October 2019 

HR InTouch

The Monthly Newsletter of the Greater Madison Area SHRM

In This Edition

President's Message

By Tammy Wacek, SHRM-CP, PHR
 

Government Affairs & Legal Updates


Supervisors’ Comments About Terminating “Old” Employees Mean Jury Trial for an Employer

Professional Development


November 12th PDS Topics:   

Compensation and Benefits


GMA SHRM Compensation Survey Now Available!

 

College Relations


GMA SHRM Student Night Out November 13, 2019

 

GMA SHRM Media Relations


Building & Strengthening Employee Relationships Throughout the Employment Cycle

Newsletter Updates


GMA SHRM News & Upcoming Events


November 12th Professional Development Summit -
Legal and Government Affairs Update


GMA SHRM Revealed November 7th 

HR Advice Network Roundtables


GMA SHRM Member News


Spotlight: 2020 GMA SHRM Partnership Opportunities

Welcome New Members!

Movin' Up

In Transition

 


 

 

President's Message

GMA SHRM
2019 Corporate Partners

Platinum Level

Boardman & Clark Law Firm
Hausmann-Johnson Insurance Group
The Payroll Company
The QTI Group
UW Credit Union
UW School of Business - CPED

Gold Level

Career Momentum
Godfrey & Kahn
Group Health Cooperative of
South Central Wisconsin


Silver Level

Cottingham Butler
M3 Insurance
Reynolds Transfer
Summit Credit Union

Bronze Level

The Alliance
Edgewood College
Littler Mendelson
Madison Capitols Hockey
MRA
Restaino & Associates Relocation

Thank you!


 

Greetings GMA SHRM Members –

The fall is a busy time of year for SHRM with the State Conference coming up and additional GMA SHRM programming. Please join us for networking and interactive fun on Thursday, November 7th at the Coliseum Bar! We also have our very popular Legal update, including a session on active shooter training, on November 12th. Details and registration for all of our events can be found on our events page
 
Our compensation survey is now available for purchase. We have 55 organizations and 218 jobs included. This is a great way to obtain data on positions within the greater Madison area! The prices are $300 if your organization participated in the survey or $600 as a non-participant. There are additional details here: http://www.gmashrm.org/GMASHRM_Surveys.
 
Visit GMA SHRM at the State Conference. We will have a booth on Wednesday, October 16th from 2:30p.m.-4:30p.m. in the Africa Suite. Please stop by and tell your colleagues this is a great way to learn more about the benefits we offer.
 
Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.


Take Care,

Tammy Wacek, SHRM-CP, PHR
President
GMA SHRM


 

Click here to view the full GMA SHRM Board of Directors






 

Government Affairs & Legal Updates

Supervisors’ Comments About Terminating “Old” Employees Mean Jury Trial for an Employer

Submitted by Brian Goodman at Boardman & Clark LLP and GMA SHRM VP of Programming

A federal district court in California recently concluded that a jury would have to decide whether Home Depot fired a 47-year-old assistant store manager (“ASM”) because of his age. The ASM presented evidence suggesting that his supervisors singled him out because of his age, repeatedly made comments about terminating “old” employees, and stated that they could replace the ASM with a younger person who made less money. They also asked the ASM three or four  times if he was thinking about retirement. Other employees also testified that the supervisors directed them to “performance out” the ASM and convince other older employees to retire or quit.

In the last year of his employment, the ASM received a “wave” of disciplinary notices and notes in his personnel file, and Home Depot claimed that this demonstrated that the ASM’s performance was the true reason for his termination.
 
However, the ASM produced evidence suggesting that the supervisors did not enforce Home Depot’s performance standards uniformly against employees of all ages and that some of the disciplinary notices and notes were not accurate. Additionally, the court rejected Home Depot’s argument that the supervisors’ comments about age were merely “stray remarks” because the comments were directly related to the ASM’s eventual termination. Finally, considering that the ASM was previously disciplined only once in his 20-plus years with Home Depot, the court ruled that the supervisors’ recent disciplinary notices and notes, in combination with the supervisors’ age comments, could lead a reasonable jury to conclude that age discrimination was the true reason for the ASM’s termination. Kull v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc., No. 18cv933 (S.D. Cal. July 10, 2019).
 
