The week of April 27 – May 3, 2008 was designated as National Volunteer Week.   Annually, National Volunteer Week is celebrated to recognize volunteers, engage people in volunteerism, and inspire change.  SHRMA has a group of volunteer leaders who I would like to recognize for their expertise and leadership.  Under the leadership of our board of directors, we have been recognized with a Superior Merit Award for the past several years, including 2007.  The Superior Merit Award is given in recognition of significant chapter achievements.  Chapters must meet all of the basic eligibility requirements, which includes administrative functions, chapter leadership, participation in state council meetings, financial and legal management, chapter communications, and SHRM promotion.  In addition, the chapter is must complete at least three achievements in the seven Core Leadership Areas.

Please help me in recognizing and congratulating all of the volunteer leaders who make up the SHRMA board of directors.  I truly appreciate the time and energy that each of our volunteer leaders contributes to SHRMA.  It is no easy task to balance home, work, and volunteer responsibilities.  But our board consistently comes through to provide members and guests with quality monthly programming and other professional development activities.  THANK YOU BOARD MEMBERS!

Speaking of quality programming, our May meeting “Conducting an Effective Investigation” was a resounding success.  We were at our maximum capacity of 80 and had a waiting list, which is a first.  One of the meeting highlights was the great networking that was happening between 7:00 and 7:30, prior to the speaker’s presentation.  People were engaged and the room was filled with positive energy.

For the past two years, our monthly meetings have averaged 45-50 people.  However, attendance in the past two meetings has increased significantly.  At our April meeting, we had 76 people register with actual attendance being slightly lower and in May we had 80 registrations and a waiting list.  I hope the increased attendance becomes a trend.  We have already contracted for our 2008 meeting rooms and do not have much flexibility for change.  In 2009, we will have to consider making changes based on increased meeting attendance.

Lastly, are you planning on attending the SHRM National Conference in Chicago?  As many of you know, the National Conference is huge.  It is possible to attend the entire conference without running into anyone you know.  There are opportunities abound at large conferences for making new friends and business contacts but it is also nice to get together with people from your home area.

We had a member request to put together a contact list of members who are attending the National SHRM Conference in Chicago.   If you are attending the conference and would like to be included on the contact list, email me your contact information and include where you are staying and a cell phone number.  I will e-mail the complete list to attendees’ mid-June.

Take care and have a great HR day!

UPDATE: SAVE THE NEW DATE...Our annual presentation of HR Basics will be on June 6, 2008, at Willamette University (room to be determined).  This fast paced, full day course covers a variety of relevant and timely human resource topics presented by local attorneys and HR professionals.  Be watching for more details!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Chapter Monthly Meeting
Topic: Future Trends in HR. This presentation will provide attendees with perspective on which
HR arenas will command our professional attention for the next 5 – 15 years. Attendees will have an opportunity to consider the critical factors for action or change in the areas of social concern, economics, and politics. 
Presented By: Dan Tabison, Willamette District Director ~ Oregon State Council SHRM
Location: Roth’s Hospitality Center – West Salem; 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Recertification: HRCI certification pending

June 22 – 25, 2008 - SHRM 60th Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois; More information available @ http://www.shrm.org/conferences/annual

Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Chapter Monthly Meeting
Topic: Corporate Wellness
Location: Roth’s Hospitality Center, West Salem; 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Chapter Monthly Meeting
Topic: August Social – Table Top Team Building
Location: Roth’s Hospitality Center, West Salem; 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

September 16 – 18, 2008, NHRMA Regional Conference, Kennewick, WA; www.nhrmaconference.org

SAVE THE DATE…HR Advanced will be on October 17, 2008, at Roth’s in West Salem.  HR Advanced is a one-day seminardesigned for HR professionals looking to enhance their skills and meet continuing education at the strategic level.

For these stories and more go the http://www.shrm.org/

Employers Using Benefits to Help Employees Fill the Tank

Survey shows ways employers are helping employees cope with high gas prices

Alexandria, Va., May 21, 2008 – As gasoline prices continue to rise, more employers are offering additional benefits, such as telecommuting and flexible schedules, to help offset those costs, according to a new survey from the world’s largest human resources association.

