Volume 9 Issue 10

October 2004

RVSHRM is an
Affiliate of

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

Monthly Program by Ben Bowman

October 2004 Program Tuesday, October 26, 2004 The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center Registration: 11:30 a.m. Networking: 11:30 a.m. - Noon Lunch: Noon Program immediately following lunch. Topic: Capitalizing on the Impending Labor Crisis   Most business executives in the US today are in big trouble and they don’t have a clue what’s about to hit them. A high percentage of employees are unhappy and ready to bolt―as soon as they feel the time is right. Many companies have at least one job opening that they are having trouble filling. Already there are some skilled labor shortages, “pockets of the labor crisis” we see today by geography, by industry, and (most especially) by occupation. When the economy turns around, and we know it will, we will again experience the massive skilled labor shortages we had in the beginning of the decade, only this time, it will be much worse! It will make the late 90s seem like a practice session. The unemployment rate in Roanoke is a low 3.1% and is expected to go lower. Are you ready? There are some specific actions you can take now to insure that your company won’t become extinct. This is certainly one program that you can’t afford to miss.   Our Speaker: Joyce Gioia, CMC. Strategic Business Futurist and Certified Management Consultant Gioia (joy-yah) has helped hundreds of clients create a more stable workforce, including companies like American Honda, MetLife, University HealthSystem Consortium, Procter & Gamble, and AT&T. Using her guidance, one of her clients reduced their turnover from over 300% to under 25% in less than 5 months! Featured regularly in national media like Industry Week, Inc., The Christian Science Monitor, Business Week, Entrepreneur and numerous trade journals, Gioia is also co-author of five books, including the popular business books Impending Crisis: Too Many Jobs, Too Few People and How to Become an Employer of Choice, both of which have appeared on the CEO-READ Business Bestseller List. Please make reservations by utilizing the event reservation form or e-mailing Thomas Engl at tengl@businesssolutionsinc.net. Please include "RVSHRM RSVP" in the subject line.

President's Message by Charlotte Mason

Are you making the most of your SHRM membership? Are you attending the monthly meetings to take advantage of the networking opportunities and enjoying the benefits of the topics presented each month? As we near the end of our 2004 year, I hope you will give some thought to serving in a volunteer position with SHRM. We are in the process of filling positions for the 2005 Board for our chapter, and these chairpersons will need additional assistance as they serve in their positions next year. As I think back to the first time that I volunteered on a committee, I realize how much more benefit that I gained from my SHRM membership by volunteering and becoming an active member in my chapter. By serving on a committee, it gave me the opportunity to meet SHRM members that I had never met and get to know members that I had only talked with briefly at a meeting. I gained much more from volunteering than just the time I committed to attend the committee meetings and fulfill the committee requirements. Take a few minutes to check out our website and look at the committees in our chapter (http://www.rvshrm.org/board.html) and decide how you feel you can best contribute using your unique skills and knowledge. We will do our best to make your volunteer experience beneficial and fun! Charlotte Mason, PHR President

Treasurer's Report By Sherry Buckner

RVSHRM TREASURER'S REPORT FOR: September 2004 Balance as of August 31, 2004 $23069.38 INCOME Golf Tournament $3252.20 TOTAL INCOME $3252.20 BALANCE $27.605.07 EXPENSES Monthly Meeting $1.081.01 Golf Tournament $3.089.14 TOTAL EXPENSES $4,170.15 Balances as of August 31, 2004 BALANCE OF CHECKING ACCOUNT $23,434.92 MONEY MARKET BALANCE $2,547.10 CERTIFICATE OF DEPOSIT BALANCE $11,920.79 BALANCE OF ALL RVSHRM ACCOUNTS $37,902.81

Board Meeting Minutes by Sharon Bowers

A Board Meeting was not held in September.

