HR Matters
Texas SHRM
Promote SHRM Annual Conference to all council members with hard copy fliers or using the SHRM-provided promotional materials for your websites/newsletters.
If there have been any changes in your volunteers, report them to your Regional Administrator.
Keep SHRM informed of any changes to volunteer e-mail addresses, contact information, and role changes.
For 100 percent chapters, be sure that you do not have any non-SHRM members on your list and that you do not have any non-SHRM member categories. ALL members MUST be SHRM membersConduct an audit of your chapter roster against the SHRM chapter roster, the SHRM at-large list, and the SHRM expired-member list to ensure that your chapter records match SHRM’s records in time for the CFSP checks to go out.
Promote the SHRM Foundation Regional Scholarships; application due in July.
Super mega and 100 percent chapters are allowed two e-blasts per quarter to promote their activities to all SHRM members in the chapter’s ZIP code range. Complete the online request form in the VLRC.
Each month the SHRM-TSC will randomly place the name of one of our chapter members in the newsletter. When you find your name (which will have the word "Winner" typed beside it) simply e-mail Dena Culpepper at the Council office (denaculpepper@att.net) and she will send your your prize. Thanks for reading!
The SHRM-Texas State Council is proud to unveil our new website. Please visit us at http://texas.shrm.org to locate all the latest details on State and local chapter events, helpful resource information and to locate the State leaders who can help you and your chapter succeed. Please let us know your thoughts on the site by sending us an e-mail at texasshrm@gmail.com
TAB and SHRM-TSC Employment Relations Symposium:
The Texas Association of Business and the SHRM-Texas State Council host this annual employment relations symposium, attended by almost 300 business owners, human resource professionals, attorneys and accountants.
Attendees receive invaluable and comprehensive information on cutting edge labor law trends and legal counseling from top attorneys, continuing education credits and exhibitors offering innovative support services, as well as the opportunity to make valuable peer connections.
Sponsorships and exhibit booths are available. For more information on sponsorships contact TAB Event Coordinator Lori Buntin at lbuntin@txbiz.org
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The event is being held at the beautiful Westin La Cantera in San Antonio, July 18-July 20. You can get details and register here.
Corpus Christi
The Corpus Christi Human Resources Management Association will be hosting their annual Career Expo 2012 on April 26, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Del Mar College Center for Economic Development located at 3209 South Staples in Corpus Christi Texas 78411. The event is hosted for employers to recruit at all levels candidates seeking employment in Corpus Christi and the surrounding South Texas Area. The event draws many employers from the community who are searching for eligible candidates. In addition, the event lends itself to the potential candidates as a great place to meet employers, and gain other valuable skills regarding interview techniques, resume writing, proper attire, and many more skills needed to land a successful career. The event is free to all candidates, and small goodies bags are given out to the candidates when they arrive.
Dallas HR
The DallasHR Workforce Readiness Committee provided HR support for our troops at the joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, TX. on February 29, 2012. Three new committee members, Denise Kingland, Pat Gleason, and Mark Little, as well as Jeff Whitcomb facilitated four presentations to service personnel on resume preparation, keyword search and the effectiveness of social media. Committee members also worked with several vets on e-application of information in the presentations for their job search. Denise also had the opportunity to counsel two vets who needed help updating their resumes for the current job market. The presentation and valuable resource pages will be on the Dallas HR website in the near future. Please take the time to review this information and pass along to colleagues what you find useful. The committee handpicked sites to both educate and provide vets and employers with valuable information.
Fort Worth
The Fort Worth Human Resource Management Association's 13th Annual Employment Law Update is scheduled for April 19th.
A wide variety of topics will be covered, including FMLA, ADA, Social Media, office romances, and the NLRB's new requirements for non-union employers. And, as always, Bettye Lynn will kickoff the day with her sometimes humorous and sometimes alarming legal update presentation.
