Day 2

My second day of #Workflex Tour de Oregon began with a Lane County Human Resource Association breakfast meeting of over 70 HR professionals from the Eugene area.  I appreciated their great questions about how to secure support for flex among senior leaders and how to navigate flex offerings for non-exempt employees.

I was thrilled to then facilitate another discussion with Eugene Sloan Workflex Award winning organizations, including the Oregon Research Institute (ORI), Full Access, and Isler CPA.

Eugene Sloan Workflex Award winners share best
practices with audience members.  Pictured, from
left to right: Kim Meyers of Isler CPA, Dawnetta Rios
of Oregon Research Institute and Margaret Theisen,
CEO of Full Access.

When Margaret Theisen, CEO of Full Access, was asked how her organization initiated flex, she replied, “We had to practice what we preach, and it simply happened organically from there.”

Kim Meyers of Isler outlined how her organization maintains a commitment to its people and the community by providing generous paid time off for employees to participate in community service activities.

An audience member asked about “pet-friendly” workplaces.  In response, ORI’s Dawnetta Rios shared that several ORI employees bring their furry friends to work with them, and that only a few minor “issues” (that were quickly addressed) surfaced as a result of being a pet-friendly employer.

LCHRA members had lots of questions for our panelists. Before I knew it, our time was up.

Now, for a long drive north to cross the Hood River Bridge (which was definitely the narrowest bridge I’ve ever crossed!) to White Salmon, Wash.

When Work Works rolled into the Pacific Northwest last week, and here’s a log of Lisa Horn’s trip across Oregon …

Day 1

I’m covering 400 miles in 48 hours here in Oregon to talk about workplace flexibility, including four chapter presentations and two panel discussions with Sloan Workflex Award winners!

First stop, the Linn County Fair & Expo Center in Albany.  Thanks to the Mid-Willamette Human Resource Association (MHRA), I was added to the agenda for the Oregon Employer Council Annual Conference.  I arrived in time to catch the previous speaker, none other than Oregon State University Head Basketball Coach Craig Robinson, brother to First Lady Michelle Obama!

I enjoyed Coach Robinson’s talk about refocusing student athletes on academics and preparing them for life after the game.  His story of testing the “selfishness” of his future brother-in-law on the basketball court was definitely a crowd pleaser!

Coach Robinson was a tough act to follow.  But with the help of MHRA’s monster cookies, which gave me and the HR professionals a “flex” boost, we were off to discuss workflex.

After saying goodbye to my new MHRA friends, I was headed to the Creekside Country Club to visit the Salem Human Resources Management Association (SHRMA), where I received an enthusiastic welcome from the SHRMA volunteer leaders. The venue for the meeting was beautiful, as the sun was illuminating the golf course, showing off the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Following my presentation, I had the pleasure of facilitating a discussion with two Oregon winners of the 2011 Sloan Award for Excellence in Workplace Effectiveness and Flexibility  — Elaine Wells, executive director of Ride Connection, and Jason Graham-Nye, CEO of gDiapers.

Both Elaine and Jason shared how their innovative workflex strategies have positively impacted their employees as well as their organization. Elaine said that she utilizes Ride Connection’s compressed workweek offering to work four 10-hour days to address elder care responsibilities.  Having senior leaders flex sends an important message to other employees and builds a culture of support for flex.

gDiapers believes that the key to attracting and maintaining a high-performance organization is to provide family-centric flex options for its employees.  Not only does it offer subsidized onsite child care, but it also provides its 18 employees with three months paid maternity/paternity leave and four weeks paid time off from Year One.

Jason shared how a competitor recently tried to lure away one of his top performers with an offer of almost twice as much in compensation and a title boost.  After the employee assessed her work-life needs, however, she chose to stay with gDiapers given the organization’s commitment to workflex.

It was a great first day in Oregon.  Now, for a drive down to Eugene.

Welcome to this week’s edition of the THE FRIDAY 5! Here are five things HR pros should know this week courtesy of SHRM. 

