Fall 2010 Newsletter
News Release - October 12, 2010
The Fifth Annual “Best Places to Work in Maine” Announces The #1 Companies In The State
For the second consecutive year, Unum in Portland is ranked #1 “Best Places to Work in Maine” in
the large company category. Kennebec Savings Bank took the same honor in the small/medium
category at The Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) Maine State Council’s awards
and recognition dinner held last night in Lewiston.
The assessment process, administered by the Best Companies Group, evaluated each company’s
employee policies and procedures, as well as responses from the company’s employees to a
survey. In August, the Best Companies Group released a list of the 40 companies who made the
cut as the overall Best Places to Work. The program marks the most recent step in a long-term
initiative to encourage growth and excellence throughout all Maine companies.
The three top-ranked companies for each category from the list of the "Best Places to Work in
Maine" were announced last night to a packed house of more than 450 people:
Top 3 Rankings for 2010 “Best Places to Work in Maine”:
Large (250 plus employees)
1. Unum, Portland
2. Bangor Savings Bank, Bangor
3. New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc., Skowhegan
Small/Medium (15 to 249 employees)
1. Kennebec Savings Bank, Augusta
2. Edward Jones, Brunswick
3. Garrand, Portland
The 2010 Best Places to Work in Maine program, sponsored by Central Maine Healthcare,
recognizes companies who have established and consistently fostered outstanding workplace
environments. Partners endorsing the program include Best Companies Group; the Maine State
Chamber of Commerce; Employment Times/MyJobWave.com; and Mainebiz.
The program also helps companies who want to improve their score. The Best Companies Group’s
“Employee Feedback Report” is presented to each participating company, even if they did not
make the list. The report includes the summarized employee engagement and satisfaction data,
the Maine Benchmark Report, and the transcript of employee written comments. The report is
used by many organizations to make significant improvements in their workplace culture.
“The success of Maine’s business climate is intrinsically tied to Maine’s workforce,” said Dana
Connors, President of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, “and the ‘Best Places to Work in
Maine’ program recognizes and celebrates that connection. The ultimate goal, of course, is to
establish and ensure a business climate that shines not only for Maine’s people but also for those
who might wish to establish a business here.”
The 40 companies, listed alphabetically, are:
Affiliated Healthcare Systems, Bangor
Albin, Randall & Bennett, Portland
Androscoggin Bank, Lewiston
Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice,
Lewiston
athenahealth, Belfast
Bangor Savings Bank, Bangor
Bernstein Shur, Sawyer & Nelson, Portland
Burgess Advertising & Marketing, Portland
Center Point Large Print, Thorndike
Central Maine Healthcare, Lewiston
Consigli Construction Co. Inc., Portland
Day One, South Portland
Edward Jones, Brunswick
EMHS, Brewer
Evergreen MGA, Lewiston
Garrand, Portland
Geiger, Lewiston
GreenPages Technology Solutions, Kittery
Holden Agency Insurance, Portland
Jobs For Maine’s Graduates (JMG), Augusta
Jøtul North America, Gorham
Kennebec Savings Bank, Augusta
Kennebunk Savings, Kennebunk
Machias Savings Bank, Machias
Maine Savings Federal Credit Union,
Hampden
Moody’s Collision Centers, Gorham
MOUNTAIN, LTD. New Gloucester
MPX, Portland
New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc., Skowhegan
New England Life Care, South Portland
Oxford Networks, Lewiston
PeoplesChoice Credit Union, Saco
Portland Color, Portland
PowerPay, LLC, Portland
Skowhegan Savings Bank, Skowhegan
SMRT, Portland
T-MobileUSA, Oakland
Turner Barker Insurance, Portland
Unum, Portland
Woodard & Curran, Portland
Further details about the “Best Places to Work in Maine” program and the awards
banquet can be found online at www.bestplacestoworkinme.com
OTHER NEWS
The HR Scholarship Program is offering a 2011 Educational Scholarship for $500 to be
awarded to a SHRM member who is pursuing a degree, certification or some other developmental
opportunity. The deadline to apply is December 17, 2010. For information and the application
please visit our website at http://meshrm.shrm.org.
SHRM Maine State Council Webinar : November 18th
9:00-10:00 am
Financial Statements: Understanding and Interpreting Financial Statements
This program has been approved by HRCI for strategic credit.
Member Cost: $30 / Non-Member Cost: $40
Members include SHRM, Maine SHRM Chapters, DHC and Maine SHRM State Council Members
Register online at http://tinyurl.com/yat349j
MEMBERSHIP
Membership in both your local chapter and SHRM assures you of opportunities to stay
ahead of our rapidly changing field. There are resources and services provided by SHRM
that local chapters can’t duplicate, and there are benefits available through your local
chapter that SHRM can’t provide.
