Nonprofit HR’s Blog

Name: Paul A. Fountain
Title: Senior Client Relationship Manager
Company: 501 c Agencies Trust
Session title: How HR Impacts Unemployment Rates and Costs
Session date/time:  Tuesday, October 22 – 11:15 AM
LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/company/equifax
Twitter: @Equifax

Profile: Paul Fountain is the Sr. Client Relationship Manager who is the Director of 501(c) Agencies Trust National Unemployment Program, through the nation’s largest unemployment company, TALX. Paul has more than 34 years of experience in the unemployment claims management field and works exclusively on managing unemployment costs with nonprofit organizations. He speaks regularly at workshops composed of different nonprofit organizations, and to specific interest groups. Paul is a past member of the Unemployment Committee of the Association of Washington Business, and the Unemployment Insurance Advisory Committee of the Washington State Employment Security Department.

At the Nonprofit HR Conference, Paul will present on unemployment claims. HR professionals are often the enforcers of the requirement for managers to document performance discussions with employees, especially when misconduct is involved. This documentation can often make the difference in being chargeable or not in an unemployment claim. The burden of proof is on employers to establish to the State that a separation is for a disqualifying reason and employers must also prove that a separation is for misconduct for unemployment benefits to be denied. The general definition of misconduct is a deliberate or willful act within an employee’s control or a willful disregard of the employers’ best interest and /or causing harm to the employer. Nonprofit employers can control their unemployment costs by understanding what is misconduct under the unemployment laws. Employers will learn the difference between a claim for misconduct and a non-misconduct claim. Session participants will learn helpful hints such as what raises a red flag to the State to allow benefits, documentation do’s and don’t’s as well as the importance of making sure employees are given clear expectations and consequences.