April MHHRA Newsletter
April 2005
"It is good to have an end to journey towards, but, it's the
journey that matters in the end." - Ursah Leaver
Dear MHHRA Members:
As I reflect on the MHHRA program year of Perfecting the Balance,
we have heard from leaders reflecting on their personal and organizational
journeys of transformation, transition, and challenges. As leaders
we are required to guide our organizations towards the future and
the competitive advantage, while maintaining our focus and peak
performance, both professionally and personally. One way to strive
for the balance is attending learning sessions/educational programs,
keeping apprised of best practices, getting involved in professional
organizations and on task force committees influencing the direction
of Human Resources. Networking is an opportunity that we often neglect,
given the limited number of hours in a day, yet connecting with
peers can give us the lift that we need to keep focused, energized,
and moving forward. One way to accomplish this is by attending MHHRA
events. We have several programs remaining in the 2004-2005 calendar
year. Perhaps one or several events will appeal to your professional
or personal needs. Specific times and locations can be found in
the Programs Section of our website.
May 6, 2005 39th Annual MHA/MHHRA HR Labor Forum
May 17, 2005 Expanding the Nursing Pipeline
June 7, 2005 Annual Meeting and Concluding Program
I would also like to remind you to submit the name of a deserving
individual who is just beginning or continuing their HR education
to be considered for the MHHRA Scholarship Award. You will find
this scholarship application in the About MHHRA Section of our website
(left hand column).
Summary of March Program
For those of you unable to attend the March program, Kerry St. Jean,
VP Organizational Effectiveness at Comcast, delivered an exciting
presentation based on Comcast's Transformational Journey. She began
the journey in 1995 when the company was Continental Cable Vision,
continuing down the path to becoming US West-Media One in 1996-2000,
and traveling on to become AT&T Broad Band in 2000-2002, to
the present company, Comcast. Kerry shared the business challenges;
questions leaders were asking, and the HR deliverables and competencies
with us. Comcast developed their Change Agenda and began laying
the foundation for their strategic fitness process. To be best in
class and to keep their focus, Comcast, developed their "Three
Pillars" (goals), their strategy in action plan, and engaged
eight "disciples", their own leaders to help champion
the way. A metric scorecard was developed to measure the program,
their process, and an employee bonus program was linked to the three
pillars/goals established. The journey for Comcast is not over,
it continues. The organization is reenergized and excited about
its future, and most important, is that Comcast employees are excited
and proud to be working for Comcast.
Board Accomplishments to Date
I would be remiss if I did not mention the active role that our
Board members are taking to address workforce and diversity issues.
The Spring Newsletter is the time we traditionally update our members
on our initiatives and how we are doing towards accomplishing our
goals set forth in September. Although we have two months remaining
in our year, we review the goals and results in subsequent pages
of the newsletter. I am pleased to say that your MHHRA Board met
the goals set forth. MHHRA is fortunate to have such a dedicated
team to engage in moving the organization forward. MHHRA is extremely
fortunate to have several Business Partners interested in the success
of our organization. Thank you to Bernard Hodes, Boston Works, Crosby
Benefits, DB Healthcare, Lahrette/Manin Benefits Service Group,
Navin Group, and Nursing Spectrum, your support is greatly appreciated.
By-Law Changes
MHHRA members voted to accept the By-Law change recommendations
by the Board of Directors. These changes came to be as a result
of the Board’s Strategic Planning sessions during May, June
and July of 2004. These planning sessions helped us focus on prioritizing
short and long-term issues to meet member needs. It also helped
us focus on growing the membership and stabilizing finances. This
process helped us, the board, to re-energize MHHRA on several levels.
Involvement
The MHHRA Board has strived to provide professional and educational
activities, as well as networking opportunities for the membership.
We encourage members to get involved in these activities. Consider
becoming involved with a committee or nominate yourself or a colleague
for a board leader position. It is a great way to gain or enhance
your Board experience. Check out the committee structure in the
About
Section of our website. Alternatively, call Diane Bono at 508.334.5052
(bonod@ummhc.org) or Marge
Ransom at 978.692.9693 (mkr166@aol.com).
