Chamber forums address human resource issues

Tara Howard with the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce reported to Historic City News that the Chamber has recently re-implemented a forum where human resource professionals can address some of the challenges they face in management of employees in both large and small organizations.

The Chamber recognizes that the slowdown in the economy, high unemployment rates and tight budgets are factors which significantly impact employers. They expect the dialog in these programs will provide an important service to their membership.

October 1, 2009 kicked off the forum series with HR representatives that employ roughly 8,500 employees in St. Johns County.

“We were pleased with the response,” said Jim Snodgrass of Great People Now, who is working with the Chamber to help organize the forum. The purpose of the first meeting was to get the group together and prioritize the issues that are most prevalent to them.

The top three issues were employee morale, the H1N1 virus and managing HR in the current economic conditions.

Jim Springfield, Associate Superintendent with St. Johns County School District, was a participant in the October meeting for the HR Forum. “It is nice to be able to network with local HR professionals who are dealing with similar issues and can share ideas and best practices,” he said.

Upcoming Meeting Information:

Breakfast Meeting: Employee Morale
Morale in the Workplace
What: Program and Discussion led by Kevin Vandyke of Vandyke Norman Insurance, who has received national recognition for his management achievements while he was president of Skinner Nurseries.
When: 8:30 a.m., November 3, 2009
Where: St. Augustine Courtyard by Marriott
Who: Open to HR Professionals/Business Owners
RSVP: Rick Burke, rburke@soshrsolutions.com

Special Meeting: H1N1’s Impact on our Business Community
What Can and Should be Done in the Workplace
What: Program and Discussion led by Martha L. Wagaman, Risk Manager & H1N1 Flu Planning Section Chief, St. Johns County Health Department
When: 8:30 a.m., Friday, November 6
Where: St. Johns County Auditorium, County Administration Building, 500 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine, Florida 32084
Who: Open to Everyone
RSVP: No RSVP necessary