Following is a list of the monthly luncheon programs and topics presented in  2009:

January 2009: Advanced Strategic HR Thinking, presented by Judy Clark

Strategic Thinking can be defined as the way people think about planning, assessing, evaluating, and creating plans and objectives.  It could also be said that Strategic Thinking is thinking about thinking.  Many of us spend some part of our day in thought.  But how much of it is truly beneficial?   Does the thinking lead to positive action?  And how does this apply to HR?  Given how much of the time HR spends responding to employee and management concerns, is it even possible to think strategically about HR?

This session will cover:

How to think differently and outside your usual patterns
How to think about implications of actions and policies to see further into the future
How to compensate for your biases
How to use scenario thinking to help you communicate with executives
How to align HR strategic thinking with organizational goals and opportunities

Attendees will walk away with a new sense of their own thinking capability, practical ways to apply it, and a chance to make enhanced HR contributions to their organizations.  Join Judy for this intriguing and challenging session.

Judy Clark is currently serving on the SHRM Foundation Board as Secretary/Treasurer as part of her six year service to the SHRM Board of Directors.  Judy is President and Founder of HR Answers, Inc which is the largest independent HR consulting firm in the Northwest.  She also serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Washington and Portland State University and is a contributing faculty member at the Atkinson School of Management at Willamette University.  Judy is a nationally recognized speaker, having addressed several National and Leadership Conferences of SHRM and a number of other prestigious professional organizations.

This program has been approved for strategic recertification credit.

February 2009: The 10 Things That Keep HR Professionals Up at Night, presented by Dianna Gould, SPHR.

The US is currently experiencing shifts in its demographic landscape, its economic and political climate and its business environment.  These shifts bring new opportunities and new challenges, all of which will require HR professionals to build stronger business links between the business cases for diversity, inclusion and innovative strategies, which enable organizational success, and the accountability measures that demonstrate value and impact. 

Participants should leave this session with new ideas for engaging senior leadership, linking HR and globalization strategies to business objectives, and addressing emerging issues such as healthcare, immigration and religion. 

This course is an approved SHRM Speaker’s Bureau presentation.

Dianna Gould, SPHR has over 20 years experience in the human resources profession.  Currently she is the Field Services Director for the Pacific West Region for the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). 

Prior to joining SHRM, she had experience as a Benefits Coordinator, HR Generalist, HR Manager and HR Director for Fortune 500 companies to start-ups.  She has worked in the high tech, international export, manufacturing, and service industries.

She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Warner Pacific College and obtained a Comprehensive Human Resource Management (CHR) certification from Portland State University.

She has been an active member with SHRM since 1991 and has volunteered for a variety of leadership roles during that time. She has served as the President for the Portland Human Resource Management Association and in 2006 was the Director of the Oregon State Council Board of Directors. 

She has taught courses at Clark College for the PHR and SPHR Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) certification and is life-time certified as a Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR).  

This program has been approved for strategic recertification credit.

March 2009:  Internal Investigations, presented by Guido van Drunen

Internal Investigations for the HR Professional Human resources professionals are called upon to do a vast and varied number of duties in the course of their professional lives.  Conducting an internal investigation is (one hopes) something that isn't done on a routine basis.  When you need the skills, you need them quickly.  This is an opportunity to gain knowledge on this critical function and go back to the office with a plan of attack at your fingertips.

Join your colleagues and Guido van Drunen for an exploration of the following topics:

1. An allegation has been received - now what do you do?
2. How to assess the source, nature and credibility of the allegation to determine the level and types of resources you'll need to use.
3. Preparing an investigation case plan based on clear objectives: what is the hypotheses you are trying to prove or disprove?
4. OK - The investigation is complete.  Now some of the hardest work may start!
5. What are some useful investigative tools and approaches?
6. Do's and don'ts (so you don't need to learn them the hard way).
7. Should you use a third party?  Some upsides and downsides.
8. Investigators code of conduct: do you need one, and who is it really for?

Guido van Drunen, Managing Director KPMG Forensics Group, Seattle.  Mr. van Drunen has over 25 years of experience providing forensic and investigative services to clients. He has worked with law enforcement in two countries and in the private sector where he set up a Special Investigations Unit for a Fortune 100 chemical company.   Guido has provided training to private and public institutions on investigation techniques, income determination methods, fraud prevention and ethics.  He has conducted investigations at a number of companies relating to fraud, misconduct and income manipulation.  He obtained his Bachelors, Post Graduate Diploma in Accountancy, and Masters of Business Studies in New Zealand, and is a certified fraud examiner, internal auditor and chartered anti-money laundering specialist.

This program has been approved for recertification credit.

April 2009:  Employee Engagement in Tough Financial Times:  Is it Possible?, presented by Lynda Silsbee, CPT, SPHR. 