Being a member of a SHRM-affiliated chapter means access to a network of local HR
professionals, as well as professional-development programs, products and services that
can broaden your skills and make you more valuable to your organization.
Being a SHRM member gives you access to HR news and information via their world class
website and HR Magazine. SHRM gets you up to speed and keeps you informed with
what is happening today, how we got to where we are, and what is on the HR horizon.
Maximize your opportunities by becoming a member of SHRM and joining an affiliated
chapter. It’s a winning combination!
Right now you can join SHRM for a discounted price of $145. You can join online at
https://ecom.shrm.org/TimssSolutionSite2004_tpro/EBusinessDefault.aspx using promo
code CHNE.
Karen Kochjar, PHR
SHRM Maine State Council
Director of Membership
kkochjar@unum.com
LEGISLATION
Please feel free to contact Sarah Conroy, Maine SHRM State Government Affairs Director with
questions on any of this content at seconroy@gmail.com or 207.713.8337.
There is a lot going on for your Govt. Affairs team as we gear up for a new Congress and a new
Maine Legislature with a significantly altered makeup as well as a new Governor and cabinet! As
you might imagine, much is unfolding right now so it will be hard to predict exactly what to expect.
One thing I hope you will rely on is our biennial Human Resources Professionals (HRP) Day!
We are already hard at work planning and ask that you plan to save the date of Wednesday,
April 6th to join us at the Statehouse in Augusta. As we are still planning, we invite your input. If
you would like to have a hand in the planning, please contact Sarah Conroy. We welcome
suggestions as well as helping hands. Be sure to SAVE that date!
September 2010 Government Affairs Survey Results : We conducted a survey of all our
members in Maine to see what you would like to see from your Government Affairs Team. We are
using your input to help bring you the programs and information you need.



You want a biennial HR Professionals Day.
You have a keener understanding of ability and necessity for HR to get involved in pending
legislation.
At HRP day, you:
Wish to meet legislators, especially on labor committee and regulators as well as some
judicial branch representation;
o want a legislative update;
o want to learn more about grassroots advocacy;
o want to meet with legislator about his/her own company’s considerations while there.
You might like a local legislative forum, especially to learn more about candidates just before
an election.
You are not especially interested in Day Inside the Beltway programming
Most respondents have never been to a SHRM sponsored Govt Affairs presentation, half have
been to one at the chapter level.
Most respondents have met with at least one of their legislators and want more!
You want help getting legislators at the local level to speak to their chapters.
You want leg updates and talking points on key bills.
You want to follow judicial rulings and regulatory actions.
You’d like some assistance in creating GOTV campaigns.
You REALLY want us to score candidates and legislators on HR issues.
You want grassroots advocacy more than paid lobbying
You want us to continue partnering with other orgs on issues.
You REALLY want us to help craft legislation that works.
There is more interest in Maine efforts than nationally.
o













One More Chance! - You have one more chance to weigh in on the setting of Maine’s health
reform state exchanges on Monday, November 29 from 10 am to 4pm in Room 216, Cross State
Office Building (State and Local Government Committee Room). Or you can listen in at:
http://www.maine.gov/legis/audio/ . All the work of the Joint Select Committee on Healthcare
Reform can be found at: http://www.maine.gov/legis/opla/healthcarereform.htm
125th Maine Legislature - As we all know Maine’s governorship and both houses of the Maine
legislature will be controlled by Republicans. For the legislature, the last time this was so was
1974! (Our split Congressional delegation remains unchanged.) If you have not already signed
up for our legislative update list, please consider doing so at mainelegregupdate@gmail.com (enter
“subscribe” in the subject line please). Or better yet, join our Government Affairs Team so you
can catch a piece of the grassroots action! Please contact Sarah if you wish to join the team.
As of this writing, we know who the Senate Officers will be for Maine, with the election of Senate
Secretary and Assistant Secretary to come shortly as well as House Officers and Minority
leadership positions in both houses. The election of Maine’s Constitutional Officers will occur on
the first day of the session, December 1. The first session of the 125th Maine Legislature is slated
to run from December 1, 2010 through June 15, 2011.
Senate President - Kevin Raye
Senate Majority Leader– Jonathan Courtney
Senate Assistant Majority Leader – Deborah Plowman
The minority senate leadership in Maine -- Sen. Barry Hobbins of Saco as floor leader and Sen.
