FPPA News ...
Download
Print Version of Current Newsletter:
To download the
current newsletter, select your preferred format (Adobe/Word) below,
and 'Right-mouse-click/Save target as' to download.
Or, left-mouse click to view the newsletter in your
browser.
2008 - 1st Quarter Newsletter
MS
Word
View Past
Newsletter Articles
A Letter from the President
Debbie McDonald - PPP
Greetings! The first quarter of 2008 has been bustling. The Executive Board has been diligently working on two surveys. The first survey has already been presented to our membership. To those of you who participated, a “Big Thank You” is sent your way! The results will soon follow. The second survey was emailed to members on April 21, 2008. Your input is extremely important and very helpful, so please take a few minutes to complete. Vice-President, Lee Brown will be representing FPPA at the IPMA-HR Southern Region Conference April 20-23, 2008 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. We’ve reported the FPPA Key Chapter events along with the updated list of Officers for the IMPA Executive Council Report. Letters have been sent to promote new membership in our Professional organization, as well as an invitation to our 72nd Annual Conference. Bonnie, President Elect, Portia, Academy Director, Lydia, Chair Host and Tom, Conference Finance Chair are off to a great start in planning the 2008 Conference.
Don’t forget, “What’s Shakin In HR,” our 72nd Annual Conference provides the ideal setting for Human Resources Professionals at all levels to come together to learn the latest trends, legal updates, and developments in the human resources field. On behalf of the Executive Board, we are very excited to offer inspirational speakers and informative workshops that address the challenges we face today. I’m looking forward to seeing both new and familiar faces this year.
“Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars.” Les Brown
NEWS from the President-Elect
Bonnie Steinberg - PPP, PHR
Have you made your plans yet to attend this year’s conference? If not, better hurry. The hotel rooms fill up quickly. If you missed my e-mail which listed the tentative speakers and topics, here’s a partial list: The full conference agenda will be posted by the end of April.
Keynote Speaker: Mr. Rick - "E.R. in the H.R." (Emotional Resources in the Human Resources). Rick Pinette is a 1970's recording artist. Some of you may remember his hits: "This Is Love", "King Of The Hill," "Draw The Line," and "Set The Night On Fire." Today he is an author, professional Public Speaker, singer, songwriter, & playwright.
Jeff Ling from Evergreen Solutions: "Managing Crisis: HRs Role in Trying Times"(This deals with municipalities limited budgets, tax cuts, etc.)
Kurt Gehring from The Gehring Group: "Tax Reform. Does Cutting Taxes Mean Cutting Benefits?"
Steven Rosenthal from the Training Tree: "Beyond Who Moved My Cheese: Dealing With Change In Difficult Times."
Phil Rosenberg, HR Doctor: "Trimming Back without Slashing & Burning... how HR can excel in times of Financial Strain" and/or "Applying the Concept of Affirmative Defense ... How to Put off the Day When Bad Things Happen."
Erin Jackson from Thompson, Sizemore & Gonzalez: FMLA
League of Cities: Legislative Update
Gary Lear from Resource Development Systems: "The 7 Elements of High Performance."
To download the conference registration form, go to http://downloads.fppa.org/2008/Conference_Reg_form.doc
We will keep you informed as additional information becomes available. Any questions, please contact Bonnie Steinberg at bsteinberg@dunedinfl.net
"View from the Porch" (VP)
Leland W. "Lee" Brown, PPP,IPMA-CP, SPHR
GOOOOD MORNINGGGG FPPA!! Some you old timers may remember my old greeting from my previous service on the Board (1998). Well, I've been "recycled" and I'm back on the board! Happy to be back actually and proud to be of (slight) service to FPPA again.
I've decided to name my little article/column in the newsletter the "View from the Porch" since I'm an old dog now, and can't "run with the big dogs" anymore, so, I just stay on the porch and watch. Get it? "If you can't run with the big dogs, don't leave the porch"?? Also, I'm the Vice President this year (VP) which ties in as well ("V" from the "P"). Or, maybe not. If I have to do this much explaining, it's probably not working. Oh well.
