Come join us for the first chapter meeting of 2008 as the folks from the Society of Human Resource Management give us a New Year's look at what's happening in HR!

Back by popular demand, Mike Aitken, Director of Government Relations for SHRM, will be with us again to talk about the latest legislative news affecting HR Professionals and impacting the way we do our business. Also from SHRM, Jennifer Schramm will give us the latest skinny on HR workplace trends and what to expect in our trade in 2008 and years to come.

We are aware that Telework has moved from being a "nice to have" to a business necessity. Return on investment can be measured in thousands of dollars when you realize the savings in recruiting, retention, real estate, and productivity. But managers and supervisors are the ones who have to implement new business practices while continuing to oversee challenging workloads. What's the best way to address their concerns?

This highly interactive and practical session is for anyone who is interested in exploring the value, opportunities, and challenges of leading a distributed workforce - whether it's "business as usual" or "business continuity."

Successful managers network 70% more than unsuccessful ones, according to Deloitte Research. How about you? In a recent study by Contacts Count of 800 people, only 15% said, "Yes, I have the network I need to get the job done." How will building relationships internally and externally help you get stakeholders engaged, expand your influence, and shape the culture of your organization? Lynne Waymon, CEO and co-founder of Contacts Count, will show you how to activate your network so you can easily uncork bureaucratic bottlenecks, tune into the big picture, round up talent, expand your knowledge base, and become part of the "inner circle."

A big crowd turned out for the December chapter meeting at the Capital Hilton, "Creating a Culture of Recognition" featuring the ever popular Dr. Bob Nelson. Our meeting was jointly sponsored by HRA-NCA, the Washington Board of Trade and Maritz.

Dr. Nelson, who dubs himself the "Guru of Thank You", didn't just entertain the crowd with motivational techniques but also gave away several gifts for the holiday season, which included many of his "1001 ways" books and a grand prize of his very own Manager's Kit.

Many of the nonprofits across the National Capital Area do not have the resources to hire a human resource professional to manage the needs of their employees. Often various human resource- related tasks are divided up between employees of the organization or are handled by members of their boards. HRA-NCA volunteers will help fill this void by agreeing to be assigned to a nonprofit organization and lend support to their staff for a mutually agreed period of time. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Tyronda Boulden, Community Relations Coordinator, at tylboulden@gmail.com.

Would you like to hone your public speaking skills and at the same time train social workers on how to teach resume writing and interview preparation to the people they serve? For complete details, please contact David Remick, Chair, Community Relations, at (703) 769-3712 or remick@worconline.org.

You know what excellence is. It's people...with talent. People who are dedicated and work hard to continually improve themselves, to be the best they can be. They are able to work with others, to be part of a team and to achieve something bigger than themselves. That's what the HR profession is all about. You work behind the scenes to help your employees and companies achieve excellence. You play a major role in finding talented and dedicated people and you help them develop as individuals and team members. This is an exciting time to be an HR professional. The opportunities to provide leadership in your organization have never been greater, but you must continually increase your professional knowledge and stay one step ahead of the rapid changes taking place all around you. The SHRM Foundation helps you to meet these challenges through its support of research, publications and education. The Foundation enables HR professionals like you to make a difference.

The SHRM Foundation: 40 Years of Advancing the HR Profession

You may look up these and other members' information in the HRA-NCA online membership directory, using various search categories. Log in through the "Member Login" on the HRA-NCA website home page. Keep your membership record up-to-date so we don't lose touch!

HRA-NCA Welcomes this New Member

HRA-NCA invites organizations to sponsor our newsletter - or any of the following: monthly speaker presentations, our website, special events, etc. Interested? Contact Chris Cramer, HRA-NCA's PR & Sponsorship Chair, or access our information on the website. For this issue, sincere thanks to the following sponsor.

FREE Posting and Pre-Screening Service for Non- exempt Jobs

A community-based 501(c)(3) organization, WORC assists Greater Washington's diverse population in finding jobs that can lead to sustainable careers. WORC serves as an employee referral agent between employers in DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia and our region's workforce development organizations.

• WORC distributes a weekly eNewsletter, the WORC Job Board, to over 600 workforce development professionals. It contains hundreds of job openings for non-exempt positions.
• WORC collaborates with the area's workforce development organizations to identify and screen resumes - ensuring that qualified applicants are referred to hiring managers.

- 1 out of every 4 resumes referred to an employer by WORC receives an interview.
- 88% of WORC-referred individuals are still employed.

Are you looking to access a pool of qualified, pre-screened employee candidates? Please contact David Remick at 703-769-3712 or remick @worconline.org.

Visit WORC at www.worco nline.org.