits News, World At Work, Benefits Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, the Dallas Morning News, the Dallas Business Journal, the Houston Business Journal, and many other publications. She also has served as an Editorial Advisory Board Member for human resources, employee benefit and other management focused publications of BNA, HR.com, Employee Benefit News, InsuranceThoughtLeadership.com and many other prominent publications. Ms. Stamer also regularly serves on the faculty and planning committees for symposia of LexisNexis, the American Bar Association, ALIABA, the Society of Employee Benefits Administrators, the American Law Institute, ISSA, HIMMs, and many other prominent educational and training organizations and conducts training and speaks on these and other management, compliance and public policy concerns.

Ms. Stamer also shares her leadership through her extensive involvement in many professional, community and civic organizations. Currently, she serves as Scribe for the ABA JCEB Annual Agency Meeting with HHS-OCR and a representative for its Annual Agency Meeting with the EEOC, Chair of the ABA Intellectual Property Section Law Practice Management Committee, Vice Chair of the ABA International Section Life Sciences Committee, Chair-Elect of the ABA Tort & Insurance Section (TIPS) Medicine and Law Committee, RPTE Section Employee Benefits Committee Welfare Plan Chair, and in various other projects and capacities. She also previously has served as an ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits Council Representative, Chair of the ABA Health Law Section Managed Care & Insurance Interest Group and the ABA RPTE Employee Benefits & Other Compensation Group, the Society for Human Resources Management Region IV Board Chair and National Consultant’s Board Member; am Editorial Advisory Board Member and author for HR.com, Insurance ThoughtLeaders, BNA CD-Rolm, and Employee Benefits News; the Alliance for Healthcare Excellence Board President, Vice President and Executive Director of the North Texas Health Care Compliance Professionals Association, Board President of Richardson Development Center (now Warren Center) for Children Early Childhood Intervention Agency, on the North Texas United Way Long Range Planning Committee Member, as a Board Member and Compliance Chair of the National Kidney Foundation of North Texas and many others.

Ms. Stamer also shares her extensive publications and thought leadership as well as leadership involvement in a broad range of other professional and civic organizations. These include hundreds of highly regarded articles and workshops on health and other benefits, workforce, health care and insurance concerns.

For more information about these requirements, Ms. Stamer or her experience and involvements, see www.cynthiastamer.com or contact Ms. Stamer via telephone at (214) 452-8297 or via e-mail here.

About Solutions Law Press, Inc.™

Solutions Law Press, Inc.™ provides human resources and employee benefit and other business risk management, legal compliance, management effectiveness and other coaching, tools and other resources, training and education on leadership, governance, human resources, employee benefits, data security and privacy, insurance, health care and other key compliance, risk management, internal controls and operational concerns. If you find this of interest, you also be interested reviewing some of our other Solutions Law Press, Inc.™ resources available here.

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT THIS COMMUNICATION

If you or someone else you know would like to receive future updates about developments on these and other concerns, please be sure that we have your current contact information including your preferred e-mail by creating your profile here.

NOTICE:   These statements and materials are for general informational and purposes only. They do not establish an attorney-client relationship, are not legal advice or an offer or commitment to provide legal advice, and do not serve as a substitute for legal advice. Readers are urged to engage competent legal counsel for consultation and representation in light of the specific facts and circumstances presented in their unique circumstance at any particular time. No comment or statement in this publication is to be construed as legal advice or an admission. The author and Solutions Law Press, Inc.™ reserve the right to qualify or retract any of these statements at any time. Likewise, the content is not tailored to any particular situation and does not necessarily address all relevant issues. Because the law is rapidly evolving and rapidly evolving rules makes it highly likely that subsequent developments could impact the currency and completeness of this discussion. The author and Solutions Law Press, Inc.™ disclaim, and have no responsibility to provide any update or otherwise notify anyone any such change, limitation, or other condition that might affect the suitability of reliance upon these materials or information otherwise conveyed in connection with this program. Readers may not rely upon, are solely responsible for, and assume the risk and all liabilities resulting from their use of this publication.  Readers acknowledge and agree to the conditions of this Notice as a condition of their access of this publication.  Circular 230 Compliance. The following disclaimer is included to ensure that we comply with U.S. Treasury Department Regulations. Any statements contained herein are not intended or written by the writer to be used, and nothing contained herein can be used by you or any other person, for the purpose of (1) avoiding penalties that may be imposed under federal tax law, or (2) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any tax-related transaction or matter addressed herein. 

