Special Interest Groups
Special Interest Groups ("SIG's") are a benefit for PHRMA members; no solicitations please. They serve two purposes:
Professional growth - discussing issues of interest, trends, successes
Networking - Opportunity to meet with others in HR specialty and build connections
Ideas for additional SIGs are welcome.
For information about dates and times for SIG meetings, please visit the SIG Calendar of Events. For information about individual SIGs, select from the options below:
Active Search
Contact: Peter Paskill, 503.885.7755, peter@careermakers.com or
Rod Cox, 503.221.0241,
rod.cox@lhh.com
If you are an HR professional currently in transition, or "thinking about" making a job change, or targeting HR as a new career field, this highly participative, productive monthly meeting is the place to be. Looking for a new position can be daunting, exciting, scary, and nerve-wracking -- in many ways, like riding a roller coaster. The Active Search group provides colleague-to-colleague network support, job search tips and techniques, sharing of job leads, and a framework for a productive job search. Just bring yourself and a copy of your resume.
Meetings will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Double Tree Hotel - Lloyd Center, just prior to the Monthly lunch meeting. Be sure to check the News and Views for the latest information.
Benefits and Compensation
Contact: Kassie Hettman, 503-464-8403,
kassie.hettman@pgn.com, or
The Benefits and Compensation SIG offers an informal opportunity to discuss the constantly changing world of employee benefits and compensation. Skyrocketing insurance costs, and the increasing availability of comp and benefits info on the web have made employees much savvier about their total compensation packages than they've ever been. In addition, the influx of high tech into the Portland/Vancouver area in the past 5 years has upped the ante for all employers in the Pacific Northwest. Please join us to discuss these and other wide-ranging issues challenging benefits and compensation professionals today. Meeting announcements will be made through the News and Views and email notifications.
Please join us for our next meeting on Thursday, July 10 from 7:30a.m.-9:00a.m. The topic is: Recognizing Employee Value. Location TBD. Please RSVP to kassie.hettman@pgn.com.
Diversity
Our Diversity SIG is an important resource for PHRMA members interested in cultivating their diverse work force, customer and supplier base. Our emphasis is on welcoming and working with individuals of difference, races, cultures, genders, ages, physical and mental capabilities, religious beliefs, sexual orientations and educational backgrounds. Topics relate to recruitment, dealing with diverse customer base and vendors, managing a global workforce and implementation of comprehensive diversity initiatives. The SIG also identifies community resources and notifies members of upcoming diversity related events.
Please join us for our next meeting on June 20 from 7:30a.m.-9:00 a.m. Topic: Fundamentals of intercultural communication. We meet at the offices of Dunn, Carney, Allen, Higgins & Tongue, 851 SW Sixth Ave., Suite 1500, Portland.
Employee Relations
Contact: Leigh Ohlstein, 503-813-4741,
Leigh.F.Ohlstein@kp.org or
Employee relations is an area that most HR professionals deal with day to day whether it is the primary role of their position or not. The Employee Relations SIG offers an opportunity for discussion and to enjoy speakers on different employee relations / employment law topics. Please join us to discuss your burning issue, offer your guidance, give your opinions, explore new and changing laws, or just to have the opportunity to get involved with the SIG in your area of interest or expertise. Any and all HR professionals who are involved in or interested in employee relations are welcome to join us! We plan to meet at the end of each month, dates, times, and locations to follow in the News and Views.
Human Resource Management
Steve Achilles, SPHR, 971-506-0809,
stephen.achilles@gmail.com or
Larry Hellie, SPHR, 360-601-6388,
hhrc2@comcast.net
Attendance in this SIG is intended for people who are the top HR Executive in an organization, division or site in the
Portland area.
This SIG is focused on strategic HR issues and how HR can improve an organization's performance. Typical topics include leading research in strategic HR, HR leaders talking about effective HR initiatives and speakers from outside HR discussing discuss how HR can improve its effectiveness inside the organization.
The group meets four times a year; twice in the spring and twice in the fall. Meetings are typically in the morning from 7:30-11:30a.m. It is a great place to learn and network and grow your effectiveness as an HR leader.
We welcome new and existing members to discuss a variety of topics related to proactive sourcing, recruiting, screening and attracting candidates. Some of the topics include: implementing a recruiting strategy within your organization, attracting and retaining the different generations, best practices in corporate recruiting across industries, utilizing assessments in the hiring process, critical interview questions, references-what you can and can't ask, labor updates and economic trends, recruiting software and technology for tracking active and passive candidates. Corporate Recruiters, third party recruiters and other HR Leaders wishing to learn more about this critical function within an organization will benefit. Those interested in learning more about recruiting as a specialty will find opportunities for learning and professional development. Networking is encouraged. Meets every other month on the third Thursday starting in February. 2008 at the offices of Lee Hecht Harrison, 5550 SW Macadam Avenue, Suite 303, Portland, OR 97239
Training and Development
The Training & Development SIG offers HR professionals the opportunity to participate in a peer group focused on organizations' needs to acquire, build, and transfer important competencies. Please join us at our quarterly meetings as we learn new tools and methods for training as well as ways to evaluate outcomes of your training efforts. Everyone is welcome: Training/Development Specialists, HR Generalists, OD/Training Managers, and anyone else wishing to learn more about this dynamic area in Human Resources. Our objectives for this year include: Explore evidence-based, data-driven T+D; training as part of a larger strategic talent management system; Understanding the importance of training from the risk-management perspective; Meeting with other professionals grappling with similar issues. We meet quarterly—locations and dates will be published in the monthly newsletter.