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Past Events |
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May, 12 2010
NAAAHR RICHMOND CHAPTER REPORT
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The good folk at Genworth were kind enough to hoist our breakfast meeting and annual legal update provided by Troutman Sanders, LLP. We were pleased to have Rebecca E. Ivey (a.k.a. “Becca”) standing in for David Constine, III. Becca provided a step by step refresher of the hiring process from application to the 1st work day. As you know, recent changes in employment laws has had profound changes to the hiring process—particularly if using background checks. We thank Becca for taking time from her busy schedule to speak to us. We greatly appreciated it.
We would also like to thank:
- Chris Jordan (VP of Talent Acquisition & Global Staffing Services at Genworth Financial of Richmond) for providing the facility for our May meeting and arranging for us to have breakfast. We look forward to continuing our work with Genworth.
- Murrieal Orendorff for coordinating the May meeting.
- And, to all that attended the May meeting. Your continued support is greatly appreciated!
We will be taking a short break for the summer months. We will continue to provide updates as they become available so look out for those. We hope to see all of you in September to kick off our Fall Programs. Have a great Summer!!
Robert “Bob” Franklin, SPHR
NAAAHR Richmond Chapter President
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April, 23 2010
NAAAHR RICHMOND CHAPTER MEETING
REPORT
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April’s meeting was held at The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond where their Senior Vice President, Tammy Cummings, provided a very pragmatic review of “Aligning Human Resource Strategies With Corporate Objectives”. The point she covered included that for HR to be “at the table” and make a meaningful contribution, they must Know The Business and Know Their Customer’s Business.
Along the way, one must develop trust with that client. The customer will view you as a business partner only if they perceive that you add value to their business. Tammy reminded the group that many of us spend much time thinking about the past or the present, while the customer is looking for futuristic changes and advantages. In summing up her presentation, she pointed out that we must see The Big Picture and look to have innovative ideas to solve The Client’s Problem.
Therefore, strategic alignment to corporate objectives is not just the organization chart and the listing of objectives, but it is getting involved and participating in the process. Tammy’s presentation is an excellent reminder for us that our customer wants us to provide a service, … !!!!
Additionally, our Host Caswall Price (Diversity, Inclusion & EEO Leader of The Federal Reserve Bank Of Richmond) provided us with background information about The Federal Reserve Bank and gave us an overview of their diversity initiatives which he stated that the organization has four function networks:
GROW Generating Recognition Of Women
4Unite Multigenerational Groups
PRISM Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Allies
VITAL Valuing The Inclusion of African Americans and Latinos
Caswall stressed the success of the program has been the support of Senior Leaders who were in fact mentoring each of the four networks.
Our heartfelt thanks to Tammy, Caswall and the fine staff of The Federal Reserve Bank. It was a GREAT SUCCESS!! We thank you for kicking off the Spring meeting. It was a well attended event!!
Robert “Bob” Franklin, SPHR
NAAAHR Richmond Chapter President
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May, 13 2009
NAAAHR RICHMOND CHAPTER MEETING
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NAAAHR’s May meeting was hosted by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. While it was quite a distance for some of us, it was certainly worthwhile. The meeting began with Ron Brigham, Director of HR sharing information about the Wyeth Corporation and its products to provide a framework of understanding of the corporation that was hosting us. He also introduced Dawn Wright from his HR team who was instrumental in planning all of the logistics for a successful meeting. Kudos to Ron and his team for an excellent meeting!
Jessie Bell had the distinct honor of introducing the speaker for the evening by sharing with the audience the many accomplishments of our very talented speaker. Following her remarks, Mr. Warren Hilton addressed the NAAAHR members by facilitating a presentation on “Employing the Millennial Generation.” The goal of his presentation was to impart on the HR practitioner key skills relative to recruiting, training and retaining this generational talent. Mr. Hilton shared the key characteristics of all 4 generations (Traditionalist, Boomers, Gen X and Millennial) for purposes of comparing and contrasting both similarities and difference with a focus of how that translates in the workplace. This is the first time ever that all 4 generations have converged in the workplace and while exciting and interesting brings unique HR challenges relative to rise in employee relations cases, running effective meetings and employing appropriate leadership style amongst many other key challenges brought on by this as shared by our speaker. Mr. Hilton also went on to share some key motivational factors for Millennial that he felt we needed to pay close attention to for purposes of attraction and attention of this target audience for employers. Those factors were technology, teams, challenging work, feedback, parental involvement, balance and community service. In having knowledge of these things, Mr. Warren urged us as HR practitioners to employ these key things in how we engage or coach our organizations to engage with this group of new entrants into the workplace.
