Rebecca's Reflections - September 2026

By: Rebecca Harris, CRHRA President

Fall is almost here (and so is my birthday, depending on when you’re reading this), and it’s time to think about the rest of the year and your 4th Quarter Planning. 

One of my MANY goals when I became President of CRHRA was to have an updated compensation study completed. 

The last compensation survey conducted by CRHRA was completed over a decade ago, in 2015. And while 2015 may not feel that long ago for some of us, a lot has changed since then. The minimum wage was $8.75, we were pre-pandemic, and the workplace looked very different from what we see today. It’s quite possible that in 2015, most of your current workforce was still in college or even High School!

As a small business owner myself, I know the importance of having current, local compensation data. It can help us better understand what is happening in the Capital Region and provide useful information when thinking about hiring, retention, pay practices and overall compensation strategy. 

I am going to stand on my soapbox and continue to preach the importance of this survey until it closes on October 2nd. So, if you have not had a chance to complete it yet, here is the link to the survey: https://crhra.org/2026survey

While I cannot physically hold your hand while you complete it, I do promise that one participant will win $150 to Uncommon Grounds to buy their office breakfast and coffee!

Recently, I also had the privilege of attending the 2026 Talent & Inclusion Summit hosted by the Capital Region Chamber on behalf of CRHRA. Both keynote speakers and the panel discussion were fantastic.

What I love about events like this is the reinvigoration you get from attending. You catch up with old friends, meet new people and hear from people who have “been there and done that.” Sometimes you walk away with a completely new idea. Other times, you simply hear something that reminds you why you do what you do.

It always brings me back to the quote, “If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re
in the wrong room.”

I think there is a lot of truth to that.

Surrounding yourself with people who have different experiences, different perspectives and different expertise makes all of us better. We don’t have to be the smartest person in the room. We just need to be willing to listen, learn and bring what we learn back to our organizations and our profession.

That is one of the things I value most about CRHRA. We have an incredible community of HR professionals who are willing to share what they know, ask questions, challenge each other and learn together.

And sometimes, getting into the right room is exactly what we need to move forward.