Monthly Archives: April 2008

Preparing Adults for a Brighter Future

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Categories: Business News, Chamber News, Education, Government, Human Resources

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The title of this post also served as the subtitle of an Indiana Chamber study released earlier this year titled Indiana’s Adult Education and Workforce Skills Performance Report.

There are many Hoosiers with a vested interest in overcoming the challenges — such as 651,000 workers with no college education and earning less than a living wage.

Two names at the top of that list of interested parties are Thomas Snyder, president of Ivy Tech Community College, and Teresa Voors, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. Snyder and Voors, along with Mark Lawrance (a Chamber senior vice president who oversaw the study in his role as head of the Chamber Foundation) are taking the message around the state. Audiences in Bloomington, Evansville, Fort Wayne and South Bend have heard about the needs, what the state is already doing well and how public and private sector leaders are working together to craft additional solutions.

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette and the South Bend Tribune report on the recent visits to their communities. Gary and Indianapolis are among the upcoming stops.

Contact Lawrance to learn about the study and what many are saying is the No. 1 long-term challenge facing our state.

Book Explains Flex Time, Includes Many Employee Policies

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Categories: Chamber Publications, Human Resources

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It’s been estimated that employees now spend at least 100 hours each year commuting to work. Because of this, flexible work arrangements are becoming more popular among staff and are being utilized by more employers to lower turnover.

Be sure you have a policy in place to meet the needs, or at least "wants," of your staff. Page 129 of the Indiana Chamber’s Model Employee Policies for Indiana Employers addresses telecommuting policy, and the entire book also provides detailed sample policies that could work for your business.

Written by Bose McKinney & Evans, this book is designed to help employers understand the legal implications of an organization’s written policies and procedures, the costs and benefits of placing informal practices in an employee handbook and how to communicate an organization’s values and goals. It includes a compilation of legal commentary as well.

Indiana Chamber Makes Pit Stop at Indy Motor Speedway

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Categories: Chamber Conferences, Chamber News

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We call it "Breakfast with Brinegar," but for this first time event at the world’s most famous racing facility, we just might call it "Bacon at the Brickyard" for a day. Local Indiana Chamber members are encouraged to join us Tuesday, May 13, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Joie Chitwood, President of the IMS, will speak briefly about the excitement of this year’s Indianapolis 500. With the IRL and Champ Car merger, along with Danica Patrick’s first IRL win, the buzz is as hot as ever regarding the 2.5 mile oval. Kevin Brinegar, president of the Indiana Chamber, will discuss Chamber programs and services and you will have an opportunity to network with other Indiana Chamber members. A Q&A session will be held for Kevin, as well. 

The breakfast is free for Indiana Chamber members and $19 for non-members. Please contact Abby Hamilton at (317) 264-3793 or ahamilton@indianachamber.com to RSVP for this fun and educational event.
 
Sounds like a great way to start a Spring day in the month of May in Indianapolis. You may even be lucky enough to bump into A.J., Mario or Little Al. But I promise you won’t have to listen to me sing "Back Home Again in Indiana."

How Did Your Legislators Vote in the 2008 Session?

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Categories: Chamber News, Chamber Publications, Government

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Students will be bringing home their final report cards over the next few weeks as the school year comes to a close. Members of the Indiana General Assembly received their 2008 grades yesterday with the release of the Indiana Chamber’s 24th annual Legislative Vote Analysis.

The 2008 edition rates all 150 legislators on how supportive or unsupportive they were of issues important to businesses and their employees.
 
Each legislator receives a score based on how often his or her votes align with the pro-jobs, pro-economic growth agenda. In addition to being published and distributed statewide, the scores are used to help determine which incumbent legislators are eligible for endorsement in their next campaign by Indiana Business for Responsive Government (IBRG) – the Chamber’s political action committee.
 
Find the full report here or read the press release.

Your Business Could Be Put on the Hot Seat by Asking Wrong Questions During Interviews

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Categories: Business News, Chamber Publications, Human Resources

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With so many rules governing hiring processes, it’s easy to unknowingly violate a law when discussing a job with a potential candidate. That notwithstanding, how you simply advertise the job requires strong consideration. The Interviewing Guide, written by the law firm Ogletree Deakins and published by the Indiana Chamber, provides an overview of state and federal laws and their applicability to the hiring process. It includes practical tips on avoiding employment litigation and handling the discipline, discharge and arbitration processes.

