Volume 9 Issue 7

July 2004

RVSHRM is an
Affiliate of

President's Message | Treasurer's Report | Announcements | Board Minutes
RVSHRM Legislative News | Members in the News | New Members & Changes
 

Monthly Program by Ben Bowman

July 2004 Program Tuesday, July 27, 2004 The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center Registration: 11:30 a.m. Networking: 11:30 a.m. - Noon Lunch: Noon Program immediately following lunch. Economic Development Resources for HR Professionals Department of Business Assistance Services & The Regional Economic Development Partnership The Virginia Department of Business Assistance is the economic development agency devoted to the growth and success of the Commonwealth's business community. Established by the Virginia General Assembly in July 1996, the Department of Business Assistance rounds out our state's economic development program by ensuring that businesses not only find Virginia an excellent place to locate, but also an ideal place to grow, expand, and make additional investments.    The agency carries out its mission through its programs and services, which include the following resources:  · Access to capital,  · Small business counseling,  · Workforce training, and  · Pro-active business problem solving.    Founded in 1983, the Roanoke Valley Economic Development Partnership is the industrial marketing and recruitment agency for the region. It was established as a partnership of five area governments and the business community in an effort to strengthen the region’s ability to attract business locations and expansions. Previously, that responsibility had been spread among the five localities and four chambers of commerce. In 1990, Franklin and Craig counties joined the Partnership, further broadening the effort. The RVEDP is an initial point of contact for companies needing information on business expansion, relocation and development Both the Virginia Department of Business Assistance and the Roanoke Valley Economic Development Partnership can be valuable resources for you as you seek to improve and expand your business. Please make reservations by utilizing the event reservation form or e-mailing Thomas Engl at bizsolut@rbnet.com. Please include "RVSHRM RSVP" in the subject line. August 24, 2004 CEO Breakfast September 28, 2004 Technology in Recruiting

President's Message by Charlotte Mason

Not to know is bad; not to wish to know is worse. --African Proverb I happened to notice this quote in an email that I received recently. It follows some of my comments in the President’s Message from last month about the importance of continuing our learning and educational opportunities. As I attended the general sessions and many individual sessions at the recent SHRM conference, there were certainly many opportunities to gain new knowledge. The speakers also shared new ideas that I can incorporate into my work.  I believe some of the comments shared by Christopher Reeves made the most impact on me. He discussed the importance of looking for new ways of doing things and being willing to sometimes throw out the old ways of doing things. He gave the specific example of teaching his son to ride a bike. Due to his injury, he could no longer approach this the way most parents would instruct their children. All of the instructions had to be verbal. There was no way for him to demonstrate how to ride the bike. He related this to the workplace by encouraging us to find new ways to empower our employees and new ways to help our co-workers do a better job. He said managers often feel they must demonstrate authority. Employees are often happier and more productive when they feel they are listened to and not shut down. Managers should look for ways to involve employees in every aspect of the work. By using inclusion, it is much easier to pull people together and create a stronger team environment. I think these comments can give us all something to think about as we consider how we approach our daily work and our interactions with others. What are you doing that you could throw out and find a better way of doing? Charlotte Mason, PHR President

Treasurer's Report By Sherry Buckner

RVSHRM TREASURER'S REPORT FOR: June 2004 Balance as of May 30, 2004 $23,515.98 INCOME Monthly Meeting $425.00 Local Dues $114.02 SHRM Refund $1,356.25 Meeting Sponsorship $196.00 TOTAL INCOME $2,091.27 BALANCE $25,607.25 EXPENSES Web Site Hosting & Programming $25.00 Monthly Meeting $862.10 Merchant Bank fees $55.60 50th Anniversary Event $217.67 Membership $34.00 TOTAL EXPENSES $1,194.37 Balances as of June 30, 2004 BALANCE OF CHECKING ACCOUNT $24,412.88 MONEY MARKET BALANCE $2,546.72 CERTIFICATE OF DEPOSIT BALANCE $11,920.79 BALANCE OF ALL RVSHRM ACCOUNTS $38,880.39

Board Meeting Minutes by Sharon Bowers

June 22, 2004 The following 2004 Board members were in attendance: Charlotte Mason, Sarah Wilson, Ben Bowman, Tom Engl, Sherry Buckner, Sharon Bowers, Dan Semones, Dan Oyler and Matt Duffy. Topics discussed: Charlotte Mason opened the meeting by thanking Mike Leach for his efforts in putting together all of the information for our Chapter to win the Superior Merit Award for 2003. Sherry Buckner stated that the Treasurer’s report, as read during the Board’s semi-annual meeting in June, was current and did not have anything to add. Charlotte Mason noted that our current membership was up to 253. The board approved the purchase of a Nikon, Coolpix 3200 digital camera to be used for general purposes and by the historian, Matt Duffy.  Tom Engl reported that we only had a few people to attend that had not pre-registered. He is closely monitoring the responses to insure available seating for our members and their guests. Ben Bowman reported that a member had approached him about obtaining more information on our meeting topic and would there be enough interest to offer additional meetings on our topics. The board suggested offering a side program at the State Conference. Charlotte Mason asked the committee to be thinking about a person to chair the Roanoke hosted SHRM State Conference.

