8/29/08 4:00 PM

HR in the Midst of Historic Political Convention

By Bill Leonard

DENVER—In the middle of the historic 2008 Democratic National Convention, HR professionals from all over the United States made a bit of history themselves. And while Barack Obama’s nomination for president by the Democrats grabbed the attention of the world, some people were saying that the historic political gathering was a convention of workplace or HR issues.

“If you look at the top issues being discussed by the Democrats this week, these are all HR issues,” said China Miner Gorman, acting president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). “Health care, immigration, worker flexibility and equal pay are huge issues at this convention and in the election. And when you get right down to it, all of the issues will have a profound impact on the workplace and the HR profession.”

This election year, SHRM has increased its participation at both major political party conventions by sponsoring several nonpartisan events—such as a financial literacy forum and panel discussion. The primary goals of the SHRM events are to advance the HR profession and to educate influential non-HR audiences about the importance and value of the human resources profession.

“Attending the Democratic National Convention really taught me the importance of HR professionals being involved in the political process,” said Nancy Newell, SPHR, principal with the Nth Degree in Albuquerque, N.M. “The issues up for debate at the convention and in the presidential, congressional and even local elections are issues that ultimately end up landing on HR’s desk.”

Newell, who serves as SHRM State Council director for New Mexico, was among a group of the Society’s volunteer leaders who traveled to Denver to participate in the SHRM-sponsored events and experience the Democratic convention firsthand. Similar events are planned for the Republican National Convention, set to be held Sept. 1-4, 2008, in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Newell says that she’s grateful for the opportunity to be involved in the political process.

“Not only did I feel like I was seeing history happen, I also felt that I actually had become a part of history,” she said. “The experience has energized me to take the message back to the chapters and members of New Mexico that we, as HR professionals, need to be aware of and involved with the political process.”

SHRM’s effort at the conventions to raise awareness of the role of HR seems to be working. At one of the SHRM-sponsored events, people stopped by to take a look at the CNN Election Express Yourself bus. SHRM had a booth next to the bus, which was staffed by local SHRM chapter members who handed out information and answered questions. The volunteers asked two teenaged girls as they wandered by the booth if they knew what HR did. The girls replied, “Yes, kind of.” The girls then stepped up to the booth to learn more and walked away with HR buttons and information.

“One thing I learned about the political process at the convention is that it is all about getting the message out, getting involved and building personal relationships,” Newell said. “That’s really how the process works, and I am so proud and pleased that SHRM offered me the opportunity to do this.”

Newell said that without that opportunity she never could have expected to hear someone like Gary Knell, president and CEO of the Sesame Workshop, talk about the way businesses can get involved to promote financial literacy and independence. Knell participated as a panel member for the financial literacy forum, which was sponsored by SHRM, the Savings Coalition of America, Charles Schwab and the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries.

“Events like this one and the Society’s involvement in the national political conventions are putting HR professionals at the forefront of some key policy debates and decisions that will affect the future of every U.S. worker,” said Jose A. Berrios, president of the BTG: The Berrios Talent Group LLC in Lakewood Ranch, Fla.

Berrios, who serves as an at-large member of the SHRM board of directors and as a member of a presidential council on financial literacy, was a panel member for the forum. He told attendees that businesses had much to gain by helping their employees become financially literate.

“An increasing number of employers are discovering that helping their employees learn to take care of their finances and to build financial security makes for a happier and more productive workforce,” he said.

While volunteer leaders like Berrios and Newell were busily involved with the SHRM-sponsored events, other HR professionals were active participants on the floor of the convention. Faith Stipanovich, PHR, payroll manager for Allegheny County, Pa., served as an alternate delegate to the state delegation, and Sidney Logan Echevarria, a benefits consultant for Bank of America, was a member of the North Carolina state delegation.

“It was the first political position that I ever ran for, and I won. It’s a true honor for me to serve, as a delegate,” said Echevarria. “In this election, there is a lot at stake for all businesses and their employees, and I believe it is critical for me, my children and my profession to be involved in the political process.”

Bill Leonard is senior writer for SHRM Online.

Related Articles and Resources:

SHRM To Have Strong Presence at Political Conventions, Inside SHRM, 8/21/2008