In response to the H1N1 flu pandemic, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) partnered with the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, The Clorox Company, and the Community Health Charities to create tools HR professionals could use to combat H1N1 in the workplace.

The comprehensive H1N1 resources include three toolkits and a podcast:

1. “Doing Business During an Influenza Pandemic: Human Resource Policies, Protocols, Templates, Tools, & Tips,” created by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) and SHRM, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Designed to help organizations of all sizes, the toolkit provides businesses a blueprint to improve their current disaster preparedness/ pandemic plans, and federal guidance H1N1.

1. “The Flu Preparedness & Prevention Educational Kit” produced by The Clorox Company’s Preventative Health Advisory Board (PHAB) of which SHRM is a member. To view the toolkit, please visit: http://www.cloroxprofessional.com/H1N1.

1. The SHRM Online portal and toolkit, SHRM H1N1 (Swine) Flu Resources, features the latest H1N1 workplace news, and resources including the “Tips for Managers Dealing with H1N1 in the Workplace,” and “SHRM’s H1N1 Pandemic Checklist.”

1. SHRM also partnered with the Community Health Charities in H1N1 prevention and response by participating in the Health Matters at Work™ video podcast series. The Health Matters at Work three-part series on H1N1 will debuts mid November. To view the video podcast offering H1N1 prevention and response tips, please visit: http://www.healthmattersatwork.org/chc.asp?bid=265.

The recently released SHRM poll, “The H1N1 Virus – How Prepared is Your Workplace?,” provides a pulse check of how organizations currently are responding to the H1N1 flu, what policies they have instituted, what they do should an employee get sick, and other important employer responses to H1N1.

HR Experts Urge Congress to Utilize SHRM Resources

How to respond to the H1N1 pandemic is a question on the minds of many Americans – including millions of employers.  To assist in helping your constituents deal with the many questions facing employers, employees and American families, SHRM has prepared a variety of valuable resources for Members of Congress and their constituents, including:

• “Doing Business During an Influenza Pandemic: A Toolkit for Organizations of All Sizes”
• SHRM’s H1N1 Checklist
• “Dealing with H1N1 Flu in the Workplace: What Managers Need to Know”

SHRM encourages Members of Congress to click HERE for a copy of these materials, as well as many others, and to direct their constituents to these resources.

Additionally, SHRM is a member of the Preventative Health Advisory Board (PHAB), an initiative of The Clorox Company comprised of thought leaders and specialists in the areas of education and child care, office and human resource management, healthcare, infectious disease, and widespread disease preparedness.  The PHAB distributed the free Flu Preparedness & Prevention Educational Kit available HERE. SHRM also partners with the Community Health Charities in H1N1 prevention and response by participating in the Health Matters at Work™ video podcast series, which can be all accessed HERE. 

Taking proactive steps to protect workers from the spread of the H1N1 virus includes educating employees on how to stay healthy and sending sick workers home.  SHRM delivered this message in Senate testimony on November 10th and urged Congress to consider new workplace flexibility policies that encourage employers to offer paid time off programs that allow workers to take time off without financial penalty.  In a September poll, 74 percent of SHRM members said they already are telling employees not to report to work if they have flu and cold-like symptoms, while 23 percent plan to do the same.  Fifty percent said they plan to send employees home who show flu and cold-like symptoms. To review SHRM’s Principles for a 21^st Century Workplace Flexibility Policy, please click HERE. 

Workplace flexibility is the key to a healthy, productive workforce.

Take a look here:

by Lisa Horn, SHRM Manager, Health Care

Yesterday, Labor Relations Special Expertise Panel Member Elissa O’Brien testified on behalf of SHRM before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee on Children and Families at a hearing titled the Cost of Being Sick:  H1N1 and Paid Sick Days.  In her testimony, Ms. O’Brien highlighted her organization’s generous paid time off plan and proactive response to the H1N1 pandemic as well as SHRM’s efforts to prepare and educate HR professionals on this public heath threat.  In addition, Ms. O’Brien pointed out the negative consequences of enacting a one-size-fits-all government paid sick leave mandate for both employers and employees and instead suggested Congress should pursue a flexible, federal leave policy that reflects SHRM’s Principles for a 21st Century Workplace Flexibility Policy.

