SHRM Michigan Vine - September 2026 Edition

Hello SHRM Michigan!!

I hope you got to really unplug this Labor Day weekend to soak up some sunshine, time with family, maybe a lake is once we have a state full of them (no complaints from me!). After a busy summer of conferences, chapter events, and just showing up for our people day in and day out, a slow weekend like that hits different.

As I look ahead to fall, I’m genuinely fired up about where we are as a profession. HR is being asked to lead in exciting ways, shaping how our organizations handle change, building better workplaces, and having a real hand in what the future of work looks like here in Michigan. That’s a big deal, and honestly? I love that we get to lead this work together.

Thank you to our chapter leaders who keep showing up month after month with tailored programming for our local members. Thank you to our resource partners who make so much of our connection possible. And thank you to every HR practitioner reading this...you chose a profession all about helping people do their best work, and that matters more than you know.

Here’s to a great fall ahead. Can’t wait to see so many of you at our annual conference!

Cheers,

Monica

Special Events for SHRM Michigan Chapters, Volunteers, & Resource Partners

Upcoming Events

Get ready for three unforgettable days of ideas, inspiration, connection, and experiences designed to move your career and culture forward. We can’t wait to see you October 21–23!

2026 MISHRM State Conference Information

9 Days Left of Early Bird Pricing!

Member Registration

Member - SHRM Members AND/OR Local Chapter Members

Non-Member Registration

Non- Member - NOT a SHRM Members or Local Chapter Member

Limited Exhibitor Sports Remain!

Only THREE booths left in the exhibit hall! Grab yours today!

Exhibitor Registration

Put Your Brand in the Spotlight!!

Sponsorship opportunities are open for the 2026 MISHRM State Conference. Connect with 1,300+ HR professionals and get your brand in front of key decision makers across Michigan.

Sponsor Registration

SHRM Michigan Resources

Legal Update

Contributed by: James Reid IV, Esq.

SHRM Michigan Legislative Affairs Director

EOC Signals a Potential End to Annual Race and Sex Reporting Requirements On July 21, 2026, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC” or “Commission”) voted 2-1 to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) that would rescind the requirement for employers and other covered entities to file annual reports summarizing aggregate workforce data on employees’ race, ethnicity, and sex - the EEO-1 through EEO-6 reports (collectively, the “EEO Data Reports”) - along with the recordkeeping and record-preservation requirements tied to those reports. The NPRM, published in the Federal Register on July 23, 2026, marks one of the most significant proposed shifts in federal workforce reporting obligations since the EEO-1 report was first adopted in 1966. Learn more, here

Inclusion Infusion

Contributed by: Verna Ginyard

SHRM Michigan Diversity Director

Games are cultural storytellers. Mancala in Africa, Mahjong in China, cricket in India, or dominoes in the Caribbean, all reflect heritage.

Spotlight: Games and Play Across Cultures

Teams can organize “Global Games Day,” inviting employees to teach traditional games. Play fosters collaboration, reduces stress, and builds community. Games also teach strategy, patience, and teamwork, all skills transferable to the workplace.

Feel free to join us for the 4^th Quarter SHRM Michigan Diversity Director & Friends Meeting on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 @ 6p. Meeting ID: 873 1385 5290 Passcode: 7XxQL5

Enjoy this month’s Voice, here, from Etoyia Magee, PHR, MHRM – OakMac, on the “Reflection Question” What game from your culture taught you resilience or teamwork?

I look forward to connecting with you. If you’d like to present during a quarterly Diversity Director & Friends meeting or have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to me: Verna Ginyard at v2ginyard@gmail.com.

Join Diversity Director & Friends

SHRM Foundation

Contributed by: Sharon Ragland-Keys

SHRM Michigan SHRM Foundation Director

For more information on these scholarships and awards please visit, here, or the SHRM Foundation

If you have any questions about the SHRM Foundation or need assistance with fundraising ideas for your chapter, feel free to reach out!

Call: 734.576.0867 | Email: sragland_keys@jovie.com | Looking forward to supporting you!

Donate Now! | SHRM Foundation Silent Auction Donations

Learn More About Our Resource Partners

Get Curious: How to Lead Through Conflict, Pressure, and Disagreement
Free Leadership Webinar with AG Collaborative

When conflict, pressure, or difficult conversations arise, it’s easy to become defensive or reactive. Effective leaders practice a different response: curiosity.

In this engaging session, participants will explore curiosity as a practical leadership behavior that can de-escalate tension, uncover better solutions, and strengthen trust. You’ll leave with a simple, actionable framework for navigating disagreement and turning challenging leadership moments into opportunities for greater connection and impact.

Learn more and register for the Monday, September 28, 2026 webinar from 12:00 PM- 1:00 PM EST, here

The Real Reason People Won't Use AI

Block out your diary for September 10 at 12pm, where Alon Lits (CEO of October, a workplace platform operating across the UK, US, and South Africa) unpacks the human side of AI adoption — why resistance is rarely about the technology, and often about identity, value and pride in work.

Most conversations about AI adoption treat resistance as a problem to be solved — through training, change management, mandates, or incentives. But the people quietly refusing to use these tools aren't being irrational, fearful, or behind the curve. They're responding to something real: AI threatens the specific tasks that make them feel competent, valuable, and proud of their work. You don't get adoption by overriding that signal. You get it by listening to what it's telling you.

In this webinar, Alon will share what his team is seeing about the identity dimension of AI adoption—why the people resisting are often your best people, what they're actually defending, and how companies getting this right are using AI to give people more of what they care about, not less.

Then we turn it over to the table: bring the resistance you've encountered, the team member you can't figure out, or the change you're trying to make. Expect a direct conversation about the human side of a technology shift.

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Rehmann handles the business of business, so you can focus on what makes your organization extraordinary.

UKG Pro vs Rippling vs Gusto: which HR software is best?

Choosing HR software shouldn't mean guessing at hidden costs or missing must-have features. Software Advice's latest guide compares UKG Pro, Rippling, and Gusto on pricing, features, and reviewers' take on usability. Whether you need flexible payroll, scalable HR tools, or an intuitive interface, this guide helps you find the best fit.

Download your copy, here, and see which platform earns a spot on your HR shortlist.

Beyond Hiring: How Assessments Drive Better Recruiting, Stronger Teams, and More Effective Leaders (Part 2)

Most talent assessments draw, at least in part, on longstanding research showing that certain underlying traits and tendencies are relatively stable over time. So, which assessments are worth considering? That depends on what you are trying to accomplish

Learn more from this insightful article, here