Dec 2023 | 42nd EDITION NEWSLETTER | |
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Five Tips to Encourage a Collaborative Hybrid Workplace
ASAE | Lizabeth Wesely-Casella | November 21, 2023
Associations are working to build better ways of supporting their distributed staff teams. Explore five ideas to promote teamwork among employees and keep stress down. In its recent “State of the Global Workplace: 2023 Report,” Gallup explored the interdependency of operations and the human experience. The report describes the measurable impact of employee disengagement and its connection to stress and burnout.
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It’s Time to Define Your Company’s Principles
Harvard Business Review | Jack Fuchs, Scott Sandell,
Vikram Shanke | From the Magazine (November–December 2023)
On January 8, 2021, an unprecedented move reverberated through the digital sphere. Under the stewardship of Jack Dorsey, then its CEO, Twitter banned a sitting U.S. president, Donald Trump, from its platform. The social media company explained this action by saying that Trump had violated its user policy by inciting violence. Nearly two years later Elon Musk, now at the platform’s helm, reinstated the former president’s account.
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What’s On Your Employee Benefits Wish List?
2023 IEC Presenting Sponsor Holmes Murphy | Leia Spoor | November 2023
For many people, the holiday season is a time to make wish lists. Kids have lists for Santa, teens create detailed documents complete with links to their dream purchases, and social media influencers propose wish lists for every kind of person (and pet) you can imagine.
So, what are employers wishing for? I connected with Nathan Cassin, our Director of Pharmacy, and Bill Magee, our Director of Actuary and Underwriting, to put together a wish list for the year ahead. Take a look and consider what you’d put on your employer wish list.
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"This conference is absolutely game and perspective-changing! The wide variety of sessions to grow and learn from are incredibly engaging, packed with powerful approaches that resonate and dig deep. It is rare to find a conference where you come out feeling entirely energized and ready to try new tactics to what is currently in play. Better yet, for those of us where we've made changes in our careers, we can see the evolution of where things were, and where they could go (or even didn't). Not only can I look back on my prior experiences and apply these newfound thoughts and ideologies, I am able to do the same in the current day and provide a future outlook for where we are and where we want to go. Life is about the journey and learning every step of the way. This conference has been an absolutely amazing experience, and I'm incredibly grateful to share this experience with my company. Just as life changes, so does everything around us. Being open to new approaches and ideas, we then open ourselves up to growth and opportunity. And being able to take this back and share it with others - you gain the great satisfaction of paying it forward. Such a profound and rewarding experience! Thank you for taking the time and dedication to making the most out of this event, and for bringing it to so many to share in the wonders."
IEC Spring 2023 Attendee
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7 Habits HR Leaders Should Promote to Build a Healthy Culture
HR Executive | Jill Barth | November 16, 2023
Performance and culture share a meaningful connection, says Kevin Oakes, the CEO and co-founder of the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp). Speaking to CHRO at HRE’s Strategy Summit last week in San Diego, Oakes emphasized that thriving companies possess a secret advantage: a robust organizational culture.
According to i4cp’s 2023 Culture Fitness study, high-performance organizations—marked by significant growth in revenue, profitability, market share and elevated customer satisfaction—are nearly six times more likely to enjoy a culture that aligns with their objectives compared to their less successful counterparts.
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Do Employees Suffer Burnout Or ‘Boreout’? How to Identify It — And 9 Ways to Help
HR Morning | Michele McGovern | November 21, 2023
Employees may complain they’re burned out. But they might actually suffer from “boreout.” They’re equally damaging — and something HR and front-line leaders will want to address and manage.
Boreout isn’t exactly the opposite of burnout, but they have similar effects on employees. Boreout is chronic boredom at work — people feel underworked, unchallenged, unmotivated and frustrated. Like burnout, it will likely increase stress, tension, turnover and poor health, according to a study published in Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
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How to Show Gratitude to Your Employees
HR Exchange Network | Francesca Di Meglio
November 23, 2023
Thanksgiving should be every day. There's no room for taking people for granted in your personal or professional life. Yet, many employees are quitting their jobs because they feel unappreciated. "The best way to stabilize your business is to stem the tsunami of attrition and increase your retention," according to Harvard Business Review. "In the frantic need to hire more people, the group we often forget to attend to are the folks who stay — those showing up day-in and day-out shouldering the work that needs to get done."
