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Director of Compensation - Contract
Senior Director, Compensation - Contract
Description
The Senior Director has responsibility for the development, implementation and maintenance of our client’s compensation strategy. He/she will ensure that compensation and long-term incentive programs meet business requirements and align with the overall compensation philosophy and direction. These programs must be equitable and competitive. This qualified individual must have people leadership and consultative skills, effectively communicate with senior management and collaborate cross functionally.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Lead a team of 12 experienced compensation professionals, providing leadership, direction and development for the team.
- Provide directional compensation philosophy leadership for the team and providing decision-making with regard to the compensation alternatives/recommendations.
- Direct the strategic direction for total compensation programs which will include; pay programs and structures, developing salary budgets and preparing policies and procedures to ensure the achievement of equitable and competitive employee compensation.
- Determine priorities, establish long-term objectives and develop a framework for polices/strategies.
- Will be one of the primary leads for compensation and must be able to present to and interact with executives.
- Long-term equity design and management of stock administration.
- Create and participate in compensation surveys to ensure that the reward structure is appropriately aligned to the external marketplace.
- Manage executive compensation.
- Provide consultation to HR generalists and serve as liaison between all levels of management.
- Provide technical expertise, proactive guidance and implement strategies and programs that will support the overall business objectives that meet the needs of each organization within the company.
- Collaborates in the design and implementation of sales commission and reward plans.
- Monitor and act upon all governmental legislation and competitive practices (both state and federal) influencing compensation.
- Maintain a ‘currency’ in professional and specialized compensation knowledge, practices, principles and technology and be able to evaluate the impact of introducing new methods or products for the company.
Qualifications
15+ years experience in compensation with increasing responsibility in management roles.
7+ years management experience.
Excellent communication and presentation skills required.
Demonstrated analytical and creative problem solving skills.
Hands on experience driving company-wide compensation programs.
High integrity, team player, ability to drive strategy, willingly to defy conventional wisdom, excellent verbal and written communication, and able to take a global view and implement locally.
Experience with total rewards, including benefits, pension and deferred compensation is desired
EDUCATION: Bachelors required; MBA/MA preferred.
Shirley Marseilles
Search Consultant
888-774-1117 ext 727 (office)
888-371-0516 (fax)
Associate Director of Executive Compensation Job Opportunity at Genentech
Genentech is looking for an Associate Director of Executive Compensation. Please contact Issac Blum for more information.
Isaac Blum
Talent Acquisition, Corporate Groups
Genentech, A Member of the Roche Group
blumi@gene.com
#ScienceOfTalent
Compensation And Benefit Analyst Jobs
I thought I would post these in case you might know of someone looking for a good IC role.
Follow the Links to the job descriptions.
Paid Sick Leave Is Now Law, but can it Affect Me if I Already Provide a More Generous Benefit? YES
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATIVE REPORT
SEPTEMBER 2014 EDITION
BY
Michael S. Kalt
Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP
San Diego, CA 92101
Paid Sick Leave Bill (AB 1522)
Known as the “Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014,” this bill would implement a number of new Labor Code provisions (section 245 et seq.) requiring employers to provide paid sick leave for their employees. If enacted, California would be the second state (Connecticut is the other) to implement paid sick leave state-wide.
Accrual and Usage Rules
After July 1, 2015, employees who work in California for thirty or more days within a year from the commencement of employment would accrue paid sick leave at a rate of no less than one hour for every 30 hours worked. Exempt employees would be deemed to work 40 hours per week for accrual purposes, unless their normal workweek schedule is less than 40 hours, in which case they would accrue paid sick leave based upon that normal workweek.
Employees would be entitled to use accrued paid sick days beginning on the 90th day of employment, after which they may use paid sick days as they are accrued. Employers would also have the discretion to lend paid sick days to an employee in advance of accrual, and employers could not require employees to locate a replacement worker to cover days on which an employee uses paid sick days.
While accrued paid sick days shall carry over to the following year of employment, employers may limit an employee’s use of paid sick leave to 24 hours, or three days, in each year of employment. However, no accrual or carry-over is required if the full amount of sick leave is received at the beginning of each year. An employer also has no obligation to allow an employee’s total accrual of paid sick leave to exceed 48 hours or six days, provided that an employee’s rights to accrue and use paid sick leave under this section are not otherwise limited. This six-day accrual limit appears intended to ensure the employee has their full sick leave rights both for the instant year and the beginning of the next year.
