Reflections from the 2017 Annual SHRM Conference and Exposition

The annual SHRM Conference and Exposition is always an excellent time, and this year’s event in New Orleans did not disappoint! Mike, John, Brendan, and I had a fantastic time meeting prospects, visiting with clients & Astron friends, getting caught up on SHRM Learning System developments, and enjoying New Orleans hospitality & good food! Fresh beignets, muffulettas, and po’ boys – yum yum yum!

It was so much fun to reconnect in person with Cathy, Tim, Clara, Linda, Karen, Jake, Ruth, Brian, Corey, Jamie, Terri, Hugo, Carlos, Dan, Sandra, Elizabeth, Sharmila, Lucia, Amy, Dorothy, Juan Carlos, Tracy, Angela, and Rachel. Thank you for stopping by our booth! (I’m sure that I am forgetting to mention by name some clients and friends who visited us in booth #1143 – my apologies for that!)

The Tuesday evening show with Harry Connick, Jr. was amazing! I didn’t know he is such a versatile musical talent. The evening’s 90 minute performance flew by!

The only downside to the conference was the unexpected arrival of Tropical Storm Cindy on Tuesday! John’s umbrella fell victim to the high winds, and we got a bit wetter than we might have liked, but thankfully everyone’s flight home on Wednesday went smoothly. I hope that this is the last tropical storm / hurricane event to hit the Gulf Coast in 2017.

Mike, John, Brendan, and I look forward to seeing you in Chicago, June 17 – 20th, 2018. We’ll be in booth #1829! Mark your calendars and get ready to make your hotel reservations soon!

Additional Pictures:

French Quarter & Bourbon Street

World War II Museum

Balcony view of the Fisher Phillips party

Filling The Gap, Job Descriptions, Obama's Healthcare Plan, etc.

We're reading all the articles so you don't have to...

-BizTimes talks about Human Resources filling the gap with interim executives

-Vault has job descriptions. They're not as good as the ones we do at Astron Solutions.

-WebProNews says that Yahoo! is putting a new spin on the recruiting process by launching pay-per-candidate for their Yahoo! HotJobs

-Workforce Management talks about how an economic crisis is creating an opportunity for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). "As companies slash payrolls and tighten their belts in other ways that squeeze employees, the association is trying to make itself indispensable to HR professionals."

-Lastly, the Chicago Sun-Times talks about President Barack Obama being pressed on healthcare during his ABC special by an Human Resources executive:

One questioner -- Marisa Milton, vice president of health care policy for the HR Policy Association, a public policy advocate for human resource executives -- said that "other industrialized nations provide coverage for all their residents" with "high quality care" without spending more money.

"A lot of those countries employ a different system than we do," the president said. "Almost all of them have what would be considered a single-payer system in which the government operates what is essentially a Medicare for all."

The president said he didn't think it wise to attempt to "completely change our system root and branch" since health care is one-sixth of the U.S. economy. It "would be hugely disruptive," he said, arguing that citizens would be forced to change their doctors and insurance plans "in a way I'm not prepared to go."

End-of-life issues were raised as well; right now it is estimated that nearly 30 percent of Medicare's annual $327 billion budget is spent on patients in their final year of life.

Jane Sturm told the story of her nearly 100-year-old mother, who was originally denied a pacemaker because of her age. She eventually got one, but only after seeking out another doctor.

"Outside the medical criteria," Sturm asked, "is there a consideration that can be given for a certain spirit & and quality of life?"

"I don't think that we can make judgments based on peoples' spirit," Obama said. "That would be a pretty subjective decision to be making. I think we have to have rules that say that we are going to provide good, quality care for all people.

"We're not going to solve every single one of these very difficult decisions at end of life," he said. "Ultimately that's going to be between physicians and patients."

Hiring Slowly Improving But Those Who Haven't Been Laid Off Suffer

-The South Florida Business Journal starts us up with a Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) survey which says that hiring is slowly improving and the Central Valley Business Times has some more information on that

-CNNMoney says that after layoffs, layoff survivors are now stuck with more responsibilities and more stress but aren't getting any more money.

-Lastly, after we just quoted a few surveys from employees...word from the Associated Press (AP) that companies are turning away from employee surveys

What I'm Hearing...The Employee Free Choice Act Redux

Yesterday I was at various networking events and other meetings from 7:30 AM until 9:45 PM. Naturally, I'm a little behind on my e-mail as a result! This morning, I discovered the following e-mail sent Tuesday 3/10/09 from SHRM, which I'm reprinting here for you. It's a great summary of the latest news from Capitol Hill.

"Today, the Employee Free Choice Act was introduced in Congress! The bill was sponsored by Representative George Miller (D-CA), the House Education and Labor Committee Chair, and Senator Tom Harkin (D-MA).

The legislation would amend the National Labor Relations Act to allow unions to use the “card check” process – and bypass the secure, private election format – each time they attempt to organize workers.

Background

The National Labor Relations Act currently provides two opportunities for employees to decide whether or not to form or join a union:

Private ballot election - When a union receives a majority of votes through a secret ballot election administered by the National Labor Relations Board, the union is certified as the sole bargaining agent on behalf of the employees, or

“Card check” recognition - When a union receives at least 30 percent of signed authorization cards, the employer can request that a private ballot election be held. (When a union receives at least 50 percent of signed cards, the employer can either recognize the union immediately or request an election.)

Legislation

The EFCA would dramatically change federal labor law. The legislation would allow a union to bypass the election process after collecting authorization cards from a majority of employees. Thus, employers would lose the right to request that an election be held.

If enacted into law, EFCA would:

Eliminate employees’ opportunity to vote in a federally-administered, private ballot election;

Require binding arbitration within 120 days after a union is certified through a signed card collection process, if the employer and the union are unable to reach an agreement;

Restrict an employer’s communications to employees about the workplace issues involved in the union organizing drive; and

Create new fines against employers for an expanded list of unfair labor practices."

Now's the time to reach out to your members of Congress to show your support or voice your opposition to the law. It's expected that this legislation will move through Congress quickly.

What I'm Hearing...National Napping Day

If you haven't already heard, today is National Napping Day! I was shocked when I learned about this from SHRM. Who knew there was a holiday dedicated specifically to rest!

When I nap, I wake up flushed, nauseous, and cranky, so I will pass on the day's festivities. ;-) For those who find naps refreshing, however, today's a great day to press the pause button on life, even for just 10 minutes. If you don't have time for a nap, take a few quiet moments for yourself to recharge before tackling the afternoon's activities. With our "Spring Forward" time change yesterday, you may be missing that extra hour of sleep!

What I'm Hearing...More on Ledbetter

Sent out today by the SHRM Government Affairs department: "Employers should note that it will allow not only aggrieved employees but other 'affected' individuals, including spouses and children, to file a claim, even after the employee has died."

You can read the whole article here: http://messaging.shrm.org/ct/0daBMYp1SRxH/

Pay discrimination is, of course, wrong. This approach to remedying the situation, however, seems to merely open the door to a myriad of lawsuits, many probably without merit.

When Employers Just Can't Keep Up

You know when an interviewee calls up and asks why they haven't gotten a call back? Well maybe it's tell them that your Human Resource staff just can't keep up...and you wouldn't be alone according to the Kansas City Star: click here

The Ventura County Star talks about a bias bill that is being opposed by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): click here

Red Orbit says that wired staffs are a good thing...despite some other opinions: click here

The Wall Street Journal follows up with this article about companies' efforts to extend researchers' productivity: click here

Lastly, the Start4all Human Resources weblog has six "A-HA's" in building a successful Human Resources career: click here

What I’m Hearing…The Latest from Washington, D.C.

I’ll admit it. The legislative aspects of HR aren’t my favorite. But sometimes, we can’t ignore actions in our nation’s capital. In the last week, 3 items have come to the surface that impact compensation.

First, the Department of Labor is considering updating the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Portal-to-Portal Act to reflect new laws and court decisions. Items under consideration include excluding stock options from regular rate of pay calculations, tip wage credits, compensatory time off, and calculating overtime using the fluctuating workweek method. Want to voice your opinion on these changes? The public comment period runs through September 11th. Share your thoughts now!

In other news, the Paycheck Fairness Act is proposed legislation that warrants a second look. The goal of the proposed law is to end gender-based pay disparities between men and women performing comparable jobs. Experts expect the bill to soon win House approval. Of particular concern? The law would amend the Equal Pay Act to allow unlimited compensatory and punitive damages even for unintentional pay disparities. Experts do not expect the bill to fare well in the Senate. However, don’t leave pending legislation to chance. SHRM has asked its membership to urge their elected officials to vote “no” on the bill.

Lastly, there’s a new federal minimum wage - $6.55 per hour effective July 24th. Make sure your posters and payroll systems are up to date, and you don’t pay your employees below that amount!

