President's Blog

Wow first quarter 2021 is complete…. we continue to make great strides at SESHRM, and we are excited for what is yet to come! 

Did you register for one (or more) of our Member Resource Groups? If so, watch for more information soon about our first meetings. THANK you to all of the volunteers who signed up to be facilitators. Keep in mind, our intention is not for these groups to be separate from SESHRM, but more of an extension for deeper learning and more networking!

Do you recall me mentioning in January that SESHRM was getting creative on how we communicate to our members? Next up…. texting to our members!  We will utilize this to inform members of events, surveys, or when we are looking for nominations for Professional of the Year, Employer of the Year Award, etc. or when we are seeking volunteers for Board Positions! See link on the Board Positions that will be available in 2022…. never too early to start thinking about it. Look for more information on this in the newsletter.

The South Dakota SHRM State Conference is being held in Sioux Falls on September 15– 17, 2021. The committees are busy planning for this event. If you haven’t attended a state conference it is an awesome time to network, gain new insights and rejuvenate. We have some amazing speakers on deck to help do just that!   Speaking of State Conference…. who would like to win a State Conference registration??!! I will be announcing the names of two members at the April meeting that will be randomly drawn from our membership.

Our April meeting is indeed on 4/20 and we will be discussing marijuana, CBD Oil & Opioids:  Employer Rights and Responsibilities. The 4/20 was not intentional but seems fitting.  J  Employment law attorneys, Jeff Shultz and Seth Lopour, from the Woods Fuller law firm will help clarify how employers can handle the complicated and controversial issues that arise in the workplace with employee use and misuse of legal/illegal substances. They will give us the latest updates on marijuana legislation in South Dakota.

Mary Jo Vance, SRHM-SCP
SESHRM Chapter President

I am so thankful that we made it to March, and I am positive spring is coming!  Plus, I am super excited for the launch of our new Newsletter template! Thanks to all the SESHRM Board members that have worked on this!

As I write the March newsletter, I think back to what our world looked like a YEAR ago. When all this craziness started, I never thought this is where we would be today, and we have definitely had to adapt. As HR Professionals, we need to be leaders in the transformation of what our workplace will look like in the future. Our March session will be on the 5 principles that employers can use for caring for employees during COVID: Gratitude, Generosity, Patience, Communication and Restraint (or Pace). These principles can be used by HR to facilitate conversations with leaders and managers in their own organizations. Tim Heerts, EAP Clinical Specialist at Avera EAP will be presenting this informational session. Come prepared to not only gain understanding of these principles, but to also share and exchange best ideas with attendees.

And speaking of sharing best practices…. we have had a great response to our Resource Groups. If you have signed up, be watching for more information coming soon. And if you didn’t get a chance to sign up and are still interested, please reach out to Kerry Bamsey at kbamsey@thebancorp.com.

SESHRM will be hosting the State Conference in September 2021 which is a huge undertaking and planning. If you are interested in helping, please contact Jen Adix at jadix@minnehahacounty.org. 

Hope to “see” everyone during our March Meeting.

Mary Jo Vance, SHRM-SCP

Happy New Year! What a year 2020 was….both professionally and personally! I am proud of the SESHRM Board for pivoting quickly to a virtual environment to offer timely and important programs. The Board held their Annual Strategic Meeting to determine initiatives for 2021.

• Technology/Communications – This initiative will examine what can be utilized to ensure we are offering state of the art technology. In addition, there is consideration of making changes to the newsletter and different ways of keeping in touch with the members.
• Chapter Experience – We want to continue to review program offerings and also if there are different avenues that could be created such as special interest groups, book clubs and/or networking opportunities.
• Membership/Emerging HR Professionals – This initiative will be centered on recruiting and retaining SESHRM members. Also, we want to collaborate with SESHRM members who are early in their career and provide tools for them to be successful.

The Board had lots of discussion on the challenges of the year and not being able to meet in person. We MISS seeing everyone and MISS hearing from you. One of the first things I would like to do is meet with some members via zoom and facilitate focus groups. I will be randomly picking members but if you are interested in participating, please e-mail me at maryjo.vance@wellsfargo.com.

On January 19th, we will be holding our January half-day session. Brandon Schaefer will be presenting The Prioritized Leader. This seminar is designed to help leaders to identify their current priorities, obtain guidance on how to correctly order those priorities, and spread the impact of the priorities throughout their organization. Every registrant will have the opportunity complete a Prioritized Leader Assessment and receive a personalized TPL report. Watch for in your e-mails to complete!

Lastly, we would like to extend a special Thank You to our outgoing SESHRM Board Members; Tammy Loos and Karen DeLange. A warm welcome to Kayla Johnson and Krysta Widman as our newest Board Member.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as the SESHRM President!