August 2017

HR InTouch

The Monthly Newsletter of the Greater Madison Area SHRM

In This Edition

President's Message

By Melissa Chadwick
 

Government Affairs & Legal Updates

Workplace Flexibility in the 21st Century Act to be Introduced in Congress

Want to Help Shape Future Government Affairs Programming?

Professional Development

Wellness Trends and Hot Topics for 2017

Don’t Ignore Mental Health Issues in the Workplace

2017 WISHRM State Conference - HR's got Talent

SHRM Foundation Certification Scholarships

GMA SHRM Idea Exchange

Workforce Readiness & Diversity


GMA SHRM Media Relations

Media Relations Committee

Forward HR


GMA SHRM News & Upcoming Events

Casino Night - Networking and Volunteer Recognition

Professional Development Summit - September 19, 2017
Session 1:  Going from Surviving to Thriving
Session 2:  Why We Need to Talk about Mental Health in the Workplace


View the 2017 Calendar of Events!
 

GMA SHRM Member News

Spotlights

Welcome New Members!

Movin' Up

In Transition

 


 

 

President's Message

GMA SHRM
2017 Corporate Partners

Gold Level

Boardman & Clark Law Firm
Career Momentum
Godfrey & Kahn
The Payroll Company
Remedy Intelligent Staffing
Threadfellows

Silver Level

Bunbury & Associates
First Choice Dental
Hausmann-Johnson Insurance Group
M3 Insurance
QPS Employment Group
Summit Credit Union
Ultimate Software

Bronze Level

Adecco Engineering & Technology
The Alliance
Edgewood College
Escape This! Team Building - Special Events
The QTI Group
Stark Relocation
Unity Health Insurance

Thank you!

 


 

Greetings GMA SHRM Members –

How is it already August?  Summer has flown by – seemingly faster than ever. I hope you’ve been able to enjoy the summer, between the raindrops and humid days.
I appreciate everyone who took time to complete the annual member survey.  Our Programming Committee spent time reviewing all of the questions and made some changes which resulted in a shorter, easier to complete survey.  We had increased participation this year and appreciate everyone who took time to fill it out.  Each year it provides valuable information to our board and committees and we use that information when planning our current and future years for our programming and strategic focus areas.  We also randomly select 5 participants to receive a $25 gift card – congrats to this year’s winners: Lisa Adkins, Carla Anderson, Dotty Conover, Janet Nodorft and Michelle Kraemer.
 
Be sure to sign up for and attend our upcoming events –

  • August 17 – Casino Night at the Brink Lounge!  This is our semi-annual networking event and will include plenty of “free money” to gamble with (and table hosts to teach you how to play!), a drink ticket and food, networking, and prizes.  And new this year, we’ll be recognizing some of our volunteers and members with awards, which will be announced at the event!
  • September 19 – our next PDS will be at the Alliant Energy Center.  We have two great topics – “Wellness programs - How to create one that works” and “Why We Need to Talk about Mental Illness in the Workplace”.  Registration will be opening soon – be sure to sign up!
  • Ongoing - HR Resource Groups are monthly, informal, peer-led discussions where members come together to address and discuss their emerging HR challenges, in an open forum, sharing information, seeking advice, and providing support and tangible resources to one another by exploring best practices.  Visit our website to RSVP for a meeting near you!

If you’ve thought about getting more involved in our chapter, now is a great time to do so!  Please reach out to Ben Lodahl, Director of Volunteer Engagement, if you’re interested in learning more!  There are opportunities for everyone of all levels and all time commitments – our chapter runs on volunteers and we are always recruiting for more!
I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event and hope you enjoy the reminder of your summer!

Best Wishes,

Melissa Chadwick
President
GMA SHRM

Click here to view the full GMA SHRM Board of Directors
 

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Government Affairs & Legal Updates

Workplace Flexibility in the 21st Century Act to be Introduced in Congress

Submitted by:  Jeff Palkowski, Director of Government Affairs GMA SHRM and SHRM Advocacy Captain (Wisconsin 1st CD)

Representative Mimi Walters (R-CA-45) is expected to introduce legislation in the US House of Representatives this summer which would provide employers with voluntary expanded paid leave and workplace flexibilities to extend to their employees.  The proposed legislation has been developed in conjunction with SHRM over the past year.
 
