Louisiana Conference on Human Resources - Concurrent Sessions
"Changing Change" - Daniel Crosby PhD - Change management has long been mired in mediocrity and overrun with buzzwords. “Changing Change” loses the MBA-speak and cuts to the quick of what impacts lasting change. Based on a deep understanding of human behavior rather than recycled platitudes, this presentation highlights the flaws implicit in old change models and presents a bold new, relationally-based model. Packed with “real life” examples, participants will leave with a deepened understanding of how to change their own behavior as well as promote positive shifts in others. (HR Certification Institute approved 1.25 recertification credit hours: Business Management and Strategy)
"Becoming the Employer of Choice" - Craig Juengling - Employee Engagement is a topic employers should embrace to improve their business outcomes and prepare them for the challenges of retiring “baby boomers” and hiring of “millennials” as their replacements. Understanding critical information like the difference between employee satisfaction and engagement, the drivers of engagement by generation, the role of leadership and the impact of emotional intelligence and employee well-being on creating a highly engaged workforce, will be the cornerstone of the session. This keynote style concurrent session will be packed with supporting research sources, data and humor to entertain and educate the audience on employee engagement. (HR Certification Institute approved 1.25 recertification credit hours: Business Management and Strategy)
"How to Prepare for an I-9 Audit by ICE" - Patricia Bollman - Proper completion and maintenance of an employer’s Form I-9s has never been more critical than it is now. Over the past two years, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) has begun the random inspection of Form I-9s and has been imposing substantial sanctions for violations in the completion, maintenance and destruction of business’s I-9s. 70% of businesses audited by ICE have violations in their Form I-9s because personnel completing the I-9 are unaware of many of the statutory requirements.This presentation will focus on how to prepare for a Notice of Inspection (“NOI”) by ICE. It will cover the requirements of an NOI and recent trends by ICE in its I-9 enforcement. The presentation will review the proper completion and maintenance of I-9 forms, retention and destruction of the Form I-9, correcting errors on a Form I-9 and recent administrative law decisions related to employer liability for failure to properly complete the Form I-9. Unlawful discrimination under the Immigration and Nationality Act and how to balance that with proper completion of I-9s will also be reviewed. Guidance on steps an employer can take to make sure it is properly prepared for an NOI will be discussed. (HR Certification Institute approved 1.25 recertification credit hours: General)
"Ditch the Toupee: Using Corporate Culture to Pull HR out of its Mid-life Crisis" - Dawn Burke - HR is having a mid-life crisis and is struggling to define its own identity. This identity crisis is keeping HR pros from transforming work environments to ones that modern employees succeed in. Many HR Pros want to create a transformative culture but simply don’t know how. In this session, using Birmingham-based tech company Daxko as a case-study, you will learn: (*) What employees want, demand and deserve from the modern workforce (*) How HR’s evolution hasn’t naturally bred “transformative leaders” (*) Practical steps to creating a transformative culture that will give you a strategic advantage over your competition. Ditch the HR toupee and get real… (HR Certification Institute approved 1.25 recertification credit hours: Business Management and Strategy)
"Blind Spots, Sweet Spots and What Diversity Means Now" - Joe Gerstandt - Many organizational Diversity and Inclusion efforts fail to deliver real results or suffer from lack of real support and more often than not, this happens because there is no real foundation in place. The most common missing ingredient in real Diversity and Inclusion investments is consistency and clarity of the underlying language and logic. This interactive session will help you bring your Diversity and Inclusion efforts into the 21st century. (HR Certification Institute approved 1.25 recertification credit hours: General)
"Power and Politics in the Organization: Understanding the Game" - Jason Lauritsen - This session will explore the role that power and politics play in organizational decision making. As human resources leaders, understanding these dimensions can mean the difference between effectiveness and irrelevance. We explore these questions such as "Where does power come from?"; "Why should I want more power and how do I get it?" and "How does politics affect the role of HR?" Attendees will gain practical skills and approaches for how to grow their influence with the organization to become more effective leaders and agents of change. (HR Certification Institute approved 1.25 recertification credit hours: Business Management and Strategy)
"An EEO Best Practices Guide" – Leah Raby, PhD - The Louisiana Commission on Human Rights (LCHR) will present and discuss an array of topics relevant to EEO -training, mediation, current and potential practices and laws that will empower HR professionals in working effectively with investigative agencies like the LCHR or the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Specific topics include: Training: Onsite vs. Computer Training, Strengthening EEO/AA Performance, Use of LCHR as an informational resource; Mediation – reducing liabilities expenses, Improving Employee Relations and Hiring Practices: Employing the Unemployed and Credit Contingencies, LGBT and Immigration. (HR Certification Institute approved 1.25 recertification credit hours: General)
