You are invited to submit a response to this Call for Presentations to be considered as a speaker for the monthly educational sessions of the Houston International HR Roundtable.  Proposals will be reviewed by the Roundtable’s Selection Committee and will become property of the Roundtable.  For vendors/service providers, we have a preference for you to include an international HR practitioner as part of the presentation.  Presentations must be eligible for HRCI recertification credit.  Although all topics relating to international human resources are eligible, the Selection Committee is particularly interested in presentations relating to:

• international compensation and benefits
• security issues
• global diversity
• cross-cultural communication
• localization of long-term expatriates
• relocation issues
• spouse and family issues

Submissions should be made to Submit Presentation with “Call for Presentations” in the subject line.  Thank you!

You are invited to the January 27, 2010, education program of the Houston International HR Roundtable.  Our speaker will be Jordan Cowman of Akin Gump presenting the first in our Tough International HR Challenge Series:  Global Terminations. Employers are increasingly facing the consequences of their decisions to think and act globally, especially when it comes to employment responsibilities. Jordan’s presentation will cover many of the issues facing global employers today, particulary terminations. At the end of the presentation, the audience will have a clear picture of the nature of employment liability related to terminations and other cost-cutting measures when operations are in the global arena.

Jordan’s presentations are always lively and contain real-world examples.  His presentation will provide an understanding of the relationship between US and non-US labor laws and how they differ in their application and purpose, and will equip the multinational employer with the right questions to ask before implementing terminations and other cost-cutting measures.

Jordan Cowman is a Partner in the Dallas, Texas, office of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. He specializes in international labor and employment law and counseling on employment litigation, international public policy, cross-border matters and corporate compliance.Mr. Cowman is a director of the Texas Business Hall of Fame, the Dallas Assembly, the Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations, and a member of the U.S. Council for International Business’ International Labor and Employment Law Committee. He was an employer advisor to the United Nations’ International Labor Organization in 2002, 2003 and 2004. He is past chairman of the Texas Lyceum Association.

This program has been submitted to HR Certification Institute for review.

We are excited to announce the Houston International HR Roundtable’s Best Practice of the Year Award.

The Contest

We want to honor and recognize our members that innovate and create Best Practices in the field of international human resources. This is the opportunity for you and your HR department to receive recognition for the creative and innovative programs you implemented during 2009.  At our March 2010 educational breakfast meeting, we will announce the Best Practice of the Year for 2009.  We believe that by honoring and recognizing creative and innovative ideas that you will inspire your peers and colleagues to bring solutions to challenges they face. Although only “one” Best Practice will be chosen as the “Best Practice of the Year,” we will also recognize a select number of “Best Practices” at the meeting.

The Rules

The contest is open to all members of the Houston International HR Roundtable.  Nominations must be programs implemented between January 2, 2009 and December 31, 2009. The program needs to relate to international HR and could be related to expatriate management, international compensation and benefits, immigration program, global training, etc. The program may include other departments or groups or even vendors. Multiple nominations by a single company are allowed.

Nomination form is available by clicking below.