Human resources conference highlights need for ‘humanity’ within industry

Once considered part of a department of paper-pushing personnel, human resources staff were often looked upon as an afterthought or a “necessary evil” within the operational scope of many businesses.

Long gone are days spent organizing filing cabinets, verifying timecards, processing forms, and even being responsible for creating and updating the dreaded company handbook. During the 25 years, the role of the HR professional has evolved dramatically.

Capitalizing on this “evolution” of HR workers as its theme, the Human Resources Association of Treasure Valley (HRATV) hosted more than 500 HR specialists and exhibitors during its annual conference at Boise Centre on April 10.

“We’re moving the needle, becoming change agents, embracing culture and playing an integral part in a growing organization,” said Shawn Hafer, who serves double duty as the director of HR for Idaho Housing and Finance Association, and as a board member for HRATV. “We want this event to be a day of insights, disruptions, connections, but above all, to be about transformation.”

Including 29 attendees from Boise Cascade, 18 from the City of Boise, 15 from Ada County,10 from the City of Nampa and nine from Hafer’s group at IHFA, this year’s conference attendance easily surpassed last year’s mark of 425.

No longer just considered support personnel, HR staff now play integral roles in all phases of business operations.

“From an HR perspective we deal with the political climate within an organization,” Hafer said. “You have an assortment of levels of leadership, and we’re always gauging the room to adapt to where we go with what we see.”

HRATV President Dawn Sparling told attendees serving in HR is a journey. “We have experienced so much change and mastered the hybrid workforce. And we are in a dynamic time where we are rewriting policies and procedures in real time. We are leaders, part of the business.”

Some of the key topics woven into the one-day conference breakout sessions included “Workplace Civility,” “Engaging and Retaining Gen Z Talent,” “Selecting the Right HR System” and “Leveraging AI in HR.”

Former Aurora, Illinois, police-chief-turned-author and motivational speaker, Kristen Ziman, delivered the opening keynote address, aptly titled, “Optimize with Optimism.”

“Optimism is a choice, not a feeling,” she said. “It strengthens your mindset, deepens your impact and fuels the transformation you lead in yourself and in others.”

Ziman equated her role as Aurora’s first-ever female chief overseeing a force of 320 officers, to that of HR professionals and the evolution of the butterfly, referring to the caterpillar as the “status quo.”

The caterpillar “crawls, is functional and serves the traditional model of HR,” or what she deemed a “reactive, transactional rule-enforcer.”

Focusing on workplace culture as the “personality of an organization,” she firmly shared “no title is necessary” to bring about positive change in the workplace.

“Be a disruptor if you want to change the status quo,” Ziman said. “To change things, you need to become an innovator and move from the caterpillar to the chrysalis to the cocoon for transformation.”

The chrysalis phase, she emphasized, is “optimizing from within.”

“What looks like disruption is actually preparation,” she said. “The same is true when we disrupt systems, rebuild mindsets and challenge our internal narratives. This is where transformation takes place.”

She detailed how her own workplace transformation came the day a fellow officer breezed into the station, and without skipping a beat, asked a group of “angry caterpillars” as she called them, fellow officers seated at a table voicing their daily complaints, “What are you pissed off at today?”

“Disruption can come from the most unlikely places, you just need to keep your eyes out for it,” Ziman said, laughing.

According to a study Ziman cited, 51% of employees are not engaged at work, and roughly 16% are what she labeled as the “malcontents” of the organization.

Workplace culture, she stressed, impacts employees personally and professionally. “What holds people back personally is what holds organizations back collectively.

Evolution starts with optimism; don’t confuse it with positivity.”

From her experience leading a large police force, confidence deep within, she discovered, can make all the difference for HR professionals.

“Confidence can be cultivated. It is the way in which you speak to yourself,” Ziman said. “That little voice in your head knows your weaknesses and vulnerabilities. This voice is what holds you back.”