“There is No Such Thing as a Difficult Person…. Just people with difficult personalities! Understanding People from the Inside/Out” – Tina Thomas, PhD - Once you understand the simple biological basis of personality you will never look at yourself or others in the same way again as understanding personality this way helps you to better understand yourself and others. In addition to improving your ability to communicate this information decreases work-related stress and improves workplace morale and motivation. In this session you will learn how to “speak” the language of the nine basic types of personalities, including discussion of/learning about the basic motivation and fears of each of those personalities. With this understanding and a few basic guidelines. HR professionals will find working with employees (and coworkers) much less frustrating and potentially downright fun! (HR Certification Institute approved 1.25 recertification credit hours: General)
"ERISA Fiduciaries: What Plan Sponsors Need to Know"- Karleen Green/Jane Armstrong - Substantially all employers maintain ERISA plans, including 401(k) plans, group medical plans and other insurance arrangements. This session will: Identify parties who are commonly ERISA fiduciaries, including fiduciaries associated with 401(k) plans and self-insured group medical plans; Summarize new guidance about fiduciary status recently issued by the Department of Labor; Discuss current fiduciary trends, including the use of section 3(38) fiduciaries and other types of co-fiduciaries; Summarize common sources of fiduciary exposure, such as fee benchmarking, health plan claims administration, selecting and monitoring “core” investment menus, and investment education; and Discuss best practices for the selection and monitoring of fiduciaries and the delegation of fiduciary duties. (HR Certification Institute approved 1.25 recertification credit hours: General)
"Don’t Bully Me! Protecting Your Employees (and yourself) from Workplace Violence" – Carrie Miller - Bullying in the workplace, violence on the job, disgruntled former employees and domestic problems that follow employees to the workplace are realities that HR professionals must be prepared to handle. This session will focus on the HR professional’s role in developing, implementing/administering and evaluating programs, plans and policies that provide a safe and secure working environment and protect their organization. Session attendees will discover how to create an environment that encourages both respect and safety with procedures for preventing and dealing with workplace violence and bullying behavior including the “bullying boss!” (Part 1 of 2) (HR Certification Institute approved 1.25 recertification credit hours: General)
"How Security Connects to Safety: HR and Workplace Violence" – Gary Miller, P.E. - In today’s stressful work environment, tempers are short and people may react in violent ways, sometimes bringing the outside world in to the work environment. HR professionals can play a critical role with their involvement in the evaluation of internal and external security risks, creating a safe physical environment and developing an understanding of how to identify potential violent behavior and workplace violence conditions. Attendees in this session will learn how to protect themselves, their employees and their workplace from becoming a headline in the news. They will also discover what to do in a worst-case scenario, how to handle a threat or violent action, and how to resume business. (Part 2 of 2) (HR Certification Institute approved 1.25 recertification credit hours: General)
"Global HR" – Bill Boorman – This highly interactive and comprehensive session/discussion will cover talent issues, focus on how to deal with the challenges of Global Talent management, and discuss the HR role in solving problems and achieving strategic business goals. Session participants will receive answers to the following (*) The Global Challenge – Skills wanted vs. Skills in place; what Sectors are booming vs. dying (*) The War for other people’s talent – Hiring from the employed vs. hiring from the unemployed; cost of hire vs. cost of retention (*) Retention Challenges – What retains people in 2012? How does an organization balance what people want vs. what people need. (*) Internal Employer Brand – What do your people really say about you? The importance of honesty and how do you know if they would recommend you to a friend? (*) Peer Leadership – mentoring and team leadership: process, procedure and reality – the unwritten contract (*) International Options – what happens when you import talent? Culture clashes are not a holiday. (*) Social Questions – Integration vs. Implementation; the “Be a Grown Up” policy; monitoring, listening and reacting
“Lean HR: Systematic Improvements in your Practice” - Dwane Lay - Lean principles have been used for years in the manufacturing world, and have started to make an impact in the office as well. These tools can provide the foundation to building a systematic approach to improving your HR practice and lowering costs. In this session, we will review a sample structure for project generation, selection and governance. Additionally, we will apply these tools in an interactive session to create a list of potential actions attendees can use on their return to their organization. The intent is to provide a high level overview of the methodology, provide tools that can be taken and implemented, and provide experience applying the tools within the session. (HR Certification Institute approved 1.25 recertification credit hours: Business Management and Strategy)
