IPMA-HR Bulletin
January 27, 2006

February 9 Webinar—The Overtime Regulations: Their Impact on Public Employers a Year and a Half Later
Brian P. Walter, Partner, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, to Present Information on Topic

|Brian P. Walter, a partner with the California-based Liebert Cassidy Whitmore who has represented clients in all aspects of employment and labor law, including counseling on employment and labor relations matters, labor negotiations, training and presentations, employee discipline matters, administrative hearings, investigations and litigation, will present information for an IPMA-HR webinar, “The Overtime Regulations: Their Impact Public Employers a Year and a Half Later,” to be held Feb. 9 from 1 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

The webinar will examine the practical impact of the new Department of Labor regulations upon public employers, including:

  • The changes to the salary basis test with an emphasis on the ability of public employers to impose short-term suspensions under the new rules.
  • Whether employees have lost their exempt status due to the changes to the executive exemption.
  • The classification of computer employees such as network administrators and public safety inspectors under the administrative exemption.
  • The effect of the “first responder” regulation on the classification of fire and police management.

The webinar will include a discussion of the practical issues faced by public agencies that were required to reclassify employees as exempt or non-exempt after the new regulations were implemented.

The price to participate in the Feb. 9 webinar is $150 for non-members and $99 for members. Or save by registering for any combination of four sessions of webinars! IPMA-HR members can purchase any four webinars for the low price of just $316, and non-members pay just $520 for any four calls. Pricing is based on the line purchased, not by number of participants on the call, so be sure to include your entire HR staff.

Click here to register online, or to register by phone call Premiere Global directly at (800) 289-0579 and reference event code 5536846.

Once registered, you will receive a confirmation e-mail with a toll-free number and simple instructions to access the audio portion of the seminar. The Web link, instructions on how to participate in the visual portion of the seminar and any available session reference materials will be emailed to you approximately three business days prior to the webinar.

Deadline/Cancellations: Registration deadline is Feb. 8, 2006 at 12:00 p.m. (Eastern Time). Refund requests must be made in writing and received by IPMA-HR no later than Feb. 3, 2006 to receive a full refund. Requests received after Feb. 3, 2006 will receive a 50 percent refund. Substitutions will be allowed or a credit will be given towards a future webinar/audio conference.

For more information, contact IPMA-HR at (703) 549-7100, or e-mail meetings@ipma-hr.org.

Employers Expect to Raise Salaries for New College Grads, But Forgo Signing Bonuses

BETHLEHEM, Penn. – Employers expect to raise starting salary offers to new college graduates, but most won’t be sweetening the pot with a signing bonus, according to a report published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

Approximately 75 percent of the employers responding to NACE’s Job Outlook 2006 report said they plan to raise starting salary offers to those graduating with bachelor’s degrees. On average, respondents projected a 3.7 percent increase.

“Salaries vary, depending on degree, type of job, type of employer, and other factors, but the increase reaffirms the positive job outlook for this year’s class of college graduates,” said Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director.

At the same time, however, most employers said they don’t expect to offer signing bonuses—a “pot sweetener” that employers have used in the past to woo job candidates. Just less than 44 percent of respondents reported plans to offer signing bonuses with 2006 graduates. Moreover, “most who say they will offer bonuses say they will do so selectively,” Mackes said.

NACE will be tracking starting salaries to new college graduates throughout the year, and expects to issue its first report on salaries in early February through its Salary Survey report. The organization will also continue to track the job market for new college graduates and plans to publish an update on the job outlook for new college graduates this spring.

“We will be tracking activity to see if employer expectations translate into reality,” Mackes said.

Since 1956, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has been the leading source of information about the college job market.

New Survey Finds 62% of Employers Offer Wellness Initiatives

BROOKFIELD, Wis. – The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans has released Wellness Programs, the tenth publication in the Survey & Sample Series.

Key findings of the survey include:

  • 80 percent of employers offering a wellness program provide wellness education, which may include books, newsletters, seminars or speakers on wellness topics. Other popular offerings include health screenings, subsidized flu shots and health risk assessments.
  • Merchandise and gift cards are the most popular incentives to promote wellness programs.
  • More than 80 percent of employers have average employee participation of 50 percent or below.
  • Forty-six percent of those who offer a wellness program use in-house staff to plan and implement the program.
  • Forty-four percent of those surveyed cite improved employee health as the result of the wellness program, followed by improved employee morale, lower healthcare claims or costs and reduced absenteeism.

The survey collected information from 464 U.S. and Canadian sources representing corporations, multiemployer trust funds, public employers and professional service firms. The results include 93 samples related to the wellness programs including program descriptions, communication pieces and forms.

The International Foundation’s Survey & Sample Series was created to provide survey data and samples on a variety of employee benefits topics to benefits professionals. This information allows them to benchmark their plans against others, to determine trends and costs, and to better manage their plans. For more information about the other titles in the series, click here.

The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans is a nonprofit educational association serving the employee benefits and compensation industry. Total membership includes more than 35,000 individuals representing more than 8,600 trust funds, corporations, public employee groups and professional advisory firms in the U.S. and Canada.