I went by Walgreens a couple of weeks ago and picked up a jumbo bag of M&M's and a jumbo box of Kleenex (extra soft). Had them in a plastic bag and brought them to work. When I arrive at work, I always stop at Natures Table on the way in and get a large glass of iced tea. One of our employees saw me at the cafe and asked what was in the bag. I informed them that the bag contained standard HR tools of the trade. I always try to keep some chocolate and tissues in my office because I've often found that at least one of those two things always seems to come in handy. I of course transfer my M&M's to the old HR Doctor (Phil) medicine container on my conference table. "Take 2 and call me in the morning".
When I paused to reflect later in the day on my off the cuff answer about what was in the bag, it came to me that in this day and age of instant communication devices, (blackberry’s, laptops, cell phones, blue teeth (?), etc.), we sometimes get too busy to just stop and listen to our people, face to face, and either celebrate an accomplishment (M&M's) or sympathize with disappointment (tissues). It is important to do both things, and still very important to just listen sometimes, without the interruptions of all the electronic gizmo's. I can certainly accomplish a lot of work with all of our electronic wonders, but do I still always accomplish the HR mission?
The "human" part of Human Resources? I don't know about you, but many of the issues I deal with on a day to day basis, are either all about, or all wrapped up in....emotions. Usually every issue has emotional elements such as anger, hurt feelings, fear, sense of betrayal, disappointment and on and on. It's difficult to deal with emotional issues electronically. Yes, you can send an email, or make a call from the cell phone, but sometimes, people just need a moment of your time to talk, to express their feelings. Let's not ever forget that in our busy HR atmosphere of internet applications, electronic background checks, electronic payroll, PC testing, electronic performance appraisals and every "electronic" thing else, that face to face communication, where a person (human being) gets to look you in the eye and express their feelings is integral to our profession.
Another element integral to the HR profession, is training. Training is a critical HR "tool of the trade". Not just the training we provide our employees, but training for ourselves. There are two elements associated with our training. One is to continue to educate ourselves in a fluid employment law and litigious society. Things change in our profession on a day to day basis and we need to be constantly aware of the latest changes to our favorite FMLA legislation, Military Leave, or the new Florida Domestic Leave law, etc... You do this by attending conferences to hear from lawyers as well as other HR professionals and product providers to make your job easier (or you just busier doing more in the workday).
The second element however, is the "mental" break you need to get together and network with other HR professionals and obtain that sense of relief that you are not really alone, and your employees aren't the only ones that do those things. You can make those professional contacts which you can go to for years for assistance. One of the things I enjoy most about public sector (besides the IAFF) is the fact that we are able to share best practices and not reinvent the wheel on every issue. This absolutely has value! I know times are tough financially at our agencies, but you need to communicate to your manager, that your continued education is mission critical to the success of your organization.
You won't want to miss our 2008 conference at the beautiful Vinoy hotel in St. Petersburg. Do your darndest to get there, and come on up on the porch and say howdy. I'll treat you to a glass of iced tea.
VP Lee"
ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2008 - “What’s Shakin in HR?”
Lydia Storck - PPP
Aloha!
Mark your calendars for the 72nd annual FPPA training conference to be held at the beautiful Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club in downtown St. Petersburg.
The hotel conference rate is $135 per night. It is recommended that you make your hotel reservations early to be sure to get this rate. The hotel contact information is as follows: Phone:
1-727-894-1000, Fax: 1-727-822-2785 and Toll-free number: 1-888-303-4430. You can find out more about the hotel on the website link.
Pre-conference check-in will begin on Friday, July 25th with sessions on Saturday and Sunday the 26th and 27th. Check-in for the full conference will begin on Sunday afternoon with sessions Monday, Tuesday and half-day on Wednesday. Sessions are expected to address such topics as: sexual harassment, workers’ comp, tax reform’s impact, employee development and more.
The networking opportunities will get Shakin with the President’s welcome reception on Sunday evening. Be prepared to enjoy yourself at the Tuesday evening Luau (dinner/dance). Don’t forget to bring your Hawaiian wear! Please check the website periodically; we will be updating the information as more details are available. Program information will be posted in the near future. Mahalo
Mark your calendars for the 72nd annual FPPA training conference to be held at the beautiful Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club in downtown St. Petersburg.
The hotel conference rate is $135 per night. It is recommended that you make your hotel reservations early to be sure to get this rate. The hotel contact information is as follows: Phone:
1-727-894-1000, Fax: 1-727-822-2785 and Toll-free number: 1-888-303-4430. You can find out more about the hotel on the website link.
