Top 10 Quotes From the Big SHRM 2013 Conference

The HR Soapbox hit the road again this summer for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) conference, held this year in Chicago. Here are some quotable quotes from the annual HR-paloza ..

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1. The new risks of interns. “Many of the interns you’re using this summer are not really interns; they’re employees …  Employers need to ask themselves, ‘Is this something we’d normally hire someone to do?’”  — Michael Cohen, attorney, Duane Morris

2. Are LinkedIn résumés more honest? “Compared to traditional résumés, LinkedIn résumés are less deceptive about an applicant’s prior work experience and responsibilities. That’s because there’s more transparency … others who have worked with them can see (the résumé).” — Michael Johnson, CEO, Clear Law Institute

3. Unsocial media. “Too many companies, whether from fear, confusion or a stubborn inability to embrace change, are continuing to ban employee use of what has essentially become our new telephone.” — Aliah Wright, author of A Necessary Evil

4. Act on your HR audit. “When you’re looking at what to review in an HR audit, you want to focus on exactly what’s important to your organization. … But without action, your audit is just a score.” — Tracy Laxton, HR director, Gateway Energy Coke Company

 5. Explosion in I-9 audits. “Since 2008, we’ve seen a 600% increase in I-9 random and targeted audits … your potential liability can be quite expansive. You really need to pay attention.” — John Fay, VP of the LawLogix Group

6. Narcissism & hiring. “Narcissists make the best interviewees. And the tougher you make the interview, the more narcissists you’ll hire. … Also, 67% of your higher performance scorers (in appraisals) are not the real highest performers in the organization. They’re often the loudest people who can politicize the best.” — David Rock, director of NeuroLeadership Institute 

7. 401(k) loans are the devil. “The 401(k) loan is the most dastardly thing. … You’ve got to say to your employees that there’s a loan provision but here’s a thousand reasons why you want to avoid it. … You need to do everything you can to encourage people not to tap into that money.” — Ric Edelman, CEO, Edelman Financial Services

8. The EEOC’s new strategy. “In the old days, if a company was doing a million dollars’ worth of bad stuff, they were under the EEOC microscope. The EEOC wasn’t looking at the smaller cases. But since the new EEOC sheriff came to town, they’re prosecuting every case. … The strategy has changed. The EEOC is really aggressive now on all kinds of cases.” — Mindy Chapman, author of the HR Specialist “Case in Point” column and blo

9. Minimum wage hike coming? “I think it’s a matter of when, not if. Within the next 18 to 24 months, we’ll likely see an increase in the federal minimum wage.”  Michael Aitken, SHRM VP of government affairs 

10. HR’s role in teaching the law. “Managers need to know how to help you. They need to spot (legal) issues. The more your managers know about what you do … it helps develop their ‘Spidey’ sense. They need to know they are agents of the company, even if they started as hourly workers.” — Gregory Hare, attorney, Ogletree Deakins