Volume 9 Issue 9

September 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

September 2004 Program Topic: Building the Character of the Future Workforce Presenters: Representatives from the Roanoke Valley Character Coalition DID YOU KNOW THAT... 1. Of new, first time employees in the Roanoke Valley who were terminated from their jobs, more than 60% were terminated because of character issues? 2. A very recent survey of nearly 700 businesses in the Roanoke Valley shows that the most requested workplace skill is ethics? "Virginia law has required all schools to teach character since the fall of 2000. This law requires a character curriculum that includes a focus on Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship, referred to as the Six Pillars. We cannot do this JUST in the schools. All members of our community, including businesses like yours, need to be involved in order for this message to have a consistent impact. Companies that wish to be recognized as an organization of good character can participate in CAP. An organization's willingness to have their employees assess their workplace environment in relationship to the Six Pillars, entitles them to be recognized by Valley Character as a company where good character is an important part of how they do business and this help to set the right example for our youth. Learn what Valley Character www.valleycharacter.org  is doing and plans to do about this, about their Ethics in the Workplace program for high school seniors and about CAP - and the pilot programs at Advance Auto Parts - Graham White and First Freedom. For more info - please go to their website at www.valleycharacter.org and click on "About Valley Character" and then "Committees" and then "Business". Ben Bowman and our presenter, Dr. Debra Cohen at the Annual CEO Breakfast in August

President's Message by Charlotte Mason

65% of Americans received no recognition  in the workplace last year. Managers, take note. Praise is rare in most workplaces according to one poll that found an astounding 65% of Americans reported receiving no recognition for good work in the past year. As I was reading the book, “How Full is Your Bucket? – Positive Strategies for Work and Life” by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton, PhD., I was reminded how important a positive comment and recognition can be in the workplace. According to the U. S. Department of Labor, the #1 reason people leave their job is because they “do not feel appreciated.” The book is organized around a simple metaphor of a dipper and a bucket as it shows how to greatly increase the positive moments in your work and life—while reducing the negative. Everyone has an invisible bucket. We are at our best when our buckets are overflowing—and at our worst when they are empty. In each interaction that we have throughout the day, a dipper is either filling or dipping from our buckets. In turn, we also have the opportunity to fill or dip from the buckets of our employees. We’ve all experienced how great it feels to receive positive comments and reinforcement for a job well done. But, are we giving our employees the opportunity to experience that wonderful feeling on a regular basis? As you read the statistic above, it probably seems impossible that it could truly be that high. However, as HR professionals we spent the majority of our time trying to keep up with the changing HR regulations and putting out fires. So, we may actually be at fault for not taking more time to recognize our excellent employees who work so hard to do a good job for our department and the company. My challenge for you this month is to find an opportunity each day to fill someone’s bucket by giving a positive comment, recognizing good work or offering words of encouragement.  Charlotte A. Mason, PHR President

Treasurer's Report By Sherry Buckner

RVSHRM TREASURER'S REPORT FOR: August 2004 Balance as of July 30, 2004 $23069.38 INCOME Monthly Meeting $1047.07 Local Dues $209.02 CEO Breakfast $440.00 Meeting Sponsorship $150.00 SHRM Refund $1,312.50 Golf Outing $250.00 TOTAL INCOME $3408.59 BALANCE $26,477.97 EXPENSES Web Site Hosting & Programming $192.50 Liability Insurance $250.00 Merchant Bank fees $46.95 Marketing $334.32 CEO Breakfast $1,239.33 Miscellaneous $25.00 Postage $37.00 TOTAL EXPENSES $2,125.10 Balances as of August 31, 2004 BALANCE OF CHECKING ACCOUNT $24,352.87 MONEY MARKET BALANCE $2,547.10 CERTIFICATE OF DEPOSIT BALANCE $11,920.79 BALANCE OF ALL RVSHRM ACCOUNTS $38,820.76

Board Meeting Minutes by Sharon Bowers

A Board Meeting was not held in August.

Announcements

September Membership Promotion SHRM’s September Online Membership Promotion is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, September 1, and run through Thursday, September 30, 2004. This membership recruitment initiative is valid only for FIRST-TIME, NEW members of SHRM who become members during the period September 1 – September 30, 2004 using the SHRM ONLINE application at www.shrm.org/join (excluding the PDF form that is printed and sent back to SHRM with payment and the bill-me option). These new members have the opportunity to join SHRM during the month of September for the reduced first-year membership rate of $145. SHRM is also offering one FREE SHRM lunch bag to those individuals who join using the online application in September. “Managing Smart: Teaching Line Managers how to Supervise”  Managing Smart is a unique service available to members of SHRM. Every quarter, a new collection of articles is provided that can help your company's line managers supervise their staffs effectively—and legally. This online newsletter features authoritative advice from SHRM about communicating with, training, rewarding and motivating employees, complying with employment laws and many, many other hands-on duties managers face on a daily basis. Past issues are archived, so you have access to all the articles since 2000. Topics of articles include performance appraisals, wage and hour regulations, motivating employees, diversity, retention, and many others. Each document is also available in MS-Word, which you can download and drop into your company newsletter. Best of all, as a member of national SHRM, you are authorized to distribute copies, excerpts or e-mails of the newsletter for educational purposes internally within your organization.  To access this service on behalf of your company, you must be a member of national SHRM. If you are not a member, and would like to learn more about the benefits of SHRM, please visit our membership information section.  Read more about Managing Smart at www.shrm.org/managingsmart The Virginia Business Leadership Network (VABLN) Presents: The Accommodation Process Event: What do we do when an employee requests an accommodation to do their job? Is there a policy or process in place to address the employee’s request? This is an issue faced by many Human Resource professionals, managers, and supervisors. A consultant from the Job Accommodation Network, leaders in assisting businesses with their accommodation needs, will lead this interactive workshop. In this session, employers will learn how to utilize the Job Accommodation Network’s "Accommodation Process," a 5-step tool to use when implementing accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. This process is applicable to any person with a disability in any job field, and can be used to help solve even the most tricky accommodation scenarios.  When: Wednesday, September 15, 2004 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.  Where: SunTrust Bank, Red and Green Room, 10 Franklin Road, Roanoke, Va How: Attendance is free, compliments of the Virginia Business Leadership Network but you must register to attend. Please visit our website at http://www.vabln.org to register. For further information please contact Dana Rosanelli at dana.rosanelli@suntrust.com or 804-782-7181. The Virginia Business Leadership Network is a business led coalition dedicated to increasing workforce and marketplace diversity to include people with disabilities. This program has been approved for 3 recertification credit hours toward PHR and SPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI).  This activity is sponsored in part through Federal Developmental Disabilities Grant Funding administered by the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities, 202 N. 9th Street, 9th Fl, Richmond, VA 23219.  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

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

GiGi Hall VP & Director of Human Resources Grand Home Furnishings (540) 776-5364  Jennifer Pittman Compensation Analyst Carilion Health System (540) 983-4060  Lee Ann Mahan Enrollment Counselor Averett University (434) 791-7304  Sheila Young (540) 774-7762 Lainie Mabbitt Human Resources Manager Cooper Crouse-Hinds (540) 983-1324 Coy Renick President The Renick Group (540) 890-3153  Kelly Maxey Human Resources Specialist Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare (540) 345-9841 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