What a difference a year makes! Flipping through our May 2020 issue, I was reminded of life in the HR community then. Our 2020 issue was dedicated to HR strategies for handling the coronavirus pandemic. We began virtual conferencing and endless Zoom meetings. We were discussing how to navigate COVID and the Cares Act. A year later we are talking about the American Rescue Act and how to get workers to return to work. How long should be allow working from home? Should we mandate vaccines? Will business return to brick and mortar?
We are now learning the true meaning of “agile HR.” It is exciting to see the HR community bouncing back and gearing up for live and hybrid conferences. As I write, we are planning to cover the 2021 Hybrid SHRM-Memphis Legal Conference and the 2021 Tennessee SHRM Strategic Leadership Hybrid Conference in Nashville and in person! We are elated to have our vaccines behind us and to be able to attend and cover these excellent conference favorites for you. We will have highlights of these conferences in addition to the 2021 Alabama SHRM Conference in Birmingham in our June issue. As an added treat, we will be able to visit our grands for the first time in over a year!
It is an honor to feature Mike Polis, Director of Alabama SHRM, on our cover. Mike is vice president of human resources for Morris Group International (MGI)—the parent company of Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co. in Montgomery, Al. Mike is happy to give back to the organization that played such a vital role in his career. He served three years as board president for the Montgomery, Alabama, chapter and is currently serving as state director for the 14 SHRM chapters throughout Alabama. Both opportunities are experiences that have been invaluable to Polis. We know you will enjoy reading about him in this issue – and meeting him in person at the Alabama SHRM Conference in May!
Special thanks to our sponsors and contributors who came together to bring you our May issue. We are proud to feature the Alabama SHRM Conference Agenda on Page 6 and 7. Be sure to catch Dr. Randy Vogenberg’s excellent article on rethinking our assumptions on obesity and weight management on our benefit programs. LeeAnn Foster has an important article on psychological safety at work also. We have two important articles on the American Rescue Plan that are “must reads” by Dan Berry with McGriff and Geoffrey Lindley with Rainey Kizer. There is also an important article on virtual harassment, which was inevitable in our current “work from home” culture.
We are delighted to bring you lots of SHRM and HRCI recertification credits in May. See our “Save the Date for our May Webinars” on Page 42. I hope you will mark your calendar and plan to join us for our complimentary monthly webinar sponsored by Data Facts on May 27 as we discuss HR’s role in corporate responsibility. Watch for your email invitation. If you are not receiving an invitation, click on “Contact Us” on our website.
