ILSHRM Capitol Visit 2013… a Great Success

Today's post is from Brian Spencer. He is our intern this semester at ILSHRM as well as RogersHR Consulting.  He will be graduating this May from UIS with a degree in Management and focused on beginning a new career in HR.  He has been a tremendous asset to us in promoting the Advocacy Program here in the state and help coordinate projects for the upcoming Legislative Conference this April.  Connect with him on Linkedin

We had a fantastic group of HR folks travel down to the State Capitol Building this year!  This is the fourth year that we have had our spring conference and capitol visit and the first year that it has rained so I guess we should count our blessings.  Everyone took the weather in stride.  Some car pooled over the few blocks and some of us walked with umbrellas as the rain started to lighten up; falling gently but steadily down rather than sideways.  We met in the rotunda for a few group pictures before descending on our individual local official’s offices.  Many of us even used the tunnel, connecting the Capitol building to the Stratton building next door, for the very first time!

Those who visited the Illinois Statehouse as part of the Legislative Conference

We had our plan of attack ready before we left the conference.  For those of us who knew our official’s names we looked up their office numbers for those that did not we were able to look up our district and get the information we needed.  Then we had a quick debriefing on how to get around the facilities and to best introduce ourselves.  Then we set out wielding our fact sheets and business cards in hopes of meeting with our elected officials.  (Appointments are rather difficult to get more than a few days in advance when the legislators are in session here in Springfield.  Their schedules are much more flexible while at the local offices, but then you don’t have the opportunity to see the legal process in action!)  For some, it was our first time to see the state legislature in session, since our fourth-grade field trip to the Capitol - or ever.  Others were able to help direct traffic because of their familiarity with the facility.  It was fascinating to sit in the gallery and observe the bills being debated and voted upon.  I can’t promise that every bill is exciting as the scenes in the recent movie Lincoln, but it is a tremendous learning experience nonetheless. 

I loved hearing so many great stories coming from those that participated in the experience.  It is great to have so many of us to share in the excitement of the day together.  Overwhelmingly, the experiences were quite positive in dealings with the staff as well as some who were able to meet with their legislators that day!  We hope to be sharing some of those success stories in the weeks ahead.  I expect that several of us will have the opportunity to continue these new relationships in the local offices in the months ahead.  As those relationships begin to flourish, we will have more capacity to help educate our legislators in the world of HR and offer our unique perspectives into how potential legislation can impact our businesses and our workforce.  My hope is that by this time next year we will have even more of us to help lead the way for the others who are joining the wave of Advocacy for the first time.  If you have an interest in getting involved

with your local legislators click here and we will get some basic information to you to help equip you to make an impact where you live and work.

Proud like a Papa

My  guess is that anyone who is looking at this is probably at the stage in their life where they have either had a hand in raising some children or are in the process of doing so now.  In doing so, you have the opportunity to watch that child grow - learn - mature and hopefully become a fine  young person.  While along the way you see some low points and also some flashes of brilliance.

As a long time SHRM volunteer I have seen many efforts put forth by volunteers at the local, state and national level.  Like the child, some of the efforts lack some luster, while other shine. Well recently I had the chance to be a part of one of those memorable events.  It is like this; do you remember your child's first hit in baseball, first goal in soccer or hockey, their best game in basketball or the game winning stuff to win a volleyball game.  As you reflect on them, they return with fond memories - and you think I did ok with that child. Well earlier this month I saw one of those flashes of brilliance not from my child but via my local SHRM Chapter and the State Council of SHRM.

Donna Rogers, Cathy Plouzek, Moderator Penny McCarty,
Dave Ryan and J. Reed Roestler. (EEOC Panel  L to R)

On April 10 and April 11, the CIC-SHRM Chapter and the Illinois State Council of SHRM collaborated to put on the 7th (I think) Annual Legislative Conference.   In the past, I feel they haven't always gone as well as we would have like them to go. The attendance wasn't what we wanted it to be, the post events did not turn out as we had hoped. There were suffice it to say, some disappointments. It wasn't bad, some of us had  had hoped for more - kind of like your kid grounding out when he was up to bat, he put the ball in play, but didn't get on base.

