January 2025 | 55th EDITION NEWSLETTER | |
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2025 Hiring Trends: What Do HR Teams Need to Prepare For?
The HR Director | Craig Sweeney, WilsonHCG
December 18, 2024
Following what has been a roller coaster year, with global political shifts, significant employment reform announcements, ongoing skills shortages and increasing costs of living, 2025 is being touted as a more optimistic time for talent pools and employers alike. That’s not to say it will all be plain sailing, though.
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10 Best HR Lessons Of 2024
Employee Benefits News | Mary Ellen Egan | December 16, 2024
As 2024 draws to a close, we gathered 10 of our most-read articles to help inform and educate human resource professionals.
Employee wellness programs should take into account both the mental and physical aspects of wellbeing. As GLP-1s become more widely available to employees, companies should encourage their workers to seek out lifestyle guidance to help them adjust to weight loss and other concerns they may have.
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Best is a tough score to reach, but your conference is right up there with the best ones that I have participated in.
It was an awesome event filled with helpful tools and tips to make HR better.
The team was a true pleasure to work with and put on an awesome event!
Feedback from Spring 2024 MEC Speakers
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7 Top Learning Stories From 2024
HR Dive | Kathryn Moody | December 17, 2024
The impact of artificial intelligence was one of the bigger storylines for L&D professionals, but it was far from the only one. As learning professionals might expect, one of the biggest learning stories of the year was the rise of artificial intelligence tools and the need to teach workers how those tools might be used. But it was far from the only storyline that dominated 2024.
Apprenticeships once again made headlines as the Biden administration pushed more investments in the federal Registered Apprenticeship program — though the U.S. Department of Labor in November abandoned its attempted rule-making to tighten RA standards after it repealed the former Trump administration’s apprenticeship rule in 2022.
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To Help Your Team Learn, Set Them Up for Productive Failure
Harvard Business Review | Manu Kapur | November 06, 2024
Failure is often viewed as something you need to avoid, especially by new managers who are eager to prove their competence or have been previously conditioned to think that way. But failure isn’t a bad thing.
In fact, it can help in fostering your team’s long-term sustainable development.
While avoiding failure may protect short-term performance, it hinders long-term growth and innovation. When employees take less risks and stay within their comfort zones, they miss opportunities to stretch their abilities and experiment with innovative solutions.
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MEC is a great conference. I have referred you to a lot of my HR friends and colleagues.
Overall, the conference was great! I love that you offer a variety of topics ranging from employment law to self-care.
Thank you, ladies. I appreciate all the hard work that goes into this event. You nailed it once again.
Keep up the with the great conference!
You guys did an amazing job putting this conference together. I thought it ran very smoothly.
Feedback from Spring 2024 MEC Attendees
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I really enjoyed this year’s conference. The weather was great until the very end, the lunches were good. I really like this conference because it is small enough that you get to know people and can have real conversations. The session topics and speakers were great this year! Everything was very relevant to our current environment and what is important to both employers and employees alike. This conference is always so organized and well put together. Hope to see you next year!! - 2024 MEC Attendee Jennifer Knigge | |
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5 Better Ways Managers Can Coach Employees
HR Morning | Michele McGovern | December 17, 2024
Managers often struggle to coach employees for a variety of reasons. But this could be the most frustrating one: Employees don’t catch on as quickly as you need them to.
Even when managers pride themselves in being good coaches, they often can’t seem to get employees on the same page. They might think:
- “I feel like I’m not getting through to them.”
- “Don’t they hear what I’m saying?”
- “They just don’t listen to me!”
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This Is How HR Leaders Can Lead the Transition Towards a Skills-Based Future
Fast Company | Ben Cook | January 3, 2025
Degrees won’t be enough to fill skill shortages that will accompany rapid technological change.
Technology is changing faster than any other time in history. The half-life of skills is shrinking, and traditional talent sources—colleges and universities—are struggling to adapt their curriculum fast enough to meet the demand for new workforce skills. Meanwhile, millions of workers are unable to access higher education because of the high cost of a degree.
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Employee Loneliness May Affect Performance and Turnover at Work
HR Dive | Carolyn Crist | December 17, 2024
A significant number of workers report anxiety and depression as well, particularly among employees who work in the office full time, IBI says.