IPMA-HR Exclusive Member Discount on Job Postings at Monster.com

IPMA-HR’s partnership with Monster Government Solutions provides you with a highly effective method of reaching qualified public sector human resource professionals. Monster, the 11th most visited site on the Internet and the leading global online career network, serves more than 30 million job seekers worldwide.

Your IPMA-HR membership entitles you to receive an exclusive member discount of 25 percent off the Monster list price for a single online job posting—IPMA-HR members pay only $300! Post your jobs through IPMA-HR’s Career Center and your position listing will instantly be posted on Monster.com for 60 consecutive days. Start receiving resumes today!

To post your positions on IPMA-HR’s Career Center, visit the IPMA-HR Web site at www.ipma-hr.org and click on “Advertising and Job Posting.”

Benchmarking Committee Plans Recruitment and Selection Survey

The IPMA-HR Benchmarking Committee recently wrapped up the 2005 Healthcare Benefit Cost Management Survey and is now looking forward to launching a survey on recruitment and selection practices. The survey will cover three areas: 1) recruitment strategies, 2) applicant assessment, and 3) time to hire.

The survey is currently in development and is expected to be launched in late February 2006. A link to the survey will be sent via e-mail to IPMA-HR members and Assessment Council members, and the results will be provided free to survey participants.

For the recruitment and selection survey, the benchmarking committee has partnered with NEOGOV. Based in El Segundo, Calif., NEOGOV works in public sector recruitment, selection and applicant tracking systems, and delivers integrated and scalable enterprise applications for government agencies of all sizes.

IPMA-HR’s benchmarking committee has been conducting surveys since 1998. Visit the IPMA-HR website to read the results of the Healthcare Benefits Cost Management survey (free to members), as well as best practices in workforce planning.

MSPB Releases Early Results of Merit Principles Survey

The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) has published early findings from the 2005 Merit Principles Survey (MPS). Nearly 37,000 full-time federal employees responded to the survey.

MPS 2005 results show that federal employees are committed public servants. They understand the missions of their respective agencies (95 percent) and the overwhelming majority believes that their agency’s mission is important (94 percent). On an individual level, employees understand how their work contributes to the agency’s overall mission (92 percent) and find the work they do to be meaningful (86 percent). Most also believe that their work teams provide high-quality products and services to the public (80 percent).

Although federal employees are committed to their public service roles, they are less satisfied with how well they are supported in these roles. They are less certain that their jobs are secure (60 percent) or that they have the resources they need to do their work (64 percent).

In spite of this lower level of satisfaction, results indicate that many federal employees like their jobs (71 percent). Almost all are motivated by pride in their work (98 percent) and most by their duties as public employees (90 percent). Significantly fewer are motivated by direct rewards, such as a hypothetical cash award of $1,000 (71 percent) or increased chances of promotion (70 percent). Slightly fewer employees are satisfied with their pay (61 percent), or with the recognition and awards they receive (40 percent). These findings reinforce a picture of a federal workforce that is motivated by personal factors, but is somewhat less satisfied with the support and rewards received from their organizations.

The MPS 2005 also gathered information about employee training needs. Although most survey participants report that they receive sufficient training to do their jobs (64 percent), a sizeable proportion would like additional training to improve their job performance (46 percent). Also, they clearly expect that development of these skills should be funded by their agencies and provided through formal training (81 percent) and on-the-job developmental experiences (77 percent).

Source: MSPB Issues of Merit, January 2006.

Interview Services Network Assists in Meeting Member Recruitment Goals

Do you want to interview a candidate who lives outside your area?

It’s becoming more and more common for candidates who apply for open positions in an agency to live outside of that agency’s local area. Due to budget constraints however, your agency may not be able to pay for travel expenses for an initial interview. In order to assist IPMA-HR members to consider these applicants, the Association will be developing a network of agencies willing to videotape interviews with job applicants.

The Association will post, in a password-protected area of its Web site, the contact information of those who are interested in participating in this network. When those who agree to participate have a need for this service, they can see if an agency is willing to videotape a candidate in the desired area.

To participate in the network, you must be willing to videotape candidates. If you are interested in participating in the Interview Services Network, please contact Neil Reichenberg, IPMA-HR executive director, at nreichenberg@ipma-hr.org.

IPMA-HR Certification

The International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR) has issued its certification designation, IPMA Certified Professional (IPMA-CP) to more than 1,400 people in seven countries that include: Canada, China, Korea, Kuwait, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and the United States. The purposes of the certification program are to encourage continuous learning and help to develop the next generation of human resource professionals. The certification program contains a behavioral omponent based on the 22 competencies contained in the IPMA-HR competency model and a human resource technical component that is determined by an assessment of the technical experience of the applicants. Applicants need to pass a multiple-choice examination based on the competencies in order to be certified. The certification program can be tailored to ensure its global relevance.

For additional information about the certification program, click here, or contact Neil Reichenberg, IPMA-HR executive director, at nreichenberg@ipma-hr.org.

