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

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HRACI is partnering with the Indy Partnership to provide this data and we encourage our members to participate as we continue to position our organization as "the voice of HR in Central Indiana”.

INDIANAPOLIS (August 27, 2008) - When companies consider relocating or expanding their facilities, they require detailed information about the workforce and cost of doing business from corporations currently operating in the area. The cost of doing business including employee compensation and benefits, union representation and more is a critical decision-making factor in securing new jobs and investment in the Indianapolis region.

The Indy Partnership collects and analyzes these data, but never releases confidential information on individual companies-not even contact information.

The Indy Partnership Employer Survey is available now at www.iredp.com/survey.

"Companies considering adding new facilities and new jobs in our region expect us to supply a great deal of information about current employers and they expect it to be up-to-date," said Ron Gifford, President and CEO of The Indy Partnership. "This online tool will make it quicker and easier for companies to respond to our information needs, and for us to analyze the results," he said.

There is also a value-added benefit for employers who participate in the survey. The Indianapolis Star has a GIS business finder tool on its website that utilizes data provided by The Indy Partnership. It is also common for The Indy Partnership to receive media inquiries about employers and employer issues and we routinely refer media to those companies that have participated in our survey.

About The Indy Partnership
The Indy Partnership is a privately-funded, not-for-profit organization dedicated to bringing new jobs and capital investment to the Indianapolis Region-10 central Indiana counties including Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Morgan, Monroe, and Shelby counties. Working collaboratively with local economic development officials, government, universities, and the business community, the Indy Partnership secures the Indianapolis Region relocation of companies through superior economic development services. Key services include point of contact for business development leads, incentives assistance, business research and demographic data, and regional marketing. For more information please visit www.indypartnership.com.

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I’m pleased to inform you that the Society for Human Resource Management today announced the appointment of its next President and CEO. Laurence (Lon) O’Neil, formerly with Kaiser Permanente, has accepted the position and will begin his tenure with SHRM on October 1, 2008. Until Lon assumes his new position, China Gorman, SHRM’s COO, will continue to serve as acting president and CEO.

Lon is an accomplished business leader with more than 28 years dedicated to the HR profession. His HR expertise ranges from compensation and benefits to executive leadership development, staffing and training.

At Kaiser Permanente, a $40 billion not-for-profit health organization with 158,000 employees, Lon served as chief human resources officer. In this position, he developed and led a corporate-wide reorganization of the company’s HR programs to improve service and performance for employees nationwide.

Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente, Lon was a Managing Partner with Heidrick & Struggles, a premier provider of senior-level executive search and leadership consulting services. He also held several leadership positions at Bank of America, including executive vice president and chief human resources officer the last seven years of his tenure.

He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Villanova and a master’s degree from the University of New Mexico.

While there were hundreds of strong candidates interested in the position, the SHRM Board concluded unanimously that Lon possesses the right combination of HR, business and global experience to lead SHRM and the HR profession to new heights. I encourage all of you to give him a warm SHRM welcome.

The Society and the HR profession have experienced remarkable growth and many achievements during the past several years. With the appointment of Lon, I believe we are positioned for even greater long-term success and an exciting future.

Best to you all,

Janet N. Parker, SPHR
SHRM Board Chair

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Submitted by: Eric Mellendorf

“Creative Recruiting and Retention Strategies”
“ What can we do to attract the hires we want?”
“ What can we do to keep the employees we need?”

These are the questions that keep us challenged (and sometimes awake at night). And, depending on how we answer them, they’re the questions that bring us accolades or headaches.

Obviously, the answers are subject to all sorts of variables, from an organization’s industry, location, purpose, reputation, structure, and so on, to each department’s function and character, and to each individual’s needs and desires.

All of these variables have led to a continuing barrage of innovative ideas for employee recruitment and retention – from how candidates are sourced to how they are wooed and to how valued employees are enticed to remain within organizations.

What relatively new recruitment and retention ideas are now in practice? What is your company doing that most others are not? What’s differentiating companies from their competitors in the recruitment marketplace? What retention tactics are keeping employees in winning organizations? What strategies have your peers found most effective?

Join us for an interactive session during which you and your peers share innovative ideas and approaches to recruitment and retention. Recruiters, other HR professionals, hiring managers, and all other key stakeholders are welcome. We guarantee you’ll walk away with at least two ideas you can consider for implementation in your organization, or we’ll give you your money back!

Residence Inn Marriott on the Canal and Hoaglin’s Catering are our gracious sponsors for this event.

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HRACI September Meeting

Please note the different day and time for this meeting!