Loneliness in the workplace leads to lower job performance, decreased job satisfaction and increased turnover, according to a Dec. 10 report from the Integrated Benefits Institute.
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Employees Behaving Badly: 6 Ways HR Can Tackle Issues
HR Morning | Michele McGovern
December 6, 2024
Employees are behaving badly more often than you realize. Many are getting away with it, research shows. But some are getting fired for it. More than 40% of employees have experienced or witnessed inappropriate, unethical or illegal behaviors in the past two years, according to research from HR Acuity.
Specifically, most of it has been:
· bullying (33%)
· corruption (28%)
· discrimination (27%), and
· microaggressions (27%)
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6 Ways to Make Redundant HR Tasks A Thing of The Past
HR Executive | Elissa Tucker
December 17, 2024
From reskilling employees to cultivating new talent pipelines and helping to drive better retention, HR has more opportunities than ever today to step into the spotlight as a strategic partner that helps drive value for organizations.
As these business-critical demands on HR’s time grow, the drive to remove repetitive and redundant HR processes is taking on new urgency.
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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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OSHA provides safety and health resources specifically designed for small businesses. Find information on complying with OSHA standards and receive advice you can trust through OSHA's no-cost and confidential On-Site Consultation Program.
READ MORE
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Preparing For the Future? Start By Reviewing Your Benefits
DoL Blog | Lisa M. Gomez | December 10, 2024
There’s no better time than the end of the year to review where you are—and where you want to be. As you think about 2025 and beyond, take some time to go over your retirement and health benefits so you can go into the new year feeling more confident about your future.
Review (or start!) your retirement savings plan.
It’s never too early to start thinking about your retirement savings plan. The more time you can take early on, even by starting small, the better off you’ll be in the long run. And even if you’re further along in your journey toward retirement, it’s always a good idea to check in and think about whether you should be making any changes.
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Employer Resources
When you hire a new employee, you must verify their identity and employment eligibility using Form I-9. You may be among the nearly 3 million proactive worksites that also use E-Verify to electronically verify Form I-9 information. The checklists, videos, and other English resources on this page will help you understand your responsibilities and make the hiring process easy.
Check out the resources customized for employers like you.
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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.
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Retaliation because the employee complained about job discrimination or assisted with a job discrimination investigation or lawsuit.
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Thank you for hosting us, MEC. Making connections, both professional and furry, has been the highlight of our day.
Spring 2024 MEC Sponsor UMSL Graduate Business Programs
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PRESENTING SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT | | |
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Bukaty Companies is one of Kansas City’s top-ranked employee benefits and insurance brokerage firms. Contact Kent Friend 913-777-7535 for more info!
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Strengthen Employee Connections with Stay Interviews
August 6, 2024
Beyond offering employees experience-enhancing perks, like free lunches, casual dress codes and gym memberships, employers should supplement retention and job satisfaction efforts to connect with employees at different times throughout the year.
Stay interviews are one simple and cost-effective option that ensures employees feel valued throughout their employment lifecycle.
Much like initial onboarding and exit interviews, stay interviews provide an opportunity for the employer and employee to have an open dialogue throughout their employment lifecycle.
Stay interviews occur during an employee's tenure and are an effective communication channel between employees and management. Employees can share and receive feedback on their employee experience. Management can use stay interviews to identify and mediate issues within their employee population that would have otherwise gone undetected. Stay interviews highlight where an organization excels in the eyes of employees and what could be improved upon.
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MEC is THE source for classroom instruction covering topics in the areas of employment, training, benefits & wellness education.
It remains an essential event for those who want to stay up-to-date and compliant with the latest developments in labor and employment law, best practices, healthcare reform, training, wellness, analysis, trends, and more.
SPRING CONFERENCE 2025 REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
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SAVE THE DATES 4/30 + 5/1! | |
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I really enjoyed this conference and hope to be able to attend in the future. Thank you for your hard work and dedication :) I was very impressed.
I appreciate the friendly environment. This conference was well organized.
Love this conference! Sue & Nan do such a great job organizing this event!
Definitely would recommend.
