President’s Pen
by Andrea Davis Cranfill, SPHR

Dear HRACI Members,

We need you! HRACI has several open board positions and we’re looking for great leaders to help advance our association. If you've always wanted to have the opportunity to further serve the organization by volunteering for a board position, now is the time!

We have the following positions up for election for the 2006-2007 term (2 year commitment):

• Treasurer
• Vice President of Membership
• Director of Membership
• Director of Certification
• Director of Communications
• Director of Sponsorship

If you are interested in being considered (or re-elected) to one of these positions, please complete the Board Leader form and submit along with a resume no later than October 1, 2005. The nominating committee of the Board will review all applications and recommend a slate of candidates. The membership will be notified of the slate by email and the candidates will be presented and voted on at our October monthly meeting.

Criteria for consideration:

• HRACI Member
• SHRM Member (or will join SHRM once elected)
• PHR/SPHR certification preferred
• Ability to attend monthly board meetings (2nd Thursday
  of the month at 7:30 a.m.) and monthly meetings/special programs
• Previous HRACI volunteer in some capacity preferred
• Ability to facilitate and lead a committee if position requires
• Ability to commit time to the position and the organization
• Strong leadership skills and self-starter

A brief overview of each position is listed below:

Treasurer
Serves as financial officer and advisor to the Chapter. Reviews monthly financial statements prepared by Chapter Management Professional. Understands monthly activity and investigates variances from budget. Prepares and reports upon monthly financial condition report at each Board meeting. Prepares financial statements to be posted quarterly to the chapter member’s web site. Facilitates annual financial audit. Prepares an annual budget and manages chapter reserves and investments.

Vice President – Membership
Responsible for retaining and increasing membership, overseeing and maintaining accurate member records, and developing and implementing new services for members. Champions the Association and membership throughout the community. Coordinates membership efforts with the Chapter Management Professional, which maintains the database of information on members, including providing prospective members with information on HRACI and an application for membership. Ensures renewal notices are sent to existing members each year by the Chapter Management Professional. Facilitates monthly new member orientations with the assistance of the Director of Membership. Directs efforts of the Membership Committee.

Director of Membership
Works with the Vice President of Membership in promoting and managing HRACI membership and promoting SHRM membership. Coordinates volunteer recruitment and retention efforts for the chapter. Assists with any communications that are necessary for recruitment or membership renewal. Assists with coordinating the New Member Orientation sub-committee and their efforts to orient new members.

Director of Certification
Serves as the Chapter liaison and coordinator for the SHRM certification process. Coordinates the Chapter’s study course and arranges facilitators and location. Reviews and evaluates various materials to determine appropriateness and effectiveness in preparing participants for the certification exam. Maintains learning materials, which will be utilized by Chapter membership. Promotes professional certification at Chapter meetings and in general. Directs the efforts of the Certification Committee.

Director of Communications
Responsible for providing publicity for all Chapter functions and plans and implements programs designed to advance the objectives of the Chapter. Works with the Chapter Management Professional to maintain the HRACI web site. Provide timely announcements to news media regarding HRACI activities and events. Writes and distributes press releases to recognize Chapter member achievements. Responsible for the content of the Chapter’s monthly e-newsletter. Directs the efforts of the Communications Committee.

Director of Sponsorship
Responsible for planning and implementing programs designed to advance the financial objectives of the organization. Solicits sponsorship leads from the Board, the membership, and the community. Makes recommendations to the Board regarding sponsorship and advertising, including rates and packages. Contacts sponsors and coordinates their involvement in events. Maintains Vendor Marketplace on website. Coordinates with other Board members regarding the status of sponsorship and advertising.

So, if you're interested, we'd love to hear from you. Again, simply complete the Board Leader form (available online at http://hraci.com/HRACIcallforcandidates.htm) and send along with your resume no later than October 1st. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Andrea Davis Cranfill, President, at 317.229.3096 or president@hraci.org.

Andrea Davis Cranfill,
President-HRACI

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As we roll into fall, we know that the end of the year is not far behind and that the time has come to renew your membership with HRACI. As you may recall, your HRACI membership is based on a calendar year. Those of you who joined HRACI in 2004 or prior, it will soon be time to pay your 2006 dues. For those of you that joined in 2005, your new member fee covers you through December 2006.

One other process that starts during this time of year is planning for 2006. The board has discussed many new things that we would like to introduce or improve in 2006. Specifically, the board of HRACI plans to enhance the many services and opportunities you expect with the following:

• Earning recertification credits by offering more 'HRCI Approved' meetings
• Providing additional networking events above and beyond our regular monthly meetings
• Bringing in one or two national speakers to monthly meetings
• Enhancing the content of our website
• Forming additional special interest groups (HR Consultants SIG coming in 2006!)

