GMA SHRM HR Link

Monthly Board Article: Compensation & Benefits Benchmarking
By Ric Cederholm, GMA SHRM Director - At-Large

As an HR professional, having access to relevant benchmarking data related to compensation and benefit practices in your local market is a must if you want to maintain fiscal control. But it is also a must if you want to attract and retain a talented workforce. Perhaps this is one reason why programs related to these topics are always so well attended (Note: September's Chapter meeting is dedicated to teaching you "Strategies for Controlling Healthcare Costs").

Fortunately, your GMA SHRM sponsors two surveys that provide you with a wealth of data in these areas:

1. The 2004 Benefit Survey (a bi-annual survey released in late August)
2. The 2004 Compensation Survey (an annual survey released in September)

This year's Benefit Survey contains data reported by 70 member organizations in the Greater Madison Area. This 230+ page report contains the most up-to-date benefit information for the Madison market available anywhere. Included is detailed data related to medical coverage (for Comprehensive, HMO, PPO and POS plans), paid time off and severance benefits, and retirement benefits (to name a few). This is a "must have" report if you are a benefits analyst, or if you have a benefits analyst in your office.

The 2004 Compensation Survey contains data reported by 85 member organizations. Due to member feedback, we have added three new positions to the survey, which brings our total number of positions up to 211. In the Banking and Insurance job families, we added Claims Supervisor and Underwriting Manager, and in the Health Care job family we added Medical Records Technician. Again, a "must have" report if you are in a position of making compensation decisions for your organization.

While not the sole determinant of employee satisfaction, effectively benchmarking your company's compensation and benefit offerings can lay a solid foundation for becoming an employer of choice. It also proves your worth as a financially-savvy HR professional ready to move to the next level.

Make sure you order your copies of the 2004 Compensation and Benefit Surveys today by contacting the GMA SHRM administrative office or visiting the GMA SHRM Web site.

Starting September 13, Robert Half International Inc. (RHI) will be hosting a second annual suit drive to benefit Dress for Success, a nonprofit organization that provides interview-appropriate clothing to low income women. This year, RHI has partnered with the Community Action Coalition to collect both men's and women's professional apparel.

We can accept new or nearly new men's and women's suits (pants and skirts), blouses, shoes, and accessories. All donations should be appropriate to wear to work, as well as clean and in good condition. Please provide all garments on hangers, as they will be made available immediately through Dress for Success boutiques. For more information on the drive, please visit the RHI website at http://www.rhi.com/ or call Jennifer Waldron at (608) 827-7770.

Suits can be dropped off at our office from September 13-24, 2004. We are located at:
1600 Aspen Commons
Suite 260
Middleton, WI 53562

Common Wealth Development, an organization that mentors Youth in business functions, is looking for mock interviewers. Each interviewer will conduct a general mock interview with 5-10 high school students. It's a great opportunity to help out our community! If you are interested, please contact the Student Relations Co-Chair, Carrie Dushenski. E-mail: carrie.dushenski@adeccona.com.

Mark your calendars for Thursday, November 11th. If you are a new GMA SHRM member or have never attended orientation, the New Member Welcome and Orientation Meeting on November 11th is the place for you! Enjoy great food while the GMA SHRM leadership team gives a introductory presentation on our chapter and it's various committees. This is a great opportunity to learn more about GMA SHRM, the benefits it has to offer, how you can get involved, meet committee members and to network with other HR professionals. Even if you are a seasoned member but have not connected with the chapter, please join us on November 11th to welcome new members.

Hosting the event is Boardman Law Firm. Boardman has a beautiful facility on the square overlooking our State Capital. Delicious food and beverages will be provided with plenty of time for socializing.

RSVP's are requested no later than November 4th by contacting New Member Orientation Co-Chair Holly Marciniak at holly.marciniak@berbee.com or (608) 298-1103.

Mark your calendars for Thursday, November 11th from 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM at Boardman Law Firm. Please direct any questions to Holly Marciniak at (608) 298-1103.

Attention all members: Will you be attending this year's SHRM Workplace Diversity Conference & Exposition? If so, please let us know at chapteradmin@gmashrm.org if you would be interested in forming a "support group" or writing a newsletter article related to the conference. The conference will be held October 25-27, 2004, in Chicago, Ill. For more information, visit the conference Web site at http://www.shrm.org/conferences/diversity/ or call Customer Service at (800) 283-7476, option # 3 or (703) 548-3440, option 3; TTY/TDD: (703) 548-6999; e-mail: shrm@shrm.org.

Effective January 1, 2005 several positions on the State Council will become available because the incumbents will reach their term limit.

The open positions include the Secretary, Leadership Director, Conference Liaison Director and District Director- South. Here is a brief description of each:

Secretary - The Secretary is an officer position on the Council and is responsible for recording and distributing Council meeting minutes. The secretary assists the State Director in creating and communicating Council meeting agendas.

Leadership Director - This position provides leadership development opportunities to Council members. The Leadership Director organizes a Leadership Conference for Council members and volunteer leaders of the Wisconsin SHRM professional and student chapters. Prior experience as a Council member is desired.

Conference Liaison Director - This position ensures that State Conference sites have been selected and negotiates contracts for facility space. The Conference Liaison Director also assists the Legislative and Leadership Directors with facilities/accommodations duties for their respective conferences. Having state conference planning committee experience would be helpful in this position.

District Director - South - This position provides support to the Greater Madison and Sauk and Jefferson County SHRM chapters. The position acts as a resource to help the chapters with their operations and provides opportunities for the chapters in the district to network with each other. Previous experience as a chapter president is desired.

The WI SHRM Council has been a successful organization because the Council members know how to have fun in addition to working hard. If you've been active in SHRM and want to take your volunteering to the next level, the WI SHRM State Council may be for you!

The GMA SHRM has established a scholarship program encouraging the continual pursuit of achieving an education in the human resource field. Two $500 non-renewable scholarships will be awarded to students at one of our affiliated student membership chapters: UW- Madison, UW- Platteville and UW-Whitewater provided they met the eligibility requirements.

Applicants for the GMA SHRM Student Scholarship Program must meet the following criteria:

Scholarship recipients will be selected by the Scholarship Committee based on their all-around academic standing, participation in university and community activities, demonstration of leadership qualities and interest in the human resources field. Preference will be given to Human Resource Management majors and those with relevant, related work experience.

The scholarship program will be presented to the student membership chapters during the week of October 11th with a return deadline of Friday, October 29th.

Any questions regarding the scholarship program can be directed to Laurel Bronk (lbronk@ub-t.com) or John Komosa (johnk@qstaff.com)