Read on for details on these and other important HRACI activities!

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A new year is here and we would like to encourage you to renew your membership now!! Renewal rate for 2008 is just $90 for an entire year of comprehensive, up-to-date, current areas of interest to HR professionals with several of our 2008 programs featuring national speakers. Please be sure to update your contact information if anything has changed. Click here to complete your membership renewal now.

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HRACI Consultant's Forum

"Marketing and Branding Your Business"
Lorraine Ball

A twenty-year veteran of corporate America, Lorraine Ball is an accomplished marketing professional who has won regional and national communication awards.
She is a certified teacher, facilitator, and college instructor.
Her public seminars are sponsored by the Central Indiana Small Business Development Corporation, the Neighborhood Self-Employment Initiative, and the SBA Women's Center.
Active in the local Indianapolis business community, she serves as the President of Rainmakers and serves on the board of directors of the Network of Women in Business.

Her articles on marketing planning and business development have been featured in Contracting Business, The New York Forum, The Indianapolis Business Journal, and The ACH&R News.
Today, as the founder of Roundpeg, she teaches small business owners the secrets to big company marketing!

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED TO ATTEND!

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Thursday, February 21, 2008
So Happy to Be Here...Now What? Success Factors for Employee On boarding

Speaker: Greg Karrip

Employee orientation has come a long way from the days of herding new hires into a conference room to fill out endless forms and sit through boring presentations. Yet despite their organization’s exciting online tools and savvy culture assimilation efforts, many employees stumble through their first 90 days in a haze, piecing together what the organization needs from them – and how they can best deliver it.

The key objectives are to learn the key ingredients of successful employee-driven on boarding, assess if our organization can deliver new hire productivity, engagement, and retention, and acquire best practices from lessons learned from companies.
Greg Karrip is a Regional Director with BlessingWhite a global consulting organization dedicated to creating sustainable high performing organizations. Greg has over 17 years of experience in consulting, developing and designing global interventions that align organizational culture to business strategy. In addition Greg has expertise in Leadership Development and is an advisor to Employee Engagement practice area. In his career Greg has held a numerous positions including Regional VP, product design and consulting. Greg is a highly regarded speaker at regional, national and international events most recently presenting at Chicago Learning Leaders Conference and International Fab-Tech conference. His clients represent a diverse group of market leaders and has worked with executives in a diversity of roles. He has a Master’s in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Western Michigan University, and an undergraduate degree in business from Michigan State University.

This program has been approved for recertification credit hours toward PHR, SPHR and GPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HRCI homepage at www.hrci.org

Check out all of our currently scheduled 2008 programs online at: http://www.hraci.org/HRACIevents.php

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Bottom-Line Performance, Inc., a virtually-based performance consulting and instructional design firm with a 12-year history. Sharon has over 20 years’ experience in the fields of performance consulting and instructional design. BLP’s client list includes major life science firms in Indiana and the U.S. as well as higher education institutions and government agencies.

Visit their site at http://www.ciastd.com for more information.

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Submitted by Helena Masters

Human Resource Best Practices Forum
Date: March 6th, 8:30am – 10:30am
Topic: Best Practice – Employee Wellness Programs
Host and Speaker: Natalie Roberts, VP of Human Resources for Monarch Beverage
Location: Monarch Beverage 3737 Waldemere Road, Indianapolis, IN 46241

Monarch Beverage employees recently ranked the company‘s innovative on-site medical clinic as the number one perk for working there. Not only is this clinic producing a happier and healthier workforce, but the company’s overall expenses from medical claims are reducing as well as reported by the Indianapolis Star.

Join HRACI and Natalie Roberts, Vice President of Human Resources to learn more about how Monarch Beverage has taken employee wellness programs to a whole new level and are helping their 650 employees live a healthier lifestyle.

The HRACI Programs committee would like to formally announce the beginnings of a new opportunity for its members to learn about Human Resources Best Practices directly from the representatives and companies who make it happen.

Our topics will range from employee wellness to Employment Branding to Risk Management and everything in between concerning functions of Human Resources in an organization.

So, come out and share your business cards at this breakfast event. This is an opportunity for you to network and share communication amongst Human Resource Leaders:

Click here to register

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Currently, there are two (2) members on the committee – Jennifer Lange, PHR who is HRACI’s Director of Certification and Dee Dee Deffez, PHR who helped coordinate the downtown location at Indiana Business College this Fall (she was also a student in the prep class and she PASSED the PHR exam) and she’ll be assisting with the Spring class as well.

