On November 13, 2020, SD SHRM hosted our 5th Annual HR Career Day virtually. We were fortunate enough to receive a big turnout of HR Professionals to connect and network with current and recently graduated college students.

Dr. Joe Sallustio discussed how the Coronavirus upended our society in 2020 and one of the results has been, and will be, operating virtually or with strict social distancing guidelines in a physical environment. Gone are the handshakes, shoulder taps, and phone number exchanges over a drink or lunch- they are replaces with zoom meetings, webinars, and virtual conferences. Your personal brand and your activity on social media have never been more important to describe who you are your marketability. 

Dr. Joe, discussed the basics for influencing on LinkedIn, why it's important to tighten up what you show others via social media, and why starting a podcast could be the key to your future networking success. 

By San Diego SHRM

This year, we pivoted our events to become virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our HR Professionals now more than ever needed a safe space to discuss anything that came to mind.

HR Happy Hour: Holiday Conversations

On December 2nd, 2020 we had our HR Happy Hour: Holiday Conversations

In this Happy Hour we discussed our favorite holiday traditions and what we are doing differently this year, due to the circumstances. Participants dressed up in holiday attire and put on fun holiday backgrounds.

By San Diego SHRM

This year, we pivoted our events to become virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our HR Professionals now more than ever needed a safe space to discuss anything that came to mind.

HR Happy Hour: Halloween Edition

On October 28, 2020 we had our HR Happy Hour: Halloween Edition

In this Happy Hour we held a virtual Halloween party. Participants dressed up and had spooky background to settle into the Halloween groove. We split into two teams for a Disney World virtual escape room, both teams had a blast trying to escape (virtual) Disney World.

By San Diego SHRM

This year, we pivoted our events to become virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our HR Professionals now more than ever needed a safe space to discuss anything that came to mind.

HR Happy Hour: Wine Pairing with Orfila Vineyards and Winery

On July 23, 2020 we had our HR Happy Hour: Wine Pairing with Orfila Vineyards and Winery!

In this Happy Hour we partnered with Orfila Vineyards and Winery a local winery in Escondido for a virtual wine pairing and tasting event! Orfila discussed the different kinds of wine and what you could pair each wine with. A great time was had by everyone, not an empty glass in sight. 

By San Diego SHRM

This year, we pivoted our events to become virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our HR Professionals now more than ever needed a safe space to discuss anything that came to mind.

HR Happy Hour: Favorite Decade

On June 9, 2020 we had our HR Happy Hour: Favorite Decade!

In this happy hour, HR Professionals talked with one another talk with fellow HR professionals about issues we are facing and support that is needed. HR Professionals were given the opportunity to choose one of two breakout rooms, the COVID-19 Discussion Room or the Networking / Games Room. 

In the COVID-19 Discussion Room there was a detailed discussion about issues facing HR Professionals and best practices on how to handle them. We had some Labor Law and Employment attorneys helped answer questions. 

Our Networking / Games Rooms allowed those who needed a break from the COVDI-19 pandemic to unwind and connect with fellow HR Professionals.

By San Diego SHRM

We know this Thanksgiving may look a little different then years past. This year at our HR Happy Hour: Thanksgiving Recipe Exchange, our members' reminisced over their favorite holiday traditions and recipes. Our members' were gracious enough to share these recipes with us to share with you.

We have compiled our members' recipes into a recipe book. We hope you can enjoy these recipes near and far this year and start some new family traditions and recipes with them.

San Diego SHRM would like to wish you all a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving! 

By San Diego SHRM

This year, we pivoted our events to become virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our HR Professionals now more than ever needed a safe space to discuss anything that came to mind.

HR Happy Hour:TEAMwork!

On May 26, 2020 we had our HR Happy Hour: TEAMwork! 

In this happy hour, we discussed issues that are facing and what support that is needed. Attendees will have the option to go into one of two breakout rooms. One breakout room discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and the other was a room for networking and games. 

By San Diego SHRM

This year, we pivoted our events to become virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our HR Professionals now more than ever needed a safe space to discuss anything that came to mind.

HR Happy Hour: Super HeRo's and The Coronavirus Pandemic

On May 12, 2020 we held our first HR Happy Hour: Super HeRo's and The Coronavirus Pandemic. 

HR professionals all over the world have been fully emerged into managing the coronavirus pandemic and ensuring the safety of their employees, we are basically superheroes!  Policies and guidelines are ever-changing, which can cause many issues to deal with for HR. 

On March 4th we had our March Lunch Program: Communicating UP at Scripps Ranch. We had a full house with over 80 attendees! Our speaker, Christi Ratcliff, kept the audience engaged throughout the program. Christi went over the results of the fascinate personality test she asked attendees to take before the program. 