"The Alphabet Soup Just Got Trickier; Complying with the ADAAA, FMLA, COBRA, GINA and Worker's Comp" - Susan Fahey Desmond - It was hard enough to comply with the ADA and FMLA before Congress broadened how we interpret the definition of disability. Now, we have to consider the broader definition and even another law, GINA, that prohibits discrimination based on genetic information. This presentation will provide information on how to comply with these laws as well as provide guidance on what to do when they intersect.(HR Certification Institute approved 1.25 recertification credit hours: General)
"Total Rewards and Motivation: Mistakes, Myths and What's Working" – Laura Wolfe, PhD - Equity theory, including both internal as well as external (labor markets and market conditions), will set the foundation for this presentation on how total rewards do and do not motivate. Is money the ultimate motivator? Is that always true? Under what conditions is it false and what else really motivates employees? Current research will be presented. Advantages and disadvantages of a variety of incentive, variable and merit pay programs will be reviewed including desirable and undesirable outcomes. Metrics, relevant benchmarks, and a big picture view of how total rewards can support strategy will close the session.(HR Certification Institute approved 1.25 recertification credit hours: General)
“If You Build it, Will They Come? How to Create User Adoption of HR Software Applications” – William Tincup - Organizations spend considerable amounts of resources (time, labor, financial) on HR software implementations with the goal of improving performance and recordkeeping. However, many organizations are often left wondering whether or not the investment of those resources was a wise decision. When there is a gap between desired improvements and actual results, it is often because user adoption of the new software is shockingly poor. In this session attendees will learn how to maximize their investments by effectively managing the specific processes involved in a major software change implementation. Learning Outcomes will include: 1. Employee Communications Best Practices 2. Strategic Understanding of HR Software 3. Building a Better Business Case for HR Software 4. Strategic Understanding of Software Negotiations 5. Deeper Understanding of Change Management Best Practices (HR Certification Institute approved 1.25 recertification credit hours: Business Management and Strategy)
Leadership… Cajun Style! The GUMBO Recipe for Success – Jennifer Ledet- Successful leaders in today’s business environment know that the way to make a real difference – the way to positively impact the bottom line – is through effective people skills. To draw out the best your team has to offer, you must have the ability to create a culture of collaboration, to build strong relationships based on respect, and to foster a spirit of connection and celebration within your teams. Today’s leaders are constantly being asked to do more with less and strategic HR leaders/professionals are tasked with bringing together organizational leaders and team members to make sure that everyone is giving it all they’ve got. But economic challenges, competition, and concerns about the future can result in a negative, stressed out culture. Drawing on her roots in the heart of Bayou Country in South Louisiana, Jennifer will bring a savvy and smart perspective on leadership to this session. The Cajuns of South Louisiana are known for their rich culture, their strong sense of community, and their “joie de vivre”, (love of life). Add to that their resiliency and ability to rise up and thrive amidst change and challenge, and you have a model for effective leadership! Attendees in this session will learn the GUMBO Recipe for Success which is how to: Get Clear on Your Assets; Understand Others to Build Relationships; Modify Your Approach to Season the Conversation; Bring Out the Best in Others with Respect and Optimize Influence. (HR Certification Institute approved 1.25 recertification credit hours: General)
"Talent Management: How to Make Your Metrics Matter" – Cathy Missildine-Martin - Whether the data about your company’s talent is stored in filing cabinets, spreadsheets or in an automated system, determining which talent metrics are most important to your business is not always straightforward. For the many who have taken the step of centralizing their talent management processes and information online, the task of accessing the data is much easier. But even with ready access to metrics, it’s important to determine which ones you and your business care about. This session will help HR practitioners put talent management metrics in the context of those that will help you drive business decision making and organizational success. With insights from human capital thought leader Cathy Missildine-Martin, you’ll learn (*) A framework to determine which talent management metrics should be included in your overall human capital measurement (*) Which metrics are most important to your C-suite and can be tied to your strategic objectives (*) The importance of company-wide buy-in so that the data and process is relevant and meaningful. Sponsored by Halogen Software (HR Certification Institute approved 1.25 recertification credit hours: General)
"Cool Social Media Tools for Networking and Recruiting" - Craig Fisher - Technology is supposed to make your job easier. But discovering and learning all the newest tools can be a job in itself. A cool tool can be new technology, or it can be a new way to use your existing tech. Sometimes just gaining a new perspective will fill you with ideas. This session will show you some of the grooviest new tools and ideas around for connecting, sourcing, networking, and branding. Guaranteed to fill several pages of your notebook with useful tools to help you be more efficient right away. Want to work smarter? Cool tools is for you.
