Higher Return on Investment

On March 15, I attended the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce’s HR Insights 2013 at Jungle Island in Miami. It was a nice event – good presenters and 2 valuable panels. A half day of learning that proved worth the commitment.

I found the Legal Update and Executive Suite panels to be filled with pertinent and timely information. The lawyers who presented were very up to date – and passionate – about the legislation that is impacting HR professionals locally and nationally. Topics surrounding the Affordable Care Act (ACA), NLRB, FLSA and social media. I even learned a new term – “textual harassment”. This is when sexual harassment comes in the form of texting and social media. While it is different from sexting, it can have a similar impact in the workplace. Social media continues to be steps ahead of many HR people and companies.

The Executive Suite panel was of particular interest to me. We had 5 well known, senior HR leaders talking and discussing the factors they see as indicators of good talent. The resounding theme was that HR professionals need to know and understand the business to have long term success in our profession. As we all know, transformation and change management are vital tools for all HR people to have. The integration of these with business acumen can lead to a fruitful career in human resources. Thank you to the panelists who shared their jewels of wisdom to help build our next generation of HR talent leaders.

The session closed with the CEO of Florida Blue, Patrick Geraghty, presenting his view on the value of diversity and human capital in the operation of a prosperous operation. His presentation was filled with energy and examples of how diversity participated in the successful transformation of Florida Blue. I would love to hear speak again!

And lastly, Baptist Health South Florida won the award for Outstanding Employee Engagement Strategy – what a great way to end a nice day of learning. Employee engagement can be the cornerstone of customer satisfaction and optimized market share. What is your company doing to improve and sustain high employee engagement?

Don’t forget to CELEBRATE!