7.5 hours of HRCI general recertification credit has been requested for the day. Breakfast and lunch are also provided. An informational brochure is available for download. Also, more information and registration is available on the FWHRMA website at http://www.fwhrma.org/employment_law_update.cfm
North Texas SHRM
The North Texas SHRM chapter will be hosting their annual conference on Thursday and Friday, May 17th and 18th.
Please reference the chapters website at http://www.northtexasshrm.org for more details and to register for the conference.
Pineywoods
The 2012 Board Members of the Pineywoods SHRM Chapter, elected in December 2011, have kicked off this year to a great start! On April 12, 2012 the Pineywoods SHRM Chapter is hosting a social for its members in efforts to show appreciation for their continued dedication to the chapter and as a way to reach out and grow membership.
Pictured from left to right: College Relations Chair, Destiny Smith from City of Nacogdoches; President, Tarah Peace from City of Nacogdoches; Membership Chair, John Riley from Etech, Inc; Vice President of Media Relations, Bonnie Buchanan from Lufkin Coca Cola; Legal Action Chair, Warren McCollum from Fenley & Bate, LLP; Secretary, Julie Rhodes from Lufkin Coca Cola; and Treasurer, Carla Redd from Workforce Solutions.
Rio Grande Valley
During the February meeting of the Society for Human Resource Manager Rio Grande Valley Chapter (SHRM-RGV) the Advocacy Alliance Center of Texas (AACT) presented a 10 minute community awareness campaign about the 2012 election and voting. SHRM-RGV is using its Facebook page to promote SHRM’s Have a Voice Campaign and AACT non partisan message about civic duty.
AACT was established to unite community organizations, hospitals, businesses, large employers, schools, universities and financial institutions as well as various state and national partnerships to cultivate voter empowerment in South Texas. The mission of AACT is to engage, empower and educate the community by providing them a network of support to successfully mobilize, register, and track voters across the county, region, and state.
The goal of AACT is to cultivate long-term and structural changes in South Texas by creating meaningful civic participation and educating the community on the importance of their vote and voice in the electoral process. AACT will implement, through the collaboration of its partners, a comprehensive field program that will include: a traditional and social media outreach campaign, voter registration, canvassing, phone banking, mailers and intensive on the field Get Out the Vote training.
SHRM-RGV has committed to support community organizations that share a vision with the chapter. AACT and the Have a Voice Campaign have a common goal to educate and engage the community to participate in the electoral process. SHRM-RGV will continue to utilize Social Media and Monthly Chapter meetings to promote the Have a Voice Campaign and partner with community organizations to promote the profession.
Wichita Falls
The Wichita Falls Human Resources Management Association is pleased to partner with the SHRM-Texas State Council and the Texas Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve in promoting the 2012 Statement of Support challenge. On May 8th, we will be hosting a half day program presented by a representative from the ESGR who discuss the changes of the USERRA law and promote the hiring and training of reservist and veterans. The program will be preapproved for HRCI Strategic Credit. The program will be from 8 a.m. to noon including a light breakfast and conclude with employers and our organization signing Statement of Support. For members of WFHRMA the cost is $25 per company representative and $40 for non WFHRMA members.
Recently I had the good fortune to hear Rodney Kline (EEOC) speak on "The Talent Acquisition Lifecycle." Hearing him speak brought to mind an issue that many of us face as HR Professionals -- how do we make our organizations more inclusive?
Rodney’s issue was timely. As I looked around me and thought, "This is 2012, it is amazing to me to see how far we have come just in my lifetime," but paused to think that we have much more work to continue to make progress in being a more inclusive society.
I hope that many of you, by the time you read this article have seen some resolution to these issues I am about to discuss. However, I am a realist and know many of these issues are still being worked.
As Paul Harvey of "60 Minutes" used to say, "... and now for the rest of the story". It’s 2012 and we’re still facing issues in our society that one would think would have been resolved by now. Here are just a few that were making headlines as I wrote this article.