Most organizations are using benefits, not increased pay, to help employees cope. Only 2 percent of surveyed employers offered a cost of living raise prompted by gas prices, or stipends to employees with long commutes. Instead, employers are offering new benefits, and more employees are taking advantage of benefits they already had.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey, What Employers Are Doing to Help Their Employees with High Gas Prices in 2008, showed that the most common tactic (42 percent) was to raise the mileage reimbursement to the IRS maximum. Other benefits include offering a flexible work schedule (26 percent), telecommuting (18 percent), public transportation discounts (14 percents), and rewarding employee performance with a gas card (14 percent).

“Rising gas prices are cutting into everyone’s personal budgets, so employees are taking a closer look at benefits such as compressed work weeks and public transportation discounts to reduce their costs,” said Susan R. Meisinger, president and CEO of SHRM. “In addition, employers are offering extra help as a tool to retain employees and improve employee morale.”

Other key survey findings include:

A complete copy of the survey is available at www.shrm.org/surveys.

In June of last year, I reported on a troubling decision by the Oregon Court of Appeals that had the potential to be very costly to employers.  The case, known as Gafur v. Legacy Good Samaritan, would allow an employee who has worked through a paid rest break to sue the employer for unpaid wages. Fortunately, the Oregon Supreme Court has now reviewed the decision of the Court of Appeals, and has reversed the decision in favor of employers.

Under the original analysis of the Court of Appeals, an employee who is supposed to get a 10 minute rest break every four hours is really getting paid four hours of pay for three hours & fifty minutes of work.  If the employee works through that 10 minute break, then paying four hours of wages isn’t good enough, because the employee is really entitled to four hours and 10 minutes of pay.  Because of the difficulty employers face in tracking whether employees actually take their rest breaks, the court’s decision was very difficult for employers to comply with.

In addition to suing employers to recover unpaid wages for missed rest breaks, the decision would have allowed to employees to recover statutory penalties for failure to pay wages on termination of employment, and to obtain reimbursement of their attorney fees. Fortunately, the decision by the Oregon Supreme Court has changed all that. An employee who has worked through a rest break no longer has the right to sue the employer for unpaid wages.

This does not mean that employers have nothing to worry about.  Oregon law requires that employers provide regularly scheduled rest and meal periods.  There are narrow exceptions built into the law where the nature or circumstances of the work prevent employees from receiving their breaks.  However, missing breaks should be the exception rather than the rule.

BOLI is still allowed to impose both civil and criminal penalties on employers. The civil penalty can be as much as $1,000 for a willful violation.  If a penalty is imposed, the funds recovered from the employer are paid first to reimburse BOLI’s costs in pursuing the claim, with the remainder going into the state’s coffers.  Because the complaining employee does not receive a portion of the recovery, there is little financial incentive for employees, or their attorneys, to press the rest break issue.

Keep in mind that Oregon law can allow an employee to sue the employer for retaliation if the employee suffers adverse consequences after pursuing a claim for unpaid wages. The wage and hour laws are strictly construed.  Penalties and attorney fees can often exceed the amount of wages actually due to an employee, and the threat of class action lawsuits can turn even minor violations into major liability.

I strongly recommend that employers have qualified legal counsel periodically review the company’s wage and hour practices to catch any issues that have the potential to result in costly claims if not handled correctly.

Randy Sutton is the Legislative Affairs Director for the Salem Chapter and serves at the State Legislative Affairs Director on the SHRM Oregon State Council.  Randy is a shareholder with the Saalfeld Griggs PC law firm in Salem Oregon. 503-399-1070, rsutton@sglaw.com,  www.sglaw.com.

At Large Members - To designate or not to designate
By Shauneen Scott, Membership Director

Did you know that if you are a member of SHRM that you can affiliate with the Salem SHRM Chapter for no additional cost?  When you designate to the Salem Chapter, a portion of your national SHRM member fees are allocated back to our chapter.   These funds are used to pay for monthly meeting expenses, seminars - such as HR Basics, the chapter website, newsletter, and certification credits.   

One of the board’s goals for 2008 is to increase our chapter membership. If you are an “At Large” SHRM member in our area you will be receiving an e-mail blast requesting that you designate to the Salem Chapter.  Your designation is a win-win.  It helps us reach our membership goal and provides us additional funding.  The additional funding enables us to continue providing local training opportunities for the benefit of the Human Resource professional.  An additional benefit to you is discounted rates for chapter activities including monthly meetings and HR Basics.