In summary, the legislation would provide:

  • Employers that choose to participate by offering a minimum threshold of paid leave and a flexible work option to all employees will automatically satisfy all state and local paid leave requirements.
  • Provides participating employers flexibility and predictability in designing their workplace flexibility offerings, rather than having to adhere to various state and local government mandates. 

Rep. Walters and SHRM believe that this legislation is needed for employers as a number of states and local municipalities have passed law to mandate paid sick leave. This becomes an administrative challenge for those employers that have workers in various locations across the county.
 
A key provision of the legislation is to amend ERISA by adding to the definition of an ERISA plan a “Qualified Flexible Work Arrangement Plan” or QFWA.  An employer would have the ability to voluntarily choose to offer a QFWA Plan to their employees.  In order to qualify as a QFWA plan, the employer would need to offer to specific components to ALL employees:

  1. Paid Leave – number of actual paid leave days would be scaled to the size of the employer and an eligible employee’s tenure with the employer.
  2. Flexible Work Arrangement – at least one flexible work arrangement would need to be offered to each eligible employee. 

While this law would satisfy requirements (preempt) of all state and local paid leave laws to create consistency the law would:

  • Not preempt state and local laws mandating unpaid leave
  • Not preempt state temporary disability insurance
  • Would allow employers to allow paid leave amounts to be carried over or cashed-out by employees but would not be required to do so.
  • Would preempt state and local predictive scheduling requirements 

Additional information about the proposed legislation will be provided as soon as it is available.  For more information about this or other workplace flexibility initiatives, please visit www.shrm.org.

Information courtesy of Lisa Horn, SHRM Director of Congressional Affairs

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Want to Help Shape Future Government Affairs Programming

Submitted by:  Jeff Palkowski, Director of Government Affairs GMA SHRM and SHRM Advocacy Captain (Wisconsin 1st CD)     


Are you interested in providing input to several future government affairs professional development events?  If so, the GMA SHRM Government Affairs Committee would welcome your ideas for topics and speakers for two upcoming events.

  • GMA SHRM Professional Development Summit – November 14, 2017
    The GMA SHRM Government Affairs Committee will be providing topics and speakers for this PDS.  We are hoping to secure our speakers by August.  If you have any ideas for legislative, employment law, or government affairs topics, please provide your feedback to Jeff Palkowski at jcp@athletics.wisc.edu by July 15, 2017. 

 

  • WI SHRM Day on the Hill – February 20-21, 2018
    The GMA SHRM Government Affairs Committee will be assisting the Wisconsin SHRM State Council with planning for the annual event which will be held in Madison at the Park Hotel and State Capitol.  Last year, the event featured the Lt. Governor, and speakers from the Department of Workforce Development, and Marquette University Law School Poll.  The planning committee is starting to look at topics and speakers for the 2018 event.  If there are any specific topics and/or speakers that you would like to suggest, please provide your feedback to Jeff Palkowski at jcp@athletics.wisc.edu by August 31, 2017. For information about last year’s event, visit: http://www.wishrm.org/2017-Day-on-the-Hill 

Please save the dates for these two upcoming events.  Information about both events will be posted in future newsletters as programming is finalized.
 

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Professional Development

Wellness Trends and Hot Topics for 2017

Submitted by by Janet Nodorft, CWC, CWWS, MS, Wellness Consultant with Blue Jewel Coaching
Janet is a presenter at out September PDS

Cultivating Cultures that Flourish was the theme of the 2017 National Wellness Institute’s conference recently held in St. Paul, MN.  I felt like a kid on Christmas morning for the three days while I was there hearing phenomenal speakers that spoke on numerous wellness topics. My enthusiasm has been rekindled and I am excited to share with you my experiences. People attended from across the U.S. and from several countries which enriched the conversations, strengthened trust and respect, and enhanced friendships.

There was an obvious commitment to make a real difference in wellness whether it was for the public or private workplace, within the community, for big or small companies, or for profit or nonprofit agencies or businesses.  Several themes emerged from the three-day conference including culture, using a holistic approach and mindfulness. 
 
The first theme centered around having a wellness culture with organizations. Healthy, thriving cultures are critical in today’s highly competitive market of which there are many reasons. Two reasons that organizations embellish wellness is to remain in business, and to recruit and retain talent.  Now many people want and expect to work somewhere that embraces a wellness culture and they specifically look for one when job searching. Approaches about how to design, develop, and implement a wellness culture are custom tailored according to the organization’s needs.  Unique strategies will meet employees’ needs and vary according to the industry, size, location, and many other factors.  Employees, partners, vendors, suppliers and others all impact the culture. A healthy culture must have the commitment from leadership including managers, and supervisors but it is also necessary to have engaged employees. Since up to 90% of ongoing costs are related to the employees, having a wellness culture will enhance happiness, life satisfaction, meaningful work, and serving a purpose.
 
