Essentials of Human Resources Focus of Fall Workshops

Registration is underway for the American Booksellers Association’s Human Resources Workshop, a new in-depth education event, to be offered twice this fall exclusively to the owners and managers of ABA member stores. The workshop is designed to highlight human resources essentials for small business. It will be led by Dr. John Sherlock, the director of the Master of Science in HR program at Western Carolina University, who presented a highly praised HR session at this year’s Winter Institute.

The first workshop will be presented at the Holiday Inn Portland-Airport in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday, October 1, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., just prior to the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association trade show. A working lunch and coffee break are included in the full-day program.

The second workshop will take place over two days: on Tuesday, October 6, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and on Wednesday, October 7, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Biltmore Hotel Providence. The workshop is being held in conjunction with the New England Independent Booksellers Association trade show at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Coffee breaks are included and lunch will be provided at the conclusion of the program.

Topics at the workshops will include recruiting; training and development; employee performance; and organizational culture. The program will conclude with a discussion of workplace policies and the legal side of HR, and participants will have time to create an HR strategy and action plan.

The registration fee for the workshops, which are open to the owners and managers at all ABA member stores, is $75 per person. The registration deadline is September 21, 2015, but space is limited.

To learn more about the Human Resources Workshop and to register, click here.