1. Congress asks employers to take a pass on passwords — This week Congress introduced the Social Networking Online Protection Act which would prohibit employers from requiring a username, password or other access to online content. Read more about it here: http://goo.gl/6Nuzl

2. Shaq does HR? — This weekend Shaquille O’Neal will graduate with a Ph.D. in Human Resource Development. What advice would you give him on entering HR? Let him know here: http://goo.gl/tZzNq

3. Get ahead with “headhunters”
Here’s a great article about recruiters and how to get their attention and support as you look for a new HR job. “Hunting with Headhunters” provides insight into what recruiters look for in good candidates. The recruiter-job seeker relationship a two-way street and seekers need to develop a partnership that is mutually beneficial. Find out now: http://goo.gl/wvgQP

4. TOMS Shoes founder on what’s next — #SHRM Talent keynote speaker Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS Shoes and a former contestant on “The Amazing Race” TV show talks about his next great challenge: http://goo.gl/vKiL2

5. Career Advice: find your inner genius — #SHRM Talent keynoter Gina Rudan shares how you can cultivate your inner genius for your success: http://goo.gl/fs5q0

Slavery and Your Supply Chain – Live Chat on May 18
Does your company do business in California? If so, you may need to disclose your efforts to eliminate slavery from your supply chain. Who needs to disclose?  What information must be provided? What are other companies doing?

Attorney Trenton H. Norris of Arnold & Porter LLP law firm will answer your questions in a LIVE web chat at noon EDT on Friday, May 18.   SIGN UP for the CHAT by clicking HERE.

You may also submit questions via Twitter using the #SHRMHRMag hashtag.

Trenton H. Norris, a partner with the law firm of Arnold & Porter LLP, heads the firm’s San Francisco and Silicon Valley offices.  He represents consumer product manufacturers, distributors, and retailers in false advertising, intellectual property, environmental, and other regulatory matters where supply chain management often figures prominently.

By Damon Lovett, IHRIM Conference Blogger

What a trip! 

The 32nd annual International Association for Human Resource Information Management (IHRIM) HRMS Strategies Conference and Technology Exposition in Chicago came to a close Thursday, May 3,  and, according to IHRIM’s President and CEO Lynne Mealy, more than 840 people attended the event to gain incredible insight into the trends, changes and future of the HR information management spectrum.

I met so many attendees that my network will be well-populated for the next year!  

I spoke with Jeremy Ames on Thursday morning, and he said that “the networking at the conference was great,” and he is excited to connect with many of the attendees online. 

I spoke, too, to many of the exhibitors—including Kristie Evans of HR Logistics and Tom Erickson of Aquire—and the general consensus was that traffic was great from day one and more importantly, the networking and leads were very high quality.

Next year’s IHRIM conference heads to The Disney Contemporary Resort in Orlando, Fla.

You can catch up with more news on HR technology by visiting www.ihrim.org.

Damon Lovett is a member of SHRM’s HR Technology and HR Management Special Expertise Panel. Check out his tweets by following him @damonlovett or using the #IHRIMConf hashtag.

By Damon Lovett, IHRIM Conference Blogger

CHICAGO — The talk of the day today at IHRIM seems to be centered on HR tech strategy. In spite of economic issues, many organizations are looking positively at the changes taking place in the industry and are preparing to pull the trigger on new initiatives as soon as the fog has lifted. Nearly 900 people attended the conference.

Consolidation of multiple data sources for reporting and analytics is on the minds of many of the attendees I have spoken to and the focus of some of the sessions. Visibility into the movement and engagement of an employee population must be available to leadership—no exceptions. 

The HRIM Foundation Party for a Purpose was well-attended and really classy in the Conrad Suite of the Chicago Hilton Tuesday night.  Wednesday night’s networking event is going to be a blast!

Damon Lovett is a member of SHRM’s HR Technology and HR Management Special Expertise Panel. He’ll be blogging for SHRM about IHRIM. The conference ends May 3. Check out his tweets by following him @damonlovett or using the #IHRIMConf hashtag.

By Dori Meinert, senior writer, HR Magazine

Five Reasons to Care About Human Trafficking

1. Your company’s reputation is at stake.
2. Your company can face expensive legal trouble.
3. Your company can lose business.
4. Your job hangs in the balance.
5. It’s the right thing to do.

