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LEWISTON — LA Metro Chamber, Central Maine Human Resource Association and the Lewiston CareerCenter will present a workshop titled “Religious Accommodation Solutions for Businesses of All Sizes” from noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 28, at the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, 415 Lisbon St.
Presenters are Rebecca Webber, partner at the Auburn law firm of Skelton, Taintor, & Abbott, and Deb Whitworth, owner and CEO of HR Studio Group, LLC, in Falmouth. Webber and Whitworth will address — and provide practical approaches to — issues ranging from requests to pray at work, fasting, proselytizing, requests not to work on certain shifts or perform certain types of work, preparations for prayer such as cleansing, requests for time off for certain events, religious garb, hairstyles or other forms of dress, and more.
Throughout her 30 years of human resources management and leadership experience, Whitworth has helped a variety of nonprofit and for-profit services and industries build and maintain compliant cultures of excellence. She was appointed by the governor to the Maine Human Rights Commission in 2011 to complete an unexpired term and reappointed to fill a full five-year term in 2012. Named the Maine HR Leader of the Year in 2012, Whitworth is a frequent presenter on human resources and compliance topics at conferences and business functions.
Webber is a 1980 graduate of Williams College, cum laude, and received her law degree in 1989 from Boston College Law School, magna cum laude. Her areas of practice include employment law, employment litigation, civil litigation and employment counseling, compliance and training. She has been a speaker at a number of seminars and business gatherings, including for the Maine Human Rights Commission. Webber is president of the Central Maine Human Resources Association. Her approach to employment law issues is to reduce risk to the client while taking into account the bottom line. In the land of human resources, that means not just keeping fees low but taking into account the cost of turnover, morale, onboarding and training.
The Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce will be holding a series of “HR Thursdays” — Human Resources seminars. All workshops cost $25 for LA Metro Chamber members, $50 for non members and are free for CMHRA members. Registration is available at www.LAMetroChamber.com. For questions, call 207-783-2249.
The Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce is an organization of community-minded businesses serving Lewiston, Auburn and the surrounding communities. Located at 415 Lisbon St. in the heart of downtown Lewiston, the LA Metro Chamber offers networking events, professional development opportunities, educational scholarships and practical resources to help professionals advance and businesses of all sizes grow.
