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."

Career Management Seminar (CMP)
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
6 - 8 p.m.

Having the Difficult HR Conversation

This workshop will explore how to "professionally" and "successfully" engage in positive (yet difficult) HR conversations. We will discuss: asking for a salary increase, discussing unethical behavior, telling your boss about their management style and much, much more.

Our speaker for this seminar will be Donnie McKethan, Director of HR for the Boys and Girls Club of America.

Please contact Stephanie Simpson at 202-220-0767 or via email at ssimpson@fmi.org if you would like to attend.

Have you visited the HRA-NCA website recently?

In response to your requests, HRA-NCA has redesigned the home page of its website to serve you better.

Be sure to check the new section on local HR events.

Are you in the middle of creating your professional development budget for 2008? As you are planning, remember to include your 2008 HRA-NCA dues for yourself and your staff. Being a member of HRA-NCA gives you a unique opportunity to network with other HR professionals in the DC metro area and enjoy the many learning opportunities that are offered. There are many exciting programs planned for 2008 and we look forward to having you join us again next year!

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."

The Upcoming Events page on our website shows the next five HRA-NCA sponsored events and the next five non HRA- NCA events that may be of interest to you. One of the more recent additions is "The Costs and Benefits of Doing Business in the Metropolitan Washington DC Area - Legal and HR Perspectives" on January 31, 2008. Do you have an event to submit? Send them to Communications@hra- nca.org.

Other items of note:

• IMI's 9th Annual Conference: We are pleased to announce IMI's 9th Annual Conference is open for registration. In addition, this year IMI has their very own conference website, set up for ease of use and immediate programming updates. Visit their website now...
  
  
• 2008 Apollo Awards: Please be aware the nominations for the 2008 Apollo Awards will be accepted beginning in January 2008. SmartCEO Magazine, HRA-NCA, and other Washington metropolitan chapters of SHRM are proud to be 2008 partners. Cli ck here for further information, or to nominate your organization...
  
  
• National Harbor Place - Huge Hiring Event: By now, most of you have heard about the National Harbor Place that is due to open in April 2008 in PG county. It will be the largest Convention Center and Hotel on the east coast and it is right in our back yard. They have JOBS and are having a huge hiring event this month. Visit the Gaylor National to National Harbor website...
  
  
• The Human Resource Leadership Awards of Greater Washington: Nominations are underway for the 7th annual Human Resource Leadership Awards, honoring human resource leaders, innovators, and teams for outstanding contributions to their organizations and the field of Human Resources. Awards and scholarships culminate in a gala event on June 3rd. The nomination deadline is mid-March. More information...
  
  
• China FastTrack Forum: Are you or your clients contemplating market opportunities in China? What are the opportunities? How do you manage your risk? Where do you get started? What types of ventures work best? Expand your knowledge and business contacts in this area. Connect with and learn directly from a unique gathering of Chinese and local business leaders, high level embassy officials, and nationally recognized experts in this market. More information...

Before trying to 'fix' a perceived problem in your organization, first stop and take a moment to check your premises. That is the message shared by Gallup CEO Jim Clifton at the SHRM Foundation Thought Leaders Retreat. Based on the polls and research conducted by the Gallup Organization, Clifton asserted that most thought leadership today is either wrong or just a little bit off. Poor decisions in politics and business are often based on wrong premises due to ignorance of pertinent facts on the part of the decision-makers. Before taking action, leaders must take time to listen to the people whose lives are affected. Unfortunately, leaders seldom examine premises. They often accept them as true. People then build their business and people management strategies and programs on these untested assumptions.

For example, we assume that CEO's care about the people in the organization, when in reality they are most concerned with bottom line business results. This means that if HR recommends a new program because it is "good for employees," the CEO is not likely to accept it. HR must build the business case for investing in people based on hard data. HR professionals must become far more financially literate. They must focus on research rather than instinct and assumptions as the basis for their recommendations regarding people management. To be effective, HR must learn to check its assumptions and bring a hard analytical approach to soft people issues. Research has proven that having a spirited and engaged workforce impacts bottom line results, and HR is uniquely positioned to provide strategic leadership in this area.

To read the entire text of Jim Clifton's remarks, visit www.shrm.org/foundation/engaging.asp.

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 these New Members

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.worconline.org.