Pre-conference check-in will begin on Friday, July 25th with sessions on Saturday and Sunday the 26th and 27th. Check-in for the full conference will begin on Sunday afternoon with sessions Monday, Tuesday and half-day on Wednesday. Sessions are expected to address such topics as: sexual harassment, workers’ comp, tax reform’s impact, employee development and more.
The networking opportunities will get Shakin with the President’s welcome reception on Sunday evening. Be prepared to enjoy yourself at the Tuesday evening Luau (dinner/dance). Don’t forget to bring your Hawaiian wear! Please check the website periodically; we will be updating the information as more details are available. Program information will be posted in the near future. Mahalo
From the Secretary
Michele Green
With budget cuts, looming additional tax reform, doing more with less, we all are feeling a little burned out. Every day, it is something else….we may be feeling we can’t take it any more. I found this article on the Guidance Resources website (Sarasota County’s EAP). There are a lot of good common sense things we just need to remind ourselves every day.
How can I prevent getting burned out at work?
Worker burnout often is a function of how you react to large amounts of stress. You may react to negative stress by feeling overwhelmed, irritable and worried. The key to preventing burnout is to find ways to neutralize the stress or turn it into positive stress (where you feel motivated and excited). Here are some ways to prevent burnout:
• Change how you view work. Eliminate negative words, such as "I cannot do this," "No way," and "I hate this." When you get the urge to use negative words, try to stop yourself and think of positive words instead, such as "Yes," "I will/can," "Certainly," and "I want to succeed." Also, being bored can be just as stressful as being overworked. If you are bored or spend your time on repetitive tasks, try throwing yourself into whatever you are doing and give it all your concentration. You will find that time passes more quickly, you are more engaged with what you are doing and you are improving the quality of your work. Another possibility is to volunteer for a new task that will challenge you.
• Learn to manage your workload. If your position allows you to decide which projects and tasks to undertake, try tactfully saying no to some requests. It is important to pitch in and help out when asked, but do not overextend yourself. For those tasks for which you are responsible, be sure to prioritize them and schedule them on a calendar. Plan each day so that you set realistic goals for getting your work done and meeting your deadlines. You can accomplish this by breaking bigger projects into smaller tasks. Also, try doing unpleasant tasks first so you can get them out of the way.
• Seek out the positives in any situation. If your responsibilities change or you find yourself in a negative situation, try to look on the bright side. What lessons can you take away from the situation? It may not sound easy, but if you can do this, your mood and your outlook at work will improve.
• Change your work environment. Is your workspace arranged in a way that prevents you from getting your work done? Perhaps you need a comfier chair, more sunlight, more space, more privacy or a more comfortable work wardrobe. Come up with a list of reasonable suggestions for change, and ask your supervisor if he or she will allow you to pursue them. You can also hang a favorite art poster or bring a plant to change your environment.
• Take better care of yourself. You can improve your attitude by improving your health and nutrition habits. Ways to do this include eating healthier lunches and snacks (more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and less saturated fats and refined sugars); drinking coffee and alcohol in moderation or replacing them with water; quitting smoking; and exercising even just a few minutes each day. Simple stretches and deep breathing at your desk can leave you feeling refreshed and ready to tackle more challenges. If you can, take short breaks to let off steam, or go for a walk at lunch to change your surroundings.
• Make the most of your time away from work. It can be a challenge, but do not think about work when you are not there. Try to spend a few minutes each day doing something just for you: exercising, reading, watching a movie, working on a craft or project or exploring new parks, shops and restaurants in your neighborhood.
• Try to make work as fun as possible. Bring in headphones and a CD player or radio if your job allows. Make a day special by bringing in treats or a special lunch for you and/or your co-workers.
• Vary your routine. We all can get in ruts, such as taking the same route to work, having lunch at the same time every day or attending the same meetings every week. If your job allows, change your daily routine so you take in new scenery, meet new people and pass your time differently.
Academy Director
Portia Dinkins, PPP, SPHR
It’s that time of year again! This year’s Pre-Conference will definitely be a treat.
We are offering the Academy (pre-requisite for the certification process), the Master’s Program and the third track - Performance Management The Performance Management track includes a variety of topics such as: Succession Planning/Municipal Cost Savings; Performance Management Strategies; Improved Benefits while reducing cost; and much more.