©2022 Cynthia Marcotte Stamer. Limited non-exclusive right to republish granted to Solutions Law Press, Inc.™

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Posted by Cynthia Marcotte Stamer

Actions, Not Titles or Words, Make Leaders

March 17, 2017

Great leaders build great performance by  inspiring each team member to perform their best and helping provide the tools and training to help each team member’s best be better every day.

The ability to recruit great teams is a valuable asset.  In an age where businesses and business leaders often tout the value of teamwork, however, many businesses inadvertently undermine their most effective team players and the teamwork they claim to desire by failing to properly measure and reward team players and their teamwork.

Employers and other business leaders looking to maximize performance frequently overly-rely upon personally assigned or claimed performance credit, without making provision for measuring or rewarding teamwork.

The most meaningful  measure of leadership, though, is how well a leader coaches, inspires and credits the least talented team member to extraordinary performance while keeping star players motivated and focused on the team.   Arriving at a performance measurement and reward program that appropriately rewards leaders and team members for teamwork, while at the same time encouraging the highest individual performance within the team requires that employers reevaluate performance and its measurement both in terms of the individual contributions of members of the team, and their interaction and support for others on the team.

If your organization truly considers teamwork valuable, your performance management measures and resulting performance management and rewards must identify and reward team contributors and the team appropriately.

Developing and communicating these measures and rewards requires management clearly understand, communicate, measure and reward both the desired performances of the team and the respective roles and responsibilities of the individuals on the team.  Where management views teamwork as valuable, performance measurement and associated rewards should measure the expected teamwork, as well as team performance.  Concurrently, however, management also needs to continue to appropriately monitor, measure and reward individual performance within the team.  The focus on team performance should both incorporate appropriate individual performance measures and rewards to encourage and reward superior individual performance for, but not at the expense of, the team that elevates the team to its ultimate potential.  At the same time, management also will want to use individual measures to identify and incentivize or weed out underperforming team members, whose lacking performance otherwise undermines the team and its overall performance.

Amid all of these activities, management should keep  both team and individual performance measurements and rewards each offer their own opportunities for gamesmanship and abuse. At minimum, all performance and reward systems should be designed and administered for defensibility under wage and hour, employment discrimination, safety, tax, benefit, whistleblower and other federal and state laws as well as other potential operational misuse and manipulation inconsistent with the goals of the business and its operations.

To best promote the desired performances and minimize potential contractual or other legal or operational risks, management should carefully document and communicate its expectations, performance measures and rewards for clarity and defensibility, while reserving appropriate discretion to interpret, administer and where necessary, modify these expectations, measures and rewards in response to ongoing business needs and goals.

Once established, to promote optimal performance with minimum legal and operational risk, management should use care to administer their programs consistent with announced terms until it notifies the team of changes when and if business needs change.

At the end of the day, teamwork and individual performance ideally should combine synergistically where each person’s presence and performance on the team matters, regardless of how great or small.

Struggling to help your leaders and their team members understand the concept?  Don’t overlook the opportunity to draw from inspirational examples in sports such as the one captured here.

About The Author

Recognized by her peers as a Martindale-Hubble “AV-Preeminent” (Top 1%) and “Top Rated Lawyer” with special recognition LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell® as “LEGAL LEADER™ Texas Top Rated Lawyer” in Health Care Law and Labor and Employment Law; as among the “Best Lawyers In Dallas” for her work in the fields of “Labor & Employment,” “Tax: Erisa & Employee Benefits,” “Health Care” and “Business and Commercial Law” by D Magazine, Cynthia Marcotte Stamer is a practicing attorney and management consultant, author, public policy advocate and lecturer widely known for work, teachings and publications.