RVSHRM Legislative News by Bruce Wood

July 1, 2004 The Virginia human resource profession, and the business community in general, are being given a first hand view of the legislative process in action. Pick up or view virtually any news outlet available (Major news outlets like CNN, The New York Times and The Roanoke Times have highlighted the modified Blue Law’s unintended consequences on the Day of Work Law) and you will come to understand that the unintentional effect of fixing one law has adversely affected another law. Since you have many sources to gather the background and current legal recommendations (Chambers of Commerce, Law Firms, Employer Associations, etc.) in regard to the change in the Day of Work Law, please take a few moments and consider some important points from your SHRM legislative sources. · Every bill introduced into the Congress or the Virginian General Assembly has been generated from a request of a legislator’s continuants or out of a legislator’s own interest or concern. It is important that the human resource profession be vigilant to make sure that any bill introduced will not adversely affect the employer-employee relationship. · Take every opportunity to contact and interact with our legislators. Legislators have many individuals and organizations asking for attention to their special interests. Human resource professionals need to make sure our legislators understand the important employer-employee resource available as they consider impending legislation. · Take action when asked. We will make every effort not to cry wolf nor ask you to contact our legislators needlessly. But when we do ask, please make every effort to make the contact. Your voice as a human resource professional will make a difference. If you are concerned about the Day of Work issue (and you should be), please contact Governor Warner’s office (http://www.governor.virginia.gov/), Attorney General Kilgore’s office (http://www.oag.state.va.us/default.htm), or your legislator (http://legis.state.va.us/).  If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please contact me at bruce.wood@education.edu. Thank You.

Announcements

The Roanoke Chapter Sponsors Memberships In 2004, the Roanoke Chapter will sponsor memberships for several HR Professionals whose employers do not fund their National and Local SHRM memberships. Through these one-year memberships, the Chapter hopes to better serve the community and to reach persons engaged daily in the field of HR who may not currently be participating in the either organization.  Recipients of the Chapter-sponsored memberships will be expected to pay their own fees for the Chapter’s monthly luncheons and other events. They will not be identified to Chapter members as recipients of sponsored memberships. Persons interested in applying for the one-year membership should submit the following items as soon as possible: · Letter of interest, describing their current position and the   benefits they hope to receive from National and Local   SHRM membership · Resume  · Letter of recommendation from their employer that includes   confirmation their memberships will not be employer-paid. If you’re interested, please contact Barbara Phelps, Matt Duffy, or Debra Lovelace. Funds available for this new program are limited, so you are encouraged to act promptly to ensure your request is fully considered.

Members in the News

Marie Lavender, SPHR has joined ORVIS as Human Resource Manager. Marie previously was with Brown-Edwards, where she filled the role of Human Resource Coordinator. Members—Please help us highlight Chapter members who have something to celebrate. If you have information on yourself or others you’d like to share, let us know. Job changes, awards, achievements, family additions, unique experiences . . . we’re interested in all of them. Contact Mike Leach at mleach@advanceautoparts.com or (540) 561-6899.

New & Returning Members & Changes

Catherine Wells NewRoads, Inc. 730 E. Church Street Martinsville, VA 24112 Sharon Smallwood  HR Partner  Home Shopping Network  (540) 342-1224  Smallwood@hsn.net  Leighann Boyer  Benefits Coordinator  Roanoke College  540-375-2288  boyer@roanoke.edu  Ron Fisher  540-427-1774  ron.letha@earthlink.net  Steven Cochran  Director of Human Resources  HHHunt  540-552-3515, x-309  sccochran@hhhunt.com  How about a date? That is, an update of your Member Profile! Your fellow members in RVSHRM use the member information at RVSHRM.org daily to locate names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Is the information posted on you correct? Does it correctly reflect your name, title, employer, mailing address, phone numbers and e-mail address? Is the picture listed with your name a picture of you? Checking your Member Profile takes only about a minute. Adding or correcting information takes but a moment more. Here’s how to do it: To check your Member Profile Click on “Members Only Enter Here” Click on “Update Your Membership Record” Enter your login and password • Your login is your first initial and last name. For example,   “jsmith” for John Smith. • Your password is “rvshrm”. • Enter your first name or your last name in the “Search” box • Click on your name (there may be several persons with   the same first or last name) • Check the accuracy of the information displayed To update your Member Profile • Click on “Edit My Information” • Revise any outdated information • Click on the “Update” icon at bottom of page   (don’t forget this step!) That’s all there is to it. You can repeat the process as often as necessary to keep your Member Profile accurate. Still unsure you want to try it? Give Mike Leach, Chair of the Membership Committee a call and he’ll walk you through the process, or send him an e-mail with the correct information and he’ll update your Member Profile for you. You can reach Mike at (540) 561-6899 and mleach@advanceautoparts.com