FORWARD HR SPRING 2025 MAGAZINE

SPRING 2025

The Changing Landscape of HR Policy The conference opened with remarks from Jay Stephany , WI SHRM Legisla- tive Director, who emphasized some- thing that would become a recurring theme throughout the day: regardless of which political party holds power, HR’s fundamental purpose remains serving employees, organizations, and society. This non-partisan ap- proach to workplace policy struck me as particularly important given the current political climate and the sig- nificant changes happening with the new administration.

Preparing for an Era of Legal Uncertainty The legal update from Bob Gregg and Storm Larson from Boardman Clark LLP was perhaps the most directly ap- plicable to my employment law class. Their analysis of recent strange but in- structive cases (like the manager who “intended to fire” an employee but forgot) highlighted how easy it is for organizations to find themselves in le- gal hot water despite good intentions. Their warnings about the current administration’s potential impact on employment law enforcement is important. As government agencies potentially scale back enforcement activities, they predicted increased lit- igation and costs for employers. This creates an environment in which hu- man resources professionals must be even more vigilant about compliance, despite potentially receiving less guid-

es influence workplace policy helped crystallize concepts I’d been grappling with in my coursework. Given the flur- ry of executive orders from President Trump since his January inauguration, understanding these checks and bal- ances feels particularly relevant to my future HR career. Many states are already pushing back against some of these orders, creating a complex patchwork of compliance requirements that HR professionals must navigate. As HR professionals, we must understand the importance of these processes, as they directly shape workplace policies. When Emily discussed SHRM’s six pillars - work- force development, workplace inclu- sion, flexibility and leave, immigration, governance, and healthcare - I recog- nized many topics from both my certi- fication studies and various HR cours- es in my MBA program. Yet hearing how these areas are actively being shaped by current legislative priorities gave me a more nuanced perspective.

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ance from regulatory agen- cies. Points made reinforced a crucial lesson from my

Jesus Villa

Emily M. Dickens , Chief of Staff, Head of Government Affairs and Corporate Secretary for SHRM delivered the first keynote, and her presentation on “Civics, Policy, and Compliance for HR Professionals” immediately resonated with what I’ve been studying in my em- ployment law class. Her breakdown of how our government’s three branch-

Bob Gregg

Emily M. Dickens

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