"What Every Employer Needs to Know About the NLRB" – Greg Guidry - The current National Labor Relations Board has taken an aggressive pro-union, pro-employee stance in its rulings, and has used unprecedented rule-making to enhance the position of organized labor and employees in the American workplace. All employers, union and nonunion, need to be aware of recent developments in labor laws that have changed the playing field in this arena. Nonunion employers also need to be aware of liabilities that exist for them, including the hot issue of whether employee use of social media sites to complain or protest employer actions is protected, concerted activity under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). Attendees will learn about the basics of the NLRA and the NLRB, about the status of recent developments from the NLRB (involving cases and proposed rule-making, including the controversial poster that all covered employers may have to post on April 30, 2012), and about NLRB rulings that have impacted nonunion employers. (HR Certification Institute approved 1.25 recertification credit hours: General)
Turnover IS Your Bottom Line! – Carla Major - What is your overall turnover? What is your 90 day turnover? How does turnover affect your bottom line? These are three questions every HR Professional must be able to answer. Equally as important as turnover, is retention. You will learn how to speak financially as a Human Resource Professional - can you imagine! It is not necessary to conduct a twenty minute survey with every employee to understand turnover and retention and you will learn which employees to talk to, what to ask them and how to utilize the data to bring $$$$ to the bottom line of the business. Just think… the financial professional in your company can become your new BFF! Come and learn the EASY steps to financially speaking about Human Resources.
"Entrepreneurial HR" – Christine Lewis-Varley - This exciting interactive program is provocative! We’ll start with the question – is HR really broken and if it isn’t—why fix it? Is the idea of an ‘entrepreneurial HR’ simply another way to cut costs and increase the bottom line? What difference would it make if HR was an entrepreneurial business partner rather than a necessary support? What would be the value to the organization? In this session we’ll take a look at what five top CEO’s and their HR Directors have to say as they share their views on the new HR and the future. Five learning keys that you will take away from Entrepreneurial HR: (*) The true meaning of ‘entrepreneurism’ (*) How an entrepreneurial mindset changes HR. (*) Uncovering you own entrepreneurial style. (*) Marketing your new entrepreneurial HR to the rest of the organization (*) Inspiring the non-believers within HR to change.
“The Ugly Truth about Health Care Costs” – Daniel Rickard - Attendees will discover the true cost drivers of health care and mitigation strategies without cost shifts or benefit reductions through the introduction of wellness and culture change. Starting at the beginning, we will fast forward to present day issues and costs. By reviewing the origin of health care (the Baylor Plan) we’ll see the evolution of what was originally intended to be catastrophic coverage evolving to today’s expectation of first dollar, cradle to grave plans. During the session, attendees will learn how to identify the actual cost drivers including quality, fraud, malpractice, and the biggest cost driver of all, poor behavioral choices. We will take a look at strategies for cost mitigation and travel along the risk management continuum, ultimately pulling the pieces together in a cohesively delivered package. Attendees will leave with tools and resources in order to assist them in benchmarking where their plans are today. (HR Certification Institute approved 1.25 recertification credit hours: General)
"Employment Law and Legal Updates" – Steven F. Griffith, Jr. - HR professionals will benefit from this up-to-the minute overview in regards to some of the rapidly changing and challenging areas of Employment Law and the legal system. Attendees of this session will receive a concise overview of recent and upcoming legislative changes, court decisions and administrative rulings that can impact their organizations as relates to human resource management and employment issues.
note - all sessions have been submitted for HRCI recertification; this website is continuously updated once HRCI pre-approval has been received