Another theme that emerged is using a holistic wellness model and moving from one that is more traditional to including even more aspects of wellbeing. Holistic wellness initiatives are primarily directed at improving overall wellbeing of employees but are also aimed at controlling health care related costs as a secondary outcome. Traditional models include physical, emotional, social, spiritual, occupational, financial, intellectual and/or mental.  Many models include different variations. New and innovative approaches are added to expand wellness and may include habits such as forgiveness, quieting your mind, gratitude and laughing.  By expanding the model, it provides a sense of direction about how to have a culture of wellness that focuses on the whole person, improves the community, and serves society. Multicultural aspects are becoming more popular and include value based cultures and worksite diversity.
 
Finally, mindfulness is another very common practice being done in organizations.  This is an easy way to improve employee satisfaction, and it enhance productivity and morale.  Mindfulness can be as simple as slow, deep breathing while closing your eyes and can be done at a desk, workstation, or at other locations throughout the day.  Sometimes organizations are providing spaces that are often enclosed to provide privacy, comfort and a quiet space to practice mindfulness to get away from the rat race.  By offering a space, people get away from job stress, pressures and the high demands of work and can better focus and feel refreshed after practicing mindfulness for only a few minutes.  When using these simple breathing techniques, employees are likely to experience less stress such as before, during or after a meeting, when colleagues are disagreeing, or when there is stress from other life events.  
 
In conclusion, wellness is not going away and we simply cannot ignore it. Organizations that embrace wellness do better than those that don’t and research proves this.  Whether an organization is just getting started, improving upon what they currently have, or has a robust wellness culture, only positive, good things can happen. 

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Don’t Ignore Mental Health issues in the Workplace

Submitted by Jane Maule, VP Programming GMA SHRM
Mental Health in the Workplace is a topic featured at out September PDS

Amy, by any standard, was a model employee.  She worked hard and was a perfectionist in completing her job assignments.  She was a great team worker and was loved by others in her department.  Her supervisor thought she had great potential for advancement within the organization.  Amy had one problem, however.  She was living with severe depression and anxiety that resulted in an increasing abuse of alcohol.  This caused her to miss work for several days at a time.  After each occurrence Amy would have a plausible excuse for missing work.   Amy’s supervisor was reluctant to talk with her about how much work she was missing.  She thought if she was kind and patient with Amy she would eventually work through her issues.  The last thing she wanted was a reprimand on Amy’s record.  Unfortunately Amy’s condition spiraled out of control and after a weekend of binge drinking she was found unresponsive and taken to the hospital with a lethal level of alcohol in her system.
 

Don’t make the same mistake as Amy’s Supervisor.  She was in a perfect position to see that Amy receive the help she needed, but failed to do so.  An estimated 43.8 million Americans age 18 and older suffer from some form of mental health issue, according to the nonprofit Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC). Mental illness and substance abuse cost employers an estimated $80 billion to $100 billion in indirect costs per year, and stress is ranked as the top workforce risk factor by 78 percent of U.S. employers.  “Behavioral health conditions are among the most widespread, costly and yet preventable illnesses from which people suffer,” said Terri L. Rhodes, executive director of DMEC. (SHRM contributor, Stephen Miller, CEBS Mar 2, 2015)

Please join GMA SHRM on September 19, 2017 at the Alliant Energy Center for an educational program that will explore how to identify and respond to mental health issues in the workplace.   For more details please go to www.gmashrm.org/2017-09PDS

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2017 WISHRM State Conference - HR's got Talent

Mark your calendars!  The premier Human Resources conference in Wisconsin is happening October 11 – 13, 2017.  This year’s conference will take place at the family-friendly Kalahari resort in Wisconsin Dells. 
In the past, conference attendees had the opportunity to:

  • Hear high caliber, nationally-renowned keynote speakers deliver thought-provoking, inspirational and entertaining keynote speeches
  • Network with fellow HR peers from across the state
  • Meet with vendors ready to support their HR efforts with all kinds of services including solutions to meet your talent, software, legal needs and more
  • Pick and choose from numerous learning sessions to tailor their learning
  • Earn both general and business credit towards SHRM and HRCI recertification

You can plan to attend for the same amazing benefits.  Register early for the best rate!  Registration is open now!

