ORLANDO, Fla. (PRWEB)
January 10, 2023

The Greater Orlando Society for Human Resource Management (GOSHRM) will host its first Mental Health Forum on Tuesday, January 24 at the Wyndham Orlando Resort and Conference Center in Kissimmee, FL. The Forum is “A Well-being Gut Check” for HR and medical professionals seeking best practices to tackle mental health challenges in today’s stressful, post-pandemic workplace.

GOSHRM’s goal in presenting the Mental Health Forum is to provide increased awareness and support for mental health concerns plaguing the current workforce. This highly anticipated event has limited capacity of 250 attendees and is expected to sell out. Attendees receive 4.5 SHRM and HRCI recertification credits. Register here.

The theme was carefully chosen by GOSHRM’s Board of Directors because of increased concerns and stigma associated with mental health issues on the job. “There is a real hesitancy among the HR community to talk openly about these issues,” said GOSHRM President, Pamela J. McGee, SHRM-SCP, PHR, MBA. “Our Mental Health Forum is designed to help break the silence and create a workplace culture that supports those who struggle.”

The January 24th event features a celebrity keynote, an intimate fireside chat and power-packed panel sessions from a diverse group of distinguished subject matter experts. During his Keynote address, SHRM President and CEO, Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, will talk about “Workplace Culture: Caring About the Whole Self.”

“At SHRM, our goal is to show that workplace environments with belonging and mental health support are good for both employees and organizations. It’s never been more important to build inclusive, empathetic and supportive workplace cultures given the current mental health crisis happening right now,” said Taylor. “Since we began this conversation last year, I am proud that SHRM and the SHRM foundation have taken this commitment forward. We aim to move the conversation into action—working toward solutions for a better tomorrow for all. Success and the ability to thrive demands that workplaces support and take seriously belonging and mental health.”

The program will be emceed by motivational humorist Jon Petz who will also host a fireside chat on mental health. Other highlights of the day include a session on “The Opioid Crisis & the Workforce: How You Can Help” presented by Andre Bailey, Dr. Kendall Cortelyou and Amber Addario of Project Opioid. GOSHRM Past President, Cheryl Brown Merriwether, and Executive Director of the International Center for Addiction and Recovery Education (ICARE), will moderate a panel on “Creating a Community of Care: Mental & Behavioral Health Trends for the Post-Pandemic Workforce”. Panelists include Tony Jenkins (Florida Blue), Dr. Nick Dewan (Guidewell) and Ashley Grimes (NAMI).

Visit GOSHRM’s website here for the complete speaker schedule.

GOSHRM Celebrates Award-Winning 2022 with Focus on Opioid Addiction in the Workplace

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports over 107,000 Americans died of an overdose in the 12 months ending December 2021. 70% of illicit drug users are employed, and 67% of HR managers admit that substance misuse is a serious problem in the workplace.

Motivated by these startling statistics, GOSHRM submitted for and won both SHRM’s 2022 Pinnacle Award and the HR Florida Chapter Excellence Award. These unprecedented accomplishments recognized GOSHRM at both the national and state level. The winning program was a collaborative effort between GOSHRM, ICARE, Project Opioid and CareerSource Central Florida to raise awareness and mitigate opioid addiction in the workforce.

Project Opioid partnered with CareerSource Central Florida (CSCF), a local workforce board, to provide training to local businesses in Central Florida. In March of 2021, CSCF launched “Fostering Opioid Recovery through Training & Employment” (FORTE). CSCF contracted with ICARE to design, develop and deliver the Certified Facilitator in Addiction Awareness for Human Resources (CFAA-HR) program. To ensure the success of this critical project, ICARE reached out to GOSHRM for assistance.

Covid was hugely challenging for GOSHRM, according to GOSHRM Past President Merriwether, “Being able to partner with other community-based organizations to impact individual lives, (and by extension families, workplaces and our community at large) helped us pull together, commit to, promote, participate in and celebrate our collaborative accomplishments,” she said. “Together we created something of significance that had a positive impact, that was recognized at both the state level by the HR Florida Chapter Excellence award and nationally by SHRM through the Pinnacle Award.”

The FORTE initiative continues into 2023, and as a result of the community collaboration, and has expanded beyond Central Florida to an international level.

GOSHRM President’s Vision for 2023

“My goal for GOSHRM is to guide the organization to be the leading HR point of contact for Central Florida to bring HR professionals and business leaders together to elevate the HR profession,” said GOSHRM President, McGee. “An example of this was our Pinnacle Award winning collaboration with Project Opioid, CareerSource Central Florida and ICARE. We will continue to look for other opportunities to collaborate and impact our community in 2023.”

About GOSHRM

GOSHRM was founded in 1957 as the Central Florida Human Resources Association (CFHRA). It is one of the 575 local affiliate chapters of SHRM, and one of 28 local chapters in the State of Florida. GOSHRM has more than 600 HR and related professional members who represent and provide support to small, medium and large size employers across multiple counties in Central Florida. GOSHRM’s Mission, Vision and Values are as follows:

MISSION – Elevate people and workplaces through education, connections and service.

VISION – Make Central Florida a workplace destination of choice.

VALUES – Offer Continuous Development to enhance each member’s role as trusted advisers and valued business partners.

GOSHRM encourages the active participation of members and promotes interaction between chapter members, from students to long-time industry professionals, in an effort to better connect the HR community in the Greater Orlando area. GOSHRM is the only Society for Human Resource Management affiliated chapter in the greater Orlando area. For more information visit http://www.goshrm.org.

# # #

Share article on social media or email: