During an economic downturn when money is tight and many organizations are in survival mode, it is nevertheless critical to look closely at investing in employees.

That was the result of a recent survey, conducted by Indianapolis-based HR Dimensions. The company asked human resource professionals from across the state to identify their top three concerns in human resources for 2011.

Leadership development was the overwhelming highest priority with 77% of respondents signifying it was their No. 1 concern. Second on the list was compensation/reward management at 49%, followed by recruiting at 46% and team building at 42%.

“We were not surprised by the top concern. Enlightened organizations have been investing in leadership development and coaching quite heavily during this economic downturn. They tell us that they feel the need to invest in the development of their ‘high potentials’ in order to retain them and to carry their organizations through and out of the difficult climate,” says Mark McNulty, president of HR Dimensions.

However, McNulty notes the additional results show that “it apparently reflects that companies feel they can no longer afford to freeze pay and that as the economy grows, they will need to react quickly to changing conditions.”

One way for companies and human resources personnel to invest is to take part in various seminars and webinars offered by the Chamber. Upcoming webinars for HR pros include Linking Learning and Development with Organizational Strategy on October 20 and, a week later, Social Media and HR Implications. View a complete list of conferences and seminars.

The Chamber also offers a number of HR-related publications. 

Chamber member Frost Brown Todd tells you what you need to know about the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and how it’s heightening efforts to bust businesses who aren’t complying with safety regulations. What’s been allowed to slide in the past may get your company in trouble by today’s standards:

Employers should be aware that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been loudly broadcasting to everyone who will listen that it is stepping up its enforcement efforts. As the assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, David Michaels, proudly announced in a recent speech, OSHA cited almost twice as many employers for egregious violations in the first quarter of 2010 than it had in all of the previous fiscal year, and OSHA also issued the largest fine in its history to British Petroleum.

Recent developments indicate that, if anything, Michaels understated the current trend at OSHA. Not only is OSHA more stringently enforcing its existing standards, it is also expanding its enforcement efforts under the general duty clause, and maximizing penalties for employers charged with safety violations.

If you need information on safety and ergonomic information (federal and state), I’d advise you to look into acquiring our popular Safety & Health Guide, authored by attorneys at Ice Miller.

There are not too many games of any type played in which no score is kept. And while one might argue that crafting the laws that apply to Indiana companies, their employees and all Hoosier citizens is no "game" in the traditional sense, the antics that go into that process would suggest otherwise.

No matter the terminology, legislators run for office vowing to serve their constituents. The Indiana Chamber represents nearly 5,000 business organizations with 800,000 employee constituents. The Chamber tells the lawmakers what bills it is tracking, the business community’s positions on those important issues, why specific bills are supported or opposed — and then we keep score on how they vote.

The tallies are contained in the annual Legislative Vote Analysis, released today. It has 2010 and two-year vote scores for all 150 members of the Indiana House and Senate. The goal: let those employers, employees and all Hoosier voters know which legislators are supporting pro-economic development, pro-jobs initiatives. It removes the talk and the posturing from the equation. The vote totals speak loudly.

As the introductory letter asks: Was your legislator part of the solution or part of the problem? Scores range from a low of 33% (a certain long-time legislator from South Bend who doesn’t always vote because of his leadership position in the House) to a high of 93% (from a Fort Wayne-based senator). Overall, the totals are disappointing. Take a look for yourself, share the information with others and use it as a guide as the election process plays out this year for all 100 representatives and a portion of the senators.

Read today’s press release and access the full report.

Much has changed in Unemployment Compensation legislation since our last edition of the Unemployment Compensation Handbook was released in 2007. In just this past year alone, both state and federal lawmakers have impacted Indiana’s Unemployment Compensation system with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, as well as Indiana House Bill 1379, which addressed the depleted UI Trust Fund and launched both increased tax rates and stricter eligibility rules for unemployed workers applying for UI benefits; and in 2010, Senate Bill 23, which delayed the tax increases on Indiana employers for one year.

Our new book, authored once again by the law firm Ziemer, Stayman, Weitzel & Shoulders, can be your go-to reference on this complicated subject.

We do, however, have different options for you to receive the book this year. In addition to our standard hard copy for $95 , we’ll offer this book as one of our new ePubs. By ordering the ePub, not only will you get access to the book the minute it’s officially released (which should be by the end of next week), but you can buy a year of access for just $69. That means if a new edition of the guide is released during that year, you’ll automatically have access to the new guide online. And better yet, this book is part of our NEW Human Resources ePubs package, which includes a total of 15 of our popular HR-related titles for just $499 for the year (over $450 less than if you bought these books individually).

For the third year in a row, I filed my family taxes only to then receive a "replacement tax statement package" from my investment company of choice. (Yes, those investment totals continue to shrink, but who isn’t sinking in that boat).

But we’re here to discuss business taxes — with the complications there making my amended 1040 seem rather paltry. The Indiana Chamber continues to offer a variety of resources to assist companies with federal and state needs, while the Indiana Department of Revenue (IDOR) has put in place a new online tool to make it easier to conduct business with the state.

Newcomers first: IDOR’s New and Small Business Education Center provides interactive video assistance and a direct connection to INtax — where needed forms can be obtained and various types of taxes can be paid. IDOR Commissioner John Eckart offers the example of a business that is expanding and hiring new employees being able to find information about state withholding taxes.

Chamber resources come in a trio:

• The 2009 Indiana Tax Conference on June 2-3. Participants learn the latest federal and state changes from issue experts
• The Indiana Taxation Handbook, which includes numerous recent updates and provides comprenhensive information in an easy-to-understand manner
• A free tax helpline (for Chamber members only), manned by Chamber tax and fiscal policy expert Bill Waltz, who can answer your questions and link you to additional resources

Don’t go it alone. Take advantage of the tax help that is available in our state.

Customers spoke — and we listened.

While many devoted purchasers of our human resource and other issue-specific compliance books enjoy the tangible copies, some just wanted searchable information right on their computer. For those folks, we now offer most of our compliance publications in downloadable PDF form.

To purchase, just visit our web site and search through the book categories; you will see a related page offering an "online guide" if we have that book in PDF form. The cost is the same as the hard copy, and they are for credit card purchase only.

Happy reading, and happy compliance…ing!

You can visit the Indiana Chamber web site to learn all about the programs and benefits of Chamber membership. But what do members say when asked, and they are asked on a continuing basis, about why they join or remain members?

Before getting to the list, do note that membership has increased to nearly 5,000 companies (and many more individuals within those organizations). The growth continues despite the economic times that have forced a number of businesses to close and others to cut back. New companies are coming on board every day, complementing the nearly 300 that have been members continuously for more than 50 years.

The top reasons:

• Advocacy: companies want to support the Chamber role of improving the state’s business climate through lobbying efforts at the state and federal levels
• Discounted health insurance: companies with 99 or fewer employees take advantage of the ChamberCare program presented in partnership with Anthem. The savings generated here typically more than pay for the Chamber membership
• Information and assistance: this includes free Business Research Center leads and helpine guidance, as well as significant discounts on regulatory compliance publications and employee training seminars

That’s what the members who are surveyed on a rotating basis have to say. How about you? Let us know what you think.