This decision emphasizes the importance of exercising caution before taking any adverse employment action against employees. Suddenly increasing the amount of documentation in an employee’s file can work against an employer if that documentation isn’t accurate or doesn’t reflect a company-wide change in policy. “Building a case” against an employee can backfire when employers take it too far. Additionally, while succession planning is important for any business, employers should beware of using the word “retirement,” particularly in reference to hoping an employee will retire soon. Finally, employers must always be careful to enforce policies consistently to avoid accusations of discrimination.

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Professional Development

November PDS Topics:  Legal and Government Affairs

Session 1:  Working Through Recent Legal Developments: Workplace Law in Action

Presented By:  Brian Goodman, Attorney, BoardmanClark LLP

HR professionals are challenged to keep up with ever-changing employment laws that are constantly impacting the ever-changing modern workplace. This presentation should help you identify the legal issues that will have the greatest consequences for employers in 2019 and into 2020. 
 
This presentation will keep you updated on the recent developments and provide you with the opportunity to evaluate real cases and hypothetical fact patterns.  Anyone can read the law; the goal of this presentation is to help you learn what to do when faced with real situations where the law interacts with your workplace.


Session 2:  Civilian Response to Active Shooter (CRASE) Training  
Presented by:  Officer Carrie Hemming, Madison Police Department

It is unfortunate that sudden violence perpetrated by an individual bent on killing innocent people is a reality in modern American communities. The good news is the likelihood of finding yourself under fire by an active shooter is roughly equivalent to being struck by lightning. However, as you can lessen your chances of being struck by lightning, there are simple things you can do to respond effectively if you ever find yourself in this unthinkable situation. The Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) class is a statistically based training program for all members of the Madison community interested in demystifying these frightening events. The training will include: A statistical breakdown of active shooter events, historical case studies & behavioral tools to maximize your chances of survival, table-top scenario discussions & Q&A session w/MPD active shooter experts.


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Compensation and Benefits

GMA SHRM Compensation Survey Now Available!

About the 2019 GMA SHRM Compensation Survey
  • 55 participating organizations in the GMA SHRM membership area.  Click here to view the survey information page and view the participant list.
     
  • 218 exempt and non-exempt jobs included.  Click here to view the survey information page and view the list of jobs from the survey.  We do have a report out of 70% of these benchmarks.
     
  • The GMA SHRM Compensation survey includes local data on the following executive jobs: Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Information Officer.
     
  • Within the reporting site, data can be stratified by: All Participants, Type of Industry, Number of FTEs and Type of Ownership (where available).
Click here for more information including how to order!


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College Relations

GMA SHRM Student Night Out November 13, 2019 

Submitted by Tyler Wood, Talent Acquisition & Recruitment Manager at UW Credit Union and GMA SHRM Director of College Relations

Join us for GMA SHRM’s Annual Student Night Out – a premier event for students that are pursuing a career in Human Resources! Here, students will learn from the best in the human resources profession. A live panel of HR leaders, a keynote speaker, networking, scholarship and mentorship information, and more will give a perspective that students will not get anywhere else!
 
Past student attendees came from UW-Madison, Madison College, UW-Whitewater, Edgewood, and more. We encourage all students and teachers interested in this event to attend! You don’t want to miss this.
 
GMA SHRM Members: Interested in volunteering at this event or serving as a mentor? Contact us to learn how! 
 
Details and registration may be found here.
 
Last year’s Student Night Out at Dream Bank (2018):  

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GMA SHRM Media Relations

Building & Strengthening Employee Relationships Throughout the Employment Cycle

Submitted by Joan Pajari, Senior Marketing Specialist at Kinsa Group & ABR Employment Services and GMA SHRM Media Relations Committee Member with permission from the author, ABR Employment Services.
 
