Philadelphia SHRM June 2011 News UPCOMING EVENTS Wednesday, 6/15/11 President Social Event Kelley Cornish HR Business Networking Event - Extend Your President Elect Reach Christine Derenick-Lopez National Liberty Past President Museum Ashley Tappan 321 Chestnut Street Strategic Fellow Philadelphia, PA Sylvie Clerie VP, Legal Friday, 06/17/11 Sam First 12:00pm-1:00pm VP, Finance Webinar Salonia Brown Don’t get lost in translation: VP, Communications Global Employee Communication Trends Mary Doria GoToMeeting Communities Co-Chair Therese Williams Mark DiAntonio CO-VP, Development Gloria Sinclair Miller ADVERTISE VP, HR Disciplines HERE April Smith Emerging Leaders Co-Chair Erik Johnson Business Card Ad Patty McConnell $50 Membership Co-Chair Quarter Page Ad Valerie Walls $75 Membership Co-Chair Rich Krekstein Half Page Ad Mentoring Chair $150 Kimberly Woods Full Page Ad Certification Chair $300 Sheila Scanlon Association Management For more details Seamless Events Inc. about advertising and sponsorship go to www.phillyshrm.org 2June 2011 Photo by B. Krist or GPTMC contents 4 Presidents Message 6 PSHRM Networking Event 8 Make Telecommuting Pay Off 12 HRD Symposium on WorkPlace Violence phillyshrm.org Philadelphia SHRM News 3 the President’s Corner Farewell - A New Beginning! As I write my final newsletter as President of Philly SHRM, I leave so many wonderful memories from the past two years at the helm. Even though the economy was and continues to be a very chal- lenging and turbulent reality for our nation during my tenure, we as a chapter led the way to meet the needs of our members by re-evaluating what the HR practitioner needed to stay relevant and productive to their organizations and clients. We led this mandate through robust programming to include CEO conversations, webinars with experts steeped in the HR landscaped, professional learn- ing sessions filled with strategic content designed for immediate use, and endless planning sessions be- hind the scenes with committees and board members. Job well done and the journey will continue! Now as I shift my leadership responsibilities on to the new Commander-in-Chief for our supermega chapter of over 1300 members, there are so many to thank starting with our Board of Directors, the various committees, the membership, Seamless Events, our sponsors, the many speakers, con- tributors, guests, my wonderful two boys Avery and Trey, and terrific family and friends who assisted during those many, many early morning and evening meetings! Thanks to you all who helped turn the vision of this chapter into a reality over the past two years. I thank you! As I become Immediate Past President of the chapter, Christine Derenick-Lopez will be the new President of Philly SHRM effective July 1, 2011. She will be an incredible president and will carry on the vision and we will see even new paradigms shift under her leadership! We hope that you will join us on Wednesday, June 15, at the Liberty Museum in Philadelphia for our final networking event of the year as we “exhale,” celebrate our successes, and prepare for a wonder- ful summer off! It’s been a tremendous year of programming with well over 40 learning opportu- nities for the HR professional in the region. We would like to culminate the year with you! Also, I personally would like to see you at my final event as President of the chapter! For more information on the networking activities, please visit our website at www.phillyshrm.org. Thank you again for two wonderful years! Continue to be the chapter of excellence and strive to elevate the HR profession each and every day! Regards, Kelley F. Cornish, MA, CCDP President, Philly SHRM Incoming President Christine Derenick-Lopez 4 June 2011 Philadelphia SHRM Networking Event exend Your Reach Wednesday, June 15, 2011 5:30 - 8:00 pm Venue: National Liberty Museum 321 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19106 To Register for this event visit: http://www.phillyshrm.org Cost: Members $50; Non-members $65; Students $30 Bring Books for Children; Receive Chances to Win The Philadelphia SHRM takes pride in supporting local organizations that con- tinue to support their chapter; therefore, we want to donate tons of books to the Friends of the Free Library of Philadelphia to assist in the effort of reaching out to children to read. For every child’s book you bring to this event aged birth to 12 years, new or slightly used, the Philadelphia SHRM team will give you chances to walk home with some great prizes (exact items pending). You will receive one chance per book you bring - that’s right if you bring 20 books you receive 20 free chances. To learn more about the different programs and how to donate to Friends of the Free Library of Philadelphia, please click here: http://www.libraryfriends.info/about/index.php. 6 June 2011 Juno Search Partners HR’s Right-hand. Juno Search Partners is a boutique search