Speakers from the Employment Security Department’s Shared Work program will join members of the Washington Association of Accountants on Wednesday in Bellevue to present information about how the program can prevent layoffs and how employers can take advantage of a special enrollment period to save money over the next year.

The meeting of the Washington Association of Accountants Greater Seattle Chapter will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 3 at the Coast Hotel Bellevue, 625 116th Ave. N.E.

The meeting is open to the public. Cost is $25, which includes lunch.

The Shared Work Program offers businesses an alternative to laying off workers. Instead, employers may reduce the work hours for permanent employees, and the workers can collect partial unemployment benefits to replace a portion of their lost wages.

This allows businesses to weather downturns without losing skilled employees. It also gives workers an opportunity to keep their jobs part-time while collecting unemployment benefits for time they are not working.

A 2014 customer survey showed that the program is helping businesses stay afloat, and nearly 97 percent of participating employers would recommend Shared Work to other struggling businesses.