Massachusetts Passes Pay Transparency Bill
On June 24, 2024 members of the Massachusetts legislature passed a bill mandating pay transparency. The legislation now awaits a signature from the state’s governor, Maura Healey.
The bill proposes that Massachusetts employers with 25 or more employees disclose a good faith pay range when they post open positions. Employees seeking a promotion or internal transfer would be entitled to this information, as well. To better address gender and racial wage gaps, the pay transparency law would also require employers with 100 or more workers to share their federal wage and workforce data reports, including the EEO-1 form, with the state. Massachusetts’ executive office of labor and workforce development will publish aggregated data from these reports, and use it to identify gender and racial wage gaps among different industries, according to the office of the state’s senate president, Karen Spilka.
Click Here to be directed to the Mass.gov website for more information.
Congratulations to Western and Central Mass Chapters of SHRM!
Winners of the prestigious SHRM Platinum Excel Award for 2023!
MassSHRM State Council Awarded 2023 Pinnacle Recognition from SHRM!
Annually, SHRM and SHRM Foundation partner to recognize the highest achievements in professional service, advancing of the HR profession, and enhancing the SHRM community among our Chapters and Councils.
MassSHRM, along with our partners in CT and RI, has organized the Tri-State SHRM Conference for 15 years running, and this award acknowledges the high quality programming, speakers, exhibitors and content showcased for regional HR professionals!
Another Successful “Cocktails & Credits” event by HRMA of Western New England!
What an amazing time with HRMA of Western New England at their 5th Annual cocktails and Credits event on December 11th, 2023! Great work by Dave O'Brien, yamilette madho, Lyndsey McLaughlin, PHR and the entire Board. Each participant received a free copy of Steve Browne, SHRM-SCP ‘s new book and attendees can earn SHRM credits when they read and submit a short report to SHRM. What an amazing way to end the year. Thanks to all who attended and to our book sponsor Jenifer Ohanesian at Paylocity!
MassSHRM Volunteer Leaders Summit 2023 in Sturbridge, MA!
Sturbridge Host Hotel was once again the site for the two-day VLS on November 30th and December 1st, 2023 which brings together members from all of our MA state chapters of SHRM. We accomplished a lot — including holding the last of our quarterly state council board meetings for the year (in person!), convening for dinner and socializing on Thursday evening, with a full day of programming on Friday. SHRM Field Services Director (FSD) Curtis Woody was with us in person and SHRM Membership Advisory Council (MAC) Lou Lessig delivered inspiring words of support over video.
MassSHRM State Council Director Anissa Zabriske and Director-Elect Dave O’Brien delivered an action-packed agenda. There were give-aways and every attendee walked away with awesome SHRM swag and other goodies along with credits that can be used toward maintaining SHRM certification!
Bryant University Wins 2021 Tri-State SHRM Student Case Competition
The Tri-State SHRM Council recognizes human resource students for developing effective solutions to business problems
BERLIN, CT: April 21, 2021 — Human resource (HR) students from Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island, have won the Case Competition in the recent Tri-State (Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island) Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Student Case Competition. The Competition was held April 17, 2021, and featured speakers Daniel Horgan and Myra Quick and national SHRM guests Susan Post, Field Services Director, and Christopher Lopez, Manager, Emerging Professional Engagement.
This “realistic job preview” enables team members to leverage their course knowledge and apply it to a real-life HR situation. During the competition, each team analyzed and solved a business case by preparing a 15-minute oral presentation, which required integrated HR thinking, ethical decision-making, and strong communication and presentation skills.
Six teams, comprised of undergraduate and graduate students from schools across Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, competed in a Case Competition on April 17, 2021. The winning team was Bryant University whose Student Chapter will be awarded the $500 competition prize. Other student teams who participated in the competition included Johnson and Wales University, Quinnipiac University, Sacred Heart University, and the University of Rhode Island—each of whom will receive a $100 donation to their SHRM Chapter or Club. The planning committee and judging panels were comprised of Volunteer Leaders from CT SHRM, MA SHRM, and RI SHRM State Councils.