Find out what HR professionals can do about human trafficking in the May issue of HR Magazine.

Join SHRM’s May 18 web chat with California attorney Trenton H. Norris focusing on a new law requiring companies doing business in that state to disclose what they are doing to fight human trafficking in their supply chains.

By Damon Lovett, IHRIM Conference Blogger

CHICAGO — Amazing!

The education sessions are hopping and the expo hall is buzzing with excitement and interest here on day two of IHRIM’s 32nd annual HR technology conference. As IHRIM Chairman Nov Omana stated, “We are the HR technology industry.”  The HR information management industry is changing rapidly and IHRIM’s HRMS Strategies Conference and Technology Exposition is the place to be. 

This morning’s keynote speaker, Jamie Notter (@jamienotter), kicked the day off by shaking up the discussion around social media. According to Jamie, management for the most part is failing because we have not changed our mindset and approach to management in more than 50 years — we’re very mechanical.  Social media taps into the principles that make us human and is succeeding “because it is letting us create and share.” We need to be having conversations about how social media changes the way we do business. 

 We have seen sessions on everything from “Raising Your HR Technology Market IQ” to “Leadership, Project Management, and Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow.” Yep, IHRIM’s got it all!

Equifax discussed the centralization of multiple disparate data sources and the selection/implementation of its workforce analytics platform (which only took a few weeks).

Now it is off to the HRIM Foundation Party for a Purpose. Don’t forget to follow us tomorrow on Twitter @damonlovett or using the #IHRIMConf hashtag.

Damon Lovett is a member of SHRM’s HR Technology and HR Management Special Expertise Panel. He’ll be blogging for SHRM about IHRIM. The conference ends May 3.

By Damon Lovett, IHRIM Conference Blogger

CHICAGO — The IHRIM conference is here! 

True to form, I have already met many new and old (sorry, guys—figuratively speaking) contacts here at the International Association for Human Resource Information Management’s HRMS Strategies Conference and Technology Exposition, and we haven’t even had the opening session yet. I can’t express the value I have gained from the networking and educational sessions at this event over the years and how it has enhanced my understanding of the impact of HR information management on business. I’ll be sharing my insights on some of the best and brightest ideas I’ve gleaned from the conference while I’m here. The network of connected experts in the field of HR technology at the conference is incredible.

Over the next few days, I and many others will be tweeting insights during the conference, so follow me on Twitter @damonlovett or follow the action on Twitter using the #IHRIMConf hashtag.

I’ll be blogging my daily perspectives here and on SHRM Connect as well, so please feel free to check it out and give me your feedback. The conference ends May 3.

If you are attending the conference, please find me and say hello. I should be easy to find!

Damon Lovett is a member of SHRM’s HR Technology and HR Management Special Expertise Panel.

By Curtis Midkiff, Director of Social Engagement

Welcome to this week’s edition of the THE FRIDAY 5!  Here are five things HR pros should know this week courtesy of SHRM.

1. Is Human Trafficking an HR Issue?  – The answer may surprise you.  In the May issue of HR Magazine, the cover story explores the issue of human trafficking and its impact on HR.  Here’s a sneak preview video: http://goo.gl/1lBwS.

2. Make a Passion Statement  –  Check out how one company, changed the “game” by challenging prospective applications to think outside the resume in the applications process .  http://goo.gl/ry1mp.

3. Focus on HR —  Are tattooed employees marked for failure in the workplace?  Check out the latest installment “Focus on HR” for more on this issue and other updates from the world of HR: http://goo.gl/tcZJY .

4. Job Search Advice for HR Pros: Make the Mission Possible  –  Organizations have certain “mission critical” functions, and many employers have difficulty filling positions that involve these functions.  Here’s how to understand those functions and stand out from the crowd to get the job: http://goo.gl/Ytfhr

5. Hey, Boss, Send Me to #SHRM12 — Here’s how to convince the boss to send you the SHRM 2012 Annual Conference in Atlanta! http://goo.gl/2ZuGz

BONUS ITEM: SOCIAL STUDIES: — Want to get updates on social media and HR?  Subscribe to our FREE SHRM Social Media E-Newsletter.  Get on the list here:  http://goo.gl/zQIQF