the BAHRA Bulletin Norwood BAHRA Board President ... the exam and assess your readiness to take it,...
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Page 1 Bulletin 1st Quarter - 2013 BAHRA the Message from the Board President Obama makes case that middle class is job one Proposes minimum wage hike to $9.00/hr? Managing Employee Absenteeism and ‘Presenteeism’ During Flu Season Employers’ Exchange Notification Requirement Delayed Mark your calendars! Spring schedule and upcoming HR Conferences
Transcript of the BAHRA Bulletin Norwood BAHRA Board President ... the exam and assess your readiness to take it,...
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Bulletin 1st Quarter - 2013
BAHRA t h e
Message from the Board President
Obama makes case that middle class is job one
Proposes minimum wage hike to $9.00/hr?
Managing Employee Absenteeism and ‘Presenteeism’ During
Flu Season
Employers’ Exchange Notification
Requirement Delayed
Mark your calendars!
Spring schedule and upcoming HR Conferences
Message from the Board President
Greetings,
In these fast ever changing times, we are all striving to overcome the challenges that our profession and organizations face in the upcoming year.
It is the goal of each of our board members to bring topics to our membership that will bring true value and education to each of us. We would be delighted to hear from any of our members and their organizations on any feedback on any topics you would love to hear in 2013.
Updates from BAHRA:
Please check out the new BAHRA website page for updates and links to useful resources. . Did you know that any BAHRA member can post any open HR position on the BAHRA website at no additional cost?? If you are interested in posting an HR position on the BAHRA website or if you would like more information, please email [email protected]
Updates from SHRM:
Sloan Award Application period will open on Jan. 14, 2013 through April 5, 2013.
The Sloan Award for Excellence in Workplace Effectiveness and Flexibility is offered through When Work Works, a national workplace flexibility initiative led by SHRM and the Families and Work Institute. The Sloan Award recognizes employers making work “work” with effective and flexible workplace strategies. Does your organization offer creative flex strategies? Sloan Award winning organizations will be featured in the 2014 Guide to Bold New Ideas for Making Work "Work" which profiles promising and innovative practices from Sloan Winners, and all applicants receive a free benchmarking report. Please visit www.whenworkworks.org for more information and to apply.
Chapter/State Council Delegation Pricing Is Back!
SHRM is pleased to announce the return of the Chapter/State Council Delegation Program for the 2013 SHRM Annual Conference & Exposition. The program offers discounted rates to chapter members or those who serve on state councils. Chapters may group together or be part of state council groups. This is a limited time offer and all registrations must be received by April 5, 2013. Interested in forming a group for your chapter or state council? Read more. As announced at the Leadership Conference, the volunteer leader discount program is also being offered for the 2013 conference. Online registration at the discounted rate of $1,160 for eligible SHRM volunteer leaders is now open. Discounted registration period closes April 5, 2013. Eligible volunteer leaders received information via e-mail.
For more information on SHRM and the fantastic benefits they can offer you and your business, please visit their web site at: www.shrm.org
I am very honored to serve as Chapter President for this year’s term and I am very excited to see what 2013 brings!
Jeni
Jeni Norwood BAHRA Board President
Availability Employment Services
Email Jeni
Have you checked out the BAHRA website lately?
We post HR career opportunities on our website. If you would like a position posted for your organization, please let us know.
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News & Legislative Updates
Obama, in State of the Union, makes case that middle class is job one
February 13, 2013
By Scott Wilson
President Obama challenged Congress on Tuesday night to assist an American middle class squeezed by rising costs and stagnant wages, making clear that he will devote much of his second term to closing the income gap between rich and poor.
In his first State of the Union address since reelection, Obama called restoring the country’s middle-class promise “our generation’s task,” casting the ability to work and prosper as a basic American principle in jeopardy because of a changing economy and partisan dysfunction in Washington.
Arguing for an active government role to tackle inequality, Obama proposed a series of ways — some old, some new — to improve access to education and expand job training programs. He would raise the minimum wage to $9 an hour — a nearly 25 percent bump — over the next three years.
Obama also announced that he will bring 34,000 American troops home from Afghanistan over the next year, cutting the U.S. presence there by almost half.