Much of the hearing focused on S. 1152, the Healthy Families Act (HFA), a bill to require public and private employers with 15 or more employees to provide up to 56 hours of paid sick leave annually.  SHRM’s testimony outlined a number of practical concerns with this legislation.  These are summarized below.

·         First, the HFA, like the current Family and Medical Leave Act, prescribes a series of vague and ill-defined qualifying events that may trigger leave eligibility, often requiring the employer and employee to make a rather subjective, sometimes intrusive determination to determine leave eligibility.

·         Second, the HFA fails to adequately recognize current employer paid leave offerings like paid time off plans.

·         Third, the HFA does not preempt state or local leave laws, leaving HR professionals in the difficult position of navigating a patchwork of federal, state and local leave laws that are overlapping and sometimes conflicting.

·         And finally, the inflexible paid sick leave mandate encompassed in the HFA would likely cause some employers, especially small employers, to reduce wages or other benefits to pay for the leave mandate and associated compliance costs, thereby limiting employees’ benefit and compensation options.

In his opening statement , Ranking Member Enzi (R-WY) referenced the SHRM Benefits Survey to highlight the number of organizations currently offering paid leave and as well as short-term disability plans.  During the question and answer portion of the hearing, Senator Enzi also fondly recalled his membership in SHRM as a small business owner.

To review SHRM’s testimony, click here.

To review SHRM’s press release, click here.

by Kathleen A. Coulombe

With the early outbreak in 2008 of H1N1 Influenza, SHRM and HR professionals across the country identified a need to be prepared for a more serious and widespread pandemic in 2009.  In preparation, SHRM and the Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota partnered together to host a 2-day summit in September, “Keeping the World Working During the H1N1 Pandemic: Protecting Employee Health, Critical Operations, and Customer Relations.”  Leaders and presenters of four breakout sessions encouraged candid sharing among attendees, keeping the accent on practical tools, tips, and resources that can be put into action right away.

Following the summit, SHRM consulted with the government’s leading health authorities—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)—to compile the facts that employers needed to know about how to handle a widespread influenza pandemic in the workplace. In collaboration with CIDRAP, SHRM created the toolkit, Doing Business During an Influenza Pandemic: Human Resources Policies, Protocols, Templates, Tools, & Tip.  The toolkit provides individuals with important lessons learned by HR professionals, original content from CIDRAP and SHRM, and valuable information from other vetted sources, such as the CDC.  The toolkit helps employers plan for every possible impact of the flu season and mitigate that impact to the greatest extent.

…

Working Mothers — and Fathers — united on October 27-29 in New York City to attend Working Mother Magazine’s - Working Mother’s 13^th Annual 100 Best Companies Worklife Congress.  The conference, which was held at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers, celebrated the 100 companies that are making work-life balance possible in a down economy while offering concurrent sessions focusing on diversity and workplace flexibility.  SHRM’s sponsorship included the opening night reception and an exhibit booth that showcased the Society’s commitment to work-life balance issues. 

SHRM’s booth at the Working Mother’s 13th Annual 100 Best Companies Worklife Congress

 Several attendees were asked to complete the question, “Work life balance is important to me and my family because…” and their responses were recorded and displayed on a monitor at the SHRM expo booth.  The majority of answers focused on the importance of spending time with family.  

Excerpt from “SHRM Rolls out Five-Year Plan” by Jared Shelly; HRE Online, Sept. 29, 2009.

Read the full article on HRE Online!

