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SHRM 2012 Recap

So we’re back from SHRM in Atlanta, GA and despite the fact that my feet are still recovering, we had a great time and a great show. Some highlights for me besides meeting so many awesome people in the HR space was the Fisher & Phillips party on the field in the Georgia Dome, wandering through the Georgia Aquirium on Sunday morning, and eating Googie Burger in the Centenial Olympic Park while watching the fountain show. 

SHRM 2012 is sure to be a memorable one, since the official start of the conference with the drum line, the annual SHRM conference and exposition, just kept getting better.  Attendees were saying great things about Condoleezza Rice, they were excited about the sessions they were attending, the new friends they were making, the swag they were collecting, and the anticipation of seeing Jerry Seinfeld.

As an exhibitor and attendee of the conference it is the best of both worlds being able to attend the sessions and greet fellow attendees at our booth on the expo floor.  This year it was great to see so many people wearing our Beyond.com T-shirts.  In fact, we gave so many away that we could have given out every shirt we brought with us on the first day of the expo.  And speaking of shirts, thank you to everyone that stopped by the Beyond.com booth and wore one of our T-shirts for the chance to be spotted to win $100.  We picked one winner each hour the expo was opened, so we got to make a lot of people happy.

As for our fellow vendors—there were a lot of great booths and giveaways (as always), but here were some of the highlights—in my opinion.

• VPI Pet Insurance:  Again had dogs in their booth this year (great draw!)  If I was on a break from working our booth I was here petting the pups.
  
  
• CareerBuilder: Combined two of my favorite things, Plinko and food.  (Also if I recall, didn’t you guys have a “Price Is Right” style wheel last year in Vegas?—Can’t blame you “Price Is Right” IS awesome). 
  
  
• Franklin and Covey: I think they had the best booth.  They didn’t try to sell me anything (which I like, but also don’t understand). I just had to stand in a line (for 20 minutes) for the chance to win a Kindle Fire—pretty cool if you ask me.  What would have been cooler?  If I had actually won.
  
  
• Glassdoor: Loved the peach stand idea and the guy dressed as the giant peach the first day—nice touch.

So that’s what excited us, but what were the attendees looking forward to and were their expectations fulfilled?

 

  

Also, here are some of  the highlights from our $100 winners. 

 

Top Ten Things To See & Do in Atlanta at SHRM 2012

 

I can’t believe its June already and the Annual SHRM Conference is almost here!  It seems like just yesterday I was boarding the bus at my hotel to go to the conference center in Las Vegas.  This year, I’m especially excited to go to SHRM—besides a layover in the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport I’ve never been to the great city of Atlanta—so it should be fun.

Atlanta has been on my list of places to visit for some time, so when SHRM announced it would be coming here in 2012, I was very excited and now I cannot believe it is already here!  So for those of you who are equally as excited about spending some time in The A, here are ten things (in no particular order) you shouldn’t miss (besides eating some delicious southern cooking, seeing the inside of a session room and cruising the expo floor of course!).

1. Take in a baseball game at Turner Field. This ballpark was originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium as the center piece for the 1996 summer Olympics and after the games it was turned into the new home of The Braves. Unfortunately, The Braves are only home one night while SHRM is taking place in Atlanta—but that doesn’t mean you can’t catch the Tuesday night game against the Diamondbacks.
   
   
2. Remember, in Atlanta it’s ALWAYS Coca-Cola. The likelihood of a server asking you, “Is Pepsi, okay?” upon ordering a Coke while at SHRM will be slim.  Visit the World of Coca-Cola and learn about the legendary secret formula of this tasty beverage first sold in pharmacies, taste more than 60 different products, watch Coke being made and bottled right before your eyes, and check out the influence that Coke has had as a pop culture icon.
   
   
   
   
3. Go back in time and experience the Civil War, tour the birthplace of Gone With The Wind, get to know former President Carter, and visit the home of a young Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Atlanta is steeped in history, so if you’re into that sort of thing (like I am) there’s plenty to see—I can’t wait!  First, there’s The Battle of Atlanta that played a crucial role during the Civil War; under command of General Sherman the Union army seized the city, which was important as they then also controlled the railroads and supplies needed by the Confederate Army. You can learn more about the Battle of Atlanta and the Civil War at The Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum located in Grant Park (right near the Atlanta Zoo).  And speaking of the Civil War, you can also visit the Margaret Mitchell House to see where the Pulitzer Prize winning author wrote Gone With The Wind.  Next on the list, if you’ve ever been to a presidential library then you already know that it is a treat and Atlanta is home to the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum.  Here you can check out (not literally) U.S. President Jimmy Carter's papers and other materials related to his administration and the Carter family's life. You can also see Carter's Nobel Peace Prize, a full-scale replica of the Oval Office and a copy of the Resolute Desk. Lastly is the birthplace of Dr. King.  Visitors can tour the house where he was born and lived in until age 12.  Tickets are on a first come first serve basis so plan accordingly. 
   
