The first-ever NationaLease Human Resources Summit was held last week at the Hyatt Regency Lisle. The group tackled some of the biggest challenges our industry is facing right now: recruiting and retaining diesel technicians, and the HR legal issues that seem to be ever-increasing.
Jane Clark, Vice President of Member Services for NationaLease welcomed the group and introduced Dean Vicha, President of NationaLease, who remarked on the historic nature of this event and the great need for it. Jane then introduced Iris Miller, Director of National Accounts for Accurate Personnel Services who shared her tips and tricks for recruiting. Julie Mueller, Campus President & Ian Hardie, Employment Services Director for Universal Technical Institute followed with a presentation on how to partner with your local vocational school to maximize your ability to recruit and hire qualified techs. Dick Finnegan, author of The Power of Stay Interviews for Engagement and Retention, the top-selling SHRM-published book in history, then joined the group to share his insights on employee retention and his program that guarantees a 20% reduction in turnover in the first year. The morning session concluded with Cathy Marcheschi, Communications Manager & Sue Eaglebarger, Vice President, Human Resources, for Lawson Products, Inc. who shared practical tools and tips on how your company’s story can help attract employees and how Lawson Products implemented a social media strategy for recruitment.
The afternoon session began with a workshop on making the most of your employee experience from recruitment to retirement. Shawn Halloran, HR Business Partner for ADP gave an idea-packed presentation of ways that we can maximize the productivity and employee satisfaction from the very beginning to the very end of an individual’s employment with your company. Next, Michelle Momeyer, HR Business Partner with Jones Lange LaSalle shared how to manage performance issues in a way that improves employee performance and engagement. Jane Clark then reviewed the tools provided by NationaLease Home Office to assist members with recruitment and retention, as well as other resources available to all NationaLease members. The first day concluded with a Best Practices Round Table in which members shared challenges and concerns, and shared ideas from their own experiences in successfully addressing these issues.
The second day of the Summit was devoted to HR legal issues. Neil Dishman, Partner with Jackson Lewis shared a seven-step program for making your company lawsuit-proof. Neil covered a wide range of areas within employment law to arm attendees with a plan for how to bulletproof their HR practices including how to safely use (or not use) background checks, credit history, arrest records, and social media, how to make defensible disciplinary and termination decisions, what you should (and should never) say to an employee seeking a medical accommodation or leave of absence, and how to drastically reduce the chances of an overtime or wage dispute. Dates and location for next year’s Human Resources Summit will be announced soon. This year’s meeting received accreditation from both HRCI and SHRM.