While most of the sessions I attended on Monday focused on the changing workplace and how businesses can adapt, my first Tuesday session had a different flavor.

“Understanding Labor Reform’s Newest Front Lines” was led by Philip Miscimarra, a partner at a Chicago law firm. He represents clients on a wide range of labor and employment issues, with a focus on traditional labor matters and employment litigation.

Miscimarra discussed how employers are facing a resurgence in labor-law reform efforts on multiple fronts. These efforts have been initiated by the National Labor Relations Board, an independent agency of the U.S. government that conducts elections and investigates unfair labor practices. Miscimarra’s goal was to help the audience understand the implications of these reforms and navigate this new pro-labor environment.

Miscimarra first addressed the National Labor Relations Board’s Notice Posting rule. This would require private sector employers to post a notice advising employees of their rights under the National Labor Relations Act.  Earlier this year, the U.S. District Court of South Carolina invalidated this rule, which had been scheduled to take effect on April 30.  An appeal is in process, and a resolution is expected at the end of this year.
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Olympic medalist Rulon Gardner chats with Joyce Russell, President of Adecco USA

Mid-afternoon is always a tough time for conference attendees weary from long sessions and poor eating. But Joyce Russell, EVP and President of Adecco Staffing, led a lively discussion on utilizing a flexible workforce through contingent and temporary positions.

Through facts, personal anecdotes and trivia questions, Russell laid the groundwork for why flexible employment can strengthen a workplace in today’s climate. She spoke of how the current workforce is changing and new economic realities that include workers having to do more with less.

That led to a look at the four generations that currently exist in today’s workforce: Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen-Xers and Millennials. Russell pointed out that these individuals want the same four things in their jobs: they want to have a purpose, make a contribution, be valued and be appreciated. “If you build your whole culture around those four principles,” said Joyce.  “I promise you, you will encompass all of those individuals.”

So what is the “new normal” in today’s working world? Russell says that companies are bringing in more flexible hires. And virtual employment is reality. She adds that companies that aren’t thinking about virtual employment are going to lose the battle in the end because the Millenials, as well as Traditionalists, are demanding virtual options.
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Adecco Team at SHRM

It’s SHRM Day in Atlanta, according to the city’s mayor Kasim Reed, and Adecco Group’s Kathy Kane held an early morning session on contemporary workforce planning and how HR professionals can plan for their workforces going forward.

Kane, SVP, Talent Management, at Adecco Group, started out her discussion by telling the audience that their HR strategy needs to be aligned with their company’s business strategy, and it should in fact, enable that business strategy. “You don’t make money without talent,” she said. “Everything you do should be centered around workforce strategy.”

In planning a workforce strategy, Kane said, HR professionals need to look at where they are today, what they need that picture to look like tomorrow and how do they get there. She drilled down even further and said that a workforce strategy needed to have two elements: a business focus and a workforce focus.

This business focus involves understanding your company’s business strategy. “Business strategies are going to change all the time, but the business leaders aren’t always going to think about the talent implications,” said Kane, telling the audience that the goal is to have their leaders think of them as they’re devising strategies, as alignment is paramount.
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