Well this year our team hit a HOME RUN.  We got it right this time. Kudos to Tami Ireland - ILSHRM Legislative Director and to Larry Small CIC-SHRM's Legislative Affairs Chair.  Together they teamed up and pulled off an amazing two-day session. This year a larger team was assembled and well utilized. The planning was very meticulous from Mr. Small (he is that way). The results of this were evidenced in the two day affair.

This year I was afforded a small speaking role in the event  on an EEOC Panel, and despite that, the event received high marks from  all of the attendees who completed the evaluations.

Mike Vandervort laying it down on labor news.

Another big thanks goes out to Michael Layman who traveled from SHRM headquarters to speak to our audience on day one.  And although I did not attend (and Mr. Layman reminded me of this), my sources tell me that he did an outstanding job.  And I would also like to throw out a big thanks to my friend Michael Vandervort who travel all the way from Lakeland, Florida to be with us and tell us about (and click on his name to read about this) some new things that are happening on the labor front.

My last thank you and congratulations goes out to IL SHRM State Council Chairs, past and present.  To John Jorgensen and Donna Rogers for getting this conference out of the gate and having the faith and guts to stick with it, and to our current chair Cathy Plouzek for keeping the event growing and moving forward. I am sure 2014 will be even better!




-Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC SHRM

High School Drama in the Workplace

Today's Post is froM ILSHRM's Susan Avello

Drama! I hate it. I know what you guys are thinking, "No woman hates drama because they all create it." Am I right?

But nothing could be further from the truth. Okay, I admit - I used to be a regular player in the world of drama. I spent my first 18 years of marriage in it, in fact. Every day was like being on a soap opera and I was this actress playing some kind of weird role. I admit it, I had my share of drama but what I realized when I left that relationship of 23 years (we dated five years before we married) that I didn't have to be pulled into drama anymore. I was relieved to know that it was not normal.

There are some people who just thrive on drama and they love creating it. They also love pulling you into their drama, into their crazy mixed-up world and then somehow, turn the tables on you. To this day, I still receive calls from my ex trying to create drama for me, in regard to things happening either with our child or some small town gossip. These days I just don't answer the phone because I know it's the same old' same old'.

I know we have all experienced drama in high school either ourselves or we see it happening in the lives of our children, but what about workplace drama? Shouldn't it have diminished after high school? Workplace drama can be the worst.

Now, especially in this technology world we live in, we're hearing all about the gossip through facebook and twitter. People are getting fired over these issues, being banned from school, even getting arrested because of their crappy drama being circulated around the world. How is this affecting our workplace? Creating more crap for us to deal with.

It's the same as the high school drama: We hear about the poor middle-schooler (actually an adult now) who was tagged in a photo as “whore” on Facebook. We hear about the kids who go to the woods behind the high school to get high (but it's actually now, behind the tree out back of the warehouse). We hear about the parties and the drunken stupor and orgies of our colleagues and we pass it off as "office gossip." And yet, it creates an atmosphere of jealousy, mistrust and then no one wants to "be on our team".....the same as if we were coaching the high school basketball team.

So what is the solution? Should we just fire them all and start over? I know sometimes we feel like that would be the answer but of course it's not a realistic solution.

Putting Policies in Place

From what I've experienced having a policy in place with easy steps to handle workplace conflict helps employees know the due process. This will help prevent future problems. Somehow, when you have it in writing "This is what happens if and when you post that picture of yourself on facebook, you know the one at a party holding the bong" you not only make your employees aware that there will be repercussions if the boundaries are crossed (just like dealing with our high school age children) but if documented correctly, you will save yourself a lot of headache if and when it should ever go to court. Documentation is key.

Susan Avello is Social Marketing Consultant and Principal of Social Buzz Concepts, specializing in Social Media Marketing Solutions, Training and Development and Company Branding. She shares her knowledge of  Social Media in the Workplace, and the latest in Technology over at HR Virtual Cafe blog, SHRM WeKnowNext and Social Media Today, and is a part of the social press team for SHRM annual conference. She is social media chair for Illinois SHRM State conference and helps Job Seekers and Veterans with their social job search as Co-Founder of DiscoveringSocial.com. She is the recipient of 2011’s Most Influential Women in Business award by Chicago’s Daily Herald Business Ledger, the National Association of Women Business Owners and Women’s Innovation Network. Follow her on Twitter @susanavello.