What I'm Hearing...Caught on Camera

At SHRM last week, we captured this interesting pose from our colleage John Sazaklis. We wonder what his expression means! Here's where you can help...let us know what he's thinking. New Yorker magazine - watch out!

What I’m Hearing…The Latest from SHRM

What a week it’s been! I’m back from the SHRM conference in Chicago. It was, as expected, a great time. The conference hosted over 14,000 HR professionals from around the globe. Sidney Poitier was one of the most popular keynote speakers. The exhibit hall contained over 50 rows of vendors! And the Tuesday evening concert with Lionel Richie was entertaining, fast paced, and fun.

The SHRM conference wasn’t all fun and games, however. The Special Expertise Panels kicked off two of SHRM’s largest and newest initiatives for the coming year. The first addresses the issue of Workforce Readiness. Out of 100 students currently in the 9th grade, only 18 will receive a Bachelor’s degree within 6 years, or an Associate’s degree within 3 years of starting a program. Many of today’s graduates do not have the skills needed to perform successfully in the workplace. SHRM has begun the process of developing a response and action plan to address this major concern.

The second area of interest is developing a competency model for senior HR practitioners. Specifically what are those non-HR competencies necessary for someone below the C-Suite level to be a successful business partner?

Stay tuned to SHRM and What I’m Hearing for updates on these critical initiatives that impact you and your organization.

Executive Decisions

We're sorry we missed some of these articles, but we want to get back to you in style her at the Astron blog...

First, an old article recently reprinted in the Wall Street Journal gives some hints about what employers are seeking in Human Resource Executives: click here

Human Resource Executive Online follows up with an article about disclosing executive-pay goals: click here

HR Daily Advisor follows up on a recent SHRM discussion about when safety and religion collide: click here

Job Journal has an article about America's declining job readiness, a topic we have discussed on the blog before: click here

And lastly, following up on one of our big stories from last week...Jerry Manuel, the New York Mets new coach now has called the Mets fans a big pile of fertilizer (courtesy of the New York Post via FOX Sports on MSN): click here

This is an organization that's in need of some work...

What I’m Hearing…Rising Gasoline Prices and Employers’ Responses

According to a recent Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey, U.S. companies have more than doubled their gas-cost related efforts as a means to attract and retain employees. With prices over $4 a gallon in New York City, and near $3.89 in Northern New Jersey, driving to work is costly. Some of the recent employer initiatives include providing higher pay raises, increasing mileage reimbursement rates, and awarding special bonuses. Other approaches to this thorny situation include encouragement for employees to use public transportation and buying buses and vans to take employees to and from work.

Interestingly, one item that didn’t make the list, but is starting to generate some buzz, is the use of compressed workweeks. Under a compressed workweek, employees work four 10 hour days, for example, to accomplish a full week’s work in fewer days. I’ve also started to hear of a three 12 hour day option.

Compressed workweeks can be tricky from several perspectives, including employee burnout and team member morale for those not working the special schedule. In addition, not all positions lend themselves to such a schedule. However, the more creative an organization can be in helping employees deal with this situation, the better their chances of attracting and retaining the talent needed for success.

Longer-term changes need to come from the broader societal and economic areas to remedy this oil situation. While individually it is difficult to make changes that impact the world, we as employers can do our part by helping employees through the short-term immediate issues, without creating negative impacts in the long-term. For instance, if we give everyone a 10% pay raise now, what happens when we stop giving those types of increases down the road? The short- and long-terms are equally at stake in this new economic climate.

Workers Comp Comes Full Circle With HR

We start out here on this Tuesday (another Super Tuesday) with an article from the American Chronicle. Workers Comp always ends with Human Resources, but this article says that it also starts with HR decisions: click here

Next, the American Dream Project says that Corporate Social Responsibility needs HR: click here

Lastly, from the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), who does the work when an employee does FMLA leave: click here

Employers as Babysitters

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

First, we have an article from US News and World Report's "The Inside Job" which says that although employers end up playing babysitter for their employees, they're increasingly getting in trouble for doing so: click here

This is a very interesting view on the situation which, in effect is saying to Americans "grow up"

Next, from Human Resources Executive Online, an article about what workers want from the President: click here

Also, from the Salt Lake Tribune, word on what happens if you hire undocumented workers and get caught: click here

Lastly, from a blog that is titled "Team Building is for Suckers", a question of "where in the world is SHRM [the Society for Human Resource Management]"? click here

What I’m Hearing…HR Certifications

As many of us may know, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), though its subsidiary the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI), offers three national and two state specific Human Resource certifications – PHR, SPHR, GPHR, PHR – CA, and SPHR – CA. Currently, to sit for the PHR or SPHR certification exams, the candidate needs to have two years of exempt level HR experience.