At large members, you do not have to wait for the e-mail blast!  You can get a jump and designate today by filling out a designation form.  The designation form is located at: http://www.shrmsalem.org/Membership.html

Please send the completed form to Shauneen.K.Scott@doc.state.or.us.
For those of you that are too busy to complete the form send me and
an e-mail requesting to be affiliated with the Salem Chapter and I make it happen.  How is that for service!

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact any board member or me at the above e-mail.

Contact the SHRM Member Care Center for answers about your membership status, payment inquiries, conference/seminar registration, membership renewal or to update your contact information including a name change. You can call +1(800) 283-7476 (US only), +1(703) 548-3440 (Int'l) or email shrm@shrm.org.

What if I find myself unemployed when it's time to renew?
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) provides active members who are unemployed at the time of their membership renewal, a one time opportunity to extend their membership for an additional year—FREE. For further information visit www.shrm.org/members/transitioning.

Where can I get a listing of all SHRM Member Resources?
Visit the Member Kit www.shrm.org/memberkit for a quick overview, or listen to the Member Resources Webcast, which reviews all of the member benefits for you: www.shrm.org/webcast/memberresources.

Chapter Chatter is all about you, our members. Have you changed jobs recently, gotten a promotion, become a grandparent or have other interesting news that you would like to share with chapter members? Then tell us about it!

Please help us welcome the following new SHRMA members:

Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI)

You may submit your completed recertification application online at any time after you have accumulated the required 60 credit hours. All SPHRs must earn at least 15 of their 60 recertification credit hours in Strategic Management and GPHRs must earn 30 hours in International Management.  If you have already submitted your recertification application, please note that the current processing time is 4-6 weeks from the submission date. Applications will be reviewed once the application has been submitted and payment has been received. To log in to your personal online recertification file and post your recertification activities, please visit the HRCI Website and click on the "My Recert File" link on the right side of the homepage. If you don't know or can't remember your HRCI ID number, follow the link on the homepage to retrieve your information.  Our new Virtual Recertification Tour will give you further information about HRCI’s online recertification system.
If you have additional questions, please contact HRCI at info@hrci.org or 866-898-4724. 

SHRM Foundation
Regional Scholarship Program for SHRM Members

The SHRM Foundation will award a total of $100,000 in scholarships to national SHRM members, chapters and state councils in 2008.  Applications are now being accepted for the following scholarships. Deadline to apply: July 15, 2008.   More information @ http://www.shrm.org/foundation/2002_scholguidelines.asp

SHRM Webcasts  - Informative, entertaining and free to SHRM members.

Webcast information is available @ http://www.shrm.org/webcast. 

Unless otherwise noted, SHRM Online Webcasts count for one hour of general PHR/SPHR or GPHR recertification credit. In some cases, the Webcasts may count toward SPHR strategic management or GPHR international recertification credit if the subject matter can be tied directly to those portions of the bodies of knowledge. 

Available online now….

The Best Practices in Online Recruiting - Internet recruiting guru Peter Weddle cuts presents a measured, research-based look at the best practices for sourcing and recruiting talent on the Internet. He presents a strategy that makes the best use of the medium’s power in recruitment advertising, data mining for candidate information, and relationship building among passive as well as active employment prospects.

A Guide to Wage and Hour Compliance in 2008 - Wage and hour class actions have emerged as one of the most significant employment law trends of this decade. They now outnumber all other employment class actions combined. And with more than 80 percent of employers out of compliance with federal and state laws, this trend will continue. Attorneys Tammy McCutcheon and Lisa Schreter explore the most significant wage and hour risks faced by employers today, including meal and rest periods, off-clock work, continuous workday issues, and employee misclassification.

Have you read a good HR related book or article lately or found resource that has proved invaluable to you at work?  If the answer is yes, tell us about it – so we can share it with our members.  Click on “Tell us about it” below and fill out the form telling us about the book, article or resource.  

Retaining Talent - a new report from the SHRM Foundation
One of the most critical issues facing your organization today is how to retain the employees you want to keep. This new Effective Practice Guidelines report will help you to analyze and manage employee turnover. Learn how to develop an effective retention management plan. http://www.shrm.org/foundation/   

American Red Cross - Business & Industry Guide “Preparing Your Business For the Unthinkable” http://www.redcross.org/services/prepare/0,1082,0_64_,00.html

Hidden Reasons Employees Leave - How to Recognize the Subtle Signs and Act Before It's Too Late, By F Leigh Branham – This book presents 54 Best Practices that will serve as the building blocks for a proactive approach to employee satisfaction, growth, and retention.

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