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HR Focus
TMHRA archives HTML versions of previous newsletters. As May wraps up, the heat of summer descends on us, and we begin to enter into the second half of the year, TMHRA/IPMA-HR continues to move full steam ahead with many programs, seminars, and projects for its members. We just concluded our outstanding Mid-Year conference in Fort Worth, and during the Board meeting we discussed and approved additional programs and services for our members. This year’s Mid-Year program was a great success and an enjoyable mixture of humor and education. Personally, I am a big fan of downtown Fort Worth, and I don’t think we could have asked for more pleasant weather to enjoy the sites and activities of Fort Worth. I hope everyone else enjoyed themselves as much as I did. A big thanks and congratulations go to Alison Froehlich-Smith (Program Chair) and her committee for their great work! 143/Meet and Confer Workshops: Unfortunately it looks like “Meet and Confer” bills for both police and fire will be approved during this year’s legislative session and will be signed by the Governor. Additionally, there are several bills making it through the legislative session that will affect Chapter 143 (Civil Service) cities. It is expected that the “Meet and Confer” bills will affect cities with populations over 50,000 and those that have adopted Civil Service. To prepare our members for these significant changes and how they will affect police and fire department operations, TMHRA/IPMA-HR will sponsor two training workshops for affected cities. One workshop will be held in the D/FW area on July 12 and the other will be in Austin on July 14. We expect that this will be the first in several such workshops to help cities prepare for “Meet and Confer.” These training workshops will be led by Bettye Lynn. IPMA-HR Certification program: In a continued effort to support the IPMA-HR certification program, TMHRA/IPMA-HR will once again offer the IPMA-HR certification classes and exam. While the exact dates have not been set, we are hoping to hold the classes in late August 2005 in Carrollton. The certification classes will be taught by Ally Aldez from the City of Carrollton who has taught these classes and received outstanding reviews. Look for registration information to come your way soon. Model Personnel Handbook: During this last Board meeting, the TMHRA/IPMA-HR Board approved a proposal by Bettye Lynn to provide a Model Personnel Handbook that would be available at no cost to our members. The hope is that such a sample manual will especially assist smaller cities that have limited HR resources to develop and implement polices that are required by law and/or address common personnel issues. The available date of this manual has not yet been established, but it is hoped that it will be available before the end of this year. IPMA-HR Southern Region Conference: For more than a year now, TMHRA has been an IPMA-HR chapter. The IPMA-HR Southern Region (of which our chapter is a member) has approached our chapter about hosting the 2007 Annual Southern Region Conference. The Board believes this would be a great opportunity for our chapter to welcome the Southern Region to Texas. We are planning to host this conference in lieu of our annual Mid-Year Conference. Though this will be a lot of work for our chapter, our chapter frankly does more conferences in a year than any other chapter in the Southern Region, and the Board thinks we could present an impressive program for the Southern Region. We will be developing special committees for this conference and, if anyone is interested in helping, please feel free to contact me or Melanie Caballero (Vice President/IPMA-HR Liaison). Legislative Wrap-up: Again, I remind everyone that this year’s Legislative session is coming to a close, and therefore bills are moving fast and furiously through committees and the approval process. To stay current of the latest information, visit the TMHRA Web site at http://www.tmhra.org/legislative.htm . Once more, I want to thank our Legislative Liaison Phyllis Stadler (Richardson), who has worked hard to keep our members up to date on bills that affect HR. TMHRA continues to work with TML to fight bills that would have an adverse effect on cities. I continue to encourage all members to get involved by attending programs, volunteering on a committee, or providing input on ways we can best meet yours needs. If you have an idea or want to serve in some capacity, feel free to contact any Board member. Thanks for your support and participation. Lauren Safranek, PHR Employment Law Seminar Omni Austin Hotel Downtown PROGRAM INFORMATION The presenters for the wage-hour sessions will be Raymond Cordelli, of Cordelli and Associates, Inc., a wage-hour consultant and retired Assistant Director of the Dallas Regional Office of the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor, and Bettye Lynn, Partner, Lynn Pham Moore & Ross, LLP. Both Bettye and Ray are extremely knowledgeable and exceptional presenters. On Thursday they will cover the white collar exemptions, work time, travel time, and the special wage-hour provisions for public safety. The first session on Friday morning will deal with issues relating to developments in Texas Wage and Hour. Ms. Lynn, Partner, Lynn Pham Moore & Ross, LLP; and Lu Pham, Partner, Lynn Pham Moore & Ross, LLP, will close the conference with the “legal update” and how to avoid retaliation claims. This seminar is designed to provide human resource professionals, managers, and supervisors with the tools necessary to maintain workplaces that are in compliance. It will also heighten your awareness of legal issues surrounding the workplace and how you can avoid costly mistakes. The program is being sponsored by the Texas Municipal Human Resources Association (TMHRA), an International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR) Chapter and Affiliate of the Texas Municipal League (TML). For further details or to register for this outstanding program, click here: www.tml.org/ed_calendar.html. If you have further questions, you may contact TML staff at 512-231-7400 or e-mail tmhra@tml.org.