Justin Alfond of Portland as assistant leader
President-Elect Raye set a very positive tone of bipartisanship and openness in his remarks on
Friday, November 5th, which was echoed by Governor-Elect LePage. More on the transition can
be found at: http://www.lepagetransition.com/
Reapportionment - As you may know, the census results will be released on December 31,
2010 so that both US congressional and state legislative districts may be reapportioned. Because
states differ in how they handle reapportionment, it is important to note that Maine’s constitution
does call for reapportionment to be handled by our legislature. Our Maine Constitution specifies….
….first 3 calendar days after the convening of the Legislature in which apportionment is required.
This Commission must develop, in accordance with the requirements of the Constitution, a plan for
apportioning the House of Representatives, the Senate, or both. The apportionment plan of the
Commission established under this section must be submitted to the Secretary of the Maine Senate
(for the Senate apportionment) or the Clerk of the Maine House of Representatives (for the House
apportionment) within 120 calendar days after the convening of the Legislature. The Legislature
shall enact the submitted plan of the commission or a plan of its own by a vote of 2/3 of the
Members of each House, within 30 calendar days after the plan of the Commission is submitted.
In the event that the Legislature fails to make an apportionment within 130 days after convening,
the Supreme Judicial Court shall make the apportionment within 60 days following the period in
which the Legislature is required to act but fails to do so.
The following link contains more detail on ME reapportionment as well as US House
reapportionment for ME, however, ME’s Congressional Districts are not expected to shift in this
cycle: http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/apport/detailed.htm
Bills for the 125th Maine Legislature - Maine’s legislatures typically file close to 2,000 bills
for the first session. Out of these, your Govt Affairs Team must track those pertaining to the HR
function. We will be waiting a bit for bills to be filed and consolidated before leaping into the fray.
Already we expect at least one designed to put unemployed Mainers back to work in the private
sector. Rep. Bruce Bickford of District 70 has filed a bill modeled after a similar measure in Utah
that involves wage subsidies for each qualified employee hired and retained for 3 months – $500
during the first month and $1,500 after 3 months of employment. We will be tracking this bill,
entitled “An Act to Establish the Maine Back to Work Program”.
For more information/ongoing updates, please visit our Maine State Council Government Affairs
site at any time http://tinyurl.com/MaineSHRMLegNews or consider following our efforts on
Twitter: @mainelyhr
Update from SHRM Government Affairs (November 10, 2010) - January will see the start of the
112th Congress. The SHRM Govt Affairs Team did a great job helping us interpret what the recent
election means to HR related legislation in the 111th Congress and beyond. View the archived
webcast using this link (scroll to Govt Affairs and select the November 10th archived webcast)
http://www.shrm.org/Communities/VolunteerResources/WebcastArchivesforVolunteerLeaders/Page
s/default.aspx.
Items of Note include:

ENDA, the Paycheck Fairness Act, EFCA and a bill aimed at shifting labor relations among
public safety officials will not be taken up in the lame duck session or likely thereafter. An
immigration reform bill is also unlikely to be advanced.

The lame duck session must include work on an appropriations bill since it is already past
the statutory deadline and SHRM hopes they will pass a bill to permanently extend Section
127 (tax favored tuition assistance) which is due to sunset on December 31. It will likely
be considered among other tax reform measures.
SHRM recommends a look at Representative John Boehner’s Pledge to America for an idea of what
to expect from the Republican controlled House.
http://pledge.gop.gov/resources/library/documents/solutions/pledge-pocket-card.pdf
Advocacy Team Initiative (A-Team) Update - Maine’s District Captains and Member
Advocates will be named in early December. In case you missed this important initiative please
visit: http://capwiz.com/shrm/about.html .
SHRM has also just named the next 10 states in which the A Team program will be rolled out.
They are: OR, NV, NM, TX, IL, OH, PA, WV, VA and DE.
HRTimes is Maine’s first and only local magazine for human resource professionals. In
partnership with the SHRM Maine State Council, HRTimes is able to deliver up-to-date information
on all things related to human resources in Maine. Stay Connected! Learn about local resources
that can help you advance in the profession.
This free quarterly subscription is available to local SHRM chapter association members and local
SHRM at-large members. Contact them at info@hrtimesonline.com if you have questions on
whether you qualify for a free subscription. Paid subscriptions are available for non-members.
Please e-mail first name, last name, company name, title, phone number, mailing address and the
chapters with which you are affiliated, if any. If you are not currently a member of a local SHRM
chapter, visit your state council website to learn more about the additional benefits of joining a
local state SHRM chapter or SHRM national.
