Archive
May 2018
While many are considering their wardrobes for the near week-long trip to Chicago for #SHRM18, we thought about creating the ultimate Pentatonix playlist to get you pumped for their show on Tuesday night.
Like everything else in our ever-evolving world, the process of selling yourself through your resume is always changing. As young HR pros, we get so much advice on the “right way” to write our resume that it can sometimes be overwhelming. The whole goal of writing your resume is to find that perfect first job that we spent so much time in college studying for. The last thing you want to do is get missed in the shuffle.
One of the things I get excited about as a conference blogger is the chance to chat with some of the speakers ahead of the event. I pick different speakers every year to, wait for it…, expand my world! Okay, that was a cheesy set-up to spotlight the theme, let me move on!
On May 30, @shrmnextchat chatted with Sue-Ellen Watts @sel_watts of wattsnextHR about how Employer Branding Starts with Company Values.
If you missed this excellent #Nextchat filled with tips and advice for employer branding you can read all the tweets here:
I had a chance to speak with Michael Wilkinson, founder and Managing Director of Leadership Strategies, Inc. We talked about how HR pros can become better facilitators and Michael shared great advice on how to "divide and conquer" a conference like SHRM18.
I had the great privilege to present an unconscious bias presentation with Judy Elliott-Pugh, SHRM-CP, PHR, MBA. Judy and I are the Diversity & Inclusion Co-Directors with the Garden State Council-SHRM (GSC-SHRM). We presented to the North Jersey-Rockland SHRM Chapter. We wanted to explore unconscious bias by discussing what it is and how we address it in our everyday lives and in our workplaces.
Joe Rotella has been a SHRM Annual Conference mainstay for a number of years. He is a warm and engaging speaker who never fails to both inform and entertain. While his previous sessions have focused on HR technology, this year he is helping HR professionals become better business partners. He shares his insights and more below.
As a U.S. Navy Veteran, I’m extremely proud of the time I served on Active Duty and am thankful for the opportunities which came from it. Serving in the military helped me find my true passion of helping people, which is how I transitioned into a career in Human Resources.
Shannon Tipton over at Learning Rebels did a great post titled, “What’s in My Conference Bag? ATD ICE 2018”. It’s a nice reminder to help you plan your conference strategy. Since the next big event I’m attending is the 2018 Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Annual Conference & Exposition, I thought I’d create my own list.
We’re less than a month away from #SHRM18. Can you believe it? With all that you have going on in preparation for the Annual Conference & Exposition this year, make sure signing up for the Step Challenge is crossed off your list early!
Recruiters, Resume Writers, Career Coaches. These are just some of the professionals that help today’s job seeker navigate through the seemingly impossible process of finding a job. How can you possibly know which avenue to take? Well is starts with figuring out a few basics.
On May 23, @shrmnextchat chatted with President of HR Topics and SHRM18 speaker Lori Kleiman about Control the Chaos and Excel as an HR Department of One.
In many small and midsize companies, the human resources department consists of one person. The department of one (DOO) handles every HR function for the entire organization, including recruiting, onboarding, training, compensation, benefits, employee relations, compliance, technology, analytics and strategy—and is frequently responsible for other business processes at the same time.
President Donald Trump said no one wins when people with criminal backgrounds are unable to adjust to life outside prison. It’s a waste of human capital, he said.
With today’s near record-low unemployment rate, HR professionals and employers are increasingly willing to tap underrepresented groups to fill the skills gaps in the American workforce.
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that an hourly or non-exempt employee be paid for rest breaks of up to 20 minutes in length. Why, if the employee performs no work? The rationale is that the break is primarily for the benefit of the employer, promoting the "efficiency of the employee" and giving the company a "reenergized employee." But, is there a limit to the number of breaks per day that must be compensated as time worked?
On May 16, @shrmnextchat chatted with Letty Kluttz, SHRM's Director of Conference Promgramming and Development about Expanding Your World at SHRM18.
If you missed this amazing chat filled with tips and advice to make the most of your SHRM18 experience you can read all the tweets here.