   
4. Check out the world’s largest Aquarium—The Georgia Aquarium.  This facility is relatively new—it opened in 2005 and it houses some amazing species like the beluga whale, bottlenose dolphin, manta ray, and hammerhead shark.   Of the 120,000 sea creatures the most intriguing is the whale shark—the Georgia Aquarium is the only place outside of Asia to house them.  So if you need a break from the sessions (don’t tell your boss) go explore!
   
   
5. Go for the gold at the Centennial Olympic Village. From July 19 to August 4, 1996 the world was focused on Atlanta, GA as the Centennial Olympics (that’s right the 100^th Anniversary of the first summer Olympics held in Greece) were being held right there in Atlanta.  Need a break on Tuesday?  From noon to 1PM at the Southern Company Amphitheater enjoy a variety of live music performed by local artists.  Another fun thing is to check out the Park’s history—get an overview of what the park looked like before the park was built and learn about the park’s monuments and Olympic tributes.   Also, don’t miss the centerpiece of the park—The Fountains of Rings.  The fountain is not only one of the most recognized landmarks in Georgia but the fountain show—which plays four times a day—is completely free! 
   
   
   
   
6. To ur the CNN World Headquarters.  The Cable News Network is located in downtown Atlanta and the working studios and newsrooms of CNN are the open to the public to tour.   Visitors can come on a timed-entry studio tour of the world’s first all-news network.  Start by taking a ride on the longest freestanding escalator and enter the world (literally) of the around-the-clock TV network.
   
   
7. Do some shopping at historic Underground Atlanta.  A shopping and entertainment district in downtown Atlanta that was built over the city’s many viaducts—Underground Atlanta has had many ups and downs over the years, but it can still offer you shopping, history, and then some more shopping.  You can take a historic tour starting at the train depot (the oldest building in downtown Atlanta).  And if you need a new pair of comfortable shoes to walk the expo floor, you can probably find some here.
   
   
8. Think Pandas are cool? Yeah we do too! Check out the Atlanta Zoo in Grant Park and say, “Hi!” to the Giant Pandas.  One of the oldest zoos in the United States, Zoo Atlanta houses more than 1,300 animals and if you don’t get the chance to go you see the pandas in person you can visit them online via the Panda Cam!
   
   
9. Stop and smell the roses at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.  This 30-acre botanical garden in midtown Atlanta is beautiful getaway and regardless of the amount of time you have to spend, they’ll make sure your time is spent wisely with their Day Planners.  After all, we are at SHRM for business—but that doesn’t mean we can’t do something fun (even if it’s for an hour).
   
   
10. Don’t pass up the opportunity to see Norah Jones at the famous Fox Theatre.  The Fox Theatre (sometimes known as the Fabulous Fox) is a former movie palace turned performing arts center in midtown Atlanta. This beautiful building will host Grammy award winning, singer-song writer Norah Jones on Saturday night and on Sunday night you can become a member of the Van Trapp Family Singers when they show the Sound of Music Sing-A-Long.

 

Looking Forward to Some Fun in the Sun at IAEWS

Master of Ceremonies Rich Milgram will Lead the Bi-Annual Gathering of Recruitment Industry Leaders

Rich Milgram, Founder and CEO of Beyond.com, focused on helping people grow and succeed within their careers, will serve as Congress Chair for the International Association of Employment Web Sites (IAEWS) Fall Member Congress, to be held on September 7, 2011 in Hollywood Beach, FL the day before The ERE Expo begins.

The IAEWS's bi-annual Member Congress unites executives and industry leaders in online recruitment to share ideas and strategies for future growth and success. It is the only event that is 100 percent dedicated to improving the operations and financial performance of online employment services organizations.

"We are very excited to have Rich participating in this year's event," said Peter Weddle, IAEWS Executive Director. "Rich brings a wealth of experience and insight to his role as master of ceremonies and joins a distinguished list of previous chairs, including Aaron Matos, CEO of Jobing; Shawn Boyer, CEO of SnagAJob.com; Don Firth, CEO of JobsinLogistics.com; Kim Peters, CEO of Eluta.ca; Tony Lee, EVP of Adicio; and Constance Melrose, EVP of Dice."