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Forget The 4-Day Workweek. We Should Be Talking About The 5-Day, 32-Hour Week Instead
Fast Company | Kathleen Davis | November 27, 2023
I often think about the Maggie Smith line in Downton Abbey “What is a weekend?” Being a Countess, she didn’t know what a weekend was because she had no workweek. But there was a time in the not so distant past when working Americans also had never heard of a weekend for the opposite reason: They often worked six or seven days a week.
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Research: The Benefits of a Pet-Friendly Workplace
Harvard Business Review | Shawn X. Quan & Kira Schabram November 13, 2023
Managers and organizational leaders are currently exploring the best ways to conduct in-person and hybrid work, striving to make the office as inviting as possible while leveraging in-office time for collaborative activities. In this moment of reflection about when, where, and how work should be done, it’s an opportune time to explore out-of-the-box ideas.
Let us propose one you may not have considered yet: Your office pet policy.
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The Top 10 Skills for Leading People and Culture in the Global Era
2023 IEC Sponsor UKG | Cecily Tyler | November 17, 2023
1. A clear vision for goals and a shared purpose: An important objective for any leader is to identify goals, communicate them clearly, and disseminate them effectively. Employees are more engaged, united, and productive when goals are clearly communicated and when they believe in a shared purpose for their work. This becomes even more imperative for global leaders striving to create an engaged global culture.
2. Ability to foster talent: Recruiting, fostering, and retaining talent is essential when building any company—domestically or globally. Talent that is recognized, nurtured, and valued is a pivotal element of a human-centered organization and culture, and supports the bottom line (turnover is proven to be a financial drain). Global leaders and HR teams need to recruit local talent to help engage and support the communities where they’re based, but they also need to foster internal and worldwide talent to encourage cultural intelligence and a global mindset. Today, as the labor shortages continue, it’s become increasingly important to identify talent from within the company.
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"The Ignite Change Iowa Employment Conference was one of the best conferences I have ever attended. I had a difficult time choosing which breakouts to attend because they were all relevant. The information shared by the speakers and applicable concepts I walked away with will be valuable to our organization. I was wowed over and over throughout the day. Thank you for bringing these amazing speakers together to ignite us to be change makers. I am truly grateful."
IEC Fall 2023 Attendee
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New 2024 FSA And HSA Limits: What HR Needs to Know
HR Morning | Alison Roller | November 16, 2023
Ahead of the new year, the IRS has announced new contribution limits to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs). FSA and HSA accounts are two popular options to help employees pay for qualified medical expenses. It’s imperative for HR pros to stay up to date on new limits and regulations for these tax-saving benefits to ensure your employees can get the most out of their funds as employees make their benefit elections. Here’s what you need to know.
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5 Essential Questions That Determine If You’re Letting This Mindset Damage Your Culture
Fast Company | Risha Gran | November 27, 2023
It’s hard to know if you suffer from a scarcity mentality, but it is worth the work and the reward to find out. “If there is a Black woman and a white man up for the same job, and if all things are considered equal such as skill sets, education, and competence, the job will go to the Black woman because of diversity.” This was said to me after asking a white man what he found challenging about embracing diversity and inclusion.
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5 Ways to Save a Faltering Transformation
HR Executive | Mark Stelzner | November 27, 2023
A close colleague of mine was asked to facilitate a workshop with the senior leadership of an organization wrestling with its ways of working. To describe the session as challenging would be an understatement, as my colleague was immediately faced with either bored indifference or outright hostility. They shared that it was heartbreaking to see the sponsor of the workshop slowly lose their optimism as participants threw up barriers and resistance at every turn.
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"Huge THANK YOU to #iec2023 and Nan Boland for having us speak at the Iowa Employment Conference today! It was so much fun helping folks become self-aware and living by the Platinum Rule!"
IEC Fall 2023 Speaker Milan Batinich
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"Thank you for including me. What an inspiring way to start the day!"
IEC Fall 2023 Panelist Emily Abbas
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Rosalynn Carter’s Lasting Impact on Mental
Ali Khawar | November 21, 2023
A few days ago, the nation learned that former First Lady Rosalynn Carter had died. As we all mourn her passing, I found myself reflecting on the incredible legacy that she has left behind. I had the fortune of meeting her a few times when I spent a year working at the Carter Center, the nonprofit she and former President Carter co-founded to wage peace, fight disease and build hope.
A number of obituaries have highlighted the ways in which she was a pioneering First Lady of the United States – she established the modern Office of the First Lady, sat in on cabinet meetings, and was described by former President Carter as his “equal partner in everything [he] ever accomplished.”