firm, specializing in permanent placement services for Human Resources and Administrative Support to companies throughout the Philadelphia Metro Region. We work with companies across all industries, both small and large, and everything in between. searchpartners 610 896 2432 junosearchpartners.com Follow Us: Do You Have the Courage to Act? Join us for a free session with author and program co-founder Rod Napier as he discusses his book, The Courage to Act. Learn more about the Coaching & Consulting program at Penn, register for Napier’s session & qualify for a free copy of his book at: PennCoaching.com Join Us ̶ June 16 or July 14 ̶ PennCoaching.com Make Telecommuting Pay Off By Dori Meinert Three years ago, when gas prices were at $4 a gallon, Tech Data Corp. executives were looking for a way to ease employees’ financial burdens. They offered 200 employees the opportunity to experiment with telecommuting. Last year, the telecommuting option was extended to about 530 of the 1,500 employees at the company’s Clearwater, Fla., headquarters. The HR team wanted to offer it to even more employees, but there was one major obstacle—an antiquated telephone network that can’t route calls to the next available employee working at home. Without that capability, the phone system would significantly hinder at-home sales staff and service representatives who field cus- tomers’ calls. An advanced telecommunications system would cost more than $4 million, says Kellie Beale, SPHR, a senior HR generalist at Tech Data. In light of the recession, executives decided not to move forward with the purchase. Many HR professionals and corporate leaders say that telecommuting, usually part of a package of flexible-work options, will help them attract and retain the best and brightest employees. After all, 82 employers on Fortune’s 2011 list of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” offer telecommuting opportunities to employees. Who doesn’t want to be like them? However, if telecommuting is to provide the benefits that both employees and employers seek, HR professionals must consider its full impact and costs. “Think carefully about whether telecommuting actually fits with the strategy of your business and its operational needs,” advises Wayne F. Cascio, professor of management at the University of Colorado Denver. Without that strate- gic fit, “It may cost you a lot more, in the long run, in terms of lost business opportunities.” Tangible Cost Savings The troubled economy, shortages of skilled professionals in some fields and increased stress on workers are among the forces driving HR leaders’ interest in telecommuting. Three of four employed parents say they don’t have enough time with their children, according to the Families and Work Institute’s (FWI) 2008 report Workplace Flexibility Among Small Employers. Some employees value time more than money, says Ellen Galinsky, president and co-founder of the institute in New York City. Avoiding lengthy commutes can relieve some of employees’ stress, giving them greater work/life balance and easing the strain on their pocketbooks. Telecommuting also can often save companies money and boost employees’ produc- tivity, Galinsky and other advocates say. About 43 percent of HR professionals predict that the demand for workplace flexibility will have a strategic impact on operations in years to come, according to the February 2011 Workplace Forecast by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The report was based on a May 2010 poll of about 400 HR professionals. 8 June 2011 Make Telecommuting Pay Off Continued... The heightened attention to workplace flexibility prompted FWI and SHRM to partner to provide research, education and resources to employers. Many useful lessons can be learned by studying the progress of early adopters of telecommuting. As one of its many flexible-work options, Deloitte LLP offers most of its 45,000 employees nationwide the option to telecommute as many as five days a week, and has done so for 15 years.As leases came up for renewal, the consulting firm was able to reduce office space and energy costs by 30 percent. In fact, Deloitte saved $30 million in 2008 after redesigning facilities to accommodate mobile workers who don’t need permanent desks. The practice, called “hoteling,” requires employees to reserve workstations when they come to the office. Most of Deloitte’s major offices also now have “telesuites” where employees use videoconferencing technology to meet vir- tually with clients and fellow employees in other locations, without having to hop on a plane, says Molly Anderson, director of talent. According to Fortune, 86 percent of Deloitte’s workers telecommute for at least 20 percent of the workweek. In contrast, Delta Air Lines executives say they are just beginning to see savings from their telecommuting program, which began four years ago with 50 part-time reservation agents.