President's Blog

Hello SESHRM Members -

Fall is upon us which means pumpkin spice lattes, football, crockpot recipes and lots of SESHRM happenings! We encourage you to participate in one or several of the upcoming events.

·        Salary Survey – Thank you for those that participated! There were 79 surveys completed by HR professionals in various industries. This is an excellent tool to ensure your organization is staying competitive in todays market. If you did not participate but would like to purchase a survey, the link is: SESHRM - Online store product

·        The board is working with Gallagher to provide a virtual training session to walk through the findings of the survey. More to come!

·        Board Elections - SESHRM will have four upcoming vacancies this year on our board, President-Elect, Programs Co-Director, Marketing Director and Certification Director. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact me or Monique Vanden Huevel for additional information. This is a phenomenal opportunity for self-development and networking.

·        Mentorship Program – The SESHRM Board is re-igniting this program as it has had significant success in the past and we know what value it can provide our members. If you are interested in being a mentee or a mentor, please reach out to Alyssa Bainbridge by October 31st. This is such a phenomenal opportunity to grow personally and professionally!

·        Student Chapter Meetings – If you have a passion for mentoring upcoming HR professionals, please reach out to Alyssa Bainbridge. This is an excellent opportunity for members to share their professional experiences and skill sets by presenting at a Student Chapter Meeting or mentoring a student member.

·        Do you know a standout HR professional that has made significant contributions to the HR profession AND/OR do you know an organization that has made intentional efforts to provide a desirable work environment? We are now accepting nominations for the Workplace Excellence of the Year and HR Professional of the Year Awards.

·        In addition to the monthly September meeting, SESHRM will be hosting a workshop on September 25th. This workshop will focus on practical tips and ideas on how to create an inclusive workplace for all employees. Such an important topic! See you there!

A sincere ‘Thank You’ to the 191 of you that participated in the Chapter Survey and for the constructive feedback. 93% of members are satisfied with their SESHRM experience. There are some opportunities with the website and communication. We appreciate the feedback and will work to improve.

Make it a great September!

Julia Disburg

SESHRM President

Hello!

SESHRM is excited to announce Julie Ohlsen, Talent Manager at First Bank & Trust and Trish Heng with the South Dakota Air National Guard as the scholarship recipients for the SHRM certification and prep course. Kudos to the both of you for investing in your career development. We look forward to celebrating your accomplishment. Happy Studying!

We are looking for your participation!

1. The SESHRM Board is eager to hear how we can improve your chapter experience. A survey will be emailed to you next week requesting your thoughts and opinions on various topics. We encourage you to complete the survey and to provide honest thoughtful feedback as we want to do better! Your responses will remain anonymous and as an incentive to participate, once you complete the survey you will be eligible to enter in a drawing for one of three $50 gift cards.
2. SESHRM will have three upcoming vacancies this year on our board, President-Elect, Programs Co-Director and Certification Director. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact me or Monique Vanden Huevel for additional information. This is a phenomenal opportunity for self-development and networking.

Mark your calendars! SESHRM and Pathways to Inclusive and Equitable Workplaces are excited to partner and present a two (2) part workshop on September 19^th from 11:30am-1:30pm and September 25^th from 8:30am-10:00am.

The regular monthly meeting on September 19^th will be extended by an extra half hour to start the important discussion on inclusivity and belonging in the workplace.  This session will include a brief overview of the topic and an interactive panel discussion comprised of several Human Resources professionals from various industries.  Our goal is to provide real life examples of how we can best support our employees in the workplace and offer some little changes that can create big results within your organizations.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Julia Disburg

SESHRM President

Happy July!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer and enjoying this incredible weather.

If you are looking for a way to get involved in SESHRM/SoDak SHRM, we have some opportunities just for you.

• SESHRM will have three upcoming vacancies this year on our board, President-Elect, Programs Co-Director and Certification Director. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact myself or Monique Vanden Huevel for additional information. This is a phenomenal opportunity for self-development and networking.
• Central SHRM and the State Council have started the planning process for the 2024 State Conference, and volunteers are needed to help with vendors and speaker selection. The 2024 State Conference will be held on April 30^th-May 2^nd in Pierre. Please reach out to myself or Tammy Loos, if you are interested.

In the near future, you will see communication from the board regarding Workplace Excellence Awards, HR Professional of the Year and Emerging HR Professional of the Year. Be thinking of who you can nominate!

There are still spots available for next week’s meeting on ChatGPT. Ellie Highstreet will provide some tips and tricks for staying ahead of the technology curve. Look forward to seeing you all there!

Julia Disburg

SESHRM President

It’s been a busy start to the summer! 

I hope those of you who attended the National SHRM Conference were able to bring back some new ideas and a fresh perspective to your organizations (and had a little fun too!).

Our Programs Co-Directors and Committee are putting the finishing touches on the programing for the remainder of 2023. Be prepared for some great speakers and topics. We have also received some requests and interest in having another workshop. Thanks for your feedback! We hear you and hope to provide another workshop this fall. More to come on that soon!

David Kroon, Managing Director and Attorney at Woods Fuller, will be providing Federal and State Employment Law updates at our June meeting. There are only a few spots left so reserve your spot soon if you are interested in learning what is new on the legal side!

Lastly, congratulations to the SoDak State SHRM for earning the 2022 Platinum Excel Award! This is the highest award that can be achieved by a State Council within SHRM. This award recognizes outstanding achievements in Chapter/State Council operations and a commitment to providing meaningful programs and services to their members/HR professionals. It also is recognition of their continued growth and development as a business leader, capable of developing strategies that lead to business success! 

Have a great month!

Julia Disburg, SHRM-CP, PHR 

SESHRM Chapter President

Kudos to all of you that volunteered and/or attended the SD State SHRM Conference in Yankton last week! What a great experience! It was nice to see some familiar faces and meet some new connections as well. The conference had a wide variety of HR related topics. My personal favorite was the session held by Julie Younkin, Decoding Emotional Intelligence. She outlined what it takes to be an emotionally intelligent leader:

• Develop genuine curiosity

• Become a great listener

• Demonstrate empathy

• Love people

Julie was engaging, relatable and presented information that was actionable in the workplace. Great Session!

Monique Vanden Heuvel, President Elect, is working with the Salary Survey Committee to ensure we are offering some valuable salary information in a continued tight labor market. Thomas Cummins from Gallagher Consulting has sent out the link to participate in the survey. By participating, you are able to receive the results at no cost. The deadline to submit your information is May 31^st.  We look forward to receiving all of your submittals and hope the results will be available for distribution by September!

In addition, Gallagher Consulting will be our May speaker on the latest compensation trends and their impact on our organizations. Timely, as the labor market continues to be increasingly challenging for all industries.

I look forward to seeing you at next week’s meeting and wish all of you a Happy May!

Julia Disburg, SHRM-CP, PHR 

SESHRM Chapter President

Spring has sprung (finally)! What a treat!

A BIG Thank You to the Planning Committee for all their work on putting together such an engaging and thought-provoking Spring Conference. What a great reminder of how impactful authenticity and vulnerability can be in and out of the workplace. Hopefully you all enjoyed!

Congratulations to our 2023 National SHRM Conference Scholarship Winners, Jennifer Weber and Jessica Ashton. Kudos to the both of you for continuing to educate yourself and elevating the HR profession. We look forward to hearing all about it!

If you plan to attend the national conference, please reach out to a SESHRM board member to let them know. SESHRM has created a private Slack channel to assist you in networking with other local members who are also attending the national conference. I had the opportunity to attend this conference the last two years and through this event, had the privilege of meeting some phenomenal leaders within SESHRM. Excited for all who are attending, such an invaluable experience.

There is still time to register for the State SHRM Conference, May 3^rd to May 5^th in Yankton. Diverse breakout topics which include Culture, Legislative Updates, Employee Relations, Talent Acquisition, Benefit Strategic, Emotional Intelligence and MORE. 11.25 SHRM and HRCI credits pending. I look forward to seeing you there!

Enjoy your week,

Julia Disburg, SHRM-CP, PHR

I am encouraged by the recent couple of (semi) warm days that Spring is on its way. What a welcomed change that will be! Similar to the changes in seasons, the needs of our employees and ourselves change too. In an effort to support you in these changes, James Robilotta will be presenting Leading Imperfectly: Learning to Take Care of Yourself So You Can Take of Others at the Spring Conference on March 28^th. Anna Woodford will also be a guest speaker at this event. She will discuss the reasons behind losing our why and refocusing & energizing our minds & spirit to work to take care of ourselves so that we can begin to live our best lives.

This conference is sure to provide relatable content that will leave us feeling recharged and ready to get out of our own way! Register Today! Those in attendance will have an opportunity to win a FREE State Conference registration.

Yankton is hosting this year’s SoDak SHRM State Conference, May 3^rd – 5th. Sessions to include topics regarding Talent Acquisition, Legislative/Regulatory Changes, Benefit Strategy, Employee Relations Best Practices, and MORE.

I look forward to seeing you at the Spring Conference on March 28^th and the State Conference in May!

Julia Disburg, SHRM-CP, PHR

Hello!

A big THANK YOU to the Programs Co-Directors and Committee for our January speaker, Larry Young. What a great way to start the week learning how we can be a valued strategic partner by enhancing our influencing skills. We appreciate the grace as we experienced a couple of “hiccups” that day. As leaders in your organizations, you know, it wouldn’t be a Monday or a conference without ‘em!

On January 24^th, the SESHRM Board held their Annual Strategic Meeting to identify 2023 initiatives. Based on feedback from chapter members coupled with our vision for the year, we have committed to the following initiatives:

• SESHRM Membership Experience – We would like to enhance programing opportunities/content for our chapter members both, virtually and in-person. The Student Chapter is also an area of focus for the year as they are an invaluable group of upcoming HR professionals. We look forward to having more intentional meetings with the Student Chapter to help encourage development and involvement in SESHRM and the HR field.
• Membership Growth - This initiative will be centered around recruiting and retaining SESHRM members. We will continue to be proactive in providing relevant programming content and marketing the chapter by informing area businesses on the value of being a SESHRM member.
• Community Involvement – There are so many phenomenal resources and organizations, outside of SESHRM, that are working on HR related initiatives (IE, Pathways, Legislature, Sioux52, Child Care Collaborative, etc). Our goal is to partner with one or two of these organizations to learn their perspective and to become a trusted partner in these larger scale HR related issues.

Lastly, we look forward to seeing you at our February Chapter Meeting: Embracing Differences in the Workplace with Mike Henke!

See you soon,

Julia Disburg, SHRM-CP, PHR

Happy New Year! Hope you all had a warm and peaceful holiday season with family and friends! 

On January 16^th, we will be holding our January half-day session. Larry Young, owner of Boiling Frog Development, will lead us in developing actions plans and strategies to enhance our influencing skills. Be sure to register today!

The Board will be getting together to hold their annual Strategic Planning Session on January 24^th to determine the initiatives for this year. More to come in next month’s newsletter!

Thank you for the opportunity to lead such an impressive group of professionals.

Looking forward to another successful year,

Julia Disburg, SHRM-CP, PHR

SESHRM President

This year has certainly gone by quickly! It’s hard to believe it’s December and this is my final month of SESHRM Chapter President. Thank you so much for the opportunity to serve you all. I have gained so much from the experience – personal and professional growth, grew my network, and got outside of my comfort zone. I truly do recommend joining the board in some capacity to everyone.

Speaking of the board, we are getting ready to say our “Thank you for serving” to Mary Jo Vance (Past President), Kristina Meulebroeck (Treasurer), Ona Reker (Programs Co-Director), and Kassie Van Wyk (Student Chapter Director). They’ve all made large impacts on the chapter during their time. We sincerely appreciate all they have done!

We are also very excited to be welcoming our new board members in January! Monique Vanden Heuvel (President-Elect), Marisa Draper (Treasurer), Hannah Johnson (Programs Co-Director), and Alyssa Bainbridge (Student Chapter Director). In addition, Maggie Garry will continue her work as Legislative Director and Kerry Bamsey will continue to be our Workforce Readiness & Diversity Director.

I can’t wait to celebrate a wonderful year with you all on December 6^th! Thank you again for the opportunity to serve as your President!

Sarah