And for added measure: “Don’t let others tell you to keep your mouth shut and your head down.”

Other advice offered from the former officer included disrupting processes the right way, “use a scalpel and not a chainsaw,” and “reinforce bridges, don’t burn them down.”

“The chrysalis phase is optimizing from within. What looks like disruption is actually preparation,” she said. “The same is true when we disrupt systems, rebuild mindsets and challenge our internal narratives. This is where transformation takes place.”

For Melissa Cosgrove, HR manager for iSucceed Virtual High School of Idaho, Ziman’s message hit home on both levels. With 14 years of experience in the HR world, this was her second consecutive year attending the annual conference.

“My husband was in law enforcement, so I could relate to some of the challenges she described and how they still apply to what we do in the education business,” Cosgrove said.

Her colleague, Laura Baker, the school’s business director, also liked what she heard from Ziman.

“She delivered real-life topics we actually deal with in the HR world,” Baker said. “Overall, she was quite funny. Plus, she threw in a couple of well-timed swear words which I can relate to sometimes in our business.”

Ziman’s overarching message: “Align with something bigger than yourself.”

“Do your best everyday to even move the ball down the field just a little bit – arbitration, writing policies, projects, contract negotiations, litigation – because leadership in HR is hard,” she said. “It’s your job as HR leaders to provide this training to set clear goals and expectations and provide feedback.”

Attorney Pam Howland, who hosted a breakout session “Law for Leaders: Key Insights for Business Leaders,” also strongly emphasized the role of training and preparation in the HR world.

“Leaders need to take action now to avoid lawsuits later,” Howland said. “Avoid the courthouse if at all possible and avoid stupid mistakes that will land you in court.”

Nine years ago, Howland founded Idaho Employment Lawyers, PLLC, a firm dedicated to handling Idaho employment law issues. She credits her evolution in the law field and handling HR issues to a self-proclaimed love of TV’s famous prosecutor, Jack McCoy, of the hit series “Law & Order.”

Specializing in workplace law, wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment and non-competes, Howland detailed the immense time and cost companies endure dealing with lawsuits, particularly those involving the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), what she called the “No.1 claim” against employers.

Studies her firm conducted involving such cases in the past five years in Idaho revealed the average jury verdict for an employment claim to be $1 million, with an average timespan of two and a half years to resolve such a suit. The average cost to settle these cases is $130,000.

“If you’re sued your screwed,” she brazenly told a room filled with HR professionals. “Real life litigation and lawsuits are nothing like seen on TV. I represent employers in court, and what I have seen in the last 25 years, if you get pulled into court, it is miserable.”

Her prime, free legal advice: “Always be aware of issues coming your way.”

“You must ask yourself if you know enough to comply with the law,” Howland said. “It’s all about issue spotting for employers. Call for help and avoid a claim. Otherwise, you may make a decision and then find it’s too late because a claim is now moving forward.”

With a career that spans 28 years in the HR business, Hafer believes today’s professionals must serve as “political navigators” and balance compliance issues with their conscience.

“Evolving labor laws, tariffs, shifting DEI focuses. Many of the changes we’re seeing are impacting those in the HR profession directly and indirectly,” he said. “The dynamics of our environment are always changing. You can’t always stay status quo. You need to look at what we’re doing and adapt.”

One area of adaption he cited is the evolution of artificial intelligence in the world of HR, technology he views as a tool to make him and others better, rather than a replacement for the “human” element HR workers must possess.

“As Kristin mentioned during her keynote address, you have to be willing to embrace change and not be stuck in your old ways of doing things,” he said. “Sometimes people get complacent and are unwilling to look outside the box.”

And as technology continues to evolve, so must HR departments, big and small.

“Today we are seen as futurists, technologists and human capital visionaries,” Hafer said. “We must be optimistic in our roles in HR and keep energy at a high level. Sometimes we can be notorious for taking care of others but forget about ourselves.”