Maine Human Resources Convention

Welcome! Convention registration remains open throughout the day. You may also visit the Owl & Turtle Convention Bookstore, the SHRM Silent Auction, and the Internet Cafe hosted by MyJobWave.com. A special thank you today to: Convention sponsor – MEMIC. Keynote sponsor – MaineJobs.com / Monster. Reception sponsors – C. Baker & Associates and Career Management Associates. Breakfast and dessert sponsor - Anthem BCBS. Evening entertainment sponsor - Northeast Delta Dental. Workshop sponsor - Conseco Insurance.

Two choices for those who thrive in the early morning. We'll have coffee and a snack ready to go, and you'll still have a 30-minute break before the keynote.

1) Advanced ADA Issues: Don’t Panic. Anne-Marie Storey from Rudman & Winchell notes that you may not rule the world of the ever-changing ADA, but you can limit exposure by better understanding its requirements. Learn through a couple of scenarios how to handle common but difficult situations, including the overlap between the ADA and FMLA on the use of unplanned intermittent leave; how the ADA  affects wellness programs; and how to apply performance and conduct standards to individuals covered, or claiming to be covered, by the ADA. 

2) What better way to start your day than with a morning ZUMBA exercise session in the Samoset Health Club, starring our very own HR Zumba Professionals - Cheryl Winslow and Jan DiMauro!

Thank you Wednesday breakfast and dessert sponsor: Anthem BCBS

Emerging Leadership in HR – Thinking Without a BOX! Kimberly Reed is an entrepreneur and HR leadership and networking guru from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her creative HR Keynote helps us understand how to become an innovative HR leader, thinker, and organizational contributor, while thinking without a box. Her point is that leadership comes from many directions. It is part of accomplishing a greater group purpose, which is furthered not only by effective leaders but also by innovators, entrepreneurs, and strategic thinkers, and the availability of key resources, such as talent, organizational innovation and, of course, HR Leaders. Are we thinking with a BOX? Let’s hope not. HR professionals today must come forward with a new, larger vision of leadership.

With special thanks to keynote sponsor: MaineJobs.com/Monster

Track A: Employee Management and Development. Craig Freshley, President of Good Group Decisions, believes that inclusive and collaborative decision-making empowers employees, increases creativity and productivity, and promotes loyalty to the organization. Through imaginative exercises, participants will gain an understanding of collaborative and inclusive decision-making and when to use the process and when not to. You will learn specific techniques that can improve communication, develop leadership, and prevent workplace conflict. Walk away with practical tips to apply immediately; tips to handle specific situations or generally improve employee morale and productivity. Craig's work is based on the belief that "We all have a piece of the truth and we make our best decisions when we put our pieces together."

Track B: Legal Compliance and Risk Management. Dan Rose from Drummond Woodsum knows that employment law problems rarely occur when you make a great hiring decision. To help you on this path, Dan has developed a Hiring 101 checklist that will help ensure you are following legal channels in conducting your search for the great employee. Learn the proper way to advertise a position. Discover the best, sophisticated interview techniques. Gain a better understanding of how to give and receive references. Conduct proper background checks. And in all instances, stay within the boundaries of federal EEO laws and the requirements of the Maine Human Rights Commission. And, if you learn your lesson well, Dan may play a few bars on his electric guitar!  

Track C: A Strategic Role for HR. The best way to safeguard your corporate reputation is to partner with employees. Linda Varrell and Eric Blom from Broadreach Public Relations show that you can play a central and strategic role in helping your organization understand its standing in the world. HR is positioned to help protect a company's reputation and brand identity during a crisis. You are the primary conduit for engaging employees in the effort to protect the organization from coming under attack, identifying emerging problems, and defending the organization when crises arise. Discover steps to manage a crisis properly and how to improve and safeguard your relationships with customers, regulators, suppliers and other constituencies. You'll acquire up-to-date techniques for managing the myriad of communications channels and techniques available in today's world.

Track D: HR Skill Building. If HR ruled the world we would do away with people behaving badly. The law requires that training on a variety of subjects be interactive, and Marti Stevens Interactive Improvisational Theater shows you how to dynamically involve all staff in the conversation about uncomfortable (and downright illegal) situations in the workplace. Discover a new way to educate your staff on harassment, bullying, discrimination and domestic violence issues and policies. Gain a better understanding of the underlying legal issues and a sense of relief that these uncomfortable issues can be dealt with effectively, and their legal vulnerabilities can be greatly reduced by the right action, if not prevented altogether. Join Mary Beth Paquette and the MSIIT actors, including Mary Anne Rasmussen, Tom Nash, Susan Parks, and Chris Wright, as they give you a really safe and easy way to demonstrate the worst case scenarios that might show up in your workplace.