"I'm honored and excited to be a part of this year's IAEWS Fall Member Conference. It's always a great opportunity to be surrounded by other professionals in the world of recruitment," said Rich Milgram, CEO at Beyond.com. "I look forward to reconnecting with old friends and colleagues, meeting new ones, and sharing our current challenges and recent strides."

Going to be at the IAEWS Member Congress?  Be sure to say hi to Rich!  Also, ERE attendees stop by booth #301 to say hi to the Beyond.com team.  Looking forward to seeing you in Hollywood!

SHRM 2011 Recap

Now that we’re back from SHRM and before we head out the door for the long weekend, we thought now was as good of time as any to recap our SHRM 2011 experience.  First off thanks to everyone that stopped by the Beyond.com booth and wore one of our shirts for the chance to win $500 and got your pictures taken in our photobooth. 

The deal with the shirts was the same as last year (if it’s not broke, don’t fix it)—If you were spotted wearing our shirt on the expo floor you had the opportunity to win $500 on the spot—all for wearing the shirt!  How awesome is that?  So let us formally congratulate our three lucky winners:

• Day One Winner: Reagan Forlenzo
• Day Two Winner: Jennifer Olson
• Day Three Winner: Karen Mata

As a SHRM attendee it’s always fun to see what is out there, who has the best booth, who has the best swag (giveaways), etc… so let’s recap, shall we?

Best Swag: At SHRM 2010 the hot giveaway was the iPad and at SHRM 2011 the coveted giveaway was the iPad2 (I know I am as shocked as you are).  Additionally, several attendees noticed that there was a Mustang (the car, not a horse) that was up for grabs, we saw a lot of attendees with the canvas paintings from Bright as well the usual chotchkies.  I do however need to give a shout out to Job.com for the airplane blanket; it came in very handy on my flight home, so thank you! 

Best Booth: There were many impressive booths this year so here are the booths that stood out (besides our own of course):

• The Ladders: The airplane was all the buzz.
• CareerBuilder: “The Price Is Right” style wheel had attendees in line around the corner.
• VIP Pet Insurance: Actual dogs in the booth! Need I say more?
• Liberty Mutual: Their booth that was setup like a house and had an actual car.
• Flavia: Free coffee and tea samples—Snickers flavored coffee was a favorite!

We also asked SHRM attendees what their favorite booths and giveaways were and here’s what they said:

 

Essentials to Survive SHRM 2011

SHRM 2011 is only a few days away and we are very busy getting ready to head out to Las Vegas! As we continue packing those few final items we have also been thinking about what we’ll need to in order to have a successful show, so we thought it would be fun to ask our team what advice they would give to someone attending SHRM for the first time.  Let us know if we missed anything essential and don’t forget to stop by Booth 1429 to say, “Hi!” to the Beyond.com team!

 

Can't make it to SHRM this year but want to keep up with what's going on at the conference? 

Follow us on Twitter @Beyond_com to keep up with what's happening at the conference.  We'll be tweeting live from the sessions, the keynotes, and the expo floor, plus one lucky @Beyond_com Twitter follower will win $500!

Top Ten Things to NOT Get Caught Doing at SHRM in Las Vegas

As Cliché as it is—What Happens at SHRM Stays at SHRM

It’s that time of year again—time for the Annual SHRM Conference.  While organizations in the Human Resources field across the country are prepping for the show, HR pros are gearing up for a four day stay in Las Vegas.

That’s right—it is completely ironic that HR professionals (those who keep us all politically correct and on our best behavior in the workplace) are going to brush up on the latest HR policies and procedures in the City of Sin. 

But don’t worry, while the craziness of Vegas is happening outside, inside the convention center our HR Managers will be in sessions brushing up on everything from employee benefits to recruitment, employment law and much more. 

So, just to keep our favorite HR Managers in line we thought it would be helpful for them to have a list of the Top Ten Things to NOT Get Caught Doing at SHRM in Las Vegas.

10.  Get Hitched During SHRM. Finding the perfect match is always critical for recruiters but getting married on a whim is not a story your boss will find funny or appreciate when they ask how the conference went.

9.    Shop ‘Til You Drop. At the conclusion of the Annual SHRM Conference your feet should hurt from walking the expo floor—not from browsing in the many luxury shops at Via Bellagio, Grand Canal Shops at The Venetian, The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, Miracle Mile, Le Boulevard at Paris, and Wynn Esplande.

8.    Use Your Travel and Expense Allowance to Finance Your Go Round in the Casino.  If you think you can turn your T&E daily allotment into extra cash in the casino—the odds are against you, so don’t even try.

