Q3 2026 Newsletter

President's Report

Dear STAHR Members and Friends,

I am filled with gratitude and optimism for the future of STAHR.  Our organization continues to thrive because of the passion, expertise, and generosity of the HR professionals who invest their time and talents in serving our members and supporting the broader Southern Tier community.

I am especially pleased to share that we had another successful nomination and election process for the Board of Directors.  We recently welcomed two new members to our Board, along with several new committee volunteers.  Their willingness to step forward and lead ensures that STAHR remains a vibrant, relevant, and valuable resource for HR professionals across our region.  Fresh perspectives, new ideas, and dedicated leadership are essential to our continued success, and we are fortunate to have so many individuals eager to contribute.

In August, we will come together for our annual organizational meeting to begin planning for the upcoming program year.  This meeting marks the start of another season of professional development, networking opportunities, workforce engagement and member connections. 

As we look ahead, I encourage members to consider becoming more involved by joining one of our committees.  We are actively seeking volunteers to support our Programs, Membership, and Workforce Readiness committees.  Whether you are a long-time member or new to the organization, committee service is a rewarding way to build relationships, develop leadership skills, and make a meaningful impact on our profession and community.

Most importantly, I want to extend my sincere appreciation to everyone who contributes their time, energy, and resources to STAHR.  From our board members and committee volunteers to our program presenters, sponsors, and engaged members, your dedication is what keeps this organization strong.

Best regards,

Sandy Jones, SHRM-SCP
President

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Calendar of Events

Save the date for our upcoming events. Registration information will be sent out soon and posted to our website, https://stahrshrm.com/. 

SEPTEMBER

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Workforce Readiness

Broome-Tioga Workforce NY: A Valuable Partner for Local Employers

At our July chapter meeting, members had the opportunity to hear from representatives of Broome-Tioga Workforce NY, the region's American Job Center and workforce development organization. The presentation served as a timely reminder that employers throughout the Southern Tier have access to resources that can help address many of today's workforce challenges.

In an environment where organizations continue to navigate talent shortages, evolving skill requirements, and increasing competition for workers, workforce development partnerships are more important than ever. Broome-Tioga Workforce NY 's mission is to connect job seekers with employment opportunities while helping employers identify, develop, and retain qualified talent.

Services Available to Employers

One of the key takeaways from the presentation was the breadth of services available to employers at little or no cost.

Broome-Tioga Workforce NY assists organizations by:

A Resource Worth Knowing

Perhaps the most important takeaway from the July presentation was that Broome-Tioga Workforce NY is not simply a resource for job seekers. It is a strategic workforce partner for employers as well.

 As HR professionals continue to address workforce challenges across our region, leveraging community partnerships will be critical. Broome-Tioga Workforce NY is one such partner that can help employers build stronger talent pipelines and prepare their workforce for the future.'

Learn More

Interested employers can visit Broome-Tioga Workforce NY’s at broometiogaworks.com or contact the Business Services Team at 607-778-2136 to discuss recruiting assistance, training resources, workforce funding opportunities, and other employer support services.

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Legal/Legislative Update

Labor and Employment Law Updates

The fall will be busy for human resources professionals.  In addition to the normal open enrollment activities and similar programs, activity at the New York and federal level will keep human resources on its toes.

New York’s new Opioid Antagonist law (Labor Law 27-f) will go into effect December 13, 2026.  It requires most employers to have an opioid antagonist (such as Narcan) in their OSHA required first aid kits.  Regulations are expected to come out this fall. 

The Trapped at Work Act has been amended to clarify its scope, but it still limits most employers’ ability to require repayment of money for training or tuition from employees if those employees leave early.  That law will be effective February 13, 2027.  As with the opioid antagonist law, regulations are expected this fall.