The Certification committee is always looking for new members. Some of duties of committee members could include:
• ensuring that the materials HRACI uses are the "best"
• establishing a facility to host class(es) and making arrangements with the "owner"
• finding and securing PHR/SPHR certified facilitators for the class(es) and making sure that they have all of the information the need
• coordinating and facilitating the "facilitator get together" a week or two before the class(es) start
• being onsite at the study group to take attendance, ensure the facilitator has everything he/she needs, distribute/collect surveys, answer questions, etc.--this does NOT have to be every class but a few would help!
• following up with class participants to find out what exam he/she is taking, when he/she is taking it, and if he/she passed to be used to determine the success of our class(es)
• tallying the results of the feedback survey for each unit/facilitator and communicating those back to the appropriate parties
• getting Certification information posted to the chapter via the monthly newsletter(s)

Additionally, there are many HRACI members who help the committee by serving as facilitators and those this Spring are:

• Cheryl Thomas, SPHR
• Chris Tyler, SPHR
• Dawn Williamson, PHR
• Dee Dee Deffez, PHR
• Javier Contreras, SPHR
• Jim Bennett, SPHR
• Sharon Wardrip, SPHR
• Susan Crawley, PHR
• Tina Bowles, PHR

Committee Accomplishments:

We are currently accepting registrations for our Spring class. Last Fall we had 24 HR professionals enrolled in our Fall prep class. We hope to continue our success and have a terrific pass rate!

The chart below represents our pass rates based upon the number of students

The Fall 2007 pass rates won’t be confirmed until mid-February so a listing of all those that passed will be published in the March HRACI Newsletter along with the pass rate.

The committee is always looking for volunteers. If you are interested in assisting in any capacity, please contact Jen Lange at 317-706-9531 or jennifer.lange@oldnational.com. Volunteering on a committee is just a one-year (1) commitment and will provide you the opportunity to network, meet new colleagues, and make a difference within the business community and to HRACI.

Submitted by Jennifer Lange

We are STILL looking for two (2) PHR or SPHR certified individuals to facilitate units for the study groups. If you are interested in volunteering to facilitate either of the following units – Human Resource Development or Risk Management – please contact Jennifer Lange, PHR at jennifer.lange@oldnational.com or at 317-706-9531.

Human Resource Development needs to be presented at our Northside location on Wednesday, 03-12-08 AND Risk Management needs to be presented Downtown on Tuesday, 04-15-08. All of our classes start at 6:00 pm and end no later than 8:30 pm.

There are several “benefits” for being a facilitator:

• Eligibility to count instruction/prep time toward PHR/SPHR recertification (see www.HRCI.org for details)
• A copy of the student study booklet (if requested)
• ALL facilitator materials—multiple choice study questions/answers, discussion questions/answers, and canned PowerPoint presentations (which can be edited) are provided FREE of charge from HRCP for each instructional topic (website and login/password will be distributed once facilitator is confirmed)
• Up to $50 reimbursement for materials cost, etc. (receipt required)
• On-site laptop/projector, white board, markers, etc. furnished at facility
• AND a little thank-you gift from HRACI (valued at $25)

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Submitted by Jennifer Lange

HRACI is now accepting registrations for the Spring 2008 PHR/SPHR Certification study group. There will be TWO LOCATIONS (each session will be limited to 25 participants) – One on the NORTHSIDE at Old National Insurance in Parkwood Crossing Office Complex (96th Street and College) and the other is DOWNTOWN at Indiana Business College off of Washington Street.

The DOWNTOWN group will meet on TUESDAY evenings from 6:00 pm to no later than 8:30 pm beginning on Tuesday, February 19 and ending on Tuesday, April 15. Again, the location for this group is:

Indiana Business College
550 E Washington St
Indianapolis, IN 46204


The NORTHSIDE group will meet on WEDNESDAY evenings from 6:00 pm to no later than 8:30 pm beginning on Wednesday, February 20 and ending on Wednesday, April 16. Again, the location for this group is:

Old National Insurance
600 East 96th Street
Suite 400
Indianapolis, IN 46240


Materials: Again, this Spring we’re going to be using the HRCP study materials (this is NOT the same as SHRM Learning System) which includes 6 study booklets covering each section of the exam (specifically Strategic Planning, Workforce Planning and Employment, Human Resource Development, Compensation & Benefits, Employee & Labor Relations, and Safety). Additionally, review questions and answers for each unit will be provided along with over 500 flashcards. To learn more about the HRCP materials, you can go to www.HRCP.com.

Facilitators: Certified HR professionals will facilitate each unit and will be available to answer questions and/or give you insight as to what you can expect to see on the exam.