Last week I posted a podcast with Jim Kight of Focus 3 who will be presenting at SHRM18 in June about his 5-Driver System. If you haven’t listened in, it is worth your 17 minutes. Tim does a wonderful job.
In 33 short days, thousands of HR professionals will converge on the city of Chicago for #SHRM18. It's an opportunity not to be missed. For me, this will be my 7th conference, but my first as a member of the SHRM Blog Squad. I'm beyond excited for the conference this year, looking forward to meet some old friends and make some new ones.
I can’t believe we are just about a month away from welcoming 20 thousand + of our HR friends & colleagues friends here in my home city of Chicago!
With so much to do; and a lot of action happening with a short few days, I wanted to give a little local perspective with some tips on how best to take advantage of your time at #SHRM18.
Dr. Woody sits down with famed HR analyst Josh Bersin to talk HR trends, humanizing the work experience, and how to be a better coach for your people.
Workflex Policies that Promote Work-Family Balance
On May 13 this year, families celebrated mothers nationwide. Then on Monday morning, working Moms, representing over a third of working women, went back to their jobs and continue to try and strike that delicate work-life balance in the 21st Century workplace.
On June 17, more than 16,000 attendees will gather at McCormick Place in Chicago for four days of learning, sharing and networking at the SHRM 2018 Annual Conference & Exposition.
This year’s theme is “Expand Your World,” and the pathways to expanding your world at this year’s conference are unlimited!
If you’re like a lot of long-time practitioners, it probably means a dark, dusty room filled with file cabinets or shelving, file folders filled to bursting with documents that track the course of an employee’s employment and benefits. It may be orderly, it may be messy, but it’s probably on paper.
Bobby Zaepfel wants you to start thinking different about record keeping.
Louis R Lessig, Esq, SPHR, SHRM-SCP is a partner at the law firm of Brown & Connery LLP in Westmond NJ in their labor and employment group and a regular speaker at the SHRM conference. At SHRM18, you have three opportunities to hear him:
Attending the 2018 NYC SHRM Conference on April 27th, 2018 was a great experience. The conference concentrated on three-core elements, Focus –Align – Transform. HR was surely at its best! This was an event that certainly was not worth missing and definitely improved us professionally.
A longtime friend of mine (at least in the world of HR social media) has just published a book and will be a speaker at SHRM18 in Chicago. I’m excited to catch up with Tim Sackett IRL (in real life) and talk HR, recruiting ... and sports.
As a reminder, registration for the 3rd Annual Step Challenge, powered by Fitbit Health Solutions, at #SHRM18 is officially open! Yesterday, we gave you your first Team Captain lowdown, to help you select which team you would like to step with and learn more about the competition! Here is your second Team Captain lowdown. Choose your team wisely … !
Wellness programs don’t just reduce costs by increasing the likelihood that your employees show up for work. A holistic and well managed wellness program can also serve as a recruitment tool.
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing noted speaker, author and thought-leader Cy Wakeman for 10+ years. Even better, I can call her a friend. Her sessions are always fascinating, informational and packed. She is a must see for me at any conference.
With Mother’s Day right around the corner, American families look forward to celebrating motherhood and showing much-deserved love and appreciation for moms across the country. As the mother of two children, I am so grateful for the fulfillment and joy that comes with raising great kids.
I believe in mentorship.
At some point or another, we all need a helping hand and alternatively, at some point or another, we need to be that helping hand for someone else.
If we are open to it, we can all benefit from mentorship whether through formal programs or through relationships that nudge you out of your comfort zone towards bigger, better, greater things.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always asked questions. I was lucky to have a parent that indulged and encouraged my curiosity and always treated me as an equal part of every equation. My thoughts and opinions mattered in our house. We lived by the saying “you’ll never know unless…you ask for it or you try it.” However, there came a point when I stopped believing “there’s no such thing as a stupid question.” I believe this happens to many of us.
The #SHRM18 Bloggers have already produced some excellent Q & A posts with many of the 2018 SHRM Annual Conference & Exposition speakers and vendors. To give you a peek behind the scenes, I've conducted some interviews with SHRM colleagues who work so diligently to create an amazing conference experience.