TML Annual Conference For a complete list of educational events, click here: www.tml.org/ed_calendar.html .
Future Dates:
Prescription Benefit Management Workshop With apologies to Paul Simon, there must be Get a new MAC, Jack. Dr. Michael Cartier, Executive Vice President of Envision Pharmaceutical Services of Sacramento opened the workshop with What is as PBM and What Role Do They Play in Your Benefit Plan? And the answer is “that depends.” It depends on whether your RX benefits are administered and managed through internal sources, external vendor or, combination. It also depends on the contracts negotiated with providers and administrators as well as rebate levels, management fees, and so on. Bottom line, though, is that the CLIENT NEEDS TO REMAIN IN CONTROL. Traditional Versus Transparent PBM Pricing Models was presented by Chris Goff, President and CEO of Employers Health Purchasing Corporation of Ohio. Now this is a test: What is the meaning of these acronyms/terms? And then there are the buckets that PBMs use to gather in the fees charged for all the various components of a prescription plan—Mr. Goff showed 10 buckets, but there may be more. Leonard Martin, City Manager of Carrollton, addressed the group and updated us on the progress of the Public Employee Benefits Alliance that the City of Carrollton has spearheaded. He reported that the official documents organizing the group as a legal entity will be completed in early summer and then various products can go out for bid. Contact Leonard at nsurance.co-op@cityofcarrollton.com to get more information and to indicate your interest in participating in the Alliance. How Prescription Drugs are Priced and How PBMs Keep Your Money was presented by Carol Bailey, RHU, Pharmacy Benefit Consultant with Pharmaceutical Strategies Group of Carrollton. She viewed the pharmaceutical industry as one in need of change because of financial problems and clinical problems. Because so many employees rely on drug therapy to maintain or improve health, the cost to employers has risen dramatically in recent years, either through direct costs to pay for the drugs or indirect costs due to lost work time when drugs are taken inappropriately or not at all. Some statistics she shared:
The key elements in the new model of providing prescription management must include:
John Ward, CEO of MAXOR PLUS, was our last speaker. A past City Manager of the City of Amarillo, John discussed how MAXOR PLUS approached prescription benefit management. One difference was that they established on-site or closed pharmacies, where members could send their prescriptions through inter-office mail. This allowed cost savings through wholesale acquisition cost pricing, served as a retail and mail order pharmacy, and was convenient to members. All pharmacy savings were kept by the city to lower the cost of the prescription program. This plan also allowed the ability to migrate members to generics, OTC drugs, and best acquisition pricing through comprehensive patient counseling. Suggestions on contractually guaranteeing transparency and pass-through pricing included: 1) narrowly defining AWP and MAC pricing to assure you get the best possible price and the same price paid to the pharmacy; 2) requiring the PBM to provide periodic NCPDP files including the plan’s billing file and PBM’s pharmacy payment file for all PBM activity; 3) prohibiting the use of repackaged or relabeled NDC numbers for retail and mail order pricing unless the unit AWP is less than the original manufacturer’s price; 4) requiring the PBM to provide its MAC price list monthly in any available format you desire; and 5) requiring the PBM to audit all rebate contracts and purchase agreements with drug manufacturers or suppliers to assure that you are receiving all rebates and discounts. In other words, require the PBM to work for you!