This has been quite a year for MHHRA and like Comcast, our transformational
journey continues. And, speaking of journeys, although the seasonal
journey seems to have taken a long time in coming, it seems spring
is finally here, giving us another reason to get out of the office
and connect with one another. I look forward to seeing and connecting
with you at our next program.
Sincerely,
Margie Ransom
President
May 6, 2005: 39th Annual Labor Forum
This Forum, a collaboration with Massachusetts Hospital Association
and the Massachusetts Healthcare Human Resources Association, is
intended for hospital leadership and everyone involved in the recruitment
and professional development of talented health care professionals.
The Forum will provide a venue to share the insights and experiences
of experts in the health care community, the understanding of the
environments that offer opportunity, and the tools needed to address
the challenges inherent in developing a quality workforce.
Hear strategies to attract, optimize and hold top talent; how
to further improve your organization's performance; and how to create
an effective culture that will motivate your employees and underscore
your commitment to your customers and your community. You will also
have the opportunity to hear about current labor trends, strategies
and tactics used by unions in the health care industry in Massachusetts
and nationwide.
| Date: |
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Friday, May 6, 2005 |
| Time: |
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8:30 am - 4:30 pm |
Location:
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Sheraton Tara, Framingham |
| Fee: |
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MHA/MHHRA/NEHHRA Member $199 - Non Member $299 |
| Registration: |
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For registration or more information, visit
MHA's Web site. |
Click here for registration
information on this program and to view upcoming programs.
State Grants Available to Train Massachusetts
Workers
The Workforce Training Fund is sponsoring a pilot initiative, from
the second week of February until June 30, 2005, encouraging employers
to apply for training grants focusing EXCLUSIVELY or primarily on
adult basic education (ABE) and/or English speakers of other languages
(ESOL).
Applications responding to this ABE/ESOL initiative will not be
affected by the "6-month rule" that applies to previous
grant recipients. $2 Million for ESL and ABE Applications! Grant
applications must follow the WTF guidelines:
- Maximum amount of grant is $250,000. Companies of any size are
eligible to apply.
- Companies must pay into the unemployment fund and be current
on their payments.
- Training programs must be completed within two years. All trainees
must be employed in Massachusetts. (They are not required to live
in the state.) Grants must be matched dollar-for-dollar by the
applicant and its partners, if any. The match can be cash or in-kind.
Application received by the first business day of the month will
be reviewd by months end.
For more information on how your company can apply for a grant,
call Kathie Manning at 508-751-7902 or via e-mail email: kmanning@qcc.mass.edu
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web: http://cce.qcc.mass.edu/default.asp.
New Rules for Engaging Independent
Contractors in Massachusetts
By David Achenbach, HR Consultant and Co-Principal, New HR Solutions
On July 19, 2004 a new law, Chapter 193 of the Acts of 2004, regulating
how employers use independent contractors took effect. Violations
of the law may result in both civil and criminal penalties, including
individual liability for corporate officers and managers, as well
as debarment from public works projects. The law contains a new
test that makes it more difficult to classify individuals as independent
contractors.
Many will be familiar with the IRS classification test, a fairly
traditional - if, with its Twenty Factors and Three Categories of
Control, a little long-winded - version of the common law "degree
of control" test. The traditional test looks at how much an
individual gets to control his or her own work. The IRS test considers
control in three areas:
- Behavioral (e.g., who controls how, where and when the work
is done, whose tools are used to do it, etc.).
- Financial (e.g., payments by the hour/week/month vs. payment
at completion of work specified in the contract, the possibility
of making a profit or suffering a loss on the contract, etc.).
- The Relationship of the Parties (e.g., is there a contract,
how integrated are the services into the business operations,
can the individual quit or be discharged without incurring a liability,
etc.).
In the IRS test, no one factor is dispositive, but the factors
are to be used as, "guides to assess the likelihood as to whether
an individual is an employee or an independent contractor."
IRS Revenue Ruling 87-41.
