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

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You are invited to the SHRM North Central Region Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, October 8, 2008, beginning at 9:30 am in Indianapolis. You will join fellow HR professionals, SHRM volunteer leaders from the North Central Region and senior SHRM staff for this exclusive, invitation-only town hall event.

China Gorman Miner, will give an update on SHRM's current activities and future direction. You'll hear about:

* SHRM Education and Programming
* Review of SHRM's Key Initiatives
* SHRM's Legislative Agenda
* Financial State of the Society
* Visibility in the C-suite for HR

Ms. Miner will also address your questions. The town hall is your opportunity to help us identify what SHRM can do to better serve you and advance your needs as an HR professional-so come prepared with questions!

Following the update and Q&A, you will engage in a roundtable discussion with your fellow SHRM members, where you can share your views and suggestions for SHRM and for the HR profession.

Below are all the event details.

North Central Region Town Hall Meeting
October 8, 2008, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm

Location:
Marriott Indianapolis Downtown
350 West Maryland Street
Indianapolis, IN 46225
(317) 822-3500

Schedule:
9:30 am - 10:00 am - Networking and Registration
10:00 am - 11:15 am - SHRM Update and Q&A with China Gorman Miner
11:15 am - 12:30 pm - Roundtable Discussions

Register:
To register for this exclusive, complimentary event and to obtain general event information, visit www.shrm.org/townhall .
Registration is online only. Space is limited. Reservations will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Questions? Contact the SHRM Customer Service Center at (800)
283-7476 (US); +1 (703) 548-3440 (International); TTY/TDD: (703) 548-6499; e-mail: shrm@shrm.org.

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HRACI October Meeting

This meeting will take place during the Indiana Chamber of Commerce Workplace Harassment Seminar

Beast Management - Uncommon Conflict Resolution with Tough Critters

This session will provide unique, non-traditional and highly effective methods for managing conflict with the most insufferable and obstreperous people in the workplace, particularly after reasonable approaches have failed.

HR professionals recognize that mediation, negotiation and other “let’s be reasonable” approaches to workplace conflict often fails with intimidating, manipulative or mean-spirited people (i.e., “beasts”). Dealing with these “tough critters” requires innovative, high-impact tactics that neutralize the psychological power wielded by vexatious people.

Participants will learn:

1. Critical leverage points with tough critters.
2. The "finesse" approach to conflict.
3. Psychological Aikido.
4. Mentally disarming adversaries.
5. Managing specific types of "beasts".

About the Speaker:
Philip Chard is President & CEO of NEAS, Inc., a global EAP, Work/Life and management consultation firm serving over 300 companies representing 1.6 million lives. He writes an award-winning weekly column in the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL titled "Out of My Mind" and is author of The Healing Earth, which won the 1995 Midwest Publishers Award. Philip is a contributing writer to Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul and has been a guest expert on ABC Television's 20/20. Over the previous 3 years, he has been rated among the top 10 speakers at the National SHRM conference. He holds a master's degree in counseling psychology and taught behavioral sciences at Michigan State University for 7 years, where he received an Outstanding Faculty Award.

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.

This monthly meeting will take place during the Indiana Chamber of Commerce Workplace Harassment Seminar. To register for the entire conference please visit the Chamber's website here.

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

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• Employee Referral – payout, how to handle internal employee referrals.
• SME’s
• No magic bullet
• 24/7 effort
• Online resources: LinkedIn, associations, and professional organizations
• Brand name: best places to work
• Culture: employee recognition programs – Snow Cone sessions
• Intern programs – feed in to recruitment efforts
• Unsolicited resumes
• Business cards- everywhere!
• Personal network

• Offering equipment for working outside of the office
• Providing “back-up plans” when the employee is out of the office
• Move from indirect ownership (project manager) to team ownership
• Figuring out a flextime schedule that works for the employee, employer, and the “client”
• Making work/life balance part of daily conversations with management
• Wellness program offered AND SUPPORTED
• Holding management staff accountable – “Live and enforce the policy”
• Involvement in the community is supported (no PTO is taken; entire company gets involved)
• Concierge program:
  • Dinner by Design
  • Dry cleaning services
  • Papa Murphy’s pizza service
  • Postage available
  • Massage services
  • My Car Doc – oil change service on-site
  • Weight watchers on site
  • Work is part of peoples’ lives – give their work value and recognition