Christi talked about the different personalities that play into an office and how to utilize the other personalities in your office. She spoke with attendees about the 7 languages of communication, how to make stronger first impressions and how to effectively communicate in a distracted, competitive and commoditized workplace. 

On February 12th we had our February Breakfast Program: Politics, People, and Passions at Mintz. We had a packed house, with over 100 attendees! This was a joint event with the Association of Corporate Counsel of San Diego. 

On January 15th we had our January Breakfast Program: Better Compensation Practices for Today’s Workforce at The American Red Cross. There was not an empty seat in the room as we kicked off the first breakfast program of the New Year. Our speaker, Tim Silvera, kept the audience engaged throughout the program. Tim even stayed after the program to answer any lingering questions attendees had for him. 

Tim talked about what's most important to today’s workforce by revealing key compensation practices study information. He spoke with attendees regarding what professionals with college degrees look for most in an employer, and spoke about success stories from organizations that have mastered the art of aligning their pay practices with their workforce’s needs and desires.

On December 11th we had our Holiday and Member Appreciation Mixer at Sempra Energy. We were so excited to end the year with our San Diego SHRM members and sponsors. We had a great turnout and everyone enjoyed taking pictures in front of the holiday decorations. A huge thank you to our host, Sempra Energy, and all of our 2019 Sponsors!

Members enjoyed catching up with one another between the speeches. We gave our amazing board members a thank you gift, as well as a gift to all of our sponsors for the support they gave us throughout the year! Members continued chatting even after the event ended. It was a great way to end the 2019 year! We are excited to see what 2020 has in store for us!

On November 20th we had our November Breakfast Program: Hire 4 Performance at Mintz. Our attendees braved the rain for our speakers, Kris Hamilton and Ben Murphy. So many attendees walked out of the program talking about what a great presentation Kris and Ben gave. 

Kris and Ben talked about attracting and hiring top performers isn’t for the faint of heart. Attendees were shown how to simplify the recruiting process while helping to guarantee better results and more quality hires for your recruiting team. They walked away with a revolutionary 4-step process and were shown not only WHY it’s different but HOW they could incorporate this into their hiring process. 

On October 24th and 25th we had our Legal + Strategic Insights Conference at The Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina. We started off day two of the conference with our breakout sessions. Some of the board members stopped by to take pictures with the HR Guru frame. 

From left to right, Andrea Lloyd Coronado (VP of Communications) and Andy Covell (Immediate Past President). 

During lunch the exhibitors held a raffle, where lucky members won prizes. The prizes were anything from an Amazon gift card to a reusable water bottle. We wrapped up our social media contest and awarded the $25 Target gift card for posting on social media. We wrapped up the day with our closing keynote speaker, Erick Becker, who updated attendees on the New California Employment Laws for 2020. We had a great time at our conference with over 150 attendees. 

On October 24th and 25th we had our Legal + Strategic Insights Conference at The Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina. We started off the first day of the conference with our morning keynote speaker, Sarita Maybin. Sarita had a packed house, with over 100 attendees. After Sarita's keynote she chatted with attendees and even attended the other sessions throughout the day. 

After Sarita's keynote, we had our breakout sessions. Attendees were able to choose between two topics during the breakout sessions. Each room for the breakout sessions were well attended. We had a wide variety of topics relating to the HR profession. 

Around noon we took a break to have lunch with our exhibitors. Our exhibitors enjoyed spending time with the attendees. After lunch the breakout sessions started and took us through the rest of our day. Once we wrapped up the sessions, we held a membership reception hosted by, ELT Insurance Services. We were able to grab our board members for a picture. 

From left to right. Jennifer Suberlak (VP of Legislation), Nina Woodard (Treasurer), DeAndrea Brazel (VP of Membership), Heather Whitley-Quinn (President), Andrea Lloyd-Coronado (VP of Communications), Emily Mullin (Executive Director), and Jennifer Branch (VP of Conferences).

We watched the sunset over the first successful day of our Legal + Strategic Conference. 

On September 19th we had our September Lunch Program: The Fourth Wave: The Future of Work, Engagement, Well-Being & Inclusion at NAMM in Carlsbad. We had a full house, there was not an empty chair in the room. Our speaker Devin Hughes kept the audience engaged and laughing the whole time. Devin gave our audience some great take-away's not only for the workplace but for the home.

Devin talked about how a happy brain outperform negative and neutral brains. He also talked about how Happiness is a choice. Devin not only used his speech, but his actions. He had the audience do various activities throughout the lunch with one another. Everyone enjoyed the hands on experience and had fun while doing so. Everyone came out of the presentation smiling and continued talking about what they had just learned. After the program, attendees were given free admission to the NAMM museum and many took advantage of it. A lot of our attendees went through the museum and had fun. 

On August 21st we had our annual New Member Orientation and Membership Mixer at Manpower. We were so excited to have so many new San Diego SHRM members attend, plus a huge thank you to Manpower for hosting and sponsoring the event along side with our event sponsor Alliant!

