You Can Make A Difference!
by Sandy Sannes, HRMA Representative to the SHRM Legislative Conference

Every day that you work as an HR professional your life is affected by governmental regulations. Some of these regulations that bind your decisions may make little or no sense to you. Perhaps you may desire, on occasion, that you could concentrate on more enriching activities than recording compliance. The positive news is that you can make an impact without a huge amount of effort. SHRM sponsored its 23rd annual Employment and Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. in March 2006. Much of the focus of the conference was to make the 600 attendees aware of current pending legislation that affects HR professionals and how to influence elected officials on these topics.
 
One critical piece of information that is learned is that as an HR professional you can well be considered an expert on employment issues. As a practitioner you deal with employment issues constantly and are aware of the ramifications of them. Currently only two members of the United States Congress have a background in HR. Knowing this might help you feel more confident in letting your elected official know your stand on pending issues. You can call, write letters or e mails, or meet in person with your representatives or their staffers. Contact information is readily available on the internet, the telephone book and, of course, on the SHRM website. You want to contact your representatives, either state or national, on the issues. Let them know where you stand by clearly explaining your position, have some key points to share, always bring it back to the impact on the workplace and lastly thanking them for listening to you. It is generally  more  effective in  talking to your district elected officials rather than the official that represents your work location. Consider starting a relationship with the staffers so that you will be contacted for your insight when other issues in HR come forth. Lastly, the governmental staff at the SHRM headquarters are extremely knowledgeable and can provide you with a wealth of information. The hottest SHRM federal issues in March were Immigration Reform, Retirement Security and Healthcare Reform. To learn more on these topics review the legislative site on SHRM's website.  Go ahead and make an impact!

[Return to top]