In Memory of Larry Valenti, Past President of NCSHRM

Ultimately, $15 per hour equals inflation. Everything is going to go up for you and your employees. Yes, this means the employees are funneling more money into the economy, but they also have to pay more for goods and services too. The prime example of a future hardship is projected to be daycare, the cost of daycare could increase by over 20% throughout the state. If any of you, like myself, currently have to pay for daycare, imagine the already high rate in Florida going up by that amount, without getting paid more.

Currently, with Florida’s unemployment rate at 5.1% (May 21, 2021) and the removal of the additional funds for unemployment in June, you already see “Now Hiring” signs for workers at Domino’s and McDonald’s, for example, offering $15 an hour. They are even offering signing and attendance bonuses. Good luck keeping up with that in local government. Ultimately, certain jobs are going to be getting bid out to private providers that have traditionally been performed by fulltime government staff. Government agencies must get smarter with their resources. In the past, during an economic downturn we did more with less. Now that the market is back up, for now, most government agencies are still operating at the same staffing levels that we were at when the recession hit in 2010.

In May of 2021, Governor DeSantis stated that 900 people are moving to Florida every day. I am certain this is true, and like many of you, I think they are moving to my town. Never before have I seen so many lots being cleared for new construction homes. This means that there is going to more government services needed to be offered sooner than anyone expected. Growth is good but sometimes, too much growth is unsustainable. In one case its job security, but on the other hand it is a little overwhelming. Then on top of that the increase in the bottom of the pay scale by a dollar a year until September of 2026. Then it clearly states that salaries are to be adjusted annually thereafter for inflation.

My recommendation is to stay ahead of it and don’t just push the low earners up to the minimum wage, compressing the others. There must be a way to adjust your benefits to cover unplanned increases for staff. As the old saying goes, “you can’t eat benefits,” generally holds true, now is the time to adjust the pendulum towards the salary side of the total compensation equation effectively covering the needed cash for salaries.

Douglas G. Baber, SHRM-CP, MBA, DBA(c)

Human Resources and Risk Management Director St. Lucie County B.O.C.C

In Memory of Larry Valenti

February 7, 1956 – May 24, 2021 Charlotte, North Carolina President, North Carolina SHRM State Council (2018-2019) – representing over 7,000 SHRM members and 19 local chapters.

Larry joined the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) where he achieved the SHRM-SCP, SPHR and GPHR designations, served in many leadership positions in the local and NC level SHRM chapters, including president of the Charlotte and NC chapters, received the NCSHRM Professional of the Year (2011), the SHRM Southeast Region District Director of the Year (2014) and was inducted into the NC Human Resources Hall of Fame (2018).

TRIBUTES

He was a very unique person with a plethora of hidden talents. One never knew when he would throw out a comment that would just cause you to go….Hmmmm. Usually it had to do with his multi-level thinking. He always challenged the status quo wanting local SHRM chapters and State Council to evolve to the next level in support of members and SHRM. His legacy will live on as the founder of the Lake Normal HR Chapter; an idea that started as a response to a local member’s request that he nurtured into a thriving, sustainable chapter. - Bill Crigger

Larry’s life was one of service. We are indebted to him for always working to elevate the view and status of Human Resources as a profession through his work with CASHRM, NCSHRM and LKNHR. He was always there to support me when I had a question or just needed advice. Larry also had a great sense of style in the way he conducted himself. His knack for relationship-building and thinking creatively opened new doors for others in our profession. I have wonderful memories of sharing a laugh with him over lunch and his ear-to-ear grin. He will be deeply missed.

- Erin R. Kwon

Larry was always available with a listening ear, kind heart and welcoming smile. He had a keen sense of what was needed in a situation and how to approach it. I fondly remember our talks and his willingness to share his perspective and offer advice. He was kind and gentle and at the same time firm and acted with a great sense of purpose. I was lucky enough to serve on two boards with him, including CASHRM. He balanced his passion for human resources with his love of family, faith and music and he shined in all of them.

- Jennifer Golynsky

Memorial contributions may be made to BE THE MATCH. Larry would also love you to give a rescue dog a forever home.