Book your next corporate dinner, holiday party, special event or family celebration at Ruth’s Chris Steak House! We offer two private rooms for evening functions and the main dining room for private lunches of 15 or more guests. There is no charge for room rental, and we offer complimentary valet, flexible food and beverage minimums, and customized menus. Contact Tina Tackett at 615-320-0163 or salesnashville@ruthschris.com.
Members' Take on Topic:
MT|SHRM Legal and Legislative Update
Presentation by Kara Shea (pictured right)
Employment Law Attorney, Miller & Martin
Article & Photo by: Rhonda Sherry
It’s that time of year when Kara Shea from Miller & Martin updates us on new laws that will impact Tennessee. Kara also covered proposed laws that will impact our state.
Mary Beth Davenport (pictured left), Director of HR at Century II, attended the legislative update. Here is her “take on topic”: “I thought the meeting was invaluable. I don’t get to MT|SHRM events due to work commitments, but I came back after that update with more knowledge which makes a tremendous difference in my job. I will make all future legal update meetings because this meeting reminded me that I can’t afford NOT to attend them”.
Some of the laws that went into effect were:
ADA amendments that include automatic disabilities and the expansion of the major life activities list. The FMLA regulations include two new categories of leave: qualifying exigency leave and military care givers leave.
COBRA changes that include an extended election period provided for those who previously declined COBRA coverage.
Immigration law that postpones the modified E-Verify/basic pilot program until September 8, 2009.
Proposed legislation includes HR3017, the Employment Nondiscrimination Act of 2009. It would amend Title VII to include sexual orientation as a protected category. HR2067, the Protecting America’s Workers Act would increase penalties for OSHA citations, increase whistleblower protection and extend OSHA to cover public employees.
Tennessee Salary, Wage & Benefits Surveys:
Get High-Quality Regional Wage & Benefit Information at No Charge
The economy is expected to start to recover late this year. What does that mean for employers? Accurate and timely information is critical!
As a current or prospective member, you can get the on-line salary and benefits information you need free if you participate. Participation is open for this year's Tennessee Salary, Wage & Benefits Survey from SalarySurveyOnline.com. This gives you the chance to join hundreds of Tennessee employers in collecting and sharing competitive wage data from your own geographic area.
Just follow these three steps to access the survey questionnaire:
3. Use effective date "June 2009" to enter your salary and benefits information. The survey has just been updated to make participation even faster and easier. Simply enter your data online - complete the questionnaire at your own pace. Save or print at any time and come back as often as necessary.
4. Click Submit to send your work.
Complete ther survey any time before August 31, 2009 (sorry, no late submissions) and you will receive free online access to the complete tabulated results for your area in September. (Compare that with the hundreds of dollars some surveys charge!)
The SalarySurveyOnline Team is standing by if you ever have questions or need assistance. You can call toll-free at 800-288-6044 or email CustomerService@SalarySurveyOnline.com.
MT|SHRM and the Tennessee State SHRM Council encourage you to take advantage of this valuable opportunity.
2009 Tennessee SHRM Conference likely to be a sell-out
On September 30-October 2, HR and Legal professionals from across the State will gather at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel for the 17th Annual Tennessee SHRM Conference.
The 3-day regional conference features an expanded educational agenda with more than 55 technical and educational pre-approved HRCI sessions covering current business and technology challenges in the areas of:
Strategic HR Management
Workforce Learning & Development
Staffing & Talent Acquisition
Total Rewards – Compensation & Benefits
Employment Law & Legislation
In addition, participants will have the opportunity to see and learn about new products and services from more than 150 companies providing “best practices” to the challenges facing businesses like yours, while networking with nearly 1,000 professionals and industry leaders.
Register before August 28, 2009 at the early rate of $445 saves nearly 20% over the regular conference rate of $535.
But most importantly, attending this conference will allow participants to enhance their professional development, gain knowledge to deliver practical business solutions to their organization, stay abreast of current legal and legislative developments, and maximize the return on the investment their organization makes in its people—their most valuable asset.
For more information, or to register now, click here.
This year, in conjunction with the 2009 Tennessee SHRM Conference & Expo, MT|SHRM’s 5th Annual Golf Scramble will again be played at Gaylord Springs Golf Links on Tuesday, September 29th as part of the pre-conference activities.
With the Conference on its way to being a “sold out” event, this is a rare opportunity to be highly visible with your clients while supporting education and professional development of the HR leaders of tomorrow.
