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2017 State Conference Agenda

    Wednesday - May 3, 2017

    11am - 5pm - Registration

    1pm - 1:45pm - Welcome  - Lt. Governor Matt Michels

    1:45pm - 3pm - Keynote Speaker  - Malcom Chapman  

    “The Five Powers of Leadership/Management” - People are hungry for exciting and meaningful work. As employment expectations evolve, the work experience changes from “me” to “we.” Individuals at all levels of public and private organizations take risks and make decisions. Teamwork and imagination are the rule, not the exception. Diverse teams learn to adapt, embrace, and move forward from change. This is the hard work of being a world-class organization. The result is a seamless experience for internal and external constituents.

    3pm - 3:30pm - Break/Vendors

    3:30pm - 4:30pm - Breakout Sessions 

    Malcom Chapman – Driving Lessons for Life

    When people ask me, “How are you doing?” my response is, “He is eighteen.” The “he” is my son who, has gone from dreaming of driving to having his own vehicle. In teaching him how to drive I’ve paid attention and learned valuable lessons from this experience. “Lessons” is a roadmap for leadership in the workplace for Human Resource professionals. It uses the narrative of a teenager learning to drive, and the lessons shared by a father to his son.

    Deb Nelson – New Workforce in a Rural Culture:  Harmony or Conflict?

    Successfully accomplishing any kind of change can be very difficult in a rural area and just as difficult in a business that operates in a rural area. People have strong feelings about traditions, social-orientation, and historical values. Understanding and identifying the strong values that exist within any rural culture will make it easier for changing businesses, changing traditions, and a new workforce to be accepted. *Approved for 1.0 HRCI Business Credit!*

    4:30pm - 6pm - State Council Meeting

    6pm - 7:30pm - Evening Social


    Thursday – May 4, 2017

    8am - Registration/Breakfast/Vendors

    8:15am - 8:30am - Welcome – Mayor Laurie Gill

    8:30am - 10am - Keynote Speaker - Brenda Clark Hamilton

    “Recalculating!  Skills for When Life’s GPS Takes an Unexpected Turn” - We’ve all experienced that moment when, traveling our journey of life, the road takes a sudden, unexpected turn, and our life’s GPS announces, “Recalculating!”  For most of us, these sharp turns are laden with a certain discomfort or even dread of what might lie ahead.  This fun, upbeat, and interactive session is chock-full of practical, take-home strategies, based on current research into how to face times of uncertainty with strength, wisdom, and creativity. The next time your life’s GPS announces, “Recalculating!” you’ll be looking forward to the opportunity, not anticipating the worst. 

    10am - 10:30am - Break/Vendors 

    10:30am - 11:45am - Breakout Sessions

    Brenda Clark Hamilton - Toxic Individual in the Workplace 

    How Can We Protect Ourselves? - More and more research has been conducted in recent years on the significant, negative impact that so-called “toxic individuals” have on workplaces.  These employees are so difficult to work with, and so dysfunctional in their behaviors, that they render their entire team incapable of functioning effectively.  We’ll start this engaging session by identifying red flags to watch for in identifying potentially toxic employees.  We’ll then work into several take-home strategies that we, as Human Resources professionals, can implement at the organizational, team and individual organizational level, to create strong and healthy workplace cultures where toxic employees are not allowed to thrive.

    Fran Sepler – The Fairness Quotient and Why it Matters

    Employers inevitably make decisions that make employees unhappy, whether it’s acting on investigative findings, making strategic decisions, or deciding who gets promoted. In these matters, the gold standard is perceived fairness. A high “fairness quotient” means employee trust, resilience and engagement, while low “FQ” can result in negative behavior, sabotage and legal claims. This session provides HR professionals with new ways to talk to management about the importance of fairness and ways to increase organizational FQ.

    11:45am - 12:45pm - Lunch/Vendors - SHRM Updates

    1pm - 2:30pm - Keynote Speaker - Bob Sutton

    "Motivation" - This session will focus on motivation, but will examine what motivating       people really means.  In order to motivate, you must be a leader who people are willing to follow or listen to.  You must have the capacity to move others forward so building your own capacity is critical.  It is also important to build the capacity of those around you.  Working together to set goals and getting buy-in from others is a necessity.  Finally, motivating others is all about relating to them and what fills their bucket.  They will only be motivated to do things if they see a purpose and improvement as a result.

    2:30pm - 3pm - Break/Vendors

    3pm - 4:15pm - Breakout Sessions

    Fran Sepler – World Class Employment Investigations 

    Employment Investigations can be evaluated three ways: 1) Was it legally defensible? 2) Did it implement best practices and 3) Did it help or hinder employee engagement?  This session will focus on techniques and tactics to ensure that the answer to all three questions are “yes.”  Participants will receive customizable templates and forms to ensure their investigations stand up under scrutiny.  Interviewing and communication strategies to build trust in process and increase perceptions of fairness will also be covered.

    Jean Bender - Employee Handbook & Best Practices

    Employee handbooks—like hyperactive toddlers—need constant attention.  As one of the employer’s most important risk management and communication tools, the employee handbook should inform managers and employees of the employer’s policies and procedures, guide consistent management practices, and prevent legal exposure.  To accomplish these goals, the policies and procedures described in the employee handbook need to be current, compliant with applicable law, and consistently followed.  Join us for a mad dash through the wild and wonderful world of employee handbooks and learn valuable tips to not only make your life easier but provide your company maximum protection from employment claims. 

    Richard W. Pins & Matthew Tews – Labor Law Updates for Non-Union Employers

    The presentation will provide updates on significant labor law changes that primarily affect and present challenges to non-union employers, including: the realities of ‘ambush’ elections that make it much easier for unions to organize non-union facilities; the NLRB’s ‘joint employer’ standard; the NLRB’s assault on employee handbooks and other company policies. The presenters will offer HR professionals strategies for getting ahead of the NLRB’s aggressive, pro-labor agenda by countering with positive employee relations practices.

    4:30pm - 5:30pm - “Ask an Attorney” Social Hour 

    Jean Bender, James Marsh, Matthew Tews, and Richard W. Pins will be available for individual questions.

    6pm - Dinner/Entertainment - Featuring the all-request Dueling Duo (a BRAND NEW act!)


    Friday – May 5, 2017

    8:00am - 8:30am - DLR Job Services: Essential for Your Workforce Success

    8:30am - 9:45am - Breakout Sessions

    Juli Burney - Across the Ages – Generational Attitudes

    With the highest number of generations in the workplace at once, there can be some miscommunication. This presentation gives each generation the tools to educate themselves on the differences of generations and improve generational communication and teamwork in the workplace.

    Bridging the Wellness Gap - Dr. Bob McIntosh, HealthSource

    9:45am - 10am - Break

    10am - 11:30am - Keynote Speaker - Juli Burney 

    “Leading with Levity” With the rapidly changing landscape of today’s business world it is important for all H.R. personnel to be the most effective communicators possible. Diversity is at the heart of each organization with a staff that encompasses different generations, genders, ethnic backgrounds and value systems. Navigating the new normal can be made much more successful with the right attitude and respect for our differences. The H.R. department can lead the rest of the staff with good humor and good outcomes with the understanding that their own approach to communication can make all the difference.

    11:30am - Closing Remarks