At the federal level, the Department of Labor continues to issue opinion letters at a furious pace.  Four letters issued in late May cover topics such as overtime for a second position, bonuses calculations and their effect on overtime, and the compensability of meal breaks and pre-shift activities.  Two additional letters issued in July address travel time compensation and on-call compensation.  While these letters do not have binding effect, they are often relied on by courts in interpreting the Fair Labor Standards Act requirements.  They can be found here:  https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/opinion-letters/request#opinion-letter-search

Employers are also remined to make sure they have met their requirement for annual anti-harassment training and that all employees have a labor law 195 form on file.  https://dol.ny.gov/notice-pay-rate

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Community Service

Help Support the STAHR Student Chapter

This fall, the STAHR Student Chapter is looking for experienced HR professionals who are willing to invest in the future of our profession. A small commitment of your time can make a lasting impact on a student's career while providing you with valuable opportunities to grow professionally.

You can do this by participating in one-on-one mentoring, attending student chapter meetings, volunteering at campus events, serving on career panels, conducting mock interviews, reviewing resumes, or supporting other professional development programs. Your experience and participation help students connect classroom learning with real-world HR practices while building meaningful relationships with local HR professionals.

Benefits for Student Members

Benefits for STAHR Members

Whether you have been in HR for two years or twenty, your experience has value. By mentoring a student or volunteering at a campus event, you can help bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace while strengthening the future of the HR profession.

Interested in getting involved? Please reach out to Mark Ward at [email protected] for more information on becoming involved.

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Member News

STAHR is committed to the community in which we live and work. We build local connections as we navigate an ever-changing HR world. Do you want to develop your career while learning from others who understand the challenges we face here in the Southern Tier? Do you want to enhance your professional network? Join today!

How do you become a STAHR member? It’s easy! Just visit our website at: https://stahrshrm.com/join.php. Do you know colleagues who haven’t joined yet? Send them to our website to check out membership benefits.

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STAHR Sponsors

Someone in your organization is going to have a hard conversation this month. A termination, or an investigation interview where the employee already knows what is coming.

The paperwork will be right and the timing defensible. You reviewed it yourself.

Then the person on the other side of the table stands up. Or gets loud. And whoever is running that meeting has about four seconds to decide what to do next.

That is the part that nobody trained for. 

Most of you have been in HR longer than I have been in business for myself. You know 27-b, and you wrote your oven written program. I am not here to talk to you about compliance, because you are well past that.

The gap I want to name has nothing to do with what you know. 

There is a difference between knowing what to do and being able to do it while your heart rate is up. The research on de-escalation keeps returning to the same problem. Adrenaline and time pressure are the same conditions that shut down access to anything learned in a calm room.

My co-owner, Sammy Davis, is a command-level law enforcement executive and a graduate of the FBI National Academy, Session 292. He puts it this way.

"Most of what determines how an incident ends happens in the first ninety seconds. It almost never gets handled by the person who was trained for it. It gets handled by whoever happened to be standing there."

The training goes to the people with the job title. The incident goes to whoever is closest to it.

Now, the LMS. It is the right tool for policy and annual completion you have to prove to somebody. For knowledge-based content the research says it holds up against a live classroom, and i ma not going to argue with that. 

Here is where it stops. An LMS can confirm that a supervisor watched a twenty-minute module on de-escalation. It cannot tell you whether he can keep his voice level when someone is standing too close to him and getting louder. Completion is not capability. 

In-person keeps a clear advantage in one category, which is sensitive, hands-on skill work where people practice and someone watches them do it. Workplace violence and de-escalation live in that category.

I also know the real obstacle is rarely budget. It is coverage. You cannot pull thirty people off the floor for a full day in October.

So break it up. Fifteen or twenty minutes at a time, one scenario per session, live, at set points across the year. That is what our micro training are built for. It is the whole delivery model.

The learning science has favored this for over a century. Distributed practice beats cramming. Once long session in September is gone by Thanksgiving. Twelve short ones keep resetting the curve before the skill fades. That is how capability gets built. 

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Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsorship Opportunities Available!

If your organization is interested in sponsoring an upcoming event or newsletter let us know. Contact the STAHR board at  [email protected]. 

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