Track E: Compensation and Benefits. Over the past several months, health care reform has been a major news item, culminating in the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act in late March. Now that health care reform has passed, the next step is for regulations to be passed that will provide guidance on implementing the reform. In the meantime, how should employers prepare for the upcoming changes? How can employers – and HR managers in particular – sort through the knowns and unknowns of what the health care legislation will bring? Anne Wright from the Holden Agency has assembled a panel that will discuss the timelines and substance of the reforms that were enacted in March. We are happy to announce that Joel Allumbaugh (National Worksite Benefit Group), Andy Coburn (Muskie School of Public Service), and Peter Gore (Maine State Chamber of Commerce) will participate in the discussion.

Enjoy lunch in the EXPO hall or Marcel's Restaurant and make your final bids at the SILENT AUCTION. We'll also have several roundtables for attendees who wish to continue education through the lunch hour. Roundtable with Amy Wood on "Focus Management." Roundtable with Lynne Richards on "Accountability." Roundtable with Jackie Little for public sector employers. Roundtable with Lisa McIlwain for healthcare hr professionals. Roundtable on "HRCI/PHR/SPHR" issues with Gayle Dahlman.

How to be an HR Non-conformist. Too many times, we go through our workdays conforming to the same standards and habits. Our keynote speaker Jay Wallus, from the North Shore of Massachusetts, will show you how and why it's okay to discard past beliefs and habits when it comes to your HR position. In the process, he will share creative ideas for becoming a different human resource professional and executive. Jay Wallus began his selling career the hard way 20 years ago when he was hired to head out to the streets of Boston and dig up business by door-to-door, cold calling in the office equipment industry. He quickly rose to be one of the top sales reps in the country …not because of his great closing skills, but because of his non-conformist speaking skills.

With special thanks to keynote sponsor: MaineJobs.com/Monster

Please enjoy dessert and time with our vendors, who make much of the convention you see possible.

With special thanks to dessert sponsor: Anthem BCBS

Track A: Employee Management and Development. More than half of the US workforce lives paycheck to paycheck. That’s true even of individuals with significant incomes, and surely some of them are your employees.  Financial issues affect more employees than smoking and obesity combined.  Alison Hinson, the award-winning radio host of “Money Talks,” will demonstrate the metrics of lost time due to financial worries and provide you the tools for developing better financial management skills among your employees. Learn about her “chocolate pie” theory of budgeting that will help you and your employees determine lifestyle goals, create a budget, and adjust expenses to match income. You will leave this workshop with completed worksheets and action steps to put to immediate use. 

Track B: Legal Compliance and Risk Management. HR professionals wear multiple hats, partnering with safety, insurance and other practice areas when it comes to workers’ compensation claims. Clark Phinney, the Safety Director at Maine Oxy, has a plan to help you avoid common pitfalls and problems when dealing with employees, medical providers, adjusters and even managers and company leaders. You will learn to develop and utilize workers' compensation milestone metrics, interpret injury claim developments, develop and execute communication strategies with the players in the workers’ comp system, connect your workers’ comp policies to strategic organizational goals, and gain a better understanding of how the injury claims process works.

Track C: A Strategic Role for HR. When HR professionals increase Employee Engagement in their companies, they can leverage staff loyalty to improve customer satisfaction and impact business results. David Pease, Vice President of HR at Androscoggin Bank and Director of Maine’s SHRM State Council, will focus on this connection between employee engagement, the bottom line, and ways to differentiate your organization from the competition. Discover how staff surveys can help you develop strategic priorities, build leadership credibility, and forecast and evaluate HR contribution objectively. Learn how to build organization vision and values through employee engagement initiatives. And leave this session with David’s 100 tips!

Track D: HR Skill Building. Are you looking for a workshop that provides a different approach to teaching, learning, and HR thinking? Pete McAllister, HR Manager at Mid-State Machine, offers a unique session that stresses ownership and accountability by the workshop participants. He will use symbols to ignite discussions that should make you aware of your HR "blindspots," help you assess problem ownership, and improve HR's ability to deliver effective feedback. Through a series of exercises, he will help you create a simple, useable model of HR thinking that you can understand and deliver in your own work environment. 

Track E: Compensation and Benefits. Any HR professional who has put together a pay package or offered a raise to an employee knows that no management task is more complex than creating a fair compensation plan.  Deborah Gallant, SPHR, of D. Gallant Management Associates, helps you Avoid 7 Compensation Catastrophes by: 1) creating accurate job titles and designing effective job classification systems, 2) Understanding the link between compensation and performance, 3) Identifying your labor market, 4) Using effective communication, 5) Building an effective incentive program, 6) Implement low-cost/high return non-monetary rewards, and 7) Explaining the key role that HR plays in the process.

A great networking event with fabulous hors d'oeuvres. Visit our EXPO participants. Prizes!

Today's reception is hosted by: C. Baker & Associates and Career Management Associates.

The amazing Don Campbell Band is a perennial convention favorite. Joining us from Maine and Nashville - the Band plays a charismatic blend of country and rock music with some world-class vocals. They are sure to get your feet tapping, and maybe even get you to the dance floor.

Thank you Entertainment Sponsor: Northeast Delta Dental.