The U.S. military mission in Afghanistan concludes at the end of 2014, and Obama intends to keep only a small force there for training and counterterrorism missions beyond that date. “After a decade of grinding war,” the president said, “our brave men and women in uniform are coming home.”
See full article Source: The Washington Post
Tonight, let’s declare that, in the
wealthiest nation on Earth, no one
who works full time should have to
live in poverty — and raise the federal
minimum wage to $9.00 an hour.
President Obama
Bid on Minimum Wage Revives Issue That has Divided Economists
February 12, 2013
By Damian Paletta and Jon Hilsenrath
President Barack Obama’s proposal Tuesday to raise the federal minimum wage is likely to rekindle debates over whether the measure helps or hurts low-income workers.
White House official say the move to boost the wage to $9 an hour, from $7.25, is aimed at addressing poverty and helping low-income Americans.
Bot the proposal likely will be opposed by Republican and business groups, which have traditionally said raising the minimum wage discourages companies from hiring low-skilled workers.
Mr. Obama’s proposal would raise the minimum wage by 2015 in several stages. After that, there would be an annual increase in the minimum wage pegged to inflation. It comes as part of a package of initiatives White House officials are hoping will appeal to middle-class and low-income workers, many of whom have seen wages remain relatively flat—or even fall—in the past decade.
See full article Source: The Wall Street Journal
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News & Legislative Updates
EEOC Stats Include New Table: Charges by Employment Action February 1, 2013
For the first time, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has released a table indicating the type of discriminatory action alleged by statute, and it is a treasure trove of information.
Unsurprisingly, discharge claims led the pack under the three main EEO laws—Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).
But there were some interesting difference in the January 28, 2013 agency statistics between the frequency of charges by employment action among the three statutes. And for the seventh consecutive year, ADA charges rose.
What does this mean for you? Does your organization have established policies for termination, promotion and hiring that will protect you from EEO claims? It is recommended that organizations large and small conduct a self-audit to ensure that company practices and policies clearly spell out steps within each of these processes. Be cautious!
See full article Source: SHRM
‘The Job’ Puts Employee Hopefuls Through Their Paces February 8, 2013
In the premier episode of the reality TV show “The Job,” which debuted February 8, 2013, Anthony Hollinrake deftly handled a wine bottle while on duty at the renowned Palm Restaurant in New York City, but his failure to dress properly while working at the front desk many have cost him his dream job as an assistant manager there.
The show is the latest twist on how employers put job candidates through a trial by fire. Contestants tackle job related elimination challenges and verbally answer quizzes about the industry and the employer. In one episode job candidates were asked to identify by name and title three employees they worked with during a shift rotation.
A three-member panel of executives, which changes with each episode, evaluates the candidates.
The show “takes the job interview to a really unique level while giving job seekers some really good, practical advice on what to do and what to avoid when trying to find a job,” CBS Entertainment’s director of publicity, Kimberly Izzo-Emmel, told SHRM Online in an email.
Interviewing Ideas for Employers
The program shares interview tips that could apply to any job hopeful, but employers, too, may learn interview techniques they can use to hone their own hiring process.
While the program involves a more rigorous interview process than most employers have the resources and time for, Bozzi stressed the importance of the interview getting to know the person behind the resume.
“Sometimes in the interview process you’re thinking about the skill set without knowing the person behind it,” Bozzi pointed out. “Really learn about people, not just from a skill set but who they are.
See full article Source: SHRM
ATTENTION HR PROFESSIONALS
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News & Legislative Updates
Thinking about earning HR Certification?
Click here
HRCI offers the Professional in Human Resources (PHR), Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), and Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) Certifications. To help you study for
the exam and assess your readiness to take it,
HRCI has developed numerous resources available to you on their website. Check it out today! The BAHRA Board members have first hand experience both from group study and self study preparation
methods. We’re happy to talk to you!
If interested in participating in a group study preparation course, please let us know!