Lynda Silsbee, CPT, SPHR; Performance Dimensions Group. Lynda has broad industry experience.  Her diverse work experience with Nordstrom, Genie Industries and Vulcan Northwest give her wisdom, knowledge and skills which she applies to benefit her clients.  She has the unusual ability to see the big picture while focusing on the most important challenges, yet still empathizing with employees.  Lynda has developed performance management systems, compensation systems and is an insightful negotiator and professional coach.  Through her work, clients have realized mitigated risks, minimized turnover and alleviation of workplace tensions, which ultimately improved productivity. She received a Bachelor of Arts/Business Administration with a concentration in HR and Organizational Behavior from the UW, She is also a Senior Professional In Human Resources.

This program has been approved for strategic recertification credit.

May 2009: Legislative Update, presented by Mary Ludden, PHR

This has been an exciting year in the Washington State Legislature, as well as on the national scene.  Join Mary Ludden, Washington State Legislative Director for SHRM, to get an update on all the new legislation coming out of Olympia this year, as well as some insight into the focus of the new Obama administration and how it may affect the coming years for all of us.    You'll get an update on what the State Legislature passed into law, as well as a 2009 Federal Legislative Issues review.  This is a meeting you won't want to miss!

Mary Ludden is Human Resource Manager for Contour Aerospace Corporation and the SHRM Washington State Legislative Vice President.  Mary's experience includes serving as HR Manager in several different industries including commercial fishing, call center, public agency, and manufacturing, as well as extensive experience serving as SHRM's Washington State Legislative VP.

This program has been approved for recertification credit.

June 2009: 1/2 Day Workshop, The Three Signs of a Miserable Job,  presented by Russ Moen, SPHR. 

LEADER’S ROLE IN CREATING FULFILLING JOBS
This is a workshop based Patrick Lencioni’s best seller, “Three Signs of a Miserable Job”.  According to Mr. Lencioni, attend any kind of social gathering, anywhere in the country, and talk about work.  The stories confirm that job misery is overwhelming.  This spans all income levels, ages and geography.  Some studies cite as many as 77% of people dislike their jobs costing employers up to $350 billion annually in lost productivity.

We will discuss how leaders from leads, supervisors, managers and executives impact employee’s morale and job satisfaction.  An employee’s relationship with their direct manager is the most important factor to job fulfillment.

We will discuss the three critical elements impacting job misery
1. Anonymity - All employees have a desire and need to be known, understood and appreciated.  Leaders must not allow their employees to see themselves as invisible, generic or anonymous.
2. Irrelevance - We all need to know that our job matters to someone. Anyone.  Our employees must see the connection between their work and their company’s mission.
3. Immeasurement - Employees need to be able to gauge their own level of contribution.   They must be able to identify their own success and failure based on objective and quantitative measures.

Especially during difficult and uncertain economic times, we as leaders need to take a genuine interest in our people, remind them of the impact their work has on others and help them establish creative ways to measure and assess their performance.  As all studies agree, Employees don’t quit companies, they quit bosses.  If we have employees who are overwhelmed in job misery, we as leaders must take the responsibility to transition from job misery to job fulfillment.

For more than 25 years, Russ Moen has devoted his working life to managing the various functions of human resources. Russ supports over 600 Express offices, serving clients across the United States and Canada. He provides clients with preventive measures that minimize the threat of allegations emanating from workplace problems and employee relations issues.  As vice president of human resources at Express Employment Professionals' International Headquarters, Russ supports a team of skilled human resource professionals. They provide daily problem-solving, training and consulting on a vast array of complex issues including:

Wage and Hour Compliance
Performance Management
Co-Employment
All Forms of Harassment
Effective Supervision and Communications
Federal/State Equal Opportunity Mandates
Substance Abuse Detection
Organization Development and Leadership
Employment and Termination Processes

In addition, he serves as a guest lecturer on numerous employee relations topics, such as:

The Americans with Disabilities Act
IRCA and FMLA Compliance
Title VII and Related Statutes
The Human Resources Audit

An experienced human resource professional, Russ holds designations as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC) and Certified Temporary Staffing Specialist (CTS).

This program has been approved for recertification credit.

July 2009: No Program

August 2009:  HR Metrics - What to Count and Why, presented by Rich Hammond

Metrics provide value only when they mean something to the business.   Join Rich Hammond as he leads us through looking at metrics from a macro level first.  In order to ensure that what you count serves the business, you need to link a strategic plan or mission-vision-values statement to an HR outcome.  The, from a  micro level, we will look at one or two common HR transactions to determine the actual formulas involved.   Meeting in the middle will result in a discussion of why the HR job exists and how to deliver real value throughout the organization.

Our presenter is Rich Hammond from Washington Employers in Seattle, WA.  Mr. Hammond provides senior expertise in Human Resource Advice and Counsel for Washington Employers members and facilitates Supervisory Skills Training and Harassment Training Programs. He offers 20 plus years experience in member services and ten plus years experience in human resources director roles in a variety of industries including retail, health care, and manufacturing.  Mr. Hammond holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Southern Illinois University and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Washington.  In addition, he is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Washington.  

This program has been approved for strategic recertification credit.