The workplace is  full of relationships, and the one that exists between an organization and its candidates and employees forms the foundation of everything the organization does.
 
The importance of building and strengthening the company - employee relationship at all stages of the employment cycle is examined in the current issue of ABR Employment Services HR Insights Magazine.
 
Feature Article: Offboarding: What it Means and Why it Matters
Contrary to popular belief, the end of someone’s employment does not necessarily mark the end of his or her relationship with that company. In “Offboarding: What It Means and Why It Matters,” the last stage of someone’s employment cycle with an organization can have long-lasting effects on the organization’s employer brand, performance management, and potential to hire boomerang employees.
 
In “6 Tips for Interviewing and Hiring Former Employees,” the potential of hiring boomerang employees continues. Because these candidates are already familiar with the company (and already know many of the people there), there are a number of special considerations to keep in mind when engaging with this talent pool.
 
In “Worth the Investment: Why Corporate Culture Is Important,” how today’s tight job market makes it more important than ever for organizations “to foster a high-functioning, people-first corporate culture” that attracts candidates and retains current employees is examined.

A company runs on its people, and those people do their best work when they are engaged and feel connected to the organization and its purpose.

In closing, the Media Relations Team hopes these timely articles provide useful insight to help continue building and strengthening employee relationships at your company.



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Newsletter Updates

Newsletter Coordinator: Mary Moua, Employee Engagement & Social Media Specialist at Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation
 
We welcome any feedback regarding topics of interests, suggestions or general comments of what you'd like to see in future newsletters.  After all, this is meant for YOU!
 
Please send your suggestions to our Newsletter Coordinator here.







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GMA SHRM News & Upcoming Events

November PDS Topics:  Legal and Government Affairs

Session 1:  Working Through Recent Legal Developments: Workplace Law in Action
Presented By:  Brian Goodman, Attorney, BoardmanClark LLP

Session 2:  Civilian Response to Active Shooter (CRASE) Training  
Presented by:  Officer Carrie Hemming, Madison Police Department
 

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GMA SHRM Revealed - and SHRM Jeopardy!

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Location: The Coliseum Bar & Banquet
232 East Olin Avenue
Madison, WI 

Join us for a chance to mingle & meet your fellow members at this fun, interactive event!

Running late?  Come anyway! Have to leave early?  Come anyway!

We would love to have you there so if you can't make it to the full event, please come when you can & join in the fun!   

You’ll have a chance to learn about specific GMA SHRM committees & how your involvement can benefit your career.  Along with that, we’ll be sharing information about how the great programs, networking opportunities and events GMA SHRM offers will support you & your success!

Hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be provided. Although this is a free event, we would like you to register ahead of time so we can better prepare for the event size.

More information

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HR Advice Network Roundtables 

We have three roundtables held monthly at three different locations throughout the Madison area. The current meeting schedule is below.
 
*Please note, there is a location change for South Central to NeuGen, 45 Nob Hill Road , Madison, beginning in August.   

East
Herzing University  
5218 East Terrace Drive
South Central
Effective August, new location:
NeuGen, 45 Nob Hill Road
 
Previous location: The Alliance
5510 Nobel Drive, 2nd floor
 
West
Accuray
1 Erdman Place
  • Third Tuesday of every month excluding December.
    8:30am-10:00am
  • Due to date conflicts with PDS programs, September’s date will be moved to: September 24
  • RSVP to Melissa Chadwick - melissa.chadwick@bakertilly.com
  • Max number of attendees: 25
  • First Thursday of every month excluding December
    8:30am-10:00am  There will be no meeting on July 4th     
  • RSVP to Tracy Niesen Breunig – tniesenbreunig@overture.org
  • Max number of attendees: 25
  • Last Wednesday of every month, excluding December
  • 8:30am-10:00am        
  • RSVP to  Dawn Koopman – dmkoopman@hotmail.com
  • Max number of attendees: 25

Program Details...

