Conference News: Wed., June 27

Pink: New Skills Needed by Today’s Workers
Staying true to the three attributes of a good speech—brevity, levity and repetition—that he learned years ago as a political speechwriter, author Dan Pink entertained the audience at his June 26 general session at SHRM’s Annual Conference with his views on why there’s a premium on talent and how human resource managers can tap it.

HR Urged to Foster Energy, Innovation
Lynda Gratton wants to get HR in a “hot spot.” Hot spots are a good thing, according to Gratton, the opening speaker of SHRM’s 2007 Annual Conference Masters Series on June 25, and she wants to see a movement to bring hot spots to organizations.

Expert: Don’t Let the FMLA Manage You
The Family and Medical Leave Act is one of the most difficult laws to implement. But HR professionals can master it, Beverly Kish, SPHR, told a packed room attending a session on implementing effective FMLA management.

Worksite Raids Over Illegal Aliens Expected To Continue
The outcome of immigration reform legislation being considered by Congress will not affect the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) policy of increasing worksite enforcement to crack down on companies that hire illegal aliens, an immigration lawyer said at SHRM’s Annual Conference and Exposition.

Making Work, Work: Easier Than It Might Sound
Julie Morgenstern has a simple cure-all for people who want to excel on the job without driving themselves to an early grave. Avoid e-mail for the first hour of your workday, Morgenstern told attendees at her mega session.

Berger: Globalization Requires Informed Choice
When it comes to building a business model for successful globalization, there is no silver bullet, according to Suzanne Berger, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor who recently completed a five-year study on the impact of globalization.

Beer Receives SHRM's Losey Research Award
Michael Beer, an expert on organizational development and change management, was named the recipient of the 2007 Michael R. Losey Research Award.

Conference News: Tue., June 26

Alvarado: Swing for the Fences
Linda Alvarado was in college and needed a job. She took a referral form out to a construction site, well aware of stereotypes about women and Hispanics and not all that surprised to hear a supervisor there ask: “What are you doing here?” She went back, kept asking for a chance and finally landed a support position, but “I was not well-accepted,” said Alvarado, who delivered the keynote speech here June 25 at SHRM’s 2007 Annual Conference and Exposition. But, by never giving up, she managed to establish Alvarado Construction, now one of the largest general contracting companies in the United States.

SHRM Honors 50 Best Small and Medium Companies
What’s it take to be a great place to work? Representatives of 50 great employers that are willing to share their insights were honored at the 2007 SHRM Annual Conference for making the fourth annual list of Best Small & Medium Companies to Work for in America. (At left, representatives from Badger Mining Company receive their award as best small company from Sue Meisinger and Janet Parker.)

Avoid Stupid COBRA Tricks
In her conference session, attorney Toni Pilzner reported this good news: Recent COBRA regulations have answered some lingering questions. Then came the bad news: They spelled out previously unrealized compliance expectations.

Health Care Called Threat to Employee Retirement
Uncertain financial risk attributable to rising medical costs for a generation with increasingly long lifespans has resulted in companies rethinking their approach to retiree health care, says Chris Matzke, senior vice president of ICMA Retirement Corp., in a June 25 SHRM Annual Conference session entitled Health Care...The Latest Threat to Your Retirement.

Conference News: Mon., June 25

Lance Armstrong Recalls Low Point as Turnaround
Cyclist Lance Armstrong recalls lying in his hospital bed, tubes protruding from his bandaged body after nearly seven hours of surgery to remove cancerous lesions on his brain. “I really think that’s where the comeback began,” Armstrong told attendees at SHRM’s Annual Conference & Exposition in Las Vegas on June 24. “When you’re there” at that kind of low point, he told SHRM members, “just stop for a moment and cherish it because it’s awfully good to come back.”

SHRM Chair Parker: Innovate for Positive Change
HR professionals need to know more and do more than ever, SHRM Board Chair Janet N. Parker, SPHR, told a standing-room-only crowd at the opening general session of the 2007 SHRM Annual Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas on the afternoon of June 24. She said one single trait exemplifies the role that they must play in their organizations: Enterprise.

Workers, HR Pros Have Varying Views of Job Satisfaction
HR professionals believe that a worker's relationship with the boss is the most important component of job satisfaction, but most employees just say, "show me the money."

Employees Undervalue Benefits, SHRM Survey Finds
Employees consistently rate benefits as a key factor in job satisfaction, but many have little idea how much their organizations spend on benefits, SHRM research shows.

Survey: E-Recruitment Tools, Processes Coming of Age
Refined electronic recruitment tools such as the "dot-jobs" Internet domain are making recruitment more efficient, a new SHRM survey shows.

A New Look, and a New Logo, for SHRM
The venerable SHRM logo, featuring a back-to-back H and R, has been given a makeover as part of a branding campaign announced during the Society's Annual Conference in Las Vegas.