Many organizations are undergoing significant change – some of it is even planned! It is not uncommon that change initiatives achieve mediocre results or fail. Delays occur due to politics, lack of planning, unforeseen issues, or other reasons which increase the overall costs. According to one study, businesses spend more money on the change than the change ends up providing. This session will highlight change management best practices and attitudes tending to facilitate productive organizational change. The point is to facilitate greater economic value faster by effectively developing, deploying, and aligning the company’s assets. Topics include:

The program will be action & decision-oriented utilizing foundational knowledge and theory, practical application, and personal and collective reflection. The method of delivery is computer-supported, team-based, experiential and collaborative learning. Participants will develop / hone skills.

Learning Objectives:

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

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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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Don’t Sabotage Your Job Search
August 28, 2008

Seasoned executives and recent college graduates alike are feeling the effects of the slow job market. If you find yourself in the position of having to look for a new job, make sure you take the proper steps to ensure your search stays on track.

The numbers are telling: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the unemployment rate rose to 5.7 percent and the number of unemployed people rose to 8.8 million in July. Over the past year, the number of unemployed people has increased by 1.6 million and the unemployment rate has risen by 1 percent, according to the BLS.

The bureau also notes that during the second quarter of 2008, employers laid off 299,886 employees, the highest level for the second quarter since 2003. Moreover, the total number of layoffs increased year over year by 21,167.

To read the entire article, click here: http://www.diversityinc.com/public/4195.cfm

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Submitted by Jennifer Lange, PHR

HRACI is now accepting registrations for the Fall 2008 PHR/SPHR Certification study group. There will be TWO LOCATIONS (each session will be limited to 25 participants) – one will be DOWNTOWN at the Indiana Business College (near the intersection of Washington and East Street) and one on the NORTHSIDE at Somerset CPAs in the River Crossing Office Complex (Keystone-at-the-Crossing near the Marriott hotel).

Locations:
The DOWNTOWN group will meet on TUESDAY evenings from 6:00 pm to no later than 8:30 pm beginning on Tuesday, September 23* and ending on Tuesday, November 11. The classes will meet at:

Indiana Business College
550 East Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204

* The first downtown class will actually be on Wednesday, September 17 and will meet at the northside location because IBC will be closed for Fall break.

The NORTHSIDE group will meet on WEDNESDAY evenings from 6:00 pm to no later than 8:30 pm beginning on Wednesday, September 17 and ending on Wednesday, November 12. The classes will meet at:

Somerset CPAs
3925 River Crossing Parkway
First Floor
Indianapolis, IN 46240

Materials:
Again, this Fall we’re going to be using the Human Resource Certification Program (HRCP) study materials (this is NOT the same as SHRM Learning System) which includes six (6) study booklets covering each section of the exam (specifically Strategic Planning, Workforce Planning and Employment, Human Resource Development, Total Rewards (Compensation & Benefits), Employee & Labor Relations, and Risk Management).

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 visit www.hrcp.com.

Facilitators:
PHR/SPHR 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 (and includes a $50 late fee for registrations on/after September 1st) is:

$450 = HRACI members
$575 = non-members who join HRACI for $125 (normal dues) + $400 for the class at the member rate
$700 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

Anyone who registers on September 1 or after will be charged a $50 late fee in addition to the amounts listed above.

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:

To register for the actual PHR or SPHR exam, please visit www.hrci.org and get registered! NOTE – You need to register before October 10, 2008 to avoid paying a late fee!

Exam Eligibility:

To check eligibility requirements for the PHR or SPHR exam, please visit www.hrci.org

Click on the Certification tab > 2008 PHR/SPHR/GPHR Handbook > Applying for the Exam > Eligibility Requirements

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We need your assistance! HRACI is searching for a venue downtown that could be used for 3-6 monthly luncheons per year. If you are aware of a location that meets the criteria listed below and would be a good site for our meetings, please contact Stacy at 469-4141 of the Programs Committee.

• Room can hold up to 230 people
• Provide flexibility to either bring in our own AV equipment or utilize existing PA System (projection screen, projector, speakers, microphone, etc.)
• Catering options
• Complimentary or low cost parking
• Room is set up so members can hear and see speakers
  

On behalf of the Programs Committee, we appreciate your insight and look forward to your response.

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Christine Elefson
Julie Laing
Chasity Gouard
Sarita Hammonds
Suzannah Wilson Overholt
Stacey Ursini
Irene Lange
Lori Hutchens
Donna Jinks
Jill Guion

Megan Seeman
Lisa Fishback
Janice Ceresa
John Rowe
Katy McShane
Mel Kleinert
Tracy Kilburn
Diane Moss-Wilson
Timothy Ward