NOARK News                                                November 19, 2009

NOARK News is a bi-weekly newsletter for NOARK members to notify, inform, and educate you on HR-related news, upcoming events, and development opportunities.

Next NOARK Meeting

 December 10th NOARK meeting

The next NOARK meeting will be Thursday, December 10^th.  This month’s meeting will be our annual NOARK Holiday Party. Reggie James and friends will provide Christmas music.  Our 2010 NOARK Board will be sworn in.  Door prizes, individual gifts and cash gifts will be given away.  To register for the meeting, please go to www.NOARK.org for registration details.  The registration deadline is Monday, December 7th.

Upcoming Meetings/Events

November CAO Meeting

The November CAO Meeting will be on November 19^th from 4 – 5:30 pm at the Golden Corral in Rogers. Cost is $25.00 per person for dinner and beverage.  The featured speaker will be Tammy McCutchen who will be speaking on “Update on the DOL:  What are the Changes Since the Election?”.  To make a reservation, click here www.caoinfo.org.  For questions, please contact Cliff Sandsmark at 479-419-2662 or Bruce Johanson at 479-521-2697.

Professional Development

Honoring Diversity During the Holiday Season

Honoring Diversity 
Workplace holiday parties, employee gifts, charitable donations and even paid holidays can bring to light conflicting employee beliefs and practices. But, awareness of varying perspectives can help minimize the likelihood that well-intentioned holiday activities will backfire.

Religious Accommodation
Employers must reasonably accommodate employees' sincerely held religious beliefs or practices unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the employer. A reasonable religious accommodation is any adjustment to the work environment that will allow the employee to practice his or her religion.

Holiday Blues
Employers can provide employees tips for reducing and coping with holiday stress and depression.

SHRM's HR Knowledge Center has collected articles with tips for having a litigation-free holiday season.

To receive these resources, please visit SHRM’s Seasonal Express Request service 

Announcements

NOARK Awards Nominations – Due November 20th

It’s that time of year again.  We are now taking nominations for the NOARK awards which will be recognized at the NOARK End-of-Year celebration at our December meeting.  Please take the time to open the attached file and view the award categories.  Help recognize our great NOARK professionals by filling out your nomination form and returning it to Cathleen Hoffman at choffman@daisy.com by November 20^th.

NOARK Holiday Party – Volunteers Needed

The NOARK Holiday Party is right around the bend.  Kay Jackson has once again agreed to serve as coordinator for the festive event.  She will be needing volunteers to assist with the decorations prior to the event.  If you wish to assist, please contact Kay at kay.belle.jackson@gmail.com

NOARK Leaders to Attend SHRM Leadership Conference

Darrin Coon, NOARK 2010 President and Brian Sorenson, NOARK 2010 President-Elect will be attending the SHRM Leadership Conference in Washington DC this week.  SHRM fully funds the cost for one chapter representative and NOARK funds the costs for the second representative.  The conference is designed to provide chapter leaders the knowledge and tools to provide effective leadership to the chapter.

Editor’s note

NOARK News is published bi-weekly on Thursdays.  If you have an item to include, please send it to Katie Morris at Kathleen.Morris@wal-mart.com. We publish items that affect HR practitioners in Northwest Arkansas.  Please submit items for consideration by noon the Friday before publication.