Gaining benefits from the collaborative opportunities and information on CORE: IHRIM Spotlight on Volunteer Denise Eppel, We Energies

IHRIM is pleased to feature Denise Eppel in the Volunteer Spotlight.  Denise, Senior HR Business Analyst, We Energies, has been an IHRIM member since 2010.

Please tell us a little about your professional life such as what your job entails; how you got involved with HR technology; major accomplishments; current projects or challenges, etc.
I started in the HR technology field about 13 ½ years ago. I began as a specialist in an employee shared services department with duties ranging from HR data analysis and entry into the HRIS to responding and resolving employee HR questions. Over the years, I took on work and projects of increasing responsibility related to the HRIS operations, including directly managing a team of HRIS analysts. I have expertise in many areas of HR operations including HR data maintenance, process improvement, acquisition/divestiture activity, HR shared services call center, business requirements documentation for system enhancement/implementation projects, training records management, annual salary review, HRIS reporting and HRIS vendor management. I have been at my current employer, We Energies, for three and a half years as a Sr. HR Business Analyst. I have responsibility for our training system usage and management, provide support of our organizational development initiatives, and am involved in HR system projects across all areas in HR. The most recent large-scale projects, in which I was the project manager, was the replacement of our applicant tracking system and the implementation of our onboarding system. The Onboarding implementation project was awarded one of the IHRIM 2013 Project of the Year Awards, and I am looking forward to sharing our success story as a session at the 2014 Conference!

A current challenge our HR team is working through is a company-wide Talent Management Strategy. We are intending to be able to make long term HR system decisions and plans based from the strategy.

When did you join IHRIM and why?  What is the greatest value you get from your membership?   Is there any advice you would give other members?

I joined IHRIM in the fall of 2010 when I joined my current company We Energies. I was encouraged to seek outside professional organizations to maintain and increase my knowledge. I found IHRIM on the internet and really liked what I read about the organization from the website. One of the benefits I gain from the membership is the collaborative opportunities and information from the IHRIM CORE site. A lot of informative information is shared and discussed in the groups on CORE which I find invaluable to both my personal and professional growth as an HRIS professional. I studied, took and passed the HRIP Certification exam in April 2012. For me, the importance of the HRIP certification helps make the statement that I am committed to the profession and knowledgeable in the HR technology field.

What were the primary reasons you became an IHRIM volunteer and joined the Volunteer Connections Group?    

This is my second year as an IHRIM Social Media Contributor volunteer. I chose to volunteer for a couple of reasons. First, to give back to IHRIM for all I have learned and gained in being associated with this organization. Second, as a learning for me personally in the social media space. I was not a heavy user of the social media avenues and this really led me to get a better understanding of Twitter, Linked In and the CORE site. I was on the Annual Conference Content Review committee this year. This was another opportunity to give back to the organization and also understand a little of what it takes to prepare for the annual conference.  I was a part time room monitor at the 2013 conference for the first time as well. I was able to meet more people by visiting with them before the sessions began.

How do you see being a volunteer benefiting your career?
Volunteering has exposed me to more information about our field, and I find myself reading more discussions and posts online. I would like to think that this has at the same time increased my knowledge in the HRIS field.

Any other perspective you want to share with the IHRIM audience?

I encourage everyone to consider participating in one of the many volunteer activities that IHRIM has to offer. It is a great way to get more involved and knowledgeable about IHRIM and our field. 

 
For more information on IHRIM’s Volunteer Program and how you can get involved, go to http://bit.ly/IHRIM_Volunteer_Program.