The test in the new Massachusetts law contains a twist that may
trip-up unwary employers. The law is intended to make it much more
difficult to classify an individual as an independent contractor.
It creates a presumption that a work arrangement is an employer-employee
relationship, with the burden on the employer to demonstrate otherwise.
To overcome the presumption, the employer must demonstrate all
three of the following:
- The individual is free from control and direction in the execution
of their job, both by contract and also in fact. For example,
supervisory direction is incompatible with the independence and
autonomy that is the hallmark of a true independent contractor.
- The service being rendered is outside the usual course of business
of the employer. The test is whether the individual performs the
same type of work as the normal service delivered by the employer.
- The type of service being rendered is routinely part of an
independently established trade, occupation or business.
Organizations should audit their current use of independent contractors.
If your organization is complying with Massachusetts Department
of Revenue requirements, you will already be reporting newly engaged
independent contractors. Massachusetts requires that newly hired
employees and newly engaged independent contractors be reported
within 14 days.
Many employers are not aware that the new hire reporting obligation
extends to independent contractors, so an audit of independent contractors
provides a good opportunity to check your organization’s compliance
in this area also.
President - Marge Ransom
GOALS
- Ensure MHHRA is a strategic, vibrantly, strong (50% member growth)
association for health care and health care related industry human
resources professionals demonstrated through membership growth,
diverse educational/networking programs, communications updated
via technology (website) and financial stability.
- Secure collaboration and strategic relationships with targeted
organizations, such as MHA, MONE, Higher Education, ASHHRA, and
other ASHHRA New England Chapters.
- Seek additional opportunities for work force development, enhancing
the healthcare/healthcare related industry, as a desired field
of employment opportunities through such vehicles as the Human
Resources Work Group (HRWG) and Pulse.
- Guide and support the achievement of goals and objectives established
by the Board of Directors.
RESULTS
Although we have two months remaining in our program year, I am
pleased to report that while we did not reach a 50% member growth,
we did demonstrate through a 28% member growth that our chapter
is vibrant. At the time of this report our membership has increased
28% (from 165 members to 211 members). Ginny Rehberg, Julie Thistlewaite
and Denise McNulty were actively involved in promoting value added
reasons for becoming a MHHRA member. Donna Bonaparte coordinated
educational programs of interest for our members; the first Senior
Leaders forum provided HR leaders the opportunity to openly and
strategically address issues of concern. Our newly developed Business
Partners Committee addressed financial issues. These objectives
were accomplished as a result of our strategic planning process
during June and July 2004. This process helped the Board focus on
critical MHHRA issues, identify and recommend tactics to address
those issues (specifically financial and membership issues), and
to determine and rank/prioritize short and long-term goals.
Our Website Steering Committee comprised of Steve Salvo, Diane
Bono and Mark Manin provided oversight for the new website redesign.
The website provides members with an easy to navigate, informational
source with links to other pertinent sites, and, has created a new
stream of revenue for MHHRA. The site also has a great new look.
The MHHRA Website now has the ability to access daily traffic reports.
We continued strengthening our collaboration efforts during this
year with organizations such as MHA, MONE, and ASHHRA Region l.
We continue to jointly sponsor educational programs with MHA, specifically
the November 2004 Summit, The Workforce Imperative: Taking Action!,
and the 39th Annual Labor Forum on May 6th. We met each month to
support the Human Resources Working Group along with MHA and MONE,
focused on addressing work force issues and labor shortages.
We are planning a May 17 forum to begin a dialogue to understand
issues related to the nursing workforce focused on topics such as:
ADN and BSN needs and pipelines, the capacity of colleges and universities
to deliver ADNs and BSNs, the capacity of hospitals to support pipeline
with faculty and/or preceptors. Fifty to sixty key stakeholders
are invited to participate. The key stakeholders attending will
be HR Directors, Nursing Directors, Nursing Education Directors,
College and University Nursing Program Directors, MACON, Board of
Nursing, Commonwealth Corporation, Workforce investments Boards,
and the Board of Higher Education. In addition, we invited The Rhode
Island Chapter and Maine Chapter to attend MHHRA events. Although
we were in contact with Nancy McMahon and Dan Hanlon to host a joint
meeting this year with HRRIA and MHHRA, our program schedules did
not permit us to make this happen.