As First Lady, she took on issues germane to the Department of Labor, such as hosting the First Lady’s Employment Seminar in 1978. But for many, including me, her leadership on issues of mental health is one of her most important legacies.
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The new version of Form I‑9, Employment Eligibility Verification is now available for use. This version contains changes to the form and instructions, including shortening the Form I‑9 to one page and reducing the instructions to eight pages.
What Form I‑9 versions may be used
- Beginning Nov. 1, 2023, only the new Form I‑9 dated "08/01/23” may be used.
READ MORE
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"I very much enjoyed all of the topics and am happy to say that I used what I learned already in the work field I am in."
"The session was enlightening and educational. It is great to know that different types of career fields are focusing on similar topics to enhance. All of these topics are people focused."
"Very good speakers!"
"I loved the variety of speakers you had from all walks of life and topics."
"I love the topics covered and the people who were on the panel were very insightful!"
IEC Fall 2023 Attendees
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Training Requirements and Resources
OSHA provides information on employers' training requirements and offers resources such as free publications, videos, and other assistance to help employers protect workers against injuries and illnesses.
READ MORE
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Workplace Stress
Make Work Better - Mental Health Matters
Stress can be harmful to our health and increase mental health challenges. Mental health challenges can include clinical mental illness and substance use disorders as well as other emotions like stress, grief, feeling sad and anxious, where these feelings are temporary and not part of a diagnosable condition. While there are many things in life that induce stress, work can be one of those factors. However, workplaces can also be a key place for resources, solutions, and activities designed to improve our mental health and well-being.
Workplace stress and poor mental health can negatively affect workers through:
- Job performance
- Productivity
- Work engagement and communication
- Physical capability and daily functioning
READ MORE
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"Great well-rounded panel and moderator!"
"The moderator was very well-prepared, asked excellent questions, and was engaged with the panelists. This made for a more meaningful session."
"I liked having a panel and the variety in the conversation."
"I loved the panel format."
IEC Fall 2023 Attendees
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Employers
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces Federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. These laws protect employees and job applicants against employment discrimination when it involves:
- Unfair treatment because of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
- Harassment by managers, co-workers, or others in the workplace, because of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
- Denial of a reasonable workplace accommodation that the employee needs because of religious beliefs, disability, or pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.
- Retaliation because the employee complained about job discrimination, or assisted with a job discrimination investigation or lawsuit.
READ MORE
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CONFERENCE ON THE BRAIN... | |
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"The panelists were inspiring and it was interesting to hear from their different perspectives. I also appreciated the format via moderator guiding the conversation. The moderator did a fantastic job and I appreciated the depth of her questions she was willing to ask rather than go the "safe and superficial" route."
IEC Fall 2023 Attendee
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ON THE LIGHTER SIDE OF LEARNING, WE ALL EXPERIENCED LOTS OF FUN, FABULOUS PRIZES AND DELICIOUS FOOD AT THE FALL CONFERENCE! | |
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"Thank you for your work in coordinating this great event Nan Boland. Lisa Walston and I had a wonderful time learning at each session."
IEC Fall 2023 Attendee Josey Van Weelden
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SPRING 2023 CONFERENCE RECAP | |
Since 2006, the Iowa Employment Conference has been THE source for classroom instruction covering topics in the areas of employment, training, benefits & wellness education.
The mission of the Iowa Employment Conference is to deliver affordable conferences that provide the opportunity to develop professionally as well as receive continuing education credits through multiple professional associations such as:
- American Payroll Recertification Credit Hours
- American Society of Association Executives CAE Credits
- Continuing Legal Education Credits
- Continuing Professional Education Credits
- Human Resource Certification Institute Credits
- Iowa Licensed Insurance Producers Continuing Education
- Iowa Municipal Finance Officers Association Certification
- Society for Human Resource Management Professional Development Credits
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"It was a wonderful day at the Iowa Employment Conference. I enjoyed getting to meet new people and getting to connect with Nan Boland and M. Ramona Wink today! Thank you for a wonderful day of learning!"
IEC Fall 2023 Speaker Molly Mackey
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The IEC article library is growing monthly with valuable information relevant to the ever-changing work environment. Check the website frequently for updates. If you have something important for our readers to benefit from, reach out to us to be included in the next newsletter or article library! | |
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"Had a great time presenting at the Iowa Employment Conference! Nan Boland, Sarah Towns, Sue Kmet and all the other top-notch folks who make this fantastic conference happen - Thank You for allowing me to partner with you again! I'm already looking forward to the Spring conference!"