Managing Employee Absenteeism and ‘Presenteeism’ During Flu Season, A Recurring Challenge January 15, 2013
According to Centers for Disease Control reports, this year’s flu season is off to a particularly strong start. For employers, the recurring scenario of frequent employee absences during the winter months raises similarly recurring questions: what rights do employees have when they cannot come to work due to their own illness or to care for a close family member, and what rights to employers have when employees should not be present at work because of an illness. The answer to these questions, like many others that arise in the administration of disability and leave laws, depends on a complex interplay of federal and state laws and employer policies. At the same time, employers are grappling with related issues regarding what steps they can take to minimize the spread of influenza in the workplace without running afoul of the law.
Employers’ Rights and Responsibilities under ADA
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission published technical guidance in 2009 entitled, “Pandemic Preparedness in the Workplace and the Americans with Disabilities Act.” Information provided in the Guidance includes the following:
Employers may ask employees whether they have symptoms of a cold or the seasonal flu because it is not a disability related inquiry.
Employers may use an ADA-compliant pre-pandemic employee sample survey for employer, which the agency has prepared. It combines medical and non-medical inquiries about the ability of an employee to come to work during a pandemic. The objectives are to provide employers with information they need to plan for a pandemic and to shield employers from receiv-ing information about chronic diseases or illnesses that employees might have.
Employer may send employees home if they display influenza-like symptoms.
If employees report feeling ill at work or call in sick, employers may ask them if they are experiencing influenza-like symp-toms, such as fever, chills, and cough or sore throat. Employer must maintain all information about an employee’s illness as a confidential medical record in compliance with the ADA.
Employers may require employees to adopt infection-control practices in the workplace. For examples, see OSHA’s webpage, Workplace Safety and the Flu.
As the flu season continues, employers in all sectors may need to address these and other issues involving employee who are ab-sent from, or should not be at, work due to the flu.
See full article Source: Jackson Lewis
Still have questions?
Did you know that SHRM has a blog available to
connect with other HR professionals?
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Upcoming Conferences & Spring BAHRA Schedule
February 2013—HR Fundamentals & Certification Prep Course Begins
Facilitator: Patty Romsdahl, PHR LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER!
February 20, 2013—The Year for the Healthier You
Time: 12:00pm—1:00pm
Place: HyVee Club Room
Speaker: Kayla Aman, HyVee Registered Dietitian and Licensed Nutritionist
March 20, 2013—Legislative Round Up & Forecast for 2013
Time: 12:00pm—1:00pm
Place: Brookings Library
Speaker: Steve Bogue, Employment Attorney, McGrath North
April 2, 2013—Sioux Empire SHRM Spring Conference, “Engagement, Every Step of the Way”
Time: 8:00am—4:00pm
Place: Grand Falls Casino Resort Event Center
Speaker: Vicki Hess, RN, MS
Want more information? Click here
April 17-18, 2013—2013 South Dakota Workers’ Compensation Summit
Place: Sioux Falls Convention Center
Speakers: Various.
Want more information? Click here
April 24, 2013—Employee Investigations: When to get the police involved
Speaker: Joel Perry, Brookings Police Department
May 1-3, 2013—2013 SD State SHRM Conference, “HR: Merging the Past, Present & Future”
Place: Watertown Event Center & Best Western Ramkota
Speakers: Various
Want to see the agenda and register? See pages 9-13 or Click here
Board President President-Elect Past President
Jeni Norwood Jennifer Klingbile, PHR Jamie Brutty, PHR
AvailAbility Employment Services Banner Associates, Inc. Counterpart Inc.
(605) 697-5627 (605) 692-6342 (605) 696-3811
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Secretary Treasurer Director of Public Relations
Trisha Borah Patty Romsdahl, PHR Sarah Meusburger, SPHR
Twin City Fan Falcon Plastics, Inc. Brkgs Municipal Utilities / Swiftel
(605) 692-7333 (605) 696-2502 (605) 697-8484
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Director of Technology
Deanna Vaske
Civil Design Inc.
(605) 696-3200
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2013 BAHRA Board Members
Thinking about SHRM Membership?
Click the SHRM icon to download a presentation that outlines the many
benefits of SHRM Membership.
Page 8
SHRM 2013 Annual Conference & Exposition
It’s never too early to ask…. Have you reserved your spot for the SHRM 2013 Annual Conference & Exposition?
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Bolder. Stronger. Better.