One of the bigger concerns about this proposed law was its potential impact employers on who are already providing an equal amount of sick time of paid time off. Proposed section 246(e) attempts to address this concern by stating that an employer does not need to provide “additional” paid sick days if it meets certain requirements. Specifically, the employer is exempted from providing additional paid sick days if (a) it has a paid leave policy or paid time off policy, (b) the employer makes available an amount of leave that may be used for the same purposes and under the same conditions as specified in this new law, and (c) the employer’s policy does either of the following: (1) it satisfies the accrual, carry over and use requirements of this new law; or (b) it provides no less than 24 hours or three days of paid sick leave, or equivalent paid leave or paid time off, for employee use for each year of employment or calendar year or 12-month basis. Notably, unlike the exemptions provided to this entire new law for certain groups (discussed below), this particular exemption seems to apply only to the provision of “additional” time off, but does not exempt employers from other aspects of this new law (i.e., notices, posters, record-keeping, etc.).
Employers would not be required to compensate employees for unused sick days upon employment ending, but they would be required to reinstate the previously unused balance if they rehired the employee within one year. In that instance, the rehired employee shall be entitled to use those previously accrued and unused paid sick days and to accrue additional paid sick days upon rehiring.
Employees would be entitled to use paid sick time for preventive care for themselves or a family member, as well as for the diagnosis, care, or treatment of their or their family member’s existing health condition. For purposes of this bill, “family member” means a (1) child (as defined), (2) parent (as defined), (3) spouse, (4) registered domestic partner, (5) grandparent, (6) grandchild, or (7) sibling. The employer shall also provide paid sick days for an employee who is a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, as discussed in Labor Code sections 230 and 230.1.
An employee may determine how much paid sick leave they need to use, but an employer may set a reasonable minimum increment, not to exceed two hours, for the use of paid sick leave. In response to employer concerns sick leave is more unpredictable than many other leaves (e.g., FMLA, etc.), this bill requires employees to provide “reasonable” advance notification if the need for paid sick leave is foreseeable. Where the need for paid sick leave is unforeseeable, the employee shall provide notice of the need for leave as soon as practicable.
Employee’s using paid sick leave shall be compensated at the employee’s normal rate during regular hours of work. If the employee in the 90 days of employment before taking accrued sick leave had different hourly pay rates, was paid by commission or piece rate, or was a nonexempt salaried employee, then the rate of pay shall be calculated by dividing the employee’s total wages, not including overtime premium pay, by the employee’s total hours worked in the full pay periods of the prior 90 days of employment.
Employers Covered by and Exempted from this New Law
Likely one of the more controversial aspects of this new law is its scope. For instance, unlike Connecticut’s Paid Sick Leave law which applies only to employers with more than 50 employees and San Francisco’s Paid Sick Leave Ordinance which exempts smaller employers from certain obligations, this new law would apply to almost all employers regardless of size, many public employers, the state, and municipalities.
Notably, however, like many other recent Labor Code amendments, this bill also contains carve-outs for employees covered by collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) with certain provisions. Specifically, this bill would not apply to employees covered by CBAs that expressly provide for the wages, hours of work, and working conditions of employees, as well as for paid sick days (with final and binding arbitration for any disputes regarding paid sick days), premium wage rates for all overtime, and a regular hourly rate of not less than 30 percent more than the state minimum wage.
Similarly, construction industry employees covered by a CBA with these provisions would also not be covered by this bill if the CBA was entered into before January 1, 2015, or if the CBA expressly waives the requirements of “this article” in clear and unambiguous terms.
Responding to the State of California’s concern about costs, an amendment inserted at the eleventh-hour would also exempt a provider of in-home supportive services under specified sections of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
Finally, certain individuals employed in the airline industry and covered by the federal Railway Labor Act are exempted provided they receive compensated time-off at least equal to this new law.
Notice, Posting and Record-Retention Rules
This new law also furthers a recent trend of new California laws that enact substantive rights and impose administrative responsibilities, although arguably in less expansive form due to last-minute amendments proposed by human resources organizations.