September 2009: Ethics and the HR Professional, presented by Dr. Alice Rowe

We hear about ethical matters in business regularly - generally when some outrageous example on unethical behavior appears in the news.  Ethics:  What is it?  How do HR professionals help guide their organizations to be ethical workplaces?   How can we help other leaders make ethical decisions or uphold ethical standards?

This will be an interactive session with case studies.   There will also be time to share your wisdom with your colleagues, as well as gain their advice and support for situations you are/have been experiencing.  How do you know when it's time to say, "This is wrong"?

Learning Objectives:
Discuss definition of ethics
Identify 7-step framework for ethical decision making
Identify 12 steps for ethical leadership
Discussion:  Challenges for HR professionals regarding ethical standards
Understanding the relationship between compliance and ethics.
Discussion:  When are ethics an issue for HR?
Identify most common types of misconduct
Identify 6 pillars of character

Dr. Rowe creates and delivers training programs for business, industry, government, and the professions. She also facilitates retreats and meetings, helping the group stay focused and energized. A unique blend of corporate trainer, educator, and public speaker, Alice Rowe has worked in her profession for over twenty years and has consulted with over 100 diverse organizations, including government agencies, small businesses, mill and factory companies, professional associations, oil and engineering firms, churches, and colleges.  She is the author of the book , Where Have All the Smart Women Gone, which grew out of her doctoral study of American women. Dr. Rowe lives in Seattle and occasionally at her vacation home in Bellingham, Washington.

This program has been approved for recertification credit.

October 2009:  Conquering Adversity:  Great Lessons in Diversity, presented by Paul Martin

When Paul Martin lost his leg in a car accident at age 25, he took turned what could have been a tragedy into an opportunity. Through his positive attitude, determination and commitment, he set off to become one of the best amputee athletes of all time. His Ironman Triathlon World Record, his Paralympic cycling medals and his critically acclaimed autobiography, One Man's Leg, give testament to the power attitude has over adversity.

Paul's influence upon his return to the work place after his accident was infectious.  No longer did other employees complain about many of the small issues in life, as they saw him deal with his disability.  He was, indeed, a positive example to the work force.  

As Human Resources professionals, we are acutely aware of the onslaught of challenges our organizations are facing right now.  We can call them adversities or obstacles or set backs. They can slow, delay or retract our organizations' progress, or we can embrace a new way of looking at them.    With the right attitude, work ethic, and determination, our organizations will not only weather the storm, they may actually increase their their bottom lines.  

The message Paul Martin brings us is the value of a great attitude, complemented by qualities like commitment, dedication and work ethic. Paul Martin has thrived under adverse conditions and he’ll show us that “attitude will overcome adversity each and every time.”   This is truly a message of diversity and overcoming adversity.  Join us for an uplifting program with Paul Martin.

This program has been approved for recertification credit.

November 2009:  Employment and Labor Law Update, presented by Brandon R. Chun

Each year brings many changes in laws, regulations and court interpretations affecting employers in Washington State.  This presentation offers condensed summaries and overviews of current federal and state case law and legislation (including pending legislation).  It also provides employers and their administrators with critical analysis and strategies for managing an effective business and productive workplace.

Brandon R. Chun is an attorney with Washington Employers, an employer association with over 1100 members.  The Association provides advice and support to management in personnel and employment-related matters, in addition to handling the labor negotiations, grievances and arbitrations for union-based employers.  Mr. Chun counsels and represents businesses in all aspects of employee relations and regulatory compliance.  He has been practicing labor and employment law since graduating in 1992 from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where he was a member of the Hastings Law Journal.  Mr. Chun is licensed to practice in Washington State and Hawaii.

Mr. Chun regularly speaks to groups and organizations about employment law issues, including: discrimination and harassment, disability and reasonable accommodations, pregnancy, workplace privacy, leave laws, wage and hour matters, and labor issues and unionization.

This program has been approved for recertification credit.

December 2009:  Membership Appreciation Program, presented by Walter Bond

Walter Bond is called "Mr. Accountability" because he forces each one of his listeners to learn to be responsible for whatever the situation they are in.  Through his keynotes, workshops, books and CDs, he travels the world teaching that person accountability, confidence and success are possible for all who desire it; from frontline personnel to the CEO.  Walter reveals how to harness the power of accountability and become a rock star of your industry.

A former NBA athlete, Walter rose from being a reserve player coming off the bench to become the first rookie-free agent to start for the Dallas Mavericks.  This astonishing journey provides the foundation for the principles he teaches to help empower people in their own personal journey.  Today he is recognized as one of the world's preeminent expert on sales, motivation and leadership.  Walter has impact hundreds of thousands of people in his rapid rise to the top of the speaking industry.

Walter will captivate you though his unique and memorable personal stories, teaching you the lessons learned from his in the trenches experience in selling, as an entrepreneur, and being a team play.  He will help you see how you can transform challenges into opportunities, obstacles into testimonies and success is a matter of personal choice.

Walter's presentations are an experience that audiences have enjoyed world-wide and never forget.  These dynamic and compelling programs provide both the motivation and the strategies to excel in business and in life.