The information that was shared was relevant and timely as we as HR professionals are beginning to see the impact of merging of generations in the workplace and can use the information Mr. Hilton shared to help support our organizations not only in the successful retention of these new workers, but most importantly the integration of all generations into the workplace in a purposeful production way. So, we thank Mr. Warren Hilton for the wealth of information he shared to guide us in that effort.
The meeting adjourned with Ron and the Wyeth staff providing us with a lovely bag of core Wyeth products such as Chapstick and Advil among many other nice products. So, if you were not in attendance, you certainly missed a wonderful treat!
Thanks again to both the Wyeth Team and Mr. Warren Hilton.
Mesha Mott
NAAAHR Richmond Chapter
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September 9, 2009,
NAAAHR RICHMOND CHAPTER MEETING
REPORT
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Nat Alston drove down from Baltimore to speak with the chapter this month. His topic on—Career Security—was both timely and inspirational. He pointed out and stressed that your job is not about who you are, but what you do. One must be able to rely on themselves. In order to be competitive, one must stay current and check your inventory of skills. Are they relevant? If not, get reinforcement.
Move over, Nat strongly encouraged the group to utilize their network. The best time to network is now—while you are employed. Make certain you hook-up to the various on-line networking web pages. These sites can be an invaluable tool in selling yourself and making a wider audience know you and what you have to offer.
Finally, Nat stressed the fact that we must be willing to change and reinvent ourselves. The business model has and will continue to change. To be relevant, we must also not just keep up but be on the leading edge the changes.
As usual, Nat was energetic and optimistic about the business opportunity even in this downturn. I sincerely appreciate his support, encouragement and assistance to the Richmond Chapter. Next month we will be joining RHRMA meeting. Look out for the details regarding that meeting. By the way, NAAAHR Richmond Members will be allowed to pay their lower member rate to attend the meeting.
Also, we want to thank Ronald Brigham of Wyeth for agreeing to provide the meeting location for us this month. In his absence, Jon Scott Williams and Rose Hodges were extraordinary hosts for the meeting.
Hope all had a wonderful and relaxing summer and we will see you at the next chapter meeting.
Robert “Bob” Franklin
NAAAHR Richmond Chapter President
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“WHAT IS THE BEST STRATEGY FOR YOU?
Whether You’re Inside Or Outside Of An Organization”
Presented By: Mesha Mott, Manager
College Relations & Recruitment
April 8, 2009
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For our April 8, 2009, chapter meeting our guest speaker, Mesha Mott, shared with us some trends of the economic times. All indications are that things will get worse before getting better. According to her survey data of participating companies: 45% have or are planning layoffs and 34% are retraining remaining workers as they will assume more responsibilities and duties to fill the gap of those that were reduced.
Mesha offered several points to consider if you have been displaced:
- Do a self assessment and deal with the hurt of being separated
- Bitterness will show in interviews if one does not effectively put that experience in perspective
- Be you own agent
- Raise your technology level—the work force is increasingly more tech savvy
- Update your appearance
- Work your network
She advises that the people who are seeking employment are very high caliber. Therefore, one should cast a wide net. Refocus with opportunities with the government if you were in the private sector and vice versa. Lots of people are looking so make sure your resume is user friendly!
Mesha also gave some advice to those who remain employed in the economic downturn:
- Refresh reward and recognition programs as an incentive to the existing workforce
- Update compensation programs
- Refocus communication programs to actively engage the workforce which will build trust within the organization
Those that were not able to attend this morning’s meeting missed an EXCELLENT presentation. Thanks Mesha for giving us some additional tools to cope with these trying times.