For instance, this law amends Labor Code section 2810.5 to require employers to provide at the time of hiring written information about this new law. Specifically, this law requires that the notice employers have been required to provide since 2012 concerning pay-related information now also include language advising employees of their right to accrue and use paid sick leave, their right to be free from retaliation, and their right to file a complaint. Fortunately, this particular Labor Code section generally requires the Labor Commissioner to develop a template employers may use, so presumably the Labor Commissioner will develop an updated form. An earlier but-since deleted provision of this law would have required employers to essentially develop and distribute written notice in at least five languages but was silent as to what the notice would have been required to say or when it needed to be distributed.
An employer will also be required to display in a conspicuous place in each workplace of the employer a poster notifying employees of these paid sick leave rights. The Labor Commissioner will be responsible for preparing this poster. Employers who willfully violate the posting requirements will be subject to a civil penalty of not more than $100 per offense.
Employers will also be required to provide employees with written notice that identifies the amount of paid sick leave available, or paid time off an employee provides in lieu of sick leave, for use on either the employee’s itemized wage statement required under Labor Code section 226 or in a separate writing provided on the designated pay date with the employee’s payment of wages. An employee alleging failure to provide such notice shall be entitled to the penalties specifically enumerated under this law (discussed below) rather than under Labor Code section 226.
New Labor Code section 247.5 would also require employers to retain, for at least three years (rather than the five years originally proposed), records documenting the hours worked, paid sick days accrued, and paid sick days used by each employee. These records may be inspected by the Labor Commissioner under Labor Code section 1174, or by an employee under Labor Code section 226. Troublingly, and in another example of a recent trend in California, this section provides that if an employer fails to maintain adequate records, it shall be presumed that the employee is entitled to the maximum number of hours accruable under this new article, unless the employer proves otherwise by clear and convincing evidence. In other words, an employer cannot simply prevail by satisfying the preponderance of the evidence standard traditionally used, but must satisfy the much more rigorous “clear and convincing” standard traditionally reserved for punitive damages purposes but which has begun to be tucked into new Labor Code amendments by plaintiff’s attorneys.
Retaliation Protections and Enforcement
This bill would also prohibit discrimination or retaliation against employees for using accrued sick days, or for filing a complaint regarding any sick day policy violation. However, similar to last year’s protections against “immigration-related practices” (AB 263), this bill would create a rebuttable presumption of unlawful retaliation if an employer takes an adverse employment action (including denying the right to use sick days) within 30 days of an employee (1) filing a complaint with the Labor Commissioner or in court alleging violations of this article; (2) cooperating with an investigation or prosecution of an alleged violation of this article; or (3) opposing a policy, practice or act that is prohibited by this article.
Under Labor Code section 248.5, the Labor Commissioner would be entitled to enforce this article by awarding reinstatement, back pay, and payment of sick days unlawfully withheld, plus the payment of an additional sum in the form of an administrative penalty to an employee whose rights were violated. Where paid sick leave is unlawfully withheld, the employee shall recover the dollar value of the paid sick days withheld, or $250 multiplied by three, whichever is greater, but not to exceed an aggregate penalty of $4,000. If a paid sick leave-related violation results in “other” harm to the employee or person, the administrative penalty shall include a sum of $50 for each day that the violation occurred or continued, not to exceed $4,000.
If the employer fails to promptly comply, the Labor Commissioner may take “appropriate” enforcement action to ensure compliance, including filing a civil action. In such instances, the violating employer may be ordered to pay up to the state of California $50 for each day a violation occurs of continues.
Employees or other persons may report suspected violations to the Labor Commissioner, and to encourage such reporting, the Labor Commissioner would be permitted to keep the reporting employee’s identifying information confidential.
The Labor Commissioner or the Attorney General would be able to file a civil action in court against the employer or any person violating this article. The Labor Commissioner or Attorney General would be entitled to appropriate legal and equitable relief, including reinstatement, back pay, the payment of sick days improperly withheld, and liquidated damages of $50 to each employee for each violation each day, plus reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs. (A provision authorizing employees to file civil actions was deleted by recent amendment while another amendment clarifies that these administrative actions would be maintained on “behalf of the aggrieved,” suggesting any penalties would ultimately be awarded to the employee.) Subdivision (b) to Labor Code section 245 clarifies that the provisions of this new article “are in addition to and independent of any other rights, remedies or procedures under any other law.
