Neil Orkin and Charlotte Anderson hope to increase visibility for human resource managers group
By:Roger Alvarado
Human resource professionals and business people take note Central Jersey’s chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management wants to tell you how to be the person successful companies fight to keep.
And two Hillsborough residents Wolfe Drive resident Neil Orkin and Charlotte Anderson of Amwell Road hope the upcoming speaking engagement with Jean Gatz, author of "How To Be the Person Successful Companies Fight to Keep," will entice more area business people to join their chapter.
The group offers many benefits even for small businesses, said Mr. Orkin, a past-president of the chapter. The owner of Global Training Systems, a company that prepares Americans to do business overseas and assists American companies in dealing with global diversity in the workforce, first joined the chapter in 1998 and says society has helped him a great deal.
"I have gotten all of my business contacts to make this company self-sustaining through this organization and haven’t spent a dime on private marketing," Mr. Orkin said. "It’s a great opportunity for the exchange of ideas. You meet people in small and large organizations and they provide you with a great support network."
Chapter president Ms. Anderson is the owner of Amethyst and Iris, which deals with organizational diagnostics and talent development.
Ms. Anderson says she has gotten a great deal out of her involvement with the organization.
"It’s been very good for my business in terms of networking," she said. "I’ve learned a lot in terms of the different areas of human resource management."
According to Mr. Orkin there are currently 282 members in the organization, which he says grew by 20 percent in membership last year.
Ms. Anderson says that in the new year she’d like to see the organization target people who represent diverse employment pools. Mr. Orkin urges business owners from Hillsborough to think about giving the chapter a try.
"Business is people," Mr. Orkin said. "HR management really gets into the nitty-gritty of that. There are so many legal issues you need to be aware of and up on so you don’t get into trouble with the federal or state governments. This organization allows people to make their businesses more professional and take it to a whole new level.
"The organization’s Web site touts it as a professional human resource organization that provides its members with both ‘broad-based and specialist approaches to meeting and resolving business problems,’ " he said.
The group meets each month and encourages the participation in a variety of professional development programs designed to "exchange information and ideas, conduct cooperative research, and employment opportunities."
SHRM of Central New Jersey was chartered in 1970, and has earned Superior Merit Award distinction from SHRM national every year since 1991.
To introduce the group, the not-for-profit human resource organization is hosting the Feb. 10 half-day workshop featuring Ms. Gatz.
The meeting will run from 9 a.m. to noon at the Holiday Inn on Davidson Avenue in Somerset.
According to Mr. Orkin, Ms. Gatz will discuss the high-performance behaviors expected of all employees, demonstrate ways employees can "stand out from the crowd" in an effort to show how vital they are to their organization; and offer insight into how people can guarantee their future employability and marketability in tough times.
"I heard about her about two years ago," Mr. Orkin said. "She’d been all over the country promoting her book on how people can become more employable. I read the book and saw her in June and was completely sold.
"She speaks all over the country and is ranked as one of the best keynote speakers in the U.S.," Mr. Orkin added.
To register to see Jean Gatz speak send a check to SHRM of Central NJ, P.O. Box 6151, Somerset, NJ 08875. The deadline is Monday, Feb. 2.
Members pay $60, guests pay $80, and students pay $30. Registration after the deadline must be done in person. Walk-ins will be charged an additional $10.
For more information about SHRM of Central New Jersey go to http://www.shrmcnj.org.