Cost: The cost for the nine (9) week class which includes all of the materials is:

$400 = HRACI members

$525 = non-members who join HRACI for $125 (normal dues) + $400 for the class at the member rate

$650 for non-members who do not join HRACI

$25* = if you would like to have materials sent directly to your home or office

* Otherwise, you can pick up the materials on the first night of class without paying the extra $25 for shipping

Late Registrations = any registrations on/after February 3, 2008 will have a $50 late fee charged

Click here to register

Questions:
If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Lange, PHR at
jennifer.lange@oldnational.com or at 317-706-9531.

PHR/SPHR Exam Registration: You can register for the exam online at www.hrci.org. Please go to www.hrci.org to learn more about the application/exam fees, testing locations, and requirements.

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Sponsored by Conner Benefits, Inc.

Network with HR professionals in Central Indiana and enjoy a wine tasting at Easley Winery! HRACI Members can attend this event at no charge!

You will also enjoy:

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Submitted by Erin Brothers

April 17, 8:30am-1:30pm
Murat Centre
502 N. New Jersey St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204

The annual HRACI Half-day Diversity Conference will be held at the Murat this year, and with a new format. We are looking forward to a great conference, featuring three great speakers, focused on the hottest topics in diversity!

We are doing things a little different this year, in that we will have 2 morning break out sessions, and then a keynote speaker at lunch. We will also have a vendor fair, with two morning break times to visit vendors of your choice. Hopefully this format will meet your scheduling needs, and whether you can come all day, or just for the luncheon, we look forward to seeing you there on April 17.

We are currently seeking Vendors to participate in the Vendor Marketplace at this important event! The investment is $500 per Vendor and this is typically one of the best attended events of the year so don’t miss the opportunity to showcase your business!!! For more information on this or other sponsorship opportunities, please contact Patti Daniels at pdaniels@impactgroupHR.com

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January Luncheon Meeting Recap
Submitted by Susan Martin

January’s presentation, Talent Pipelines, Online Supply Chains and the Candidate Experience, by Gerry Crispin, was very informative. Staffing is a critical component of Human Resources. Competitive corporations are using staffing as a pipeline to feed their companies by implementing selection strategies where top candidates choose companies; vs. companies seeking top candidates. Knowing where the labor supply will come from and how many people are in the candidate pool is challenging for companies. Having great customer expectations is also a challenge. Is the treatment of customers better than the treatment of prospective employees? Ensuring that the hiring practice is measuring how well it is working is another challenge. The pipeline should focus on building relationships with candidates who are qualified and have applied for a position. The approach to building the pipelines can include having an E-Newsletter, alumni social network, and associations. Think about the types of experience you want to create for candidates along each part of the pipeline. A candidate will start with the career page and if open positions are appealing then fill out an application. Next, the company will determine if the applicant is qualified and then an interview takes place. The possible candidate has the potential to be lost at any step of the process. For more information visit the CareerXRoads website at www.careerxroads.com.

Meeting Sponsor:
Ameriprise Financial was January’s meeting sponsor. Ameriprise offers Workplace Financial Planning to help your employees understand and utilize their existing benefits package and improve their financial lives. For more information, please visit http://www.ameriprise.com/amp/default-refresh.asp.

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In this age of accounting scandals and corporate wrongdoing, progressive organizations are seeking ways to foster a more ethical corporate culture. The SHRM Foundation demonstrates how one organization is meeting this challenge in its new DVD, Ethics: The Fabric of Business. The video profiles Lockheed Martin, Inc. and explores their work in promoting ethics in the workplace. Thanks to your generous donations, the Foundation is able to distribute this DVD free of charge to chapters, educators and businesses. All SHRM chapter presidents received a complimentary DVD in November 2006 for use in chapter programs. A companion discussion guide and slide presentation are available on the Foundation website for use in educational presentations.

The SHRM Foundation: 40 Years of Advancing the HR Profession

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Donald Galante
Denny Darrow
Georgia Woodruff
Amber Stephenson
Jeff Remley
Tiffany Moore
Vicki Whitney
Kelle Lindenberg
Angela Johnson
David Anderson
Jay Carson, Jr.
Jennifer Aldridge
Kelly Enis
Andy Scott
Mary Messerlie
Tana Hunnicutt
Twintle Gugral

Amy Kress
Stephanie Hamelmann
Lori Priller
Diane Fry
Angie Perry
Allen Wilson
Christian Brown
Stephen Walsberger
Patricia Turner
Mark Isenberg
Vicki Noblitt
Leah Tate
Sandra Bowman
Steven Huffman
Ann Elliott
Eric Bedel
Tiffany Deer