Lastly, proposed section 249, subdivision (d), specifies this bill establishes “minimum” requirements for paid sick days and does not preempt, limit or otherwise affect the applicability of any other law or ordinance that provides greater accrual of use of paid sick days. California employers already must consider slightly different variations in San Francisco and, unless stayed by referendum, San Diego shortly, and this legislative invitation for municipalities to enact still-broader versions suggests employers may soon need to have multiple versions of their paid sick leave policies.
As mentioned, this bill appears considerably broader than that enacted in Connecticut and previously proposed for the state of California (although prior versions would have required additional paid sick leave [e.g., five or nine days rather than three].) However, Governor Brown has already signaled his support for this bill, suggesting it will be enacted.
HR Manager Job in Fremont
BAHREC was recently contacted about this opportunity from Sysco. As our membership is comprised of senior HR leaders, I originally thought not to post the position, but decided that you may know individuals in the occupation who may have an interest in this job.
Please follow this link to view more details about this job: https://jobs-sysco.icims.com/jobs/14281/human-resources-manager/job?mode=view&mobile=false&width=670&height=500&bga=true&needsRedirect=false
Compensation Consulting Opportunity
Recently, Impax Laboratories, Inc. acquired Core Pharma, a pharmaceutical company in New Jersey. As part of the integration, Impax and Core Pharma are looking at completing a comprehensive review and redesign of all base/bonus/equity plans. Impax is looking for two senior level compensation consultants who could assist the company with this project. If you have interest and the experience, please contact Annette Surtees, Acting VP of Human Resources at asurtees@impaxlabs.com.
VPHR Position at Pharma Company
Vice President, Human Resources (Confidential Search)
Reporting to the President and CEO, the Vice President, Human Resources is one of seven key leadership roles on the Executive Leadership Team. The VP of HR is responsible for providing critical strategic and tactical support to the business by creating and executing people strategies and practices that are aligned to our business objectives.
Responsibilities:
- Lead the development and execution of the Human Resources global strategic plan and shorter term plans and initiatives in alignment with the business strategies
- Participate in the organization’s business planning processes and ensure that all HR programs and policies are aligned with organizational goals and priorities in support of the Company’s strategic and financial goals
- Build, lead and mentor a results-oriented HR function
- Lead all aspects of HR in all US sites
- Develop, improve and implement HR systems for Performance Management and Employee Data
- Drive talent management discussions to ensure optimum organizational design and succession planning
- Act as a business partner to the Executive Leadership Team and departmental managers, providing coaching, counseling and support as needed
- Promote a positive work environment and ensure employee relations issues are effectively addressed in a timely manner
- Provide leadership, coaching and professional development support to direct reports and serve as a role model for effective management
- Create, implement and oversee processes, procedures, best practice and documentation to support and ensure legal compliance for all requirements and regulations related to employment, benefits, compensation, etc.
Qualifications
- (Previous Pharma experience is required)
- Bachelor’s Degree required
- At least 10 years of experience in Senior HR roles within the Pharma / Biotech industry
- At least 5 years of management experience
- Knowledge of current legal requirements for immigration, compliance, diversity, etc.
- Experience developing and implementing company-wide initiatives, conducting organizational design analysis and implementation, change management, performance management, leadership and development, coaching, mentoring
- Experience with M & A activities
- Knowledge and experience in implementations of electronics systems for the HR function
- Ability to multi-task and balance numerous priorities in a fast paced, deadline-oriented environment; to work independently and to deal with ambiguity
- Excellent organizational, analytical and project management skills, with particular attention to quality and detail;
- Ability to synthesize data and report on metrics
- Highly professional communication skills—verbal, written, presentation and delivery skills; ability to communicate effectively at all levels of the organization
- Strong conflict management, facilitation and collaborative problem-resolution skills; leadership and negotiation skills
- Exceptional customer service orientation; relationship management skills
- Word, Excel and PowerPoint competence and experience using Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS)
***Position is located in CA (bay area) or PA
Our client is a HOT Pharma company that is experiencing exciting growth! With over 1,000 employees split on both sides of the coast. Commercial product(s) and a strong pipeline. Lots of cash and ready to make additional M&A’s
Brent Eberle
Founder/CEO
bRecruiting, Inc
cell – 408-516-6110
Panel Discussion on Executive Coaching
Panel discussion on Executive Coaching, 1/21/15 at Netapp.
Message from the President
Our goal, as a volunteer organization serving the senior human resource executive and leader community, is to provide the best programming and networking opportunities to keep you at the top of your game. As our existence relies on members like you, I want to ensure we are providing you with frequent and up to date information.
- LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/
groups?home=&gid=139049 - Facebook (coming soon!)
- Twitter @_BAHREC
BAHREC Programs Qualify for HRCI and SHRM Recertification Credits
BAHREC is now a Preferred Provider for the new SHRM certification program. We will also continue in 2015 as a preferred provider for the HR Certification Institute. This means that if you hold a PHR, SPHR or GPHR certification, we will continue to apply for recertification credit IDs for the BAHREC programs that you attend. And, if you hold a SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP certification, we will designate our programs for PDC (Professional Development Credit), consistent with SHRM's BoCK (Body of Competency and Knowledge).
Are you HRCI certified? Did you know that if you hold a PHR, SPHR or GPHR in good standing, you can take the pathway to the new SHRM certification free of charge by taking an online tutorial? This opportunity is available through December 31, 2015. Visit the SHRM Certification website for more details. http://www.shrm.org/certification/
Legislative Upate
- AB 1038 (Workflex) - This bill, which has made several appearances in the State Assembly is being introduced again. The main emphasis of the bill is to allow employees to have the ability to voluntarily “flex” their work time without employers having to pay overtime. This law can be very beneficial to employees and employers, but the nature of the bill would change long standing wage and hour laws in California.
- SB 406 (CFRA expansion) - This bill would expand the California Family Rights Act to apply to employers with more than five employees (instead of 50) and expand the class of family members for whom leave may be taken because of a serious health condition. Though well intentioned the bill expands leave laws that are one of the most liberal in the US and puts an exceptional burden on small employers.
Job Opportunity: Director of Compensation
At our core, we’re in the business of helping make a positive impact on people’s lives.
- Leading the compensation function, collaborating with senior management to evaluate and create the strategic direction, design concepts and build support for fact/data driven rationale for implementation.
- In conjunction with both internal and external resources, provide analysis and plan design, costs and alternatives that are detailed and comprehensive yet easily understood by executives.
- Developing and maintaining compensation program including; pay philosophy, executive compensation, sales commissions, base pay, merit pay increases, bonus, incentive, equity and other reward programs.
- Externally: Acts as a liaison with selected outside compensation advisers or consultants in providing information and data for analysis and benchmarking.
- Managing retirement programs, including 401k and ESPP plans, and acting as a liaison with historical programs for employees with our vendors.
- Monitoring trends and introducing market best practices for programs to company.
- Reporting on program utilization, costs, effectiveness and recommending changes.
- Analyzes executive pay practices to ensure competitiveness among industry peer group, internal equity among executives, and achieves best practices in attracting, retaining and rewarding key executives.
- Researches and stays abreast of innovative compensation and benefit methodologies and industry trends for potential application.
- Develops, implements & oversees compensation process and market-based job evaluation system, job family and title organization structuring, as well as create a process of ongoing market review based on industry standards.
- Experience with design, planning and administration of fully insured health insurance plans, group life insurance programs, and retirement programs including 401(k), voluntary benefits and other employee/retiree benefit programs are required for this role.
- Ability to build a total compensation program that includes affordable healthcare, compensation alignment and retirement planning are essential to this position.
- Design a rewards and recognition program aligned with the culture that drives the desired behaviors.
- Bachelor's required
- 10+ years combined compensation and benefits experience
- 7+ yrs. progressive compensation experience
- 5+ years leadership experience
- Compensation experience in a public company, or consulting practice preferred
- Strong business acumen and executive presence, with the ability to gain respect and credibility from senior business leaders
- Highly skilled at analyzing, formatting and presenting compensation data. Has a concern for accuracy, passion for quality work, and timely delivery
- Strong background in sales compensation incentive plans and design
- Extensive experience with Executive Compensation
- Experience with M&A and integration of compensation systems desired
- Extensive business knowledge with comprehensive understanding of the organization and functional area
- Payroll experience preferred
- Board experience preferred
- Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) or CBP and SPHR or PHR certification preferred
Legislative Visit to the State Capitol
On Thursday I visited the State Capitol in Sacramento to meet with a few of our state representatives. As part of the CalSHRM Legislative and HR Conference, CalSHRM sent 73 HR professionals to discuss important employment and labor issues. Here is a quick summary
- Veteran’s preference AB 1383
Did you know that you can extend voluntary preferential hiring treatment to male Vietnam era vets but not veterans of any other conflict? AB 1383 would amend state law to allow employers to provide preferntial treatment to all veterans, no matter the conflict. Considering that unemployment of Iraq and Afganistan vets is twice the national average, passage of the bill would allow employers the opportunity to give back to those who served our country.