TMHRA Mid-Year Conference Radisson Plaza Hotel Your Lasso to Professional Growth, the annual TMHRA Mid-Year Conference was as fast-paced as a good rodeo from start to finish. The 120 attendees enjoyed a wide range of presentations, gatherings at the water hole, and good grub. After greetings from the Arena Director, Lauren Safranek (TMHRA Board President, and Frisco Human Resources Director), and introduction by Melanie Caballero (TMHRA Vice President, and Bryan Human Resources Director), the chutes opened and Al Lucia was first out of the gate with his fast-paced presentation, “Slice of Life.” Designed to focus on employee engagement, Al’s use of a pizza parlor as a metaphor for developing priorities, choices, and commitments led us through Dine In, Carry Out, and Delivery. Based on the book A Slice of Life, which was given to each participant, his interactive workshop took us through The Menu (Life’s Choices), The Selection (Making Your Choices), and Delivery (Satisfying Your Appetite). We examined several real life examples of whether our actions were the Right Thing at the Right Time in the Right Way and For the Right Reason. Al Lucia is Executive Coach of ADL Associates, Inc. and his company can be reached at www.ADLassociates.com . Public Sector Personnel Consultants, TMRS, AIG Valic, Great-West Retirement Services, Justex Systems, Maxor National Pharmacy Services Corporation, The Waters Consulting Group, Inc., and Hilb, Rogal, and Hobbs were recognized as sponsors for this year’s Mid-Year Conference. After the headlong race down the arena, the group met at the corral for a tasty and ample reception and lots of conversation. Next morning, bright and early, the cowhands assembled for a Chuck Wagon continental breakfast. We needed lots of grub to sustain us from chore to chore. Like any good scout worth his salt, Patrick Ibarra of The Mejorando Group of Phoenix guided us through the sometimes uneven and perilous task of “Passing the Reins: Succession Planning.” Under the overriding question “Where is the organization going?” Ibarra stated that succession planning ensures the continued effective performance of the organization by establishing a process to develop and replace key staff over time. Succession planning might include simple replacement planning, developmental succession planning, and talent pool planning. Until at least 2008, there will be more job openings from replacements than actual job growth. Ibarra shared the following statistics: A couple of words of wisdom Ibarra shared with the group: More steps that might be taken to strengthen succession planning include: Riding into the Sunset: Salary Trends in Local Government was presented by Rollie Waters, President of The Waters Consulting Group in Dallas. The Waters Consulting Group, Inc. has managed the TML Salary Survey for a number of years and is in the process of revising the survey instrument to provide numerous enhancements for city planners. By Fall 2005, other salary trending data for planning purposes will be available on the Survey Navigator for cities of all sizes. Results will include information on the average actual salary increase for specific employee functional groups in 2004 as well as executive salary trends. Other major enhancements will also be available by Fall 2005. Following another visit to the chuckwagon for a barbeque buffet, Dayna Petete, President-Elect of IPMA Southern Region, introduced the group to the officers, programs, and inner workings of IPMA Southern Region, of which TMHRA is a member chapter. Although the sun was still shining brightly outside, Greg Gilbert PHR, of gg Consulting Inc., in Washington, Arkansas, shared words of wisdom in prose and song. “Mr. HR with a Guitar” presented “Life Resume Update,” opened with “I Love HR” a la Toby Keith’s “I Love this Bar”:
After years working as the primary HR contact to a workforce of 1,000-2,100 employees, Greg now shares his HR perspectives with other practitioners. Some of the pearls of wisdom he shared included:
He shared stories of the Trouble Tree and the Bucket of Water and the Bucket of Sand as well as songs titled:
Greg Gilbert can be reached at ggconsultinginc@sebell.net . Avoiding the Stampede: The Generation Mix – From Collision to Collaboration was presented by Melba Benson, PhD. She shared that at no time in our history have so many and such different generations with such diversity been asked to work together. People in each generation have more in common than just their age. They share memories of the same world-shaping events, the same childhood heroes, and the same early work experiences. Problems can arise when multiple generations share the workplace but don’t share the same events, heroes, or experiences. Dr. Benson advised that generations can get along at work by creating a culture that not only focuses on what needs to get done, but also accommodates the various ways in which people approach work; creates workplaces that reflect the sensibilities of multiple generations, not just the preferences of top executives; and takes the high road when it comes to attitudes about work itself and believes that employees of all generations see their work as something to be enjoyed and cultivated, not something to be shirked. Dr. Benson stated that successful cross-generationally, friendly organizations have five common approaches to making their environments generationally comfortable and focusing their people’s energies on the business of the organization:
On Friday morning, the saddle-weary cowhands met for one last meal at the chuckwagon and a short business meeting. The slate of nominees for 2006 officers was approved as presented. The financial report showed a current balance of $105,582.13 as of March 30, 2005. President Lauren Safranek announced that the Board had approved funds to have the law firm of Lynn Pham Moore & Ross, LLP develop a model personnel handbook that would be available to TMHRA members at no charge. However, members are advised to seek legal review if changes are made to their original document. Betty Lynn offered the services of her firm to review the cities revised handbooks for a flat fee of $1,000 each. TMHRA members will be notified when the model handbook is available, possibly by the end of this year or early 2006. How Many Cowboys Are Needed to Round Up the Doggies? Well, maybe not doggies, but certainly maintenance workers for the parks might be a staffing concern. Henri van Adelsberg of Public Sector Personnel Consultants shared his company’s SNAP Staffing Needs Analysis Program which provides a method to determine the required number of staff for any or all of the service delivery functions in the city, without hiring a consultant. Contact the firm at www.compensationconsulting.com for more information. Learning the Ropes of 457 Deferred Compensation Plans was presented by Paul Davidson of ICMA Retirement Corporation. Paul outlined the changes in the 457 Deferred Compensation plans and how these plans can be integrated into a sound retirement plan with TMRS and social security. Following Paul’s presentation, it was time to head to the ranch house and rest up for the next trail ride. Adios, Vaqueros. Hasta mañana. TMHRA EXECUTIVE BOARD NOMINEES Each year, TMHRA elects a new Secretary/Treasurer and three Trustees. The Secretary/Treasurer then follows a progression, becoming the Vice-President the following year, and then President next the year. There are six Trustees serving two-year terms. Secretary/Treasurer Alison Froehlich-Smith, City of Baytown (incumbent) Trustee Donald Byrne, City of Odessa Additional nominations are allowed to be made from the floor during the Business Meeting at the Mid-Year Conference. This year, there were no additional nominations made. We wish to recognize and thank this year’s Nominating Committee, which included George Mones, City of Mesquite; Laura Morrow, City of Allen; Mary House, City of Sugar Land; Carolyn Liner, City of San Marcos; and Melanie Caballero, City of Bryan. Ballots will be mailed to all Active members of TMHRA in the near future. TMHRA is grateful for the continued support of our sponsors. The sponsorships allow us to keep all events reasonably priced and affordable for all members. Thank you to the following sponsors for their support and contributions through the year: AIG VALIC ARTICLES OF INTEREST aka NEWS YOU SHOULD USE Providing Good Feedback: Key Elements & Examples Providing good feedback is a powerful managerial tool to address an employee’s problem behaviors or to simply improve performance (i.e., making a good employee better). It seems really simple. Unfortunately, few of us do it very well. Integrating a few basic concepts discussed below can make your feedback effective and powerful, whether it’s given orally or in writing. Good Feedback Is Feedback Examples to Consider #2 Poor Feedback: Homer’s customer service skills need improvement. #3 Poor Feedback: Fred has been causing a lot of problems and frustration around here. #4 Poor Feedback: Wilma’s sales production is awful. Providing Positive Feedback #1 Poor Feedback: Lisa is doing a great job. We’re happy to have her with us. #2 Poor Feedback: Great work, Bob! Interested in reprinting the above information? White Paper