In order to serve the professional and advance the profession, we are seeking your support. For 2006, we have increased our rewewal fee to $75. This will enable your local HR organization to continue providing a strong value for the membership and defray ever increasing expenses.

We plan to have an exciting year so please join us! Watch for information on your individual renewal to come via email in the next week or so.

VP of Membership                   Director of Membership
Rog Greenawalt                       Helena Masters

by: Tammy Goins, HRACI Communications Committee

We are all very aware of the devastation that has recently occurred with Hurricane Katrina. As a result, emergency preparedness is again on the minds of many HR professionals these days, as safety and security often fall into our vast bucket of responsibilities. Every business is susceptible to some type of emergency that may adversely affect our employees, our customers, and/or our business. A comprehensive disaster plan is the key to a swifter recovery when an emergency occurs. According to the American Red Cross, no business should risk operating without a disaster plan. It reports that as many as 40% of small businesses do not reopen after a major disaster like a flood, tornado or earthquake. These shuttered businesses were unprepared for a disaster; they had no plan or backup systems.

It can be overwhelming to know where to start when it comes to planning for unforeseen, and many times, unthinkable events. When you start to develop your disaster plan, think broad and consider the following: human resources, physical resources and business continuity. Think about how a disaster could affect your employees, customers and workplace. Think about how you could continue doing business if the area around your facility is closed or streets are impassable. Think about what you would need to serve your customers even if your facility is closed.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has published a guide to help businesses develop their own emergency management plan. To download the "Emergency Management Guide for Business and Industry," follow the link to: http://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/bizindst.pdf

Attention HRACI Members! We welcome your suggestions regarding future article content, so please send your comments to: editor@hraci.org. Read anything good lately? If you run across an HR-related article that you think is outstanding and would like to share it with your fellow HRACI Members, we would love to include it in the newseltter. Simply cut and paste the article into an email and send it to the address mentioned above. Please include your name and contact information.

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Engaging Employees in the Health Benefit Discussion
by Kelly Brown

Bryan K. Brenner, CEO of Benefit Associates, presented a session on Engaging Employees in the Health Benefit Discussion.

He focused on three areas: What are employers facing today and why? What can employers do? How do you engage the C-level executives?

Brenner started off by stating that the U.S. spends 15% of its Gross Domestic Product on healthcare. In 1960, healthcare expenses accounted for 5% of the Federal Budget and in 2000, that figure grew to more than 13%.

What are employers facing today? Healthcare rates are on the rise due to people that are uninsured, medical errors, lack of information on quality and costs, and America’s sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy behaviors.

What is an employer to do? First and foremost, create awareness among employees of plan options and educate your workforce on their own healthcare needs and choices.

Some common trends among employers are to increase rates for employee portion premiums, restrict eligibility or drop healthcare coverage entirely.

Other options for employers include:

• Are your PPO discounts all that they can be?
• Are your employees getting true pharmacy discounts?
• Change the employee contribution mix.
• Inject consumerism – provide plans that give employees choices in selecting services tailored to their specific situation.
• Create a financial stake in staying healthy.
• Preventative benefits.
• Tax savings options – Flex. Spending Accounts, HSA’s, HRA’s

Brenner stated that “Benefit design and delivery is a science and an art”.

Education is the key to employees taking notice in their healthcare plan and their own well-being. Some examples of steps employers can take in assisting their employees include:

• Provide access to online information resources
• “Lunch and learn” sessions – a chance for employers to hear about health related topics
• Face to face open enrollment meetings – communicating benefits plays a crucial role in boosting retention and productivity
• Benefit statements – provides a personalized statement for each employee that shows the true cost of their benefits

Engaging the C-Level Executives was conducted by Pam Bales, also from Benefit Associates.

Bales gave some examples of how she worked with the C-Suite of executives at a prior company to look at benefit plans and changes.

She started off by listing some characteristics of both a C-level executive (primarily CEO’s and CFO’s) and an HR person.

C-Level                                        HR            
Cautious                                      Enthusiastic
Skeptical                                     Persuasive
Accurate                                      Trusting
Decisive                                       “Feelers”

The main strategy that Ms. Bales recommended was to mirror and match HR’s language to that of the C-Level executives.

Be cautious – slow down; devise a risk-adverse strategy.
Skeptical – question your data, then question it again.
Accuracy – Do we have the knowledge to be accurate with our assumptions?
Decisive – HR needs to be determined about its recommendations and stand ready to defend its choices based on facts, not “feeling”.