Feedback from Spring 2024 MEC Attendees
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Thanks to Nan Boland and Sue Kmet and the teams putting on the Iowa and Missouri Employment Conferences! - Barb Ranck
Enjoyed my time! They do a phenomenal job! Just finished with a cruise of the lake on top of fun and great experience!! - Reggie Harris
Had a great time at the Missouri Employment Conference this week presenting on behalf of Cottingham & Butler on ways to measure, prioritize, and strategize on your employees’ wants. I took it as a positive sign to have Dubuque coffee served at the event. I’m so grateful for the time I spent in HR where I was able to implement various solution to drive retention and optimize health plan performance, and love sharing some of the great experiences! - Julie Oeth
Spring 2024 MEC Speakers
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Had a blast sharing the infinite ROI of leading with care with 200+ HR professionals at the Missouri Employment Conference! I always feel humbled and lucky every opportunity I have to share my message on the new rules of care. Thank you Nan Boland and Sue Kmet for inviting me to join this wonderful event! - Danny Goldberg
Another successful presentation on workplace anxiety and stress. Today’s breakout room was packed with HR representatives who are all too familiar with organizational stress. Thank you Missouri Employment Conference for inviting me back to speak. - Kelli Risse
Spring 2024 MEC Speakers
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Michelle, Lisa, Nan, Sarah & Sue | |
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Resources for Mental Health Support
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org/chat for free and confidential support from trained crisis counselors 24/7.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's free help line: Call 800-662-4357 for 24/7 mental health support in English or Spanish.
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David Woods Bartley has seen his fair share of successes and setbacks, from directing a nationally recognized nonprofit to battling the long-term effects of childhood sexual trauma and a life-threatening mental illness. The latter, a brutal knock-down, drag-out fight with clinical depression, led David to a suicide attempt.
Thanks to the support of many people and being shown the necessity of putting one’s self-care on a pedestal, David continues the essential yet challenging journey from the isolation of mental “hellness” to the inclusive space of mental wellness. His life having been saved, David is committed to moving the conversation about suicide, male sexual trauma, and mental illness from the dark shadows where they now live to the forefront of public concern.
In doing so, his mission is to shine a bright light on the crisis we now face and open doors to the possibility of mental health for everyone, everywhere.
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STRONG MINDS | STRONG HEARTS | |
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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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OUR MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to change lives in the communities we serve by feeding those in need today, and building a healthy, hunger-free tomorrow.
VISION STATEMENT
We envision a community which has access to sufficient nutritious food.
SHARE THE HARVEST FOOD PANTRY NEEDS YOUR HELP!
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Parents Who Raise Mentally Strong Kids Do This 1 Thing: ‘They’ll be better equipped to handle life’s challenges,’ Psychotherapist Says
CNBC | Amy Morin | December 2024
Klaus Vedfelt | Getty Images
Imagine your child is devastated because their friend didn’t play with them at recess, or they’re furious because their sibling got the bigger slice of cake. Instinctively, you might jump in to try to “fix” the situation. After all, who likes to see their child upset?
But raising mentally strong kids isn’t about shielding them from every challenge — it’s about teaching them to handle challenges. One of the best ways to build mental strength is to allow children to take responsibility for their emotions.
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The 14 Recipes We Can't Wait to Make This January
AllRecipes | Andrea Lobas | January 1, 2025
Photo: Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
The holidays have come and gone, which means we're entering a new year full of memories, resolutions, and good intentions to carry us through January. Maybe that also means we're ready to leave the Christmas cookies and eggnog behind and make something a bit different. So what better way to start out 2025 than by testing out new recipes?
Between soups, salads, and one-pot meals, we have plenty of options to both warm us up on those cold winter days and freshen our palates. Here are the recipes we can't wait to make.
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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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Now that the holidays are behind us, it's time to get back to our schedules and routines.
As we step into this new year, let's focus on what truly matters—our health, growth, and empowerment. This is the perfect time to nurture both body and mind by committing to self-improvement and expanding our knowledge.
Join us at the Missouri Employment Conference, where we’ll explore opportunities to learn, connect, and grow. Together, we can equip ourselves with the tools to thrive professionally and personally in the year ahead.
Here’s to a year of health, success, and continuous learning!
Nan, Sue & the team at MEC
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