With an eye and goal towards continuing the advancement of workforce
initiatives and the workforce environment in general, we established
a collaboration of representatives from Boston healthcare and non-health
care organizations to become the Coalition for Workforce Diversity.
Our primary goal/objective is to promote cultural intelligence in
the workplace.
The Diversity collaboration came to be as a result of a discussion
Maria Roloff, Linda Rappaport, and I had over dinner at the Washington
D.C. 2004 ASHHRA Conference last summer. We meet monthly and I participate
with two other individuals on a business subcommittee. The subcommittee
has developed a diversity business model template and a list of
diversity and/or inclusionary questions to put forward to Fortune
100/500/1000 companies relative to best practices and lessons learned.
A survey was developed and is being distributed to organizations
for response. Bernard Hodes developed an Exchange Server/online
portal service for our use and permitted us to use their office
space.
In addition, several Board members are participating on Linkage's
MedCon Advisory Committee. We have been asked to provide relevant
topics, presentations, and information for their 2005 Conference.
Regional Integration Partner, Brendan Egan, focused on developing
relationships with other health care related industries this year.
His efforts have paid off and Brendan and I will be meeting with
Carolyn Banks of Mass Extended Care Federation. Our meeting is planned
for the last week of April to discuss the possibilities of mutual
affiliation on various projects. On April 26, 2005, Regional Integration
Partner, Joan Hanstad, and I will meet with the Northeastern Suburban
Employment Group to invite them to join/participate in MHHRA and
let them know that we are also interested in collaborating with
them during the upcoming year. Working together, we feel that we
will be able to provide timely educational programs in the northeast.
MHHRA Committee Chairs effectively fulfilled their roles during
the past year. Each Committee Chair was successful in attaining
the goals and objectives that were established for each committee
by the Board of Directors. It has been a privilege for me to be
associated with these dedicated individuals whose collective action
and advocacy will have a significant impact on our industry in the
year ahead.
Program/Diversity Committee - Donna Bonaparte and James
Canavan
GOALS
- Define members' needs for education and training through surveys,
focus groups, and/or other research.
- Provide forums of information sharing, training and development
that assist healthcare HR professionals address or respond to
challenging related issues.
- Incorporate diversity into programming.
- Assist our members to build collaborative relationships with
HR professionals within healthcare and partnering organizations.
- Promote chapter's program calendar and individual programs through
strategic, creative marketing and to increase chapter membership.
RESULTS
- We have assessed needs from information and suggestions obtained
in program evaluations. This information serves to design program
content addressing specific area requests.
- Programs have been designed and delivered to assist healthcare
HR professionals expand their competency consistent ASHHRA objectives.
Specific programs content included organizational transformation
and effectiveness, strategic partnering and program/process development.
- We have dedicated an entire program to Diversity management.
In this session participants reviewed Best Practice Diversity
Initiatives and the comprehensive "Tool Kit" designed
to provide the resources to assist in building the Business case
for Diversity.
- We have fostered partnerships and relationships by collaborating
with organizations that serve our memberships including the MA
Hospital Association.
- We have promoted the chapter's program calendar through the
outreach of the membership committee and publications of programs
in multiple formats (website, eNewsletter, printed invitations
and email campaigns), chapter management has increased significantly
in the current year.
Recruitment/Retention/Recognition Committee - Ginny Rehberg
& Julie Thistlethwaite
GOALS
- Continue to reach out to HR professionals in the broader Massachusetts
and Rhode Island healthcare industry including mental health,
home care organizations, skilled nursing home facilities, managed
care and community health organizations; examine feasibility of
inclusion of healthcare-related areas such as medical technology,
biotechnology, medical device organizations, etc.
- Continue to collaborate with various board committees to more
closely to ensure membership and program activities are pursuing
the same goals, serving the membership needs and evaluating results
for ongoing improvement.