Mr. Brenner wrapped up the session with a brief discussion about the four determinants to healthcare and wellness: environment, behavior, genetics, and access to healthcare.

Annual Benefits Update
by: Terri Ryckaert, HRACI Director of Communications

Bob Miller, Senior Consultant with Gregory & Appel Insurance, presented his Annual Benefits Update during the HRACI September meeting.

Miller acknowledged a number of changes to the healthcare system since his last benefits presentation to HRACI in 2004. Health care costs continue to increase, HIPAA rules have been updated, Medicare Part D will be effective January 1, 2006 and flex spending account rules have been changed, to name a few. Regarding flex spending, employers have the option of extending the grace period in order to allow employees an additional two months and 15 days to use their flex spending benefits after year end.

Why are healthcare costs increasing so rapidly? Miller explained that the insurance companies are attributing increased costs to medical errors, poor quality care and physician compensation incentives. According to a Mercer National Health Care Survey shared by Miller, the average total health care cost for active employees has increased by 45% in the last ten years.

Miller stated that the problem is that our healthcare system is broken. When reviewing the statistics on the state of the US population health, Miller cited that 66% are obese, 28% are inactive, 23% smoke, 36% have high stress and we have an aging population as 22% are older than 55. The state of Indiana does not fair well compared to other states, as Indiana is in the bottom quarter in terms of overall health.

Miller shared strategies on what needs to happen to work toward fixing the system. A few strategies include promoting wellness programs, informing our employees about health care costs and changing the way we approach health care. Further details are included on Miller’s PowerPoint presentation.

Miller also discussed Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA). He stated that if employers are considering either of these options they should communicate before implementing. Employers need to engage their employees and give them the tools. (Click here for Power Point presentation)

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Ana Aguiar joined HRACI while an intern at HR Dimensions. Ana has since graduated from IUPUI but while she was a student she found HRACI membership provided her networking opportunities. The monthly meetings she attended were an opportunity for her to talk with HR professionals directly and hear from speakers about HR best practices.

Lee Madis, a current IUPUI student, finds local meetings to be informative with presentations that are valuable for students. This semester he is taking a compensation class and is looking forward to the upcoming HRACI half-day seminar on that topic.

Janet Nusbaum became an HRACI student member over a year ago while attending IUPUI. She joined for the networking opportunities and to talk to those in HR. She also attended last year’s SHRM state conference in Indianapolis and thought is was very valuable to be able to attend as an HRACI member.

If you know of any students or upcoming graduates that may be interested in HRACI membership, let them know more information is available on our web site at www.hraci.com/HRACImembership.htm or by phone at 317-841-3236.

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If you are a new member who has not had the opportunity to attend a member orientation, there are two more planned for the remainder of the year. Orientation sessions for new members will take place before the November monthly meetings. So mark your calendar for November 17th from 11:00 to 11:30 to learn more about HRACI as a new member.

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The SHRM Foundation book, Making Mergers Work, is making headlines! Based on a joint study with Towers Perrin on the role of human resources in mergers and acquisitions, the book clearly demonstrates that HR's early strategic involvement in the M&A process directly impacts its chances of success. If your organization is planning a merger, be sure to pick up your copy of Making Mergers Work, the Strategic Importance of People from the SHRMStore. The book provides detailed information on how HR can add value at every stage of the M&A process. A review in Soundview says "this book gives [HR] the tools necessary for creating careful planning and implementation, realistic expectations, and consistent, well-conceived communication with employees." Visit the SHRMStore to order your copy.

The SHRM Foundation: Investing in Your Future as an HR Leader

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Special Human Resource Informal "Get-Together" on Thursday at Jillian's Downtown

What: Human Resource and related folks meet, talk, and enjoy a drink or two. They are providing free appetizers and players card points for the group.

Why: Just a place and time for HR and guests to “get away” for a bit. No planned agenda or presentations, just casual discussion, advise, war stories, or just relax and network.

Who: You and any guest(s) you want to bring along!

When: 6:00 PM Thursday, October 13, at Jillian’s downtown, 141 S. Meridian St. 822-0689. Ask for the HR group. (Location will change each time we meet) Call me if you have any questions. See you there!

Contact Greg Medcalf, 317-788-6890, ext. 257 with any questions.

For more information, visit: www.bestplacestoworkIN.com or click this link http://www.indianachamber.com/specialevents/bptwinshrm.htm

Linda J. Maradol
Cheryl Schaefer
Katie Richman
Therese Howe
Ellen Humphrey
Latrica Schooley
Cleanne Sampson
Lisa Allen
Joann Minnich
Michael Atkins