The application for certification (PPP) or re-certification should be completed and returned no later than June 1, 2008 to: Dinkins@ci.delray-beach.fl.us or faxed to 561-243-7082. Applications and eligibility requirements are on the http://fppa.org website. If you have any specific questions regarding your eligibility, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 561-243-7154.
Sharing information and exchanging ideas is crucial in our profession. Facing the issues that we are all facing right now, it is critical that we communicate our efforts with each other. FPPA is a great way to do just that. The annual Pre-Conference and Conference provide access to a wealth of current legal information, industry trends, as well as forward thinking ideas from other agencies. Looking forward to seeing you there.
Treasury News!
Tom Neal - PPP
So many things to do and so little time in which to do it at this time of year! One of those “things” happens to be making sure your FPPA Annual Membership renewal has been submitted. As of this writing, we have 598 members for FY 2008. Of those, 78 are new members who, for the most part, are replacements for members who moved on to other things. While this number is very encouraging, there are still quite a few who have not submitted a renewal and we encourage you to do so as soon as possible. For information on membership fees, please visit http://www.fppa.org/join.shtml
For the membership application go to: http://downloads.fppa.org/2008/MEMBERSHIP_FORM_2007-2008.doc
If you need further information on membership, please contact me by e-mail (best way) at tomneal_fppa@yahoo.com or telephone/fax at 813-249-2188. As you should be aware, the annual conference at the beautiful Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club in St. Petersburg is fast approaching. If your dues are not paid before that time the conference registration fee will increase by $50.00 per registrant. And, speaking of the conference, please make note that payment can be made by credit card this year. If you intend on making payment in that manner, please make sure you include the credit card payment form with the pre-conference and conference registration forms. Completed forms should be sent directly to Lydia Storck, Host Committee Chair, City of Tampa, by fax to 813-274-8365 or, they may also be sent to Lydia as an e-mail attachment to lydia.storck@tampagov.net
On behalf of the Executive Board we thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you at the conference in July.
Something to think about… from Bonnie
Bonnie Steinberg - PPP, PHR
Every now and then we all have to clean out the old to make room for the new. In doing so at our organization, I came upon the following memo which appears to have been part of an employee manual from the 1970’s. With so much going on these days, I thought it was still pertinent today as it was then.
Something to Think About
Many of us go through life, always wondering why we were never president or why we never get promoted or why we never seem happy at what we’re doing. We watch as others seem to pass us by in life and either envy or resent their success.
Most of us are born with the ability to be a leader, but more than most usually end up wondering what happened, and why didn’t I make it?
In many cases, one word described the real reason why many don’t “make it” in life.
That word is “attitude!”
Attitude is something seldom found on a rating sheet or job evaluation, but can have a positive or negative effect on our lives and all those around us.
Attitude, or I should say, the proper attitude dictates whether or not we look at life as a series of problems or as a series of challenges and opportunities.
No organization is any better or any worse than its members, and the attitude that you reflect to others is the reflection of our entire organization.
The attitude you display toward your job, the public and fellow workers, has a direct bearing on their opinion of you as a person, your profession and any organization of which you are a member.
Does your attitude reflect such an image??? Author Unknown
WHO MOVED MY MOUSE
Leland W. "Lee" Brown, PPP,IPMA-CP, SPHR
(Another) View From the Porch
I thought it might be fun to establish an "HR Case of the Quarter". I was hoping that our membership (you) could submit real life examples of HR issues, situations, cases, (the more absurd the better) and we could print one each quarter for publication in our newsletter. We can certainly change the names of the agency and perpetrators to protect the guilty! I'm thinking we could try to top each other in some of the more "interesting" HR situations we encounter. Here is the first one, a real situation from one of our members. One of our FPPA members called me the other day, laughing about the following story. Understandably, some of the specific aspects of our HR stories are not funny by themselves, but as we often share at conference, some of these cases you just wouldn't believe! They have to be categorized under "Just when you think you've seen it all..." and "What were they thinking?"