- Workflex AB 1038
Commuting to work is impossible, you would like to coach your daughter's soccer team on Fridays, and your parents could use some help around the house. Wouldn't a flexible work schedule be benefitcial? For employers with non-exempt employees the ability to offer flexible schedules is cumbersome and almost impossible, let alone costly due to California's unique overtime laws.
AB 1038 would;
- allow employees to voluntarily request flexible work schedules
- modify California labor code so employees requesting flexible schedules would waive daily overtime requirements
Surprisingly opposition to the bill is coming from unionized labor as they feel that this bill errodes their ability to attract employees. If they have this right, why do they need unions?
- CFRA changes SB 406
CFRA or the California Family Rights Act is one of the most complex leave laws in the nation. Not only does it exceed FMLA provisions, but the State Legislature plans to change it again. Some of the proposed changes: lower the employee threshold from 50 to 5 employees, expand the list of eligible family members redefine the term "parent" and eliminate age requirments associated with leave rights to take care of children.
Though as Human Resource professionals we support leaves and leave laws, it is the opinion of CalSHRM and SHRM that this legislation goes a bit too far.
If you are interested in legislative advocacy, please contact me. BAHREC, SHRM and CalSHRM have some great opportunities to take an active part in shaping Labor and Employment practices in the state. dconmy29@gmail.com
David Conmy
BAHREC Proud Sponsor of the HR Symposium Scholarship Fund
Today BAHREC was recognized at the HR Symposium for our $500 donation to the HR Symposium scholarship fund.
This is a great opportunity of "giving back" to the HR Community and supporting the effort of promoting and fostering the profession of which all members can be proud.
HR Symposium Summary: Communication, Decision Making, Culture and Business Knowledge Keys to Success
Today at the HR Symposium the topics of discussion focused on growth and leadership. Something many of us are struggling with today.
The first session featured a conversation with Brian McAndrews and Kristen Robinson, CEO and Chief People officer at Pandora.
In their dialogue three key elements were featured relating to growth. They stated they they and their executive team are focusing on Communication, Decision Making and Culture as ways to attract and retain talent.
They felt that these three elements were key to being able to scale their business and that culture was the blueprint they used to attract and retain talent. They also advocated that base infrastructure needed to be clear to support the growth.
The second session was an HR Panel featureing HR VPs and CPOs from Hitachi Data Systems, Lam Research, Plantronics and GoPro. Facilitated by Terry Griffith of Santa Clara University, the big takeaway for me was their discussion on keeping pace with today's changing environment...especially in Silicon Valley.
Though much of what they discussed came as no surprise I thought I would list some of the topics they discussed that they used to keep up to date on change:
- Their Network of HR People
- Business Publications like the Wall Street Journal and Forbes
- Professional associations like the Chapman Group
- Associations that their CEOs belong to
In all, the Symposium hit the mark on reinforcing the core concepts of obtaining and substaining a good career...networking and professional development. We at BAHREC are strong believers in both of these concepts (our organization was founded on these principals) and hope that as a member you take full advantage of these topics by attending BAHREC events.
SHRM Conference 2015 - Thrive!
By Nancy Nelson
A record heat wave in Las Vegas didn’t deter more than 15,400 HR professionals from soaking up all that SHRM’s 67th Annual Conference had to offer. This year’s conference theme was “Thrive” and I have to say, after some 20 years of attending, this was the best SHRM conference yet.
I tweeted every day of the conference, which ran June 28 through July 1. You can see what you missed from my daily musings by going to @hrprose on Twitter and searching the hashtags #SHRM15 and #SHRM2015. Much to my dismay, I was using the wrong hashtag most of the time! Oh well… #SHRM15 is the correct one.