“We are so proud to support this event and the HR emerging professionals in our community. These students are the future leaders of the HR profession and did a phenomenal job presenting their business cases. Congratulations to all of the teams that participated and thank you to all of the volunteer leaders who made this possible,” said Orlena Cowan-Bailey, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CT SHRM State Council Director. “SHRM’s Student Case Competitions offer a unique opportunity for HR students to apply in-class learning to real-world HR scenarios and showcase their knowledge to seasoned HR practitioners,” said Susan Post, SHRM-SCP, east divisional director at SHRM. “These events also enhance students’ perspectives on the value and importance of what it means to be a member of the HR community and career partners with SHRM as they embark on their HR professional pursuits.”
Inaugural MassSHRM Legislative Conference a Smashing Success
BOSTON - On March 1, 2019, the Massachusetts State Council of SHRM hosted its inaugural statewide Legislative Conference at Suffolk University Law School. The event was attended by nearly 100 human resources, employment law, and other business professionals.
Attendees to the event heard from employment law and policy experts and learned about a host of recently enacted laws and pending legislation at both the Federal and state level. Attendees also had the opportunity to hear directly from and ask questions of Commonwealth Secretary of Labor & Workforce Development, Rosalin Acosta about Massachusetts’ new paid family leave law that is scheduled to go in to effect July 1st.
Attendees also paid a visit to the State House.
Massachusetts State Council Honored by the SHRM Foundation for 100% Giving
WASHINGTON - The SHRM Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), recognized the Massachusetts State Council of SHRM as one of only nineteen state or US territory councils in the 100% Giving Club. The 100% Giving Club annually recognizes the states and US territories with 100% giving from the SHRM state council and all chapters within the state. This club signifies the collective dedication the state has to advancing the mission of the SHRM Foundation.
“I couldn’t be prouder to be a member of this elite group of states who are so dedicated to elevating the HR profession and making a difference in the world of work - and we could not have done it without the generosity of our five local SHRM-affiliated chapters. The SHRM Foundation provides scholarships for advanced education and certification as well as funding workforce readiness initiatives like their new Veterans hiring certification. This is such important work" said Mike Spinale, State Director of the Massachusetts State Council.
In addition to the Massachusetts State Council, the SHRM Foundation recognized eighteen other councils from Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Guam, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.
The SHRM Foundation is a values-based charity organization whose mission is to champion workforce and workplace transformation by providing research-based HR solutions for challenging inclusion issues facing current and potential employees, scholarships to educate and develop HR professionals to make change happen and opportunities for HR professionals to make a difference in their local communities. The SHRM Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizational affiliate of the Society for Human Resource Management. (SHRM Foundation).
Massachusetts State Council Named SHRM Foundation Council Champion
The SHRM Foundation has named the Massachusetts State Council of SHRM (MassSHRM) one of its Council Champions for MassSHRM's 2016 efforts to promote and support the SHRM Foundation. In 2016, MassSHRM raised over $ 1,000.00 to support the SHRM Foundation's programs and initiatives. Combined with the efforts of our six state chapters, the Massachusetts SHRM community provided over $ 4,000.00 in donations.
"We are truly proud to be a supporter of the SHRM Foundation and are humbled by being recognized as a State Council Champion. The work the Foundation does is essential to supporting the professionals in the HR community in Massachusetts, and nationwide" said Lori Bourgoin, State Director of the Massachusetts State Council.
The SHRM Foundation is a values-based charity organization whose mission is to champion workforce and workplace transformation by providing research-based HR solutions for challenging inclusion issues facing current and potential employees, scholarships to educate and develop HR professionals to make change happen and opportunities for HR professionals to make a difference in their local communities. The SHRM Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizational affiliate of the Society for Human Resource Management. (SHRM Foundation).