7.    Play Hooky to Sip Margaritas by the Pool.  It is predicted to be a toasty 103°F during SHRM, so drinking tasty beverages by the pool (unless you’re drinking water) is probably not a smart idea, nonetheless if you’re laying by the pool while everyone is in sessions or on the expo floor—you’re going to have a very unhappy employer.
 
6.    Let Motion Sickness Ruin Your Time.  While enjoying the sites if you have a desire to check out the gondolas at the Venetian, the rollercoaster at New York-New York, or take a ride to top of the  Stratosphere (the tallest observation tower in the United States) be sure you have a Dramamine on hand.

5.    Show Up at the Expo Hall Looking Like You Were Just Throwing…Well You Get the Picture. Working a booth or cruising the conference floor? Look your best and look professional.  While we’re all sympathetic to the fact that you’re away from home and away from your kids—that doesn’t mean that everyone you meet on the expo floor needs to know that.  Even if you’re out late partying make sure that you are at the expo hall on time, dressed professional, looking fresh and ready to represent your organization.

4.    Swim With the Sharks at the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef.  While this is a thrill that is offered, that’s the last thing your organization needs “HR Manager Eaten by Shark at SHRM Conference in Vegas”. While they say no press is bad press that is definitely a headline your PR department does not want to have to spin.
 
3.    Take a Dip in The Dancing Waters. Speaking of Swimming, the Fountains of Bellagio Are ONLY For Show.  Get caught swimming in there and there is sure to be a large fine.  After all if the fine for  jaywalking can be up to $695 in Clark County, NV you don’t want to know what it is for swimming in the dancing waters.

2.    Follow the Same Itinerary for Your Sister’s Bachelorette Party at the Palm. Las Vegas is called Sin City for a reason and if you were going there for the purpose of a bachelor/bachelorette party you would have a very different plan than if you were going for work (at least we hope so).  So take this opportunity to experience the good clean fun that Vegas has to offer when traveling on business.  Take in a show like Jersey Boys, Cirque du Soleil or The Blue Man Group, eat at the numerous delicious restaurants and enjoy a treatment at the many luxury spas (also be sure to go to those sessions!). 

1.  Get lost.  Be sure to keep track of your team members—while the movie The Hangover is entertaining to watch, no one REALLY wants to experience what the wolf pack went through.  Make sure you check in with those who you traveled to the conference with just to make sure that no one is stuck on the roof at Caesars.

How to Get Your Employees To Use Their Vacation Time

This is my last post of the 2010—as many HR professionals find the week in between Christmas and New Years to be a slow time of year, I thought it’d be a good time to take a week off, which got me to thinking, do most people use all of their allotted vacation time mapped out in their benefits plans?

I ask because I know that I have team members that schedule a PTO day but then end up coming into work because there is so much going on that they can’t afford to be away from the office.  I know that I make it a point to try to use all my days and this year and I’m proud to say that if all goes according to plan I will.

Our policy when it comes to PTO is use it or lose it, so when the end of the year approaches I count up my days and start taking off.  I’ve also read about companies encouraging their employees to take off by paying for part of a vacation, which is a pretty nice deal. 

But if you are one that won’t use all of your days, you’re not alone, recently Westin Hotels & Resorts surveyed more than 1,500 American professionals and found that more than 64% had to cancel a vacation this year despite the fact that 58% felt that they were more in need of a vacation this year than last.

So besides the use it or lose policy and paying for portions of employee vacations (Expedia.com has implemented this benefit) how can employers ensure that their employees are taking much needed time off?

• Scrap your vacation policy. Instead allow employees to take time off as needed.  This policy won’t work for everyone, but it can work for an organization that has employees that are truly dedicated to their jobs.  At the moment, they’re not taking their vacation time, not because they believe their job won’t be there when they get back, but because they are dedicated to what they do.  The take time as needed policy will show employees that they are valued and trusted and in return you’ll have happy employees.
   
• Lead by example. If you’re the head honcho, set an example.  A lot of times employees feel guilty taking time off because they see their boss or boss’ boss burning the midnight oil and not taking their own time off.  If you’re the boss, make sure you set an example and take a vacation yourself—this tells your staff that it’s okay for them to do the same.
  
  
• Create a no check in policy.  This policy will allow you to actually enjoy your vacation.  This starts from the top though, if the boss can go on vacation and trust that the company will survive in their absence then so can everyone else.
  
  
• Tell employees that they’re valued. Telling your staff that their hard work has not gone unnoticed will reinforce to your employees that they deserve the time off to de-stress and come back to the office refreshed. 
  
  
• Realize that not everything will get done.  By accepting this, you won’t be stressing out the whole time you’re out of the office.