• Designate someone to be “in charge of” diversity (preferably a high-level employee) – ideally Vice President Level so accountability for other managers
• Develop an inclusion program – retention being the goal.
• Recruit at minority colleges & minority organizations
• Form partnerships with minority organizations
• Networking forum and webinars
• Use technology as a way to reach your demographic
• Diversity targets different age groups as well
• Mandatory management training on diversity expectations. Also, classes to teach about different cultures, values and generations. Take the temperature of your organization to see where training is needed the most
• Focus on what we have in COMMON! AND appreciate the differences.
• Metrics – show improvements from year to year.
• Mentoring programs for minority/female new hires
• Multicultural alliance (may be more effective in a larger company)
• Marketing materials should include diversity (in photos, etc.), which reflects on who you are hiring.
• Hire recruiters in major metro areas to focus on diverse recruiting.
• Sponsor events for diverse groups.
• Be strategic about propaganda. Make sure you let employees know why diversity is good. (diverse teams are more productive)
• Local government is a resource! (IN.gov)

1. bonus programs
2. stability of company
3. websites
4. networking sites (LinkedIn; smaller Indiana)
5. Management training to find employees
6. benefit packages
7. leveraging outside relationships
8. community outreach (service; United Way campaigns)
9. creative/flexible work schedules
10. professional development programs (“emerging leaders”; tuition programs)

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Submitted by Angie Ritz, PHR

HRACI has some exciting initiatives in the works for the rest of 2008 into 2009. This month starts our renewal drive for 2009. Remember, your renewal is only $90 for a year full of exciting programs and opportunities in 2009. We will have one drawing at the December 11th annual holiday program for those who have renewed through December 8th. Two additional drawings will be held at the January program for those who renew by December 31st. The prizes will be one free luncheon meeting – a $25 value (1/2 day programs excluded), an HRACI shirt and a $25 gas card. Be sure to get your renewal in before the end of the year to qualify for these drawings!

Along with renewals, beginning in October 2008, we will be giving incentives to HRACI members who refer others who join HRACI. For your first referral you will immediately receive a $5 Starbucks card. Referrals will be tracked through December of 2009 and a monetary reward will be given at the end of the year for your total referrals. The reward increases in value for each referral you get. Your first referral will be $10, the second $15, the third $25, the fourth $30 and the fifth will receive a $50 gift card. Any referrals beyond 5 will be rewarded with an additional $5 for each referral. So someone who refers 5 members to join HRACI could come away with a total of $130. These will be American Express cards so you can use them anywhere or even deposit them into your own bank. We hope everyone will be motivated to share with non-members the benefits that HRACI offers. And be sure the joining members note your name as the referrer on their membership application.

How long have you been a member of HRACI? We value your commitment to this organization and would like to recognize those individuals who have been members of HRACI for 5 years or more. Watch for more details in the coming months.

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• Access to students via a poster session and networking lunch
• Description of faculty expertise in IT related disciplines
• List of Purdue IT related centers and institutes

• Repeal of Sutton v. UAL's core rulings
• Removal of language saying those with disabilities are a minority, and defining disability in a vast, all-encompassing way, that could apply ADA protections to many, many previously uncovered individuals.
  an Effective date of January 1, 2009
• The ADAAA militates in favor of employers taking a new approach to things like reasonable accommodations, in order to manage the new risks imposed by the new law.

Click here to view the entire Act.

Theresa Bearsley
Bobbie Shreiner
Rebecca Schembre
Tammy Goodyear
Julie Knapp
Maria Torning
Diane Sadowitz
Pamela Norman

Steven Johnson
Holly Baker Cunha
Angela Hill
Teresa Packard
Kelly Watson
Norman York
Emily Morris
Yasamin Dahlstrom