Monica Kellam has accepted the VP of Membership position that recently became available. We thank Sharon Harper for serving in that position and wish her well in her new position in Northern Virginia.
Robert Franklin
NAAAHR Richmond Chapter President
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“LESSONS FROM THE ECONOMIC TSUNAMI”
Presented by Dr. Robert “Bob” Kelley
President and Principal Consultant
Pure Culture Consulting, Inc.
March 11, 2009
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Tsunami is defined as an extensive and distinctive ocean wave…
This is how Webster defines the wave, but our guest speaker, Dr. Robert “Bob” Kelley, President and Principal Consultant for Pure Culture Consulting, Inc. describes the conditions that we currently are in as an Economic Tsunami. Things are turned inside out and upside down. Dr. Kelley rather than focusing on the downturns, instead gave some tips on how to survive—indeed how one can thrive in these uncertain times. To this end, he left the group with a few points to cope and ultimately thrive in this downturn.
- Society Is In A Major Period Of Transition
- Change is here and it is not going to go away—no time soon! We must make changes. No one really likes change but it is required if you are to survive.
- Recalibration
- Just like all business models are being challenged, we must re-access our tool box. Understand your strengths and fortify your weakness. Opportunity may come in a new and different discipline for you. Be ready to accept the challenge.
- Baby Boomers Are in Turmoil
- Suddenly this group is no longer managing things as they have for the past generation. Now, they will need to find a new direction and tap into skills that they may not have had to use and navigate an unpredictable future.
Those that can adapt and move quickly are best able to take advantage of the situation and emerge even better off than they were before.
As Human Resources Professionals, the good doctor encourages us to show courage as our organizations begin to deal with rethinking its business models and retooling to compete in a very different environment. Human Resources will play a vital role in helping guide the organization through their transition.
Dr. Kelley also reminded us that out of every downturn, new companies spring up to fill niche markets that larger inflexible ones could not master. Opportunities are out there even in this “Economic Tsunami”. We need to prepare ourselves with the right skill set, be willing to adapt to the changes and we will emerge successfully.
It was such an honor to have Dr. Kelley as our guest speaker to help Our Chapter commemorate our 3rd Year of Operation in the Greater Richmond Area.
I especially thank Monica Kellam for introducing us to Dr. Kelley because his presentation certainly resonated with the group!
Robert Franklin
NAAAHR Richmond Chapter President
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“NAAAHR’S RICHMOND CHAPTER
PARTNERS WITH
VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY’S CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTER”
Arranged By: Linda Jackson-Shaw
VP of Professional & Career Development,
NAAAHR Richmond Chapter
February 11, 2009
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The Chapter’s 1st meeting for the New Year, held on February 11, 2009, was a round table discussion. The key item was the Virginia Union University mock interviews that were held on February 5, 2009. The session was conducted by Linda Jackson-Shaw and her fine committee. Although Ms. Jackson-Shaw reported that the interviews were helpful, it was suggested that NAAAHR could take a more active roll in providing feedback to those students participating, as well as helping to prepare the students by conducting seminars on interview techniques. Ms. Jackson-Shaw will continue to work with the Career Development Center for future joint activities. About 30 students participated in last month’s interviews. Ms. Jackson-Shaw’s interview team consisted of Ronald Brigham, Sharon Harper, Teresa Hairston, Mark Hasty, Leigh Lyons, Marjorie Williams and Michelle Wright. Nice job and keep up the good work!
NOTE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT: Ms. Jessie Bell successfully completed her certification to become a SPHR. Congratulations Jessie! Now that she is our resident expert on taking the exam, you can contact her for tips if you are planning to seek certification.
Finally, a number of our members and associates are in transition. Please pass along any job leads that your organization may be seeking to fill. We will continue to pass your leads to those in our contact network. Also, please remember that positions can be posted to the Career Connection section of the NAAAHR website.
Robert Franklin
NAAAHR Richmond Chapter President
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