It seems a female employee at a treatment plant, who had previously filed an EEO complaint, discovered a brown paper sack at her workstation with a DEAD MOUSE in it. Can you say, AMENDED complaint regarding retaliation, harassment etc...?? (Of course you can). However, there is more to the story....(isn't there always?). Earlier, this same employee went to use the work place microwave to heat up her lunch. When she opened the door, she discovered a brown paper sack, and assuming someone had heated their lunch up, then forgot about it, she just put the sack in the employee break room refrigerator (without looking inside). Another employee saw her put the bag in the refrigerator, went to check out what was in it (now why would they do that??), discovered a dead mouse, and promptly put the bag, containing said deceased mouse, back on the desk of the employee seen putting the bag in the refrigerator (how thoughtful).
All of which brings us to the question of why the dead mouse was in the bag and in the microwave in the first place! (Yes indeed, you KNOW this will be interesting). Apparently, a night shift lead operator, has a snake! He brings in dead rodents, freezes them, then in the morning must of course DEFROST Mr. Mouse in the microwave in order to take him home to be consumed (and easily digested) by the snake. (Who can eat a frozen mouse?).
Upon further investigation, it seems the snake owning employee brought in his OWN refrigerator to the plant and normally kept up to THREE DOZEN (a veritable smorgasbord) dead , frozen rodents in it. Each morning, he would defrost one Mousesicle in the employee microwave to take home for Mr. Snake’s breakfast. (MY guess is that his wife wouldn't let him keep Mousesicle's in HER refrigerator, so that's why he brought a refrigerator in to work). It should be noted that the offending employee kept his personal Rodent Refrigerator chained and locked (how thoughtful, however I don't see how a frozen mouse can escape a refrigerator from the inside?).
Apparently, he forgot to take Mr. Snake’s breakfast out of the employee microwave that particular morning. Of Course, our EEO complaint filing employee would be the one to start the next chain of events (you just KNEW it wouldn't be anybody else right? Not with Mr. Murphy of Murphy's Law in permanent residence. Why couldn't another snake loving employee have found it??? WHY???).
The written disciplinary action of course included use of agency electricity (to power before mentioned privately owned Rodent Refrigerator) as well as the health and safety concerns with using the employee lunch microwave to defrost the Mousesicles, but my absolute favorite part of the discipline write up by the Director stated:
"During the shift that this occurred, only plant operators and police were watching over the City's interests. You had an opportunity to provide a service to your community, an example to your junior operators and to further your own employment with the City. Instead, you defrosted a mouse in a microwave". (I LOVE THIS GUY!!... Well said!).
That kind of succinctly sums up the whole situation doesn't it? Of course, the microwave (YUCK) was replaced and the personal refrigerator was removed, so other than having to explain all of this to the EEO Hearing Officer (Yeah, I don't think I could do it with a straight face either), all's well that ends well(?)
At any rate, I just had to share this one with you. It sure beat out my employee that put a yellow City government license plate (from a City trailer) on his personal vehicle last week, (because his tag expired and he didn't want to get a ticket). The REALLY bad part was that he drives a Toyota and our City has a practice of ONLY buying American cars...
Feel free to share your HR exploits for further newsletter articles.
Regional Workshop in Brevard
Survivor - 2008
Wendy Widmann - PPP
As Human Resource Professionals, we all are faced with a myriad of challenges every day. One of the most trying issues we have to deal with is financial cut backs. You look at benefits, salary freezes (ugh!, or in rare cases, salary reductions!) The City Manager cuts back on capital, where possible and operating costs have been slashed to a fraction of last year's allocations, city services have been reduced or cut back. What's next? In many cases, lay offs are the only option left.
How do we deal with that? How do we protect the City (and the
taxpayers) from lawsuits? How do we keep the "human-ess" in laying off employees and keep the morale up for the employees who aren't laid off?
How do we deal with the press that wants to know who is being laid off before the employees know? How can we feel good about what we have to do? How do we put the magic back in our jobs?
Learn about the difficult tasks Human Resource professionals must deal with in laying off employees - and how to do it right. Attend the Thursday, June 5th FPPA Regional Workshop in Cocoa and find out all you wanted to know about layoffs, but were afraid to ask. Contact Wendy Widmann at 321-639-7560 or e-mail wwidmann@cocoafl.org for more
information.
Wendy B. Widmann, SPHR
Deputy City Manager and
Administrative Services Director
City of Cocoa
603 Brevard Avenue
Cocoa, FL 32922
321-639-7560
|