HR Connections
Workforce Solutions from Ramsey County , “ NICE : The clinic that comes to you ,” and “ Understanding Employment Data ,” closed out the year .
Talk about the latter was very well received at the November 2022 meeting . Erin Olson , Senior Director of Strategic Research for RealTime
Erin Olson
Talent , based in St . Paul , and Tim O ’ Neill from the State of Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development ( DEED ), led a discussion about the
Tim O ’ Neill available workforce and what unemployment really means .
“ We dug into what trends are going on in our workforce right now , and really defined some key terms . Like when we say there is a tight labor market , what does that really mean ? What are the different factors that go into the labor market being tight ? And what are the areas where there is opportunity ?” commented Olson .
Recovering from the pandemic , there has been a lot of talk about companies having a hard time finding employees . While this is certainly true , O ’ Neill , who works in the Labor Market Information Office at MN DEED , said the data suggests it can be a challenging job market for job seekers , too . Making those connections happen between job seekers and employers is key .
For job seekers , O ’ Neill shared how MN DEED is a resource that can be used to help find a new position . “ We are able to sit down with job seekers who have maybe been laid off or are looking for new opportunities and take a look at their education , skill sets , and interests . We can help them figure out specific industries and occupations they can potentially pursue .”
So how are companies getting the word out about the jobs they do have available ? O ’ Donovan said an HR Connections session on that topic will be held in 2023 , along with addressing building talent pipelines , onboarding and upskilling , and retention and engagement .
“ Companies can do a better job of helping new employees succeed in the jobs they were hired to do through mentoring and by investing in them in such a way they will want to stay with the company ,” said O ’ Donovan , who pointed to the everyday practices of IC System , a debt collection agency based in St . Paul , as a good example .
“ It ’ s important to encourage and support our employees to develop and grow professionally . We would love everyone to stay at IC System but if they choose to move on , we never feel it ’ s been a waste of time to invest in great people . If anything we want our employees to feel as if they gained something from their time at IC system .” said Rachel Scherer , Human Resources Generalist at IC System .
Programming in 2023 will focus on the issues people brought up in year-end annual surveys participants completed at the end of 2022 .
HR Connections
Meetings are held the last Wednesday of each month ( no sessions June through August ).
• Roundtables are typically held at the Comfort Inn & Suites , located at 3503 Vadnais Center Drive in Vadnais Heights .
• Locations for topic presentations will vary , rotating among local employer facilities .
• Presentation session times will vary , depending on speaker schedules .
The cost of an annual membership to HR Connections is $ 100 for nine sessions . Membership fees help cover costs of speakers , materials , and refreshments .
• Roundtable sessions will include a box lunch .
• Drop-ins are welcome , at a cost of $ 15 each .
• First time in to check us out ? You are welcome at no cost !
More information is available at VHEDC . com / hr-connections-3
Key topics will include growing leadership talent , employment law updates , including leave of absence , benefit trends , strategies for recruitment , and diversity , equity and inclusion ( DEI ).
Participants comment on learning from each other in the roundtable discussions that will now be held every other month . Here are just a few of the comments from the surveys : “ It ’ s helpful to hear from other HR professionals about what ’ s working or not in other companies .” “ This is a great group to share ideas .” “ I appreciate the diversity of industries and ideas .” “ Meeting other professionals seeing new ideas and being able to ask questions .” “ The breakout discussion was valuable .” “ Great group to share ideas .” “ I enjoy learning about other companies and new ideas !”
Come join us !
24 Northeast Metro Business