Lakes Area ECI Meeting - Employee Assistance Programs and Hiring Veterans

SPENCER, IOWA - The Lakes Area Employers’ Council (ECI) will be meeting on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. at Iowa Lakes Community College, 1900 N. Grand Ave, Spencer, Iowa 51301. All employers, human resource personnel, accounting, payroll, and other staff members are invited to attend. Featured speakers will be Jean Neibergall and Tony Smithhart. Topics to be covered:

Jean Neibergall – Employee Assistance Programs:

Employees have a lot of things to deal with during the 40+ hours they work per week. They come to work with child issues, elder care issues, budgetary problems, blended family issues, and healthcare issues, to name a few...the list goes on and on. Employee Assistance Programs can provide assistance in several ways including counseling, life coaching, informational Web sites and more. There are several intrinsic benefits to having an EAP: fewer workers comp. accidents, better attendance, higher productivity and lower medical costs. Join us for a discussion about the rewards of a quality EAP and how your company can provide employees the help to help themselves.

Tony Smithhart, Director, USDOL/VETS – Hiring Veterans and Veterans’ Preference:

• Why should employers hire veterans
• Hiring Strategies
• How IWD can assist
• Other partners who can assist, i.e., ESGR, Iowa National Guard etc.

Questions will be entertained by Jean Neibergall and Tony Smithhart.

Participants are encouraged to register by April 11, 2008, by calling Bob Becker at (712) 262-1971 ext. 126 or by e-mailing

. There’s a $4.00 fee for coffee/rolls/meeting fee payable to Iowa Lakes Community College the day of the workshop. If you register, but do not attend, you will be billed. A certificate of attendance will be provided to attendees for recertification purposes.

The Lakes Area Employers’ Council is a local employer group supported by Iowa Workforce Development Region 3 and 4, and is part of the statewide Employers’ Council of Iowa system. This employer’s group addresses workforce issues, and provides both educational and networking opportunities for employers and human resource professionals. Contact Bob Becker at

if you have questions about this training session or about the Lakes Area Employers’ Council.