2011 Gulf Coast Mobile SHRM Conference - Friday, November 18, 2011

The event is scheduled for Friday, November 18, 2011 at the Mobile Convention Center, located in Mobile, AL from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm (check-in begins at 7:30 am

Conference Registration Fees for Mobile SHRM Members:

• $99.00 through September 1
• $109.00 after September 1

Conference Registration Fees for Non-Mobile SHRM Members:

• $109.00 through September 1
• $119.00 after September 1

Registration fee includes all includes all sessions, admission to the trade show, continental breakfast, and lunch
Registration Information:
To register and pay by check, please download the attached conference registration form, complete, and submit per instructions. If you'd like to pay with a credit card, please register online (below). Please note that a 6% convenience fee is added for online payments.
For More Information please contact Candice Swiger at conference@mobileshrm.org or Scott Dwelle at conferencecochair@mobileshrm.org.

The Mobile SHRM – 2011 Annual Conference is now on Facebook!  Just search for “Mobile SHRM – Annual Conference” when using Facebook.  Be sure to “like” the page.  This will be a great way to keep up with what’s going on in regards to the 2011 Annual Conference.

Mobile SHRM Newsletter Sponsor

2011 Meeting Sponsorships!

Would you like to have an opportunity to market your company’s products or services to a captive audience of HR professionals?

Sponsor a Mobile Society for Human Resource Management chapter meeting and you’ll have an exclusive opportunity to do just that! For only $400, sponsors may have an exhibit near the check-in table, place literature on each table, and have an opportunity to speak briefly about their companies during the meeting agenda. What could be better than that?

Wanted - HR Internships and Co-op experiences

Students majoring in HR would like to complete internships this summer and fall. Students must work approximately 150 hours for course credit. Fewer hours are possible without course credit. IRS regulations discourage the use of unpaid internships.
Pay ranges from minimum wage to $10 per hour. If your company needs an intern, please contact Dr. Marjorie Icenogle, micenogle@usouthal.edu (251-508-6491)

Find your shadow!

HR students in the USA SHRM Student Chapter would like to shadow you to gain insight into what is involved in human resource management.  Shadowing offers students an up-close look inside a workplace, by providing an opportunity to spend work time with an HR professional.  Students observe the application of specific HR practices, but more importantly observe professional behavior in the workplace. 
HR professionals will be matched to students based on students’ interest in your industry or HR specialty. Shadowing can last from a half day to two full days, based on your schedule.  To participate in the showing program, please e-mail Dr. Marjorie Icenogle (micenogle@usouthal.edu), who will put you in contact with one or two students.

Mobile SHRM Thanks!

"Thank you for all of the door prizes donated at the April meeting".

Express Personnel
EES
MHCA

We appreciate your support of our chapter and our mission! ** All Door Prize Donors will be recognized in our Monthly Newsletter **
For more info contact Becky Lovgren at becky.lovgren@expresspros.com
(Door prizes are needed for future meetings)

Diversity Organizations

Language Bias: Why do some employees react negatively to co-workers speaking other languages at work, and how can HR help?

4/30/2011 – SHRM Website HR Q&A
It is a common dilemma: employees complain about co-workers speaking other languages at work, conflicts arise, teamwork suffers, and morale issues begin invading the organization. These complaints usually center on an employee’s perception that it is rude for co-workers to speak another language at work, that such actions are intended to be deliberately exclusive and to make other employees feel uncomfortable. Employees feel they are being talked about, laughed at or even plotted against. Yet, Title VII protects employees from national origin discrimination, and therefore, employers must allow employees to have conversations in their native languages, unless there is a reasonable business need to require English-only rules during working hours.

So what can HR do to resolve this conflict when English-only rules do not apply, such as during break times and lunches, and for businesses that cannot justify such a policy? First, educate employees on discrimination laws and work to foster inclusion.

Start with presentations on national origin discrimination and show the correlation between native languages being allowed in the workplace and the law. Work to create a presentation that shows common misconceptions on both sides and engenders respect for each other. Employees should be well informed of the company’s discrimination policy, which should also include the use of languages and guidance on what would constitute discriminatory or harassing behaviors. It should be communicated to all employees that failure to abide by the company’s policy and its expectations may result in disciplinary action, including termination.

HR must also search for ways to ensure that inclusion is an integral part of the company’s culture. Providing a cohesive environment where everyone is respected and valued is vital to ensuring organizational success. Employees may find it easier to assume that others are deliberately speaking a foreign language to hide something rather than to take the time to understand another’s point of view. Conversely, always excluding employees from conversations by using another language can be unprofessional, unfair to co-workers and not in the best interests of the employer. Diversity and inclusion training should include awareness of cultural differences and the challenges non-native-English speakers may currently or once have faced, such as trying to fit into a new culture, being understood when conducting daily activities and being accepted and included at work. Employees also need to respect those fluent in more than one language. These individuals are able to speak English, but at times choose to speak to others in another common language. This is a natural way of sharing a part of their heritage while providing enjoyment in speaking a language that they both share.

Finally, the organization’s management must “walk the talk” and be ready to address situations that affect their teams or jeopardize the employer’s goals and vision for the organization.

“Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common. Celebrate it every day.” – Anonymous

Join SHRM at a Special Discounted Rate!

New, first-time members to SHRM can join online using the promotional code CHSED for a reduced rate of $145.

That’s only about 39 cents a day!

Go to www.shrm.org/join and enter the code
CHSED
into the promotional code space on the application.

Join today!