UPCOMING MAINE EVENTS
Maine HR Convention
“In an HR Minute”
Maine Human Resources Convention
SAMOSET: MAY 10-13, 2011
Call for Speakers: Visit www.mainehr.com and you will find a link to the Program Faculty RFP in
the right hand column of the home page. Or contact DJ Banester at dj@mainehr.com
EXPO Booths and Sponsorships: Visit www.mainehr.com and you will find a link to the EXPO
opportunities in the right hand column of the home page. Or contact Heather Bassett at
hbassett@HRTimesOnline.com
Maine’s SHRM State Council and the eight SHRM chapters in Maine are endorsing sponsors of
the Maine HR Convention.
SHRM EVENTS
SHRM 2011 Annual
Conference &
Exposition
June 26 - 29, 2011
Las Vegas Convention Center
Las Vegas, Nev.
Employment Law &
Legislative
Conference
March 14-16, 2011
Washington, DC
Member Registration Now Open!
SHRM LOCAL CHAPTER NEWS
CMHRA http://cmhra.shrm.org
All meetings will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn in Auburn.
November’s meeting is on 11/16. Please RSVP online at their website.
Top 10 Mistakes Employers Make in Employment Law
________________________________________________________________________
HRAEM http://hraem.shrm.org
Monthly meetings are held at 12:00 Noon at the Muddy Rudder, 5 South Main Street, Brewer.
________________________________________________________________________
HRASM http://hrasm.shrm.org
Meetings are held at Holiday Inn West, Exit 48, Westbrook.
Breakfast meetings are 7:15-9:00 AM / Lunch meetings are 11:15 - 1:00 PM
December 7 (breakfast)
________________________________________________________________________
KVHRA http://www.kvhra.org
Meetings
7:30am - 9:30am at the Augusta Civic Center
________________________________________________________________________
Mid-Coast Maine SHRM http://midcoast.shrm.org
Meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at the Career Center in Rockland
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Subject: Open Forum/Roundtable Discussion/Yankee Swap
Location: Career Center in Rockland, Maine
Time: 11:30 am to 1:00 pm
Potluck Lunch
________________________________________________________________________
MSHHRA http://www.mshhra.org
Monthly MSHHRA meetings
9:00AM-11:30AM • Motivational Services, Augusta
________________________________________________________________________
NESHRM http://neshrm.shrm.org
2010 Meeting Schedule
Meetings Held at the Northern Maine Community College
November 18, 2010 at 7:30am in the Edmunds Conference Center
December 9, 2010 at 7:30am in the Edmunds Conference Center
COMMUNITY NEWS


Check out LinkedIn! This is a great social networking site for meeting other HR professionals
and linking with groups for information, the Maine State Council has a group, join today!
Facebook – VolunteerMaine is now on Facebook. That means all of the opportunities available
on VolunteerMaine.org are also available on the Volunteering application to any Facebook user.


Background Checks – check out Maine State Police. They are offering a flat rate for on-line
background checks for $89.
Webinar Training – Check out VolunteerMatch.org for a number of on-line training opportunities.
http://www.volunteermatch.org/nonprofits/learningcenter/#vt
Join the State Council on
St Josephs College
The Recruiting, Selection and Training HRM course at St Josephs College begins this January
through the 1st week in May and is in need of projects focusing on these areas. The expectation
of this course is that all students participate in a project for an employer that exposes them to
"real" HR work.
In the past students in this course have undertaken such projects as :
-designed Faceboook Recruitment pages
-revamped training curricula for specific workforce demographics (i.e.
sexual harassment training for the teenage workforce of a retailer) -researched nationwide college
programs supporting a particular career focus, for recruitment purposes -attended and re-designed
an orientation program -conducted surveys on innovative recruitment and retention techniques provided current H1B visa requirements, and -identified appropriate pre-employment selection
testing... to name a few.
This course is made up of mostly seniors, all business majors and many HRM majors. This is a very
motivated group of about 15 students, primarily because of pending graduation and a wish to
ramp up resumes with real experience.
What do I ask for employers? Only three things:
- HR department rep visit the class, providing a company overview and human resource strategies
- Identify a Corporate sponsor who can be available via email for limited questions and can
provide provide limited direction
- Allow Student presentations to take place at company's offices in front of as many people as
possible with an audience that will complete an evaluation
Please pass this on to others in your HR department or colleagues in our field. Let me know as
soon as possible if you are interested, and I will be in touch to put together a project statement
and schedule a January visit to your class.
As always, thanks for your support of this program!
Beth C. Richardson, JD
Assistant Professor of Business Administration St. Joseph's College of Maine
brichardson@sjcme.edu 207-893-7560