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GMA SHRM Member News

Spotlight:  2020 GMA SHRM Partnership Opportunities

Submitted by Laura Bermudo, Director of Client Relations at The QTI Group and GMA SHRM Director of Corporate Partnerships & Sponsorships
 
We are beyond grateful for those who supported our chapter in 2019.  GMA SHRM’s top-notch programming, speakers and resources are made possible by these generous partners and sponsors – we could not do it without you! 
 
We are looking forward to reconnecting with our existing 2019 partners and new partners alike to set us all up for more great things to come in 2020!   For more information on the outstanding benefits of becoming a partner please visit us at: http://www.gmashrm.org/GMASHRMCorporatePartnership or contact us to be connected with one of our amazing committee members. 
 
We have an amazing group of committee members who are all eager to help our chapter thrive and provide value to all of you.   If you are interested in learning more about how to join in the fun, as a Corporate Partner or Corporate Relations Committee member, please contact me
 
Deadline: 2020 Partnership Application Deadline: December 11th, 2019






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Welcome New Members!

GMA SHRM welcomes the following members who joined our chapter in August 2019!
 

Jessie Bockelman   Accuray Incorporated
Ryan Carr   Merrill Lynch
Amy Carrick SPHR Mindfull HR LLC
Ashley Gossett   Capital Newspapers
Maxwell Hammond    
Breanne Ivens   Rev360
Rae Johannessen   Student  UW Madison
Lou Ann Lunda   Madison College
Wanda Manning SHRM-CP UW System Administration
Chandra McGuire SHRM-CP Oakbrook
Christy Porterfield PHR American Family Insurance
Andrew Ramberg   Group Health Cooperative
Wendy Raymond    
Leah Rempert   Automatic Data Processing
Jennifer Revels SHRM-SCP, SPHR Revels Consulting LLC
Erika Roesler SHRM-CP Wisconsin Air National Guard
Kate Schieldt SHRM-SCP Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin
Mitchell Waterworth   Auburn Ridge
Leah Zine   Integrity Residential Services


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Movin' Up

Have you started with a new company? Has your organization recently promoted you to a new position? Or do you want to recognize a new person or promotion within your department? If so, we want to hear about it. Send us an e-mail, and we’ll publish your good news in the next HR InTouch!  
 

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In Transition

If you are a member who is in between jobs, or who is currently employed but seeking new positions or career paths, write us a brief description of your skill set, areas of expertise, what you’re looking for, etc. Send us an e-mail. We’ll publish your information in the next HR InTouch.

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HR InTouch Guidelines

Article Writing:

Do you have an interest in writing for the HR InTouch? We have an interest in learning more about your area of expertise!

Why should you volunteer? Top three reasons: 1) to share your knowledge and experiences to educate others; 2) to become more connected in the HR and Dane County communities; and 3) to contribute towards the advancement of GMA SHRM and the HR profession.

The first step is for you to choose a submission option: you can pre-submit an article to GMA SHRM at any time for us to use in any of the upcoming newsletters, you can sign up to write for a particular month, or we can put you on a list of people to contact in future months whenever we need articles.

Article length:

Because the HR InTouch is now in an online format, the size is flexible. The article should be engaging and hold readers’ attention. Include the core information in your article, and we will advise if it is too lengthy.

Solicitation:

GMA SHRM is conscious not to allow solicitation through the articles, in an effort to protect the interests of our partners and members. The nature of the article should be educational (i.e., what are the business advantages of having a product like yours) or informational. Otherwise, if you truly are interested in advertising through the HR InTouch, you can work with our Marketing Committee. As a rule of thumb for article writing, if the submission relates to a for-profit event, or specifically markets your company (vs. your industry), it is an advertisement, and should be purchased. If it is a not-for-profit event that your company is hosting, or an announcement (i.e., a SHRM member recently joined your company), it is an acceptable addition to the HR InTouch content. If you have any questions related to the appropriateness of your submission, please contact us.

If you have questions, or to submit an article, contact GMA SHRM at chapteradmin@gmashrm.org .

 

 Amended