On Sept 24, Rosaura shared more of the Argentina experience: “Here we are with Graciela Garone and Gustavo Perrico, who were both really excited to meet us and start networking with other members.  The prior evening, Graciela hosted Brian and I at the University of Buenos Aires in her HR class.  Brian spoke to the 40 students about trends in HR, HR as central to tackling the economic uncertainty globally, and HR as a career.” 

Pictured (from l to r): Graciela Garone (Professor at Univ. of Buenos Aires), Gustavo D. Torrico (Dir., Ziade & Asociados), and Brian Glade (VP of Int'l Programs at SHRM)

(Photo provided by Brian Glade, Vice President of International Programs at SHRM; Translation assistance provided by Marcela León, SHRM Member Care Representative.)

El equipo de Programas Internacionales de SHRM ha llegado a Buenos Aires para participar en el 21º Congreso Interamericano de Gestión Humana. 

El conferencia atrae participantes locales y internacionales.  Este año, el tema es ¿El futuro del trabajo o el trabajo del futuro?: El papel del capital humano en organizaciones sostenibles.  El evento comienza hoy, el dia 23 de septiembre y termina mañana, el dia 24.

¡Mire la foto!

SHRM’s International Programs team is in Buenos Aires, participating in the 21st Interamerican Congress on Human Resources.   The conference attracts both local (to Argentina) and international participants.  This year’s theme is “The Future of Work or the Work of the Future: The Role of Human Capital in Sustainable Organizations”.  The event begins today, Sept. 23 and ends tomorrow, Sept. 24.

Check out the photo!

Opening of the Interamerican Congress on HR

by Kathleen Coulombe,  Manager, Tax & Benefits

The week of September 14^th was a busy one for the SHRM Government Affairs team as they continued to raise SHRM’s visibility with key policy stakeholders.  The week kicked off with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s (CHCI) Chairman’s Welcome Reception as part of their annual conference.  As sponsors of CHCI, SHRM CEO, Lon O’Neil, delivered opening remarks at the Morning Plenary session of the conference on Tuesday, September 15^th, which focused on Latinos Leading on the Economy and Workforce.  The keynote speaker for the session was Secretary of Labor, Hon. Hilda Solis.  Lon also joined the CHCI’s Board that evening at a networking reception.  Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA), Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) and Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) were a few of the honored guests in attendance. 

Across town, Government Affairs staff attended the Democratic Leadership Council’s Roundtable with Senator Ben Nelson.  Sen. Nelson spoke to the group about health care reform and the importance of bipartisanship.  That same night, Government Affairs staff briefed the Alabama State Council in preparation for their Capitol Hill visits the next day with their congressional delegates, including Senators Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Richard Shelby (R-AL). The Alabama council spoke to their members of Congress about Employment Verification, Workplace Flexibility and Health Care Reform.

Wednesday, September 16^th brought the opportunity for SHRM CEO, Lon O’Neil to meet and interact with the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan. The John Quincy Adams Society’s luncheon, a bipartisan event hosted by the Republican Main Street Partnership, gave SHRM the chance to not only meet with Greenspan, but to gather in a more personal setting with a 26 members of Congress, including Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN), Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL) and Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS).  Chairman Greenspan spoke to the group about the challenges in the U.S. financial system, but said despite the current economic climate, the future for the American economy looks brighter.  “Remember, this is a financial crisis, not a crisis of American business” said Chairman Greenspan.

Later that evening, Lon O’Neil and members of the Government Affairs team attended the CHCI Annual Awards Program. Joining O’Neil at the event were a variety of stakeholders, including Elizabeth Montoya, Chief of staff at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Fernando Barrueta, CEO of the Hispanic College Fund and Evelyn Zayas Amador, Vice President of Human Resources for the United Way Worldwide (UWW).  The event culminated with special guests President and First Lady Obama.  Obama spoke of the importance of diversity in America and the hopes to accomplish immigration reform in the near future.

Stay tuned for more Government Affairs action!