HR Matters
Texas SHRM
President and/or president-elect will attend SHRM Leadership Conference. At your next board meeting, discuss sessions, new information, and share resources obtained at conference.
Submit Chapter Leader Information Form (online) showing the FULL list of board members with all contact information no later than 12/1; late submissions may cause your chapter to be ineligible for a SHAPE award. If you don’t know your full board yet, submit what you have by 12/1 and submit the rest later.
Brian Smith: Winner
The initiative is a joint effort of Texas Governor Rick Perry, Texas Medical Center surgeon Dr. James Henry "Red" Duke, Jr., the Texas Veterans Commission, and the Texas Workforce Commission to address the employment needs of Texas veterans returning to the workforce.
On November 15, 2012, each of the 28 Workforce Development Boards in Texas will host a Hiring Red, White & You job fair open to all Texas employers and Texas veterans and their spouses. These job fairs will feature an unprecedented statewide employment effort in hopes of serving those who have served for us. Click here to see the Red, White and You flyer.
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The process to offer your support couldn't be easier. Sign the Challenge today!
Online university WGU Texas (http://texas.wgu.edu) has announced a new program to encourage personal and professional growth among human resources personnel in the state – the Go Further in Human Resources Scholarship.
These 15 competitive scholarships, each valued at $2,000, are designed for motivated HR personnel who wish to enhance their knowledge and career opportunities by completing their degrees with the nonprofit university.
WGU Texas is partnering with SHRM - Texas State Council to promote the program designed for active SHRM members working in an HR capacity inside the state’s businesses and healthcare organizations. "SHRM - TSC is excited about partnering with WGU Texas," said Nicole Shannon, State Director of SHRM-TSC. "This program, and the online options made possible by WGU Texas, will elevate the education level of SHRM members throughout the state of Texas."
Read more about the program here. Please also see and share the attached flyer. See the scholarship criteria here. (http://texas.wgu.edu/hrscholarship) Scholarship deadline is November 30, 2012.
More about WGU Texas:
WGU Texas is a nonprofit, online university expanding access to quality higher education for Texas residents. Established by the state of Texas through a partnership with nationally recognized Western Governors University, WGU Texas (http://texas.wgu.edu) offers more than 50 accredited undergraduate and graduate degree programs in key workforce areas including business, information technology, teacher education, and health professions including nursing.
Our innovative competency-based academic approach allows working adults to fit their education into their lives. At WGU Texas we measure learning, not seat time. All programs offer flexible online study, state-of-the art learning resources, expert faculty, and individualized mentor-guided support. WGU Texas provides a convenient, cost-effective way for self-directed, hard working adults to earn a degree and get ahead. With our affordable model, tuition is charged at a flat rate every six months and averages $2,890 per term. Learn more at texas.wgu.edu or call 1-877-214-7011. WGU Texas Chancellor Mark David Milliron recently blogged on this topic. See what he had to say about HR professionals here. (http://texas.wgu.edu/blog)
SHRM e-learning benefits HR Professionals at all career levels. We provide the tools and education to elevate HR professionals and transform them into strategic business partners.
SHRM e-learning also provides online compliance training for your employees and managers. SHRM's compliance training courses help employers establish defenses to potential workplace litigation and emphasize both risk management and education.
As a user, you will benefit from a wealth of knowledge, an abundance of recertification credits and all the support you need. So log in, purchase some credits and redeem them for one of the most thorough and informed educational experiences you and your employees and managers ever encountered.
Click here for more information about registration.
Please use registration code: TXSHRMSC.
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 email Dena Culpepper at the Council office (denaculpepper@att.net) and she will send your your prize. Thanks for reading!
More research and information continues to be announced on the When Work Works program. At the core of this initiative of workplace flexibility is improving business results by giving people more control over their work time and schedules. Flex does not just mean variable hours, it takes in creating a culture for an effective workplace where realistic work patterns meet the needs of both the employers and employees.
It means:
Flex Time and Place: Regular or short notice flex time - Compressed workweeks
Telecommuting Time off: Paid vacations and sick leave - Time off for caregiving
Flex Careers Sabbaticals: Dialing careers up and down - Phased retirement
Choices in Managing Time: Self-scheduling and shift trading
Reduced Time: Part-time and part-year work
Culture of Flexibility: Supportive supervisors - Lack of jeopardy for working flexibly
This is not just a women’s issue. 45% of men report work-life conflict versus 39% of women. Yet women make up 50% of the workforce. Also, 1 in 2 employees expects to provide elder care in the next five years. Position Flexibility as a business strategy.
Workflex isn’t just a good thing to do for your employees it gives back to the employer by employees wanting to stay in their current job (79% to 44%) and 4 times as many employees are highly engaged at work. Not to mention that twice as many employees are in excellent health. So research has shown that workplace flexibility boosts productivity and reduces costs on the bottom line. WorkFlex is a proven contributor of performance, develop and retaining the best employees, job satisfaction, employee loyalty and employee wellness. It can also bring business continuity. Employees who have developed a routine of working remotely can help sustain an employer who has been caught in a natural disaster or experiences of inclement weather.
Human resource professionals can focus on the ROI in making the business case to top management. Review "Guide to Bold New Ideas for Making Work Work" and the 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce, both available through Families & Work Institute or from SHRM "Workplace Flexibility in the 21st Century."
Human Resource professionals know that the key to getting the best out of every team member is a flexible work environment. Whether it is flexible schedules, job sharing, telecommuting, compressed workworks or phasing into retirement, we as human resource professionals are the guides to providing valuable resources on the importance of flexible workplaces.
As I mentioned earlier, in January 2012, WilcoHR hosted Lisa K. Horn, Co-Leader of SHRM’s Workplace Flexibility Initiative program at our monthly meeting to educate HR professionals in Williamson County about When Work Works. Now, 10 months later WilcoHR is proud to announce the name of two companies who applied and won the Alford P. Sloan Award.
Congratulations to Williamson County's first winners of the 2012 Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Excellence in Workplace Effectiveness and Flexibility, BDO USA and Ryan LLC, for their exemplary workplace practices!
Given by Families and Work Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management, the Sloan Award recognizes employers that have distinguished themselves in Williamson County and across the country. Winners are identified through a rigorous selection process, which involves an evaluation of employers' flexibility programs and practices (from telecommuting to job sharing to phased retirement programs) and a confidential employee survey.
"These employers use flexibility as an effective workplace strategy and, in doing so, help their employees meet their work and life needs and help the organization achieve strong business results," said Megan Potts, President-Elect of WilcoHR. "We congratulate them for being a role model for other businesses." WilcoHR will recognize recipients of the Sloan Awards for Excellence in Workplace Effectiveness and Flexibility at the December monthly meeting.
I encourage each of you to research and find solutions that will work within your company to become a member of the elite group of winners of the Alfred P. Sloan Award of Excellence.
Sandy Thompson, PHR
WilcoHR President 2012
The Texas State Council alerted you to this proposed regulation on October 5th and encouraged you to submit your comments to the TWC. Clearly you heeded our warning!!
The TSC Governmental Affairs Committee wants to thank everyone who took the time to file comments on these regulations and thus helped prevent the promulgation of this burdensome rule. What a wonderful example of advocacy in action!!
The Governmental Affairs Committee will continue to keep its attention focused on developing areas of employment and labor law where advocacy by HR professionals would be warranted and helpful.