The book can also be purchased with a CD-ROM, which includes the entire text of the book in searchable format and gives you access to Microsoft Word versions of the included sample forms and letters. Additionally, don’t forget about the the Indiana Chamber’s Supervisor’s Kit. This kit includes several Chamber products that all supervisors should have on hand for quick answers to compliance-related questions.

Chamber Offers Tools for Small Businesses

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Membership with the Indiana Chamber offers a number of great resources for small businesses. Two of our most popular benefits, the HR Helpline and the Business Research Center, are offered at no cost to members. We encourage our members to use these cost-saving tools. The HR Helpline will answer your employment law and human resources-related questions at no charge. The Business Research Center offers customized business lists and welcomes even the most difficult business research questions. These benefits are perfect for the business owner wearing multiple hats, office/HR managers with HR questions and sales managers/representatives working to generate business.

Manchester College Program Puts Students on Fast Track

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Categories: BizVoice, Education

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Parents have enough to worry about these days when it comes to finances. "Do we have enough money to pay for utilities and go to Kings Island?" After all, the Vortex won’t ride itself. Or "can we afford those organic cereals with the adorable koalas and gorillas on the boxes?" Granted, those Panda Puffs might provide for a fantastic explosion of taste and peanut buttery excitement, but losing the aspartame comes at a price, folks.

And as the cost of living continues to rise, so do tuition prices for many Indiana parents hoping to help their children aspire for higher learning. One way to combat this financial scourge is simply for students to spend less time at school. Leading the charge in the Midwest, Manchester College has applied its three-year Fast Forward program to all 55 of its majors.

While critics argue the program deprives students of the full college experience, Manchester claims some Fast Forward students can still study abroad and take part in many extracurricular activities, depending on the major. 

To read more about the program, turn to the Chamber’s BizVoice magazine. 

Celebrate Earth Day by Being Environmentally Compliant

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Categories: Business News, Chamber Publications, Environment

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Don’t let your business lose green because it wasn’t green enough in the eyes of the law. Earth Day should serve as a reminder for businesses of the high costs involved in environmental-related fines.

The Indiana Chamber’s Environmental Compliance Handbook has been updated and the sixth edition is currently stocked. This publication, authored by a team of attorneys from Bingham McHale, LLP, includes several major changes since the previous edition.

Additionally, the Indiana Chamber also offers Environmental Regulations updates so you can keep up on environmental law changes from week to week.

Chamber’s Expo Can Put Your HR Team on the Right Track

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Categories: Chamber Conferences, Human Resources

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The Indiana Chamber’s conferences team wants to help your HR staff be the best it can be:

In the ever-changing human resources field, it can sometimes feel as if you’re driving laps without a pit crew. Attend the 44th Annual HR Conference & Expo on May 6-7 at the Indianapolis Marriott East and accelerate your company to victory lane. Choose from over 20 educational sessions on topics including blogs and personal web pages, immigration, safety and HR, wellness, health plan cost-savings and more. Experts on the various state and federal rules and regulations will have you seeing that checkered flag.

To register, click here.

Speaker to Present Different Take on Global Warming

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Categories: Chamber Conferences, Chamber News, Environment

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GlobeNumerous headlines regarding global climate change appear in newspapers around the world every day.  Former Vice President Al Gore and other leading environmentalists have been warning that we are headed for a man-made global catastrophe if our interaction with the planet doesn’t drastically change. More recently, environmental experts such as April 29 Economic Club of Indiana speaker Steven Hayward, have publicly disagreed with Gore and company.

Hayward, an environmental researcher holding numerous prestigious fellowships and an adjunct professorship at Georgetown University, starred in a film rebutting Gore’s claims of pending disaster as a result of climate change.  Hayward is of the belief that the planet goes through natural periods of warming and cooling and is not tremendously influenced by the activity of human beings.

His position on the issue, shared by an increasing number of scientists – such as MIT’s Richard Lindzen – has earned him both criticism and praise. Hayward plans to present his research, "The Unseriousness of Climate Change Policy: Confronting the Economic and Energy Realities” at the Economic Club of Indiana luncheon on April 29.   

Agree or disagree? Either way, you should hear what Hayward has to say. It’s from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29 at the Indiana Convention Center.