>>Women having the right to be a part of a sporting event, where because of tradition they are excluded. Yes, I am talking about women being allowed to be a part of a sporting event at Texas A&M University. Due to their current tradition, females are not allowed to be "Yell Leaders" or have a female dance team perform at their football games. Again, as a tradition, females are unwelcome in this venue as leaders. Imagine that a university with a population of 50,000 students with almost half being female students, actually excluding them because of tradition --- hello?! This is 2012! Update: The "Yell Leader" selected was a male and the female dance team can still not perform at the football games.
>>Racial slurs still used by the very source that we look to for the latest information...the news media. Recently ESPN used a slur both in print and on the air when referring to an American, who happened to be of Asian descent. In all fairness to ESPN, they did apologize immediately and removed it from their mobile website. I will not bring any more attention to the incident by repeating the slur; my point is it should have never happen in the first place --- hello?! This is 2012! Update: ESPN fired the individuals involved.
Now television producers are producing a politically incorrect TV show based on a person’s physical characteristics. I will not glorify this attempt at humor by even naming the show, but it’s enough to say that this is 2012! Get my point!
I hope that you have figured it out by now. There is still a need for diversity and inclusion training and awareness, because it is still a significant issue in our society. I could have pointed out our history and the challenges that we have faced, but we have already crossed that bridge and many of you lived through it, heard it, or read about it. Yet, we are still facing some very significant issues, that if not addressed will force us to relive the very things that we have struggled to eliminate.
So, where are we headed? If you’ve seen the television show "The Voice" you’ll understand, where I am headed. Not taking anything for granted, for those of you that might have not have seen it yet. It’s about celebrity judges that have to select an individual based not on what they see, but what they hear them sing. This prevents them being influenced based on what that person’s physical characteristics, gender, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, etc. You get my point. It’s all about what they can bring to their team. We as HR Professionals need to help the people in our companies, organizations and associations focus on individuals based on the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA’s) that they bring to our organizations. Each person brings certain intellectual capital and a unique perspective based on his or her background and education. We need to focus on this, if we’re to become a society that is all-inclusive.
I challenge each of you to make sure as practicing HR professionals that you’re making this happen in your associations, companies and organizations. If you’re encountering barriers, then reach out for the assistance that you need in order to make your workplace one where everyone feels welcome.
Leslie Vlisides - Winner
Most lawmakers know very little about what a typical HR professional deals with on a day-to-day basis. Only two of the current 535 members of Congress have an HR background, and the numbers are similar at the state level. They simply don't have the experience to know that a bill that may sound like a good idea on the surface can have a lot of unintended negative consequences. SHRM members are the HR experts, and we need to speak up to help shape legislation before bad laws are passed.
Another important reason for our members to become involved is that lawmakers want to hear from their constituents—the people who can vote for or against them—much more than they want to hear from lobbyists. Legislators work for their constituents, and they want and need to hear real life stories about why a proposed bill may or may not work. In short, lawmakers are most influenced by interaction with and information from constituents when making decisions.
For these reasons, the SHRM-TSC wants to help our members find their own voices so they can become more involved in legislative issues that impact the workplace. One of the services SHRM-TSC offers to our chapters is the Legislative Action Roadshow. This program provides step-by-step instructions that will take the mystery out of the legislative process and how we can impact it. The program begins with the most basic information, such as determining who your elected officials are, then it provides a look at the best resources for researching pending legislation and how to stay updated as pending bills move through the process. There are interactive sections where participants learn how to call, write or conduct a meeting with elected officials, as well as what to expect during a visit and how to follow up. The program is fun and informal, and it provides role playing exercises to help members become comfortable expressing their views on important issues. Each attendee will leave with a handbook of written instructions they can keep and use as they begin putting the lessons they learned into practice. The program is approved for certification credits.
A team of experienced volunteers conducts the Roadshow, and will share their own personal experiences to let members know how easy it is to get involved and make a difference. To learn more about bringing the Roadshow to your chapter, contact Dena Culpepper at denaculpepper@att.net or 214-354-8740.
Save the Date!