 

How to Keep Employees Motivated in the Summer Months

This week, being the week of July 4^th, is a popular vacation time and although I was in the office I felt like I might as well have been on vacation too.  I always find it challenging when team members I work closely with are on vacation.  In their absence I have the pleasure of working with team members I don’t get to work with all time, but with that also comes some challenges.

Not to knock my team members that are understudying, relief pitching, or subbing in (or whatever you choose to call it), don’t get me wrong they’re great, it’s just a different dynamic.

So we wanted to know if we were the only ones experiencing these challenges, so we asked more than 1,700 business professionals across the Beyond.com Network of thousands of niche career sites, “How productive are you at work in the summer months?”  And to be honest we were surprised—more than 78 percent said that their productivity doesn’t change when the heat is on. 

So is there a way the other 22 percent can maintain the same work output as the other 78 percent?

Here are our top three suggestions of the best ways to keep productivity up in the summer months when team members are on vacation:

1. Cross Training: Cross training employees is not only good for the business it’s also good for employees.  It provides more flexibility to get the job done while at the same time it allows employees to broaden their horizons by learning new skills—thus making them more valuable to their current and future organizations.

2. Taking Your Own Vacation:  In general we tend to not take advantage of our own vacation time.  In fact according to Expedia, last year one-third of Americans did not use all of their vacation days.  We tend to take too few vacations, so after working extra hard to help out your team members that were on vacation, you deserve one yourself. It’s been proven that taking your allotted vacation time is a great stress release that will allow you to come back to work relaxed, refreshed, and ready to dive back in. 
   
   
3. Summer Hours: As a way to keep employees motivated throughout the week when the weather is beautiful outside, summer hours are offered as an incentive for a Friday afternoon off, the whole Friday off every week, or every other Friday off entirely.  Flexible summer hours are attractive to employers because it involves no additional cost as long as the work gets done, plus the promise of “free” time off helps boost employee morale and attract and retain workers.  

These three tips are definitely nothing new when it comes to increasing employee productivity, but put these three tips into action and you’ll see your productivity increase in no time.

SHRM 2010 Recap

Now that we’ve been back from SHRM for 12 hours, we’ve decided to recap our SHRM 2010 experience.  First off thanks to everyone that stopped by the Beyond.com booth, wore a badge, and more importantly wore one of our shirts.  In fact we had so many attendees in our shirts that we went through our three-day supply in the first hour of the expo on Sunday night that we had to order more shirts for the next two days. It was crazy! 

The Shirts: So what was the deal with the shirts?  If you were spotted wearing our shirt on the expo floor you had the opportunity to win $500 on the spot—all for wearing the shirt!  How awesome is that?  So let us formally congratulate our three lucky winners:

• Day One Winner: Adam Winter
• Day Two Winner: Amy Kastberg
• Day Three Winner: Shannon Scherer

As a SHRM attendee it’s always fun to see what is out there, who has the best booth, who has the best swag (giveaways), who has the best presentation, etc… so let’s recap, shall we?

Best Swag: While SHRM 2009 brought us the SHRMWow from Benefit Focus, SHRM 2010 brought us…a lot of iPads.  While we’re not saying that no one stood out at the show, there was no one real memorable giveaway, that is unless you count everyone who was walking the floor in a Beyond.com Monopoly shirt. 

Best Booth: There were many impressive booths this year so here are the booths we were most impressed with (besides our own...haha):

• Snagajob.com: Had the ski lodge-feel complete with faux fire, grab for cash machine, and yeti (who only made an appearance on Sunday night and then apparently returned home).
• Monster.com: Had a great match game complete with a compelling presentation.  Also, I couldn’t even count the number of flat screen TVs that donned the booth.
• HealthHub: If you didn’t see the HealthHub robot you missed out.  Not only did the robot speak and interact with the crowd thanks to the man behind the curtain or should I say in the isle, but also the robot was also quite the dancer.
  
• OC Tanner: Once again OC Tanner impressed the crowds with their large booth presence and fine presentation skills. 

We also asked SHRM attendees what their favorite booths and giveaways were and here’s what they said:

For more SHRM favorite videos compliments of Beyond.com or to watch the reactions of Beyond.com’s three $500 winners visit our YouTube Channel.

 

 

 

 

What’s Your Favorite Past SHRM Location?

We’ve been prepping for the show and getting excited to head out to San Diego.  As we’ve been packing up we’ve been reminiscing about past SHRM conference locations and how much fun we had (see video below).  Let us know what your favorite past SHRM location is and don’t forget to stop by the Beyond.com Booth (#3431) in San Diego--you could have the opportunity to win a free vacation package!