IEC Fall 2023 Speaker Ramona Wink
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"Yeeeeeeee love everything about this conference!!! Great conference Nan Boland!!! Thank you for everything!! Loved being a part of this panel!!! The Ignite Change conference was very empowering and I learned a lot!! Thank you, Nan Boland!!! You and your team are amazing!!!"
IEC Fall 2023 Panelist Will Keeps
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A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS... | |
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FEATURED SPONSOR
Our sponsor, Panorama Benefits Company, offered to do a survey at the fall Ignite Change conference on benefits and financial literacy in the workplace. Here are the interesting results:
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"Ready to represent EFR Employee & Family Resources, a proud sponsor of the Iowa Employment Conference."
IEC Fall 2023 Sponsor Renee Neppl
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THANK YOU to all 2023 Conference Sponsors!
Sponsor support is integral in continuing the growth, quality & integrity of the continuing education unique to this conference year after year. You are appreciated!
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Sponsors waiting patiently for the event to begin and to start networking with Attendees! | |
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"Thanks for the invite to join such an inspiring group of folks for such a great discussion!"
IEC Fall 2023 Panelist Nola Cartmill
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"It was a powerhouse panel! Inspiring and full of great ideas!"
IEC Fall 2023 Panel Moderator Terri Hale
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CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Looking to move forward with your career? Check out the amazing opportunities our sponsors have to offer within their organizations.
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"Buena Vista University's Strategic Partnerships division is honored to help sponsor the 2023 Iowa Employment Conference."
IEC Fall 2023 Sponsor
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STRONG MINDS | STRONG HEARTS | |
SERVANT LEADERSHIP
By definition, Servant Leadership is a leadership philosophy in which the goal of the leader is to serve. If you are in a place where your talent and skills will help others, by all means, use them. We are proud of the work our leaders have done and hope that if you are in a place to serve, you choose to step up.
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Since 1968, Iowa communities have helped Special Olympics athletes realize their dreams through sports training and competition. Today, that dream reaches more than 14,500 athletes and Unified partners throughout the state.
It is only through the generosity of individuals, organizations, and corporations that these dreams are realized, lives are changed, self-confidence is built, and self-esteem rises.
There are many ways to make a gift to Special Olympics Iowa and change the life of an athlete in your community:
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Contribute – Special Olympics Iowa has a wide range of sponsorship and contribution opportunities available to support our athletes and programs. You can make an individual donation now, or choose to make a difference in other ways:
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HELP AN HR HERO WIN A $50 VISA GIFT CARD!
Do you know someone in your HR department (or company-wide) who deserves to be recognized for making a positive impact in your company from day to day??
Whether personal or professional, in a big or a small way, we all know those people who go above & beyond for the greater good.
We want to help these everyday (H)eroes be (R)ecognized! Send your nominations to us & one deserving person each month leading up to the current conference will be selected to receive a $50 VISA gift card! We will announce the winner in the following month's newsletters.
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KCCI's Guide to Central Iowa Holiday Events in 2023
'Tis the season! The holidays are here, and central Iowans and their families are looking to celebrate.
Check out KCCI's holiday event guide for some inspiration for your holiday plans.
Meeting Santa! Christmas Lights! Toys for Tots! Holiday Markets!
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Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies
Handletheheat.com | Tessa Arias | September 30th, 2021
My go-to recipe, these Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies are perfectly tender and soft with just the right amount of chewiness. They take just minutes to make with ingredients you may already have in your kitchen!
Tessa's Recipe Rundown...
TASTE: The perfect amount of sweetness.
TEXTURE: My favorite part, each bite is the ideal balance between soft and chewy.
EASE: Super easy 30-minute sugar cookie recipe with no chilling required.
PROS: Fun, simple, and perfect for holidays from Christmas to Valentine’s Day, even 4th of July!
CONS: None.
WOULD I MAKE THIS AGAIN? I’ve made this recipe many times, everyone raves about it.
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Hey there! The conference team wanted to take a moment to express our sincere gratitude towards all the spectacular attendees, sponsors, and speakers who made this year's conferences such a huge success. We couldn't have done it without you! As we approach the holiday season, we encourage our community to support small businesses and lend a helping hand to those who are less fortunate as often as possible. Let's cherish our families and friends and make unforgettable memories this festive season. And, as the conference gears up for another year of learning and growing, let's welcome new beginnings with open arms.
Cheers to a truly amazing year and an even better one ahead for everyone!
Nan and the Conference Team
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