2006 IPMA-HR International Training Conference, “Solving the Generational Puzzle,” Set for Oct. 7-11 in Las Vegas

Mark your calendar now for the 2006 IPMA-HR International Training Conference, set for Oct. 7-11 at the Flamingo Resort in Las Vegas. This year’s theme is “Solving the Generational Puzzle.”

Conference Highlights include:

  • Three full days—36 sessions—of specifically tailored programming for the public sector HR community.
  • Plenty of energizing networking opportunities.
  • An exposition featuring the latest in innovative HR products and services.

For more information visit www.ipma-hr.org or call (703) 549-7100.

Make Plans Now to Attend the 30th Annual IPMAAC Conference this June in Las Vegas

Celebrate the 30th anniversary of the International Public Management Association - Assessment Council (IPMAAC) June 25-28 this year at the 30th Annual IPMAAC Conference, which will be held at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas. This year’s theme is “Winning thru Assessment: 30 Years of Adding Value to Organizations.”

The annual IPMAAC conference offers professionals the opportunity to obtain critical knowledge and experience needed to thrive in today’s challenging personnel assessment environment. Also, conference goers will get the chance to share their experiences, the latest research initiatives and ideas with like-minded colleagues.

IPMAAC is an organization for assessment professionals in public and private sector organizations. Its membership includes more than 300 persons actively engaged in practice, research, and training in personnel assessment. For more information about the IPMAAC conference, contact Carrie Hoover at choover@ipma-hr.org.

On the Calendar

February 9
Webinar: The Overtime Regulations: Their Impact on Public Employers a Year and a Half Later
Presenter: Brian P. Walter, Partner, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore
Contact Carrie Hoover at choover@ipma-hr.org, or click here for more information.

March 9
Webinar: Discipline without Punishment, Managing the Marginal Performer
Presenter: Dick Grote, Chairman and CEO of Grote Consulting Corporation
Contact Carrie Hoover at choover@ipma-hr.org, or click here for more information.

March 10
2006 Tri-State Conference, sponsored by the Connecticut, Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts IPMA-HR chapters
“Truth or Blarney—Separating Fact from Fiction”
Newport Harbor Hotel and Marina
Newport, RI
Contact Crystal Ross at crystal.ross@ct.gov for more information.

March 30-31
SCPMA-HR Training Conference 2006
“Generations—Passing the Torch”
Hilton Pasadena
Pasadena, CA
Contact Linda Hopkins at lhopkins@lacdhr.org for more information.

April 13
Webinar: Pensions
Contact Carrie Hoover at choover@ipma-hr.org, or click here for more information.

April 30-May 3
2006 IPMA-HR Southern Region and TPMA State Conference
“Employees-R-US, Are We Making the Grade in Customer Service?”
Chattanooga Marriott and Convention Center
Chattanooga, TN
Contact William E. Brown, IPMA-CP, at (865) 380-4753 or at wbrown@cityofalcoa-tn.gov.

May 3-6
2006 Western Region IPMA-HR Training Conference
“The HR Trek”
Historic Embassy Suites Hotel
Portland, OR
Contact Richard Dukellis at (858) 668-4443 or at rdukellis@ci.poway.ca.us, or click here for more information.

May 11
Webinar: Uses and Abuses of Salary Survey Data, Sponsored by Fox Lawson & Associates
Presenters: James Fox, Chairman Fox Lawson & Associates and Bruce Lawson, President Fox Lawson & Associates
Contact Carrie Hoover at choover@ipma-hr.org, or click here for more information.

June 8
Webinar: Generational HR Issues
Contact Carrie Hoover at choover@ipma-hr.org, or click here for more information.

June 11-14
70th Annual IPMA-HR Central Region Training Conference
“Brewing Premium HR – 70 Years of Excellence”
Hilton Milwaukee City Center
Milwaukee, WI
Contact Gail Strope at gstrope@jeffcitymo.org, or click here for more information.

June 18-21
2006 IPMA-HR Eastern Region Conference
“Human Capital at the Capitol: Achieving Monumental Results”
Hotel Washington
Washington, DC
Contact ipma-mc@ipma-mc.org.

June 25-28
Annual IPMAAC Conference on Personnel Assessment
“Winning thru Assessment: 30 Years of Adding Value to Organizations”
The Riviera Hotel
Las Vegas, NV
Contact Carrie Hoover at choover@ipma-hr.org.

September 14
Webinar: Recruitment & Selection/Benchmarking
Contact Carrie Hoover at choover@ipma-hr.org, or click here for more information.

October 7-1
2006 IPMA-HR International Training Conference
“Solving the Generational Puzzle”
The Flamingo
Las Vegas, NV
Contact Carrie Hoover at choover@ipma-hr.org.

October (Date to be determined)
Webinar: Bring the 2006 IPMA-HR International Training Conference to your office! (This webinar will feature a session from the conference.)
Contact Carrie Hoover at choover@ipma-hr.org, or click here for more information.

November 9
Webinar: Reference Checking and Background Investigations
Contact Carrie Hoover at choover@ipma-hr.org, or click here for more information.

 

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