Now that I’m back from the desert, I’m going to create a few blog posts on separate topics that will hopefully give you a flavor of the conference, along with some useful information. Stay tuned as it will take me a few days to capture all my thoughts. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Opening Session: Wisdom from Coach K and The Future of HR
By Nancy Nelson
Sunday’s general session started off with a bang. A surprise appearance from magician Penn Gillette of Penn & Teller fame made a surprise appearance to warm up the crowd. I barely recognized him – he’d lost 100 pounds since I last saw him on TV. Next up was Hank Jackson, SHRM’s CEO. He opened by declaring this “the decade of human capital in a brand new business world.” He also talked about SHRM’s recent promotion designed to raise the awareness of HR in the business community. If you’ve seen the recent SHRM advertisements on CNN or other channels, you know that the ad features three HR pros from various industries. A video clip was shown with each of them, all heads of HR for their organizations, telling their story. And as it turned out, they were all in the audience. It was nice to see the people behind the ad. Jackson went on to say, “Talent, not financial capital, is the key to growth and success in the 21st century. People are the power behind business; HR always knew this, but now our time has come.” To drive home the point, Jackson shared the example of HR pro Shara Gamble of Tampro Industries, who designed a comprehensive onboarding program for her company. As soon as an offer is accepted, new hires have access to an online system that explains forms in plain English and connects them to the culture and the company’s branding strategy, so they are ready to contribute on day one.
As a basketball fan, I was looking forward to hearing what Mike Krzyzewski, head coach of the NCAA champion Duke University Blue Devils and the Team USA “Dream Team,” would have to say about leadership. He did not disappoint. He told the story about how he worked with NBA stars LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and the rest of the team to create a set of standards that everyone bought into, because they created it. “Rules don’t promote teamwork, standards do.” According to Coach K, it’s also important to use energy and emotion to create team results. He recalled the time a bench player on the team shouted “let’s go” at a time when Team USA was in serious trouble, and that was just the spark needed for them to catch fire. To conclude his talk, he encouraged all 15,400 to prepare for the four days ahead, ending with a rousing “LET’S GO!”
Marcus Buckingham: What Do Team Leaders Want?
By Nancy Nelson
Day Two of SHRM 2015 reminds me that a conference is like a marathon, not a sprint. It will take endurance to walk miles through the cavernous Las Vegas Convention Center and an Expo hall that exceeds the size of four football fields. And we’ll need energy! In her 7:00 am session, Sheri Barnes of “Mama Knows Fitness” says we’re out of energy, not time. In order to feel and work better, we need to focus on four things: sleep, food, mood and exercise. Sound daunting? The key is to break each down into simple, sustainable tools and tips that we will feel good using. It turns out that simple, sustainable tools are exactly what team leaders need from HR, according to Marcus Buckingham, today’s keynote speaker. Team leaders are key, since as team leaders go, so do the organization. Team leaders need to know three things: what are my people’s strengths, what are they doing, and what are they feeling? The Marcus Buckingham Company has recently released the results of a global employee engagement index which shows that the US and China rank highest in fully engaged at 19%. Nineteen percent?? Clearly, we have a lot of work to do. And the #1 indicator of engagement globally? The ability to use one’s strengths at work.
Buckingham also had a lot to say about performance management, which was a common theme in many concurrent sessions at SHRM 2015. There’s a healthy debate on whether performance management as traditionally defined really makes a difference in performance. And are periodic check-ins, in lieu of an annual performance review, any better? Buckingham advocates a much simpler approach: to help an employee get better, focus on their strengths, not feedback which may not be helpful in the long run. Instead of a feedback-based discussion, have a weekly check-in and ask just two questions: what are your priorities and how can I help? Buckingham also announced a partnership with SurveyMonkey that uses the survey tool to assess nine strength roles.
Two down, two to go… feeling energized!
Nancy
BAHREC Recognized As Top 25 Fundraiser For SHRM Foundation
By Nancy Nelson
I was honored to attend the SHRM Foundation Annual Recognition Luncheon on behalf of BAHREC. This is an annual event at the SHRM annual conference, recognizing chapters, state councils and scholarship recipients. This year, the SHRM Foundation gave scholarships to SHRM 2015 to five HR professionals who otherwise would not have the opportunity to attend the conference. Their stories were impressive, including one HR director who overcame many obstacles, including polio, to work her way out of a dead-end job to the position she holds today as the head of HR for a large non-profit. Her career advisor told her she wasn't suited for a career in HR, which did not deter her. She now has the job of her dreams.
BAHREC was recognized as a top 25 contributing chapter for 2014, one of only two chapters in California to achieve this honor. Sincere thanks for everyone who helped make this possible!