HRCI is considering changing the exam eligibility experience requirements. The years of experience required would vary depending on which exam the person is sitting for, and what degree (e.g., Associates, Bachelor’s, and / or Master’s) the person holds. HRCI has conducted external benchmarking against other credentialing programs, considered the current experience of levels of certified professionals, and led focus groups with credential holders, employers, and SHRM chapter leaders. HRCI is currently in the process of surveying more individuals through an invitation to comment period, which closes on May 16th.

HR certification has come a long way since the time when I sat for the PHR exam (and passed!) as a recent college graduate. No longer do other HR professionals ask me what SPHR after my name means. HRCI’s steps towards elevating the experience requirement for SPHR should better align the test content with the candidates’ experiences, and truly reflect the “Senior” in SPHR.

Those considering the SPHR exam who have only 2 or 3 years of exempt level experience may want to take the exam in the Fall / Winter 2008 testing window, before the new requirements, if approved, take effect. HRCI has not stated when the new requirements would go into effect. However, why not take the initiative today and enhance your professional skills, your résumé, and your earning potential by working towards earning the certification?

What I’m Hearing…National Volunteer Week

If you haven’t already heard, this week (April 28 – May 2) is National Volunteer Week. How many times have we taken volunteers for granted? Although volunteers are unpaid, so many non-profits function effectively in the community because of their volunteers’ contributions. What would happen to your local hospital, library, or school, if the volunteers stopped helping? Volunteer recruitment, retention, and motivation are no less challenging than for paid team members. If you haven’t said “thank you” lately to the volunteers you encounter in your professional and personal lives, be sure to say something this week.

In addition to thanking those who help us, have you examined the volunteer opportunities in your life? If you haven’t been active, now is a great time to get involved. I suspect I do more than most when it comes to volunteering. Between sitting on the board of HR/NY (New York City’s SHRM chapter), helping out with special HR/NY projects, serving a 3-year term with SHRM’s Total Rewards Special Expertise Panel, and giving back as a peer reviewer for SHRM and WorldatWork publications, I sometimes think that my volunteer activities could make up a full-time job! However, giving back to the professional community, networking, and making a difference in others’ lives make the time and talent contribution worth it. Start small – either professionally or personally – and see how good it feels to give back. Once you start, you’ll be hooked.

So That's What Those Pirates in that Commercial Were Singing About!

The FreeCreditReport.com guys will be happy with this article from Forbes which says that you should get your Credit Report checked before your employer does: click here

(Well at least they should pay those guys so they don't have to be pirates anymore...)

Next, from the Sun-Times News Group and the Naperville Sun, an article about a Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) that warns that no one is immune from sickness: click here

Lastly, from USA Today's On Deadline section (referring to a 2006 Forbes article),would you like to bring your baby to work every day?: click here

Talking About Addiction

The Wall Street Journal starts us off with an interesting article (actually a reprint from 2006) about talking to your boss about alcohol abuse: click here

This article from the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) talks about the Mental Health Bill and how SHRM sees its merits: click here

Lastly, the Gothamist has an article about the court upholding the firing of a guy who must have been addicted to surfing the web: click here

Podcasting!!!

Adding to our Web 2.0 personality here at Astron Solutions, we have our first podcast courtesy of Workforce Management about managing the unpredictability of talent in today's world: click here

From the Business Wire, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) will be surveying presidential candidates on key workforce issues: click here

Also, make sure to check out some other podcasts on Daxle's website of business podcasts...some good stuff there: click here

Lastly, the Baltimore Sun's "On the Job" has an article about sick and vacation days all being in the same bank: click here

And since we decided we needed some representation between New York and DC, we're adding the feed of the Baltimore Sun's career section on the right...

More links!

Yeah...we got more links for you...

First a blog about the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM): click here

Next, from Boston Globe, Monster.com, HiringHub, word on finding the best talent: click here

HR Daily Advisor has 7 stupid things that supervisors say and then get sued: click here

From SHRM, word on what that blogger was talking about above: click here

ITtoolbox has some advice on what every IT manager should know about HR: click here

MSNBC says don't wear blinders when dealing with your boss: click here

HR Daily Advisor is back with 3 vital things that supervisors should say: click here

Lastly, the Business Review of Western Michigan (via Michigan Live) has an article about getting and recruiting talent from elsewhere: click here

That should last you for a while ;)