You’ll have an opportunity to get your message and brand in front of hundreds of HR professionals and business leaders in a fun, relaxed environment. And, with our goal to have 144 players and more than 200 attending the After Golf Cocktails and Cookout, it’s a great value for a very worthwhile cause!
We are offering six levels of sponsorships that will fit even the tightest budget. If you or your organization is interested in partnering with MT|SHRM and sponsoring this annual event, please contact Austin Madison, Co-Chair, at 615-687-2844 or amadison@cbjw.net.
Whether you play, participate, sponsor or volunteer, you will help make this a phenomenal success and fun event for everyone. Here’s the contact list for those who can help you with additional information:
Online registration and player information, contact Melanie Pitts at 615-465-3426
General event questions, contact Teri Levy at (615) 818-1968
Volunteer information, contact Deidra Baldwin at (615) 665-9060
Or, click here to learn more or register your team online.
Invite your best clients, or your newest prospects, to captive afternoon of relationship-building and join us for this important, fun and meaningful event.
At the August Metro meeting, Michael Julius of Data Advantage will present an overview of the strategic planning process and the rationale for including Human Resources throughout the process. The presentation will include three case histories.
The two-hour workshop presentation will follow the regular meeting. It is designed to build upon the previous hour. This will be a high level training session divided into three segments:
A proven framework for strategic planning that incorporates the best practices of 20 years in industry and healthcare.
Translating the strategic plan into tactical initiatives. This translation ensures that daily work is the driver of strategic success. Tactical templates align each activity with the overarching strategy, assign responsibility, promote cross-functional problem solving, promote accountability, and define the metrics used to measure success.
The unique role of Human Resources before, during, and after the strategic plan process. Session three is guided by a series of questions which the attendees will answer.
HRCI Credit has been applied for. Click here for more information and to register.
MT|SHRM’s Kellie Conn Named a Nashville Emerging Leader
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and its partner YP Nashville recognizes outstanding young professionals who are excelling in their careers and making a difference in the community with Nashville Emerging Leader Awards (NELA) in fourteen industry categories. Kellie Conn (pictured left), MT|SHRM past president and current State Council Middle Tennessee District Director, was selected in the Human Resources category at an award ceremony at Lipscomb University on July 28.
Kellie holds SPHR certification and co-chairs the annual HR Excellence Awards. She is a member of the HR Executive Forum of Middle Tennessee and founder of the HR Leadership Group, a roundtable of senior HR professionals in small organizations. Her other community activities include board membership with the Davidson County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and the Belcourt Theatre. Kellie is HR Director for Paradigm Group in Nashville.
Finalists for the award include Chapter members Matt Lowney, Recruiting Manager for DaVita, Dana Mastropieri, Director of Talent Acquisition for Hospice Compassus, and Kevie Mikus, Vice President, Client Services for The HR Group, a division of Gallagher Benefits Services. Shayne Merrick, Career Counselor/Recruiter, Southwestern Business Resources, rounded out the field.
Chapter members who served as judges for the 2009 HR NELA include panel chair Charlie Hawkins, LifeWay Christian Resources, Steve Hayes, Human Capital Group, and Karen Presley, Barge, Waggoner, Sumner and Cannon.
MT|SHRM went through a lot of changes late last year, and Affiniscape was a big part of it! Affiniscape provides a home for our Website, Events and Membership Database.
Please click here to read the full article and interview with Katie Guenther, MT|SHRM Chapter Management Professional (pictured right).
MTSU Student Chapter is Hosting PHR Exam Preparation Session
On August 26 from 6:00-7:00pm, Curt Hall, a 25-year HR veteran and Knoxville test preparation workshop leader, will provide an overview of preparing for the exam and then facilitate a question and answer session. MT|SHRM members are welcome to attend.
News, book reviews, story ideas, coverage of HR-related events and photos are welcome!
Please submit your item to susanheard@paradigmgroup.net by the 24th of each month for publication in the following month's newsletter. Items received after the deadline will be considered for use in a future edition.
To sponsor an edition of this Newsletter, please contact Janet.Meek@hughes.net or at (615) 308-5676.
Members' Take on Topic:
Mary Beth Davenport (pictured left), Director of HR at Century II, attended the legislative update. Here is her “take on topic”: “I thought the meeting was invaluable. I don’t get to MT|SHRM events due to work commitments, but I came back after that update with more knowledge which makes a tremendous difference in my job. I will make all future legal update meetings because this meeting reminded me that I can’t afford NOT to attend them”.
2009 Tennessee SHRM Conference likely to be a sell-out
MT|SHRM’s Kellie Conn Named a Nashville Emerging Leader
Affiniscape Partner Spotlight: MT|SHRM