Visit the WI SHRM Conference page for more information.
 
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SHRM Foundation Certification Scholarships

Getting your HRCI or SHRM certification? 
 
Both organizations now have MOBILE APPS that you can download to help in your certification prep! 
 
Check out the App Store in your smart phone (iPhone or Android) for these helpful tools!  
 

Sheree Yates, WISHRM Certification Director

In 2017, the SHRM Foundation will award almost $500,000 in support of students seeking undergraduate, graduate, certification and professional development opportunities. It would be great to see Wisconsin SHRM members be recognized as scholarship recipients!
 
Scholarship funds may be used for any combination of test preparation expenses, such as SHRM Certification Preparation tools and/or exam fees.
 
In addition to the SHRM Foundation Certification Scholarships, your WISHRM state council sponsors a Certification Scholarship in the amount of $750 for a SHRM national member who lives or works in Wisconsin and is preparing to sit for the SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP certification exam.
 
When applying for a SHRM certification scholarship, eligible applicants will be considered for both the Foundation and WI State Council sponsored scholarship. To apply go to the SHRM Foundation Scholarship page.

The deadline for the Spring offering is coming up soon so make sure to get your application in.

The WISHRM Certification Scholarship will be awarded in fall 2017. 

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GMA SHRM Idea Exchange



Sometimes you just have that question…..you would really just like to ask an HR colleague quickly.  Perhaps it is limited to your field of work, or a specific situation.  Let GMA SHRM help! 
 
In response to a specific need, we are excited to launch the “Idea Exchange” as part of your membership in GMA SHRM!  The goal of the Idea Exchange is to provide a secure area for all GMA SHRM members to be able to start a dialogue and find someone to network with on a particular issue, and to share files in a more secure format - or at least share contact details so files could be shared.
 
This great new tool is available to all members of GMA SHRM.  You simply sign in on the GMA SHRM Home Page (click on Member Log In at the top) to access questions or to provide your response!”



Once you are logged in, click on ‘File Library’ at the top right, and Idea Exchange will appear on the drop down menu. 



Interested in joining the Social Media & Technology Committee? 
 
Simply want to learn more about what we do? 
 
Join our next committee meeting via telephone conference!   Contact Contact Tia Gibson (tia.gibson@covance.com)  for details – all interested GMA SHRM members are welcome!

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Workforce Readiness & Diversity

Dane County Regional Job Fair

The Dane County Regional Job Fair is fast approaching!  Workforce Readiness is a perfect committee to partner with this event.  As in the past we are looking for volunteers to join us in an assistance capacity before the job fair starts. 
 
As HR professionals this is a fun and engaging way to demonstrate your skills in resume revisions for those less experienced.  How rewarding to have an opportunity to affect a resume for a jobseeker before it is submitted!
 
We are looking for up to 18 volunteers across a two hour time slot (10a-12p), prior to the start of the fair on Wednesday August 16th at the Alliant Energy Center.
 
If you have time and are willing to spend an hour or two helping out, please reach out via email to mary.kauffman@dwd.wisconsin.gov
 
Click here to join us for the Dane County Job Fair.

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GMA SHRM Media Relations

Media Relations Committee

The Media Relations Committee (formerly Social Media & Technology) had their kickoff meeting for the new fiscal year, celebrating a new committee name, and the exciting things to come!  
 
Next step – grow the Media Relations Committee! 
 
The Media Relations Committee is responsible for all GMA SHRM social media -
 
Do you love –
Facebook?
Linked In?
Recruiting?
Marketing?
Creative writing?
 
Do you want to –
Grow your network? 
Lay the foundation for the next step in your career?
Add “volunteer experience” to your resume? 
 
MRC members dedicate as little as 30 minutes/month volunteering/attending committee activities – ALL from the comfort of your own home/office - contact brittanyh@seniorhelpers.com to learn more!  


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Forward HR

Want to know what’s going on in HR for the other areas of Wisconsin?  WI SHRM has a new blog, Forward HR. Click here to take a look.

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GMA SHRM News & Upcoming Events

Get Excited for CASINO NIGHT! 

It’s time to sign up for our summer networking event AND volunteer appreciation event this August 