Announcements

Workforce Readiness When it rains it pours! Finally after 3+ years of working very hard to get into school systems to do short presentations for all students we had our first opportunity at the Blue Ridge Technical School. We were able to present to 100+ high school students about things such as work ethic - and what that means. We discussed topics from dress code, respect, grammer and much more. We shared what employers are looking for and.. what they are not getting. There are still many opportunities available with JA - please contact Laura Elliott directly for more information. Her number is 540.989.6392. I am aware of 10 openings she has presently. We also have been contacted by the Roanoke County Schools to partner with them to present "Ethics in the Workplace" to individual schools. I will need your help with this. If you are interested in making a difference in a students life, I look forward to hearing from you. Our committee isn't about a lot of meetings - we are about making it happen! Please, be a part of creating the workforce of tomorrow! Workforce Readiness Committee Beth Pinson, Regional Vice President VA - TN Adecco USA Ph: 540. 989.3562 beth.pinson@adeccousa.com www.usadecco.com World Leadership in Staffing and HR Solutions  "How About Those New SHRM Forums?!" Have you checked out the new Forums on the SHRM website? You can click on the channel on the left side of the home page marked Forums. This will take you to the Forums home page. From there, you will find a selection of forums to choose from. The Forums are new resources at SHRM for information and networking. They provide news, research, interactive dialogue, member information sharing and specialized web casts for specific "niches" of HR. There is a forum for: · Employment and recruiting issues · Resources for HR consultants · International HR · Focus on HR technology · Compensation and Benefits issues · Focus on HR Metrics · HR in High-Tech Companies · HR in Media Companies In any of these forums, you can find information specific to the area of HR. If you are a specialist or have a major accountability in one of these, you can come to this forum to get the most "up-to-date" information available on that topic. You can also sign up to receive a periodic e-newsletter. Each Forum also has designated web casts for members who opt in. Although these web casts are free to members, you must sign up for them in advance. Most have been pre-approved for recertification credits for PHRs and SPHRs. The web casts are then archived and are available for viewing and listening 24/7.  Members are also encouraged to "help build the forum" by contributing articles and web links that relate to the forum and would be of value to our members. Since quality and timeliness are of utmost importance to SHRM, there is a "peer review" process for articles submitted by members. Since the inception of the new Forums, SHRM has had a tremendous response from members who enjoy a "one-stop" shopping approach to finding subject-related material. So, try it! And let us know how you like them and what you would like to see added to them. www.shrm.org/forums RAMADAN 2004 Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. It is during this month that Muslims observe the Fast of Ramadan. Lasting for the entire month, Muslims fast during the daylight hours and in the evening eat small meals and visit with friends and family. It is a time of worship and contemplation. A time to strengthen family and community ties. According to the Islamic Society of North America the first day of fasting for Ramadan 2004 is expected to be October 16th. Source: www.moonsighting.com    During the Fast of Ramadan strict restraints are placed on the daily lives of Muslims. They are not allowed to eat or drink during the daylight hours. Smoking and sexual relations are also forbidden during fasting. At the end of the day the fast is broken with prayer and a meal called the iftar. In the evening following the iftar it is customary for Muslims to go out visiting family and friends. The fast is resumed the next morning.   The month of fasting will last through and will last until November 14, the holiday of “Eid al Fitre”. At the end of Ramadan, Muslims throughout the world have a joyous three-day celebration called Eid al-Fitr (the Festival of Fast-Breaking). It is a time to give in charity to those in need, and celebrate with family and friends the completion of a month of blessings and joy.  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

Kit Edwards has joined Grand Home Furnishings as Benefits Administrator. Kit can be reached at (540) 776-7000, x-230. Bruce Wood has accepted a position with Virginia Utility Protection ("Miss Utility") as Human Resources Director. Bruce will be starting his new duties in the Roanoke Center for Industry and Technology on December 1, 2004. Bruce currently is with Western Virginia Workforce Development Board where he serves as Executive Director. 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

Scott Edinger Regional Human Resource Analyst U.S. Foodservice 40 Fort Lewis Boulevard Salem, VA 24153 (540) 387-5115 scott.edinger@usfood.com Joyce Dickenson Business Manager Hill Studio PC 120 West Campbell Avenue Roanoke, VA 24011 (540) 342-5263 jdickenson@hillstudio.com Kimberly Barefoot Director of Marketing and Client Development InfiSoft Software Roanoke, VA (540) 769-6225 kimberly@infisoft.com   Robert Way Area HR Manager Loomis Fargo & Company Roanoke, VA (540) 992-4111, x-211 rway@loomisfargo.com Nancy Gladden Dynax America Corporation (540) 777-9500 ngladden@dxa.com Jim McDonald Sales Director-Healthcare/HR Solutions SHPS, Inc. (804) 360-7078 jim.mcdonald@shps.net 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