- Devise new ways to boost membership including personal outreach
to new prospective members and former members as well as innovative
reward programs.
RESULTS
- Our outreach was very successful, resulting in 28% increase
in membership. Opening MHHRA up to the broader healthcare industry
was helpful.
- Consulted with committees and the board around programming activities
(emphasis on networking) so that members were better served.
- Devised automatic invoice system for renewals, which proved
very successful.
Labor/Legislative/Employee Relations Committee - David
Ryan, Louis Scrima GOALS
- Serve as an informational resource to MHHRA members relative
to labor and employee relations issues affecting health care and
health care management and communicate such information via the
MHHRA newsletter or web site, as appropriate.
- Provide information relative to legislation impacting human
resources management in health care.
- Develop three (3) or more articles for the MHHRA newsletter.
- Collaborate with the Program/Diversity Committee with one educational
program or presentation focusing on public/legislative affairs.
- Respond appropriately to inquiries from MHHRA members regarding
labor, employee relations and legislative matters.
RESULTS
- The Committee has served as an informational resource for health
care labor and employee relations professionals in a variety of
issues including, but not limited to, collective bargaining, benefits
and compliance matters.
- The Committee has served as a resource for HR professionals
regarding a variety of legislative issues, including without limitation
recent changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act, the proposed "safe
staffing" legislation currently advanced by the Mass. Nurses
Association, and other relevant state and federal legislation.
- The Committee has submitted two (2) articles for publication
in the MHHRA newsletter and will shortly submit a third.
- The Committee has collaborated with the Program/Diversity Committee
in presenting the annual MHHRA/MHA joint conference on May 6th.
- The Committee responds to inquiries from MHHRA members relative
to labor and employee relations issues and legislative matters
appropriately.
Business Partners - Mark Manin, Linda Rappaport
GOALS
- Increase number of business partner relationships.
RESULTS
Committee members are Mark B. Manin, Linda Rappaport and Rakesh
Kamdar. Of the many ideas this new committee discussed, we chose
and implemented a new way to generate revenues called the medallion
approach. Through this program, businesses could show their support
at the "Contributor" level of $500, "Supporter"
level of $1000, "Friend" level of $2000, "Sponsor"
level of $3000, or the "Advocate" level of $4000.
Rewards varied with each level. The higher levels included a logo
on the MHHRA website and an ad in the electronic newsletter. All
supporters could display promotional materials at an MHHRA meeting(s)
and receive acknowledgement at a minimum of one MHHRA meeting.
The Committee was very pleased with the support from the business
community. We thank the following business sponsors: Bernard Hodes
Group, BostonWorks, Crosby Benefit Systems, DB Healthcare, Diversified
Investment Advisors, LaRhette Manin Benefits Service Group, Navin
Group and Nursing Spectrum. Because of their support, the committee
met the monetary goal that MHHRA set.
On October 28, 2004, MHHRA held a very successful Leadership Forum
Dinner at the MIT Endicott House in Dedham. Brendan Melton of Lifespan
in Providence, moderator, contributed to the success of the evening.
The Business Sponsorship Committee thanks the four businesses that
financially supported this event. They are Bernard Hodes Group,
ClearRock, LaRhette Manin Benefits Service Group and The Segal Company.
We look forward to continued support from the business community
in the coming fiscal year.
New Members as of 2-9-05
MHHRA would like to welcome the following new and returning members
to our Chapter!
Sandra Charton, Labor Relations Counsel, Boston
Medical Center
Lisa Chiquiar-Rabinovich, PHR, HR Manager, Mass
Hospital Association
Doris Ferullo, VP Administration and Finance, Mass
Hospital Association
Dianne Furlong, HR Consultant, Beth Israel Deaconess
Hospital - Needham
Nicole Hughes, Student, Suffolk University
Brian Murphy, HR Assistant, Linden Ponds
MHHRA is a chapter of the American Society for Healthcare Human
Resource Administration of the American Hospital Association (ASHHRA).
To Join ASHHRA, please visit www.ashhra.org
today!
MHHRA Business Partners
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