To: Lauren Safranek, President TMHRA From: Jim Parrish, TxPerla/Civil Service Chair Date: May 17, 2005, Committee Report Report on recent and forthcoming HR issues summarized below: • NPELRA National Conference The 2005 NPELRA Conference in Ft. Lauderdale was extremely informative. I had the opportunity to network with experienced labor negotiators and learn about resources that will be critical to Texas cities as we move toward collective bargaining with Police and Fire unions. Thank you for the $1,000 reimbursement for travel and hotel expenses. It is an investment that will reap returns as we head into 2006. Also, thank you for the gift basket sold at the NPELRA Foundation Auction. It was a big hit! The Foundation members wanted me to thank the Board for the $500 contribution. The funds will be used for scholarships. The 2005 PBM Workshop was a success due to the hard work of Lonne Parent-Smith. There were representatives in attendance from cities, counties, school districts, private sector, consultants, and pharmacy benefit managers. Considering the workshop was the first attempt to delve into a specific health issue, the feedback was good from participants. I encourage the Board to continue looking for ways to be a resource to HR and Benefit professionals in the area of healthcare. When it comes to Healthcare cost control initiatives, I see a disjointed effort. City Managers can no longer continue to present councils with double-digit increases without more specific justification. HR professionals are being asked, “What can we do to reduce costs”? Benefit managers are asked to provide alternatives. The timing is right for TMHRA to become change leaders in this area. Lauren Safranek and the City of Frisco have taken a leadership role by joining the Public Employees Benefits Alliance, PEBA. Leonard Martin, City Manager of Carrollton, and Kathryn Usrey and the cities of Plano, Laredo, and Amarillo along with TML IEBP, Texas Association of School Boards, and various counties are working together to form the Public Employee Benefits Alliance, PEBA. These are proactive attempts to find answers to the increasing healthcare cost dilemma. I encourage the Board to actively engage in learning about these initiatives and to take a lead role for the benefit of cities and governmental entities through out the state. A Meet and Confer bill is rolling through the legislature unimpeded and is expected to pass and be signed by the Governor. The bill requires management to meet with police union representatives, but it does not require an agreement. Be aware, once politics enters the process, it may be difficult for cities to not end up negotiating and forming an agreement. The first agreement is extremely important. HR professionals must know what to put in the original agreement to maintain management rights. The unions have seasoned professionals ready to take advantage of the situation. Fortunately, over many years, TMHRA Boards have supported TxPELRA and we have a foundation to build on. I encourage the board to work with our known resources to start educating HR professionals in collective bargaining. There are several pieces of civil service legislation working through the process. There is a bill picking up steam that will allow promotional bypasses to be appealed to a third party hearing examiner. Shanna Igo with TML has been working diligently against legislation that negatively affects management rights. The Civil Service Coalition has sent representatives to speak against some bills. This session will not be kind to HR professionals. Would the Board be interested in discussing how the association can become more involved in the legislative process in the future? Summary: Special thanks to Phyllis Stadler, City of Richardson, for her work on periodic legislative updates. Special thanks to Janet Melançon, City of Waco, for thinking of the concept and organizing the Past Presidents’ dinner.
This is YOUR newsletter and we want to ensure it provides you with a valuable source of information from TMHRA. If you have any ideas, articles, or information you would like to see included in future newsletters, please submit them to the Newsletter Committee. 2004-2005 Newsletter Chair |
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©2010 Texas
Municipal Human Resources Association, 1821 Rutherford Lane, Suite 400, Austin,
TX 78754;
512-231-7400; (fax) 512-231-7494; tmhra@tml.org
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