Live Membership Marketing Summit at Annual Conference: Saturday, June 23 in Atlanta. State Councils, Chapter Presidents and Membership Directors are invited to join this interactive session to build your prospective member base and increase engagement with current members. More information will be e-mailed soon.
Membership Marketing Tip of the Month: "Use the Right Audience"
The coolest recruitment letter sent to the wrong audience = Failure. It makes sense when you think about it – would a SHRM chapter membership to nurses be successful? I think not... So, before worrying about design and writing, make sure that you are soliciting the RIGHT audience. Success means talking to HR seminar attendees, HR magazine subscribers, HR.com members and a host of other lists. Spend the time upfront determining who your market is.
Change in New SHRM Member Discount Code for 2012
We are continuing to offer a $15 discount to new, first-time SHRM members recruited through our chapters and state councils. However, the CHSWD promotion code that was used previously has been replaced by a new promotion code 0118. As a result, please discontinue use of the CHSWD code in your marketing initiatives, promotional materials, websites, etc. and replace with the new code 0118. For new SHRM members who join online at www.shrm.org, the 0118 discount code automatically populates the form when they select their chapter from the drop down menu. For chapters or states using a paper process, the SHRM membership application in the Volunteer Leaders Resource Center already includes the 0118 promotion code, and we encourage you to use this version going forward.
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) requires plan fiduciaries to act prudently and solely in the interest of the plan's participants. Plan fiduciaries must ensure that the services provided are necessary and that reasonable compensation is paid for such services. How services are provided and service providers are compensated (including revenue-sharing) is complex, and is approaching a monumental challenge for plan fiduciaries.
Recent articles addressing the Department of Labor's new service provider fee disclosure regulations numbered 408(b)(2) and 404(a)(S) underscore how service providers must disclose their fees and how plan sponsor accountability will be altered. Specific disclosure obligations for plan service providers must be provided to responsible plan fiduciaries so they may make better decisions when selecting and monitoring service providers for their plans. This information will allow the responsible plan fiduciaries to assess the reasonableness of total compensation, both direct and indirect, received by the service providers, its affiliates and/or subcontractors; identify potential conflicts of interest; and satisfy reporting and disclosure requirements under Title 1of ERISA. Plan fiduciaries have a responsibility to examine and audit the accuracy of the service fees.
The new regulations place a heavy burden on the plan fiduciaries. The regulations demand that service providers change how they relay information to plan fiduciaries who, in turn, inform participants in order to become more transparent in communicating their services and related fees. The regulations are effective for existing and new contracts or arrangements between covered plans and service providers as of July 1, 2012. Greater fee transparency allows plan fiduciaries to make better, more informed decisions, which ultimately benefits plan participants and beneficiaries. So, this is a good thing, right? Maybe, and maybe not. Most individual investors are accustomed to seeing fees associated with investments outside of their plan, but often don't realize that there are fees associated with their company 401(k) plans and these fees are frequently passed along to the participants. The goal is that participants will use this fee information to select lower-cost investment options and have access to better information on administrative and investment fees. Participants are likely to demand more efficient products and services. Plan participants can expect to receive an initial annual disclosure of investment,record-keeping and other retirement plan fees by August 30, 2012. Quarterly statements should include the fees and expenses deducted from the participant or beneficiary's account to which the statement relates.
The new regulations dramatically augment the landscape for plan fiduciaries' risk management strategies. Consider taking action now to mitigate potential participant concern and ensure fiduciary compliance. Advise plan participants of the upcoming disclosure. The prudent plan fiduciary should review the current plan offerings and determine if there are lower-fee offerings, while maintaining a diversified platform. Plan advisors can assist in identifying higher fee offerings that can be redirected to lower-fee offerings. Document the process for making fiduciary decisions and the basis for those decisions and make sure to follow the terms of the plan document. For more information,visit www.dol.gov.
By Virginia L Kirila Assistant Vice President & Corporate Secretary Sentinel Trust Company, LBA