Ms. Stamer works with businesses and their management, employee benefit plans, governments and other organizations deal with all aspects of human resources and workforce, internal controls and regulatory compliance, change management and other performance and operations management and compliance. She supports her clients both on a real-time, “on demand” basis and with longer term basis to deal with daily performance management and operations, emerging crises, strategic planning, process improvement and change management, investigations, defending litigation, audits, investigations or other enforcement challenges, government affairs and public policy.

A Fellow in the American College of Employee Benefit Counsel, the American Bar Foundation and the Texas Bar Foundation, Ms. Stamer also shares her thought leadership, experience and advocacy on these and other concerns by her service in the leadership of a broad range of other professional and civic organization including her involvement as the Vice Chair of the North Texas Healthcare Compliance Association; Executive Director of the Coalition on Responsible Health Policy and its PROJECT COPE: Coalition on Patient Empowerment; former Board President of the early childhood development intervention agency, The Richardson Development Center for Children; former Gulf Coast TEGE Council Exempt Organization Coordinator; a founding Board Member and past President of the Alliance for Healthcare Excellence; former board member and Vice President of the Managed Care Association; past Board Member and Board Compliance Committee Chair for the National Kidney Foundation of North Texas; a member and advisor to the National Physicians’ Council for Healthcare Policy; current Vice Chair of the ABA Tort & Insurance Practice Section Employee Benefits Committee; current Vice Chair of Policy for the Life Sciences Committee of the ABA International Section; Past Chair of the ABA Health Law Section Managed Care & Insurance Section; a current Defined Contribution Plan Committee Co-Chair, former Group Chair and Co-Chair of the ABA RPTE Section Employee Benefits Group; immediate past RPTE Representative to ABA Joint Committee on Employee Benefits Council Representative and current RPTE Representative to the ABA Health Law Coordinating Council; past Chair of the Dallas Bar Association Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Committee; a former member of the Board of Directors, Treasurer, Member and Continuing Education Chair of the Southwest Benefits Association and others.

Ms. Stamer also is a highly popular lecturer, symposia chair and author, who publishes and speaks extensively on health and managed care industry, human resources, employment, employee benefits, compensation, and other regulatory and operational risk management. Examples of her many highly regarded publications on these matters include the “Texas Payday Law” Chapter of Texas Employment Law, as well as thousands of other publications, programs and workshops these and other concerns for the American Bar Association, ALI-ABA, American Health Lawyers, Society of Human Resources Professionals, the Southwest Benefits Association, the Society of Employee Benefits Administrators, the American Law Institute, Lexis-Nexis, Atlantic Information Services, The Bureau of National Affairs (BNA), InsuranceThoughtLeaders.com, Benefits Magazine, Employee Benefit News, Texas CEO Magazine, HealthLeaders, the HCCA, ISSA, HIMSS, Modern Healthcare, Managed Healthcare, Institute of Internal Auditors, Society of CPAs, Business Insurance, Employee Benefits News, World At Work, Benefits Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, the Dallas Morning News, the Dallas Business Journal, the Houston Business Journal, and many other symposia and publications. She also has served as an Editorial Advisory Board Member for human resources, employee benefit and other management focused publications of BNA, HR.com, Employee Benefit News, InsuranceThoughtLeadership.com and many other prominent publications and speaks and conducts training for a broad range of professional organizations and for clients on the Advisory Boards of InsuranceThoughtLeadership.com, HR.com, Employee Benefit News, and many other publications. For additional information about Ms. Stamer, see CynthiaStamer.com or contact Ms. Stamer via email here or via telephone to (469) 767-8872.

About Solutions Law Press, Inc.™

Solutions Law Press, Inc.™ provides human resources and employee benefit and other business risk management, legal compliance, management effectiveness and other coaching, tools and other resources, training and education on leadership, governance, human resources, employee benefits, data security and privacy, insurance, health care and other key compliance, risk management, internal controls and operational concerns. If you find this of interest, you also be interested reviewing some of our other Solutions Law Press, Inc.™ resources at SolutionsLawPress.com

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Posted by Cynthia Marcotte Stamer