Registration for the 3rd Annual Step Challenge, powered by Fitbit Health Solutions, at #SHRM18 officially opened yesterday, May 8. As you complete your registration process and select your Step Challenge team, we will be sharing more about the team captains to help you decide which team to join!
Here is your first team captain lowdown.
On May 9, @shrmnextchat chatted with Sarah Brennan @ImSoSarah about UI, UX and Design Thinking for HR.
If you missed this excellent chat you can read all the tweets here:
What does the future hold in a shared ledger economy?
The war for talent hasn’t spared HR. The leaders of our organizations are constantly working to recruit and develop the best and the brightest for this dynamic career. However, when I speak to audiences of business majors and ask how many of them want to pursue a career in HR, few, if any, raise their hands. Our profession has a prestige problem. That is our challenge.
Rapid advancements in workplace technology have positively impacted how, when and where work gets done. However, if not properly designed and implemented, this same technology can create additional burdens that impact hiring, hinder efficiency and make employees less productive.
If you are looking to connect with someone who really understands labor relations, look no further than Michael Vandervort. Michael will be attending SHRM 18 in Chicago, IL as an official #SHRM18Blogger!
If you are looking to connect with someone who really understands life as an HR Consultant, look no further than Mike Haberman. Mike will be attending SHRM 18 in Chicago, IL as an official #SHRM18Blogger!
If you are looking to connect with someone who really understands HR compliance at work, look no further than Wendy Dailey. Wendy will be attending SHRM 18 in Chicago, IL as an official #SHRM18Blogger!
When I saw the list of speakers at #SHRM18, I knew immediately I wanted to interview David Rock, the co-founder and director of the NeuroLeadership Institute. I am very interested in neuroscience (particularly as it relates to implicit bias), and I have learned a great deal from a number of writings about and by David.
The other day I got contacted by a large enterprise level TA leader. She had a major problem about to hit them. They had to hire thousands of people and she was hoping I could tell her which chatbot to use to help them.
Sweet! I love TA Tech, let’s talk about some of my favorites!
I pulled up their corporate site because I wanted to see what ATS they used and just check out the career site.
On the heels of passing the strongest equal pay law in the entire nation, New Jersey has outdone itself.
California, eat your heart out. New Jersey has done it again by passing a new law requiring paid sick leave for employees.
Human resources leader Michelle M. Smith reveals how HR leaders today have a rare opportunity to think more strategically.
Pop quiz: Your company just expanded its oil business to West Africa, specifically Mauritania. You need to send a geologist to do testing. The area will be remote, the worker will be isolated with a very small local team and conditions will be harsh. Do you send the brilliant gay guy or the genius lady with the chronic heart condition?
You want to succeed in life, and the Society for Human Resource Management wants the same for you.
Quantum Workplace will be one of the vendors at the #SHRM18 in Chicago, IL. They are an employee engagement software company designed for a manager-driven work culture. Quantum Workplace is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska (my new home town). I had the opportunity to tour their new location where I conducted this interview.
I was so excited when Jackie Oliver agreed to do a Q & A with me for the SHRM18 Blog. I met Jackie when I first landed at SHRM in 2005 and we worked together for two years before I transferred to Public Affairs. Jackie is an unsung hero at SHRM. She is one of the hardest working, kindest, smartest, most dependable and most caring individuals at SHRM. She is a role model and one of the reasons SHRM continues to be a great place to work. If you see things working well on the outside, it’s because Jackie is making it all happen behind the scenes on the inside. Period.
On May 2, @shrmnextchat chatted with the #HRTribe - a collective and passionate group of HR professionals - about Navigating Social Culture.
If you missed this chat you can read all the tweets here:
An often overlooked area at the SHRM Annual Conference & Exposition is the SHRM Certification Lounge, an area to celebrate and enjoy your status as a SHRM certified professional.

Sponsors and exhibitors help make great conferences like SHRM Annual Conference & Expo possible. Exhibit halls allow for conference attendees to explore potential vendors that may suit their business needs or a break for the extensive amout of information being received, some even come for the cool swag!