Our members played a fun game of Bingo, allowing them to get to know one another. Everyone made the rounds and found out many things they did not know about each other before. Our sponsors even joined in on the Bingo fun. Everyone had so much fun, we went longer than expected, and the San Diego SHRM members walked out together still chatting. 

On July 17th we had a full house for our July Breakfast Program: "The Great Opportunity in Great HR." The presentation was led Don Phin. 

Don Phin helped us understand the math around the hiring and retention practices for HR professionals. He also talked about how to express the value of these practices to the C-Suite. Don went over how to examine our hiring practices, including how to attract and assess talent. Don had everyone laughing with his informative one-liners regarding HR. He wrapped it up by sharing the best practices for retaining your valuable employees and passing out red noses for the crowd to wear and have fun in! 

On June 11, SD SHRM hosted an Emerging Professionals event at Ballast Point Brewery Miramar. Just over 40 people attended the casual mixer. Members who are college students, recent graduates, fresh in their HR roles, and those who have recently switched career paths gathered to build connections and relationships that will help foster their growth as an HR professional.

We’re excited to kick off our first Mentor Program which will officially begin the end of June and conclude in December. Applications will close on Friday, June 14 and the next round of applications for the 2020 Mentor Program will open in November.

On May 22nd we had a full house for our May Breakfast Program: "Navigating the Landmines of Social Media in the Workplace." The presentation was led Shauna L. Sinnott, Partner at Andrews Lagasse Branch + Bell LLP

Shauna Sinnott talked about how social media could benefit employers when they used it properly. She also went over how to protect your company when your employees use social media during work hours. Shauna mentioned the different landmines a company can face when dealing with daily use of social media and even how social media interacts during the hiring process. Shauna gave the attendees best practices to use surrounding social media in the workplace to keep the company's legally protected from any future issues they may encounter. 

On April 26^th we had our 4^th Annual HR Career Day. A big thank you to our host, sponsor, and mentors. Our mentors were generous enough to donate gift cards and Shadow Day opportunities to the students.

We started our morning off by splitting the mentors and students into various groups so they could have insightful conversations about what it is like to work in HR. This gave the mentors an opportunity to share their wisdom and daily tasks, while the students were able to learn firsthand what it is like working in HR and could ask any questions they had regarding HR as a profession.

After our first set of discussions we sat down to listen to our speaker, Tara Fournier, talk about : From Backpack to Briefcase: Navigating a Career in Human Resources from Entry-Level to the C-Suite. Tara gave an insightful presentation about having a career in Human Resources and went over where attendees could look for jobs in HR. The attendees participated in a live poll and watched short videos on having a career in Human Resources. Tara kept everyone engaged, talking, and laughing during her presentation. 

After Tara's presentation the mentors and students sat down for a few more rounds to chat. Once that wrapped up all the mentors gathered at the front of the room to answer any questions the students had. This gave everyone an opportunity to chat about various topics they had a curiosity on regarding Human Resources. The students were able to hear different answers from various mentors and get any lingering questions they had answered. 

We wrapped up the day by drawing the student winners for the gift card donations and Shadow Day Certificates given to them by our wonderful mentors! Everyone left with a smile on their face and new connections! 

On April 18^th we sold out our April Breakfast Program: "The Anatomy of an Employment Lawsuit and the Tools for Prevention. The presentation was led by Marie Kenny and Bob Levy. 

Marie Kenny and Bob Levy presented examples of employment lawsuits they have encountered. They talked about the kind of exposure those lawsuits had on employers and  shared the warning signs to look out for. Marie and Bob also discussed how employers made mistakes in handling those cases. Attendees were given insight and tools on how to avoid and reduce liability for the future. Once the presentation ended Marie and Bob volunteered to stay afterwards for any questions, they were each greeted with their own line of questions and comments of appreciation.

On March 20^th we had our annual New Member Orientation and Membership Mixer at Green Acre. We were so excited to have 80+ San Diego SHRM members attend, plus a huge thank you to our tabletop sponsors, who were generous enough to donate many goods for the opportunity drawing. We had donations ranging from gift cards to gift baskets.

Our members played a fun game of Bingo, allowing them to get to know one another. Everyone made the rounds and found out many things they did not know about each other before. Our sponsors even joined in on the Bingo fun. Everyone had so much fun, we went longer than expected, and the San Diego SHRM members walked out together still chatting.

Check out the video below to see what a fun time was had by all!

On February 20th Sony hosted us for our February Breakfast Program: The Essential Guide to "Hike" to the  Top of the Healthy Workplace Culture Pyramid. The presentation was led by Patti Perez.

If you are interested in learning more about Patti's new book, The Drama-Free Workplace is current being sold on Amazon  and the Barnes & Noble websites.