President’s Pen
by Betty Lonis, SPHR

It's finally summertime! And with summertime comes two big events within the Indiana HR community. The first is the national SHRM conference, which will be held in Orlando, Florida, on June 22-25. The second major event is the Indiana State Conference, which will be held in Indianapolis on August 26-28. I hope to see many of you at each of these events — they are always well attended by HRACI members.

As I mentioned last month, to make it easier for you to attend the latter event, we are pleased again this year to offer the opportunity, for up to 25 members, to win free registration to the Indiana State Conference. And, it's not too late to enter. Simply attend the June and July meetings and you will be registered by dropping your business card in the bowl at each meeting. We will have drawings at both meetings. If you are not selected at the June meeting, your card will stay in the bowl for a chance at the July meeting. You must be present to win, so make plans now to attend these upcoming luncheon meetings. If you will be attending the state conference, don't forget to indicate that you are a member of HRACI on the registration form. Chapters throughout the state participate in a revenue-sharing arrangement. The more HRACI members who attend the conference, the more revenue-sharing we receive. We utilize the revenues received from state conference to help offset some of the programs we offer throughout the year.

If you attended the May meeting, you saw your board members wearing new HRACI logo shirts. What better way to represent your chapter at both of these events than by wearing an HRACI shirt? We will have shirts for sale again at the June meeting — the cost is $35. Or, you can order a shirt on the HRACI website and we will have your shirt ready for you to pick up at the June meeting. Click here to order.

Now, let me give you a quick update on the status of our newly created committees. I'm pleased to report that we have received an overwhelming response to our request for volunteers to serve on the committees. We will be working in early June to match individuals to the committees they have expressed an interest in serving and will be contacting you by late June/early July to inform you of your committee assignment and make plans for next steps. Thank you all so much for volunteering to serve the association in this capacity. As I've said many times, we have some hefty goals established for this year and we need your help to achieve them!

And finally, please do not forget to take the opportunity to review the proposed changes to clarify the white-collar exemption in the Fair Labor Standards Act and send your feedback to wwunsh@shrm.org by June 30. SHRM's goal is to have 100,000 HR professionals comment to the DOL by the June 30 deadline.

Please feel free to contact me at 317-277-5345 or president@hraci.org.

I look forward to seeing you at the June meeting!

Thinking INSIDE the Box - Working with CFOs

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Due to recent amendments to the Indiana protective order statue, employers may now obtain restraining orders on behalf of employees who are victims of violence.

Deborah Hepler, an attorney with Locke Reynolds LLP, discussed the Workplace Violence Restraining Order Act and its impact on employers during the May 15 HRACI luncheon meeting.

Hepler stated that she has noticed an increase in the number of calls on violence issues. She added that employers face legal issues if employees are harmed or killed in the workplace. Employers may also face legal liability if they do not adopt and enforce appropriate workplace violence policies.

Hepler practices law in the areas of labor and employment, intellectual property and appellate law. You may view her "Workplace Violence Tools: Using the New Workplace Violence Restraining Order Act" presentation online by clicking here.

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If you have not yet registered for the SHRM Annual Conference, take a few moments and do so today. Any one who has ever attended a SHRM Annual Conference has found that the annual conference and exposition is the single largest gathering of HR professionals and vendors of HR-related products and services in the world. Whether you will be a first-time attendee or an attendee of many years, the SHRM Annual Conference has programs for every level in HR.

One of the program tracks that you may wish to consider is participating in the Masters Series. The SHRM Foundation sponsors this series of in-depth learning sessions featuring internationally known experts in the field of management science. The Masters Series focuses on timely and provocative issues that affect your career and industry. Open to all attendees, these senior-level programs offer insight into the HR profession from thought-leaders and top academicians. For more information on Foundation sponsored educational programs, visit www.shrm.org/foundation. The SHRM Foundation: Leadership for Changing Times.

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Once again this year, HRACI will match individual contributions up to the $1,500 level. Contribution forms are available at monthly luncheon meetings or make your request for a form to Kim Vosburg at kvosburg@glickco.com. I'll be happy to drop one in the mail to you. If you decide to make a contribution, please let Kim know the amount so that he can debit the Chapter's contribution fund with a matching amount. The Chapter's deadline for making a matching contribution this year is November 1, 2003. For more information about the SHRM Foundation and the work that it funds, visit www.shrm.org/foundation.

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Are you just beginning your career in human resources? Would you like to develop more quickly in your personal and professional growth? At this point, four experienced human resource professionals are willing to take the time to assist individuals looking for guidance in the HR profession. If you are interested in our mentor/mentee program, click here for more details on the program.

Interested in becoming a mentor? Click on the appropriate forms:Mentor Application and Matching Questionnaire for Mentor

Interested in becoming a mentee? Click on the appropriate forms:Mentee Application and Matching Questionnaire for Mentee

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Do you have a question you would like to ask your HR colleagues? Post in on the members forum chat section of the HRACI website. The forum gives HRACI members an opportunity to ask questions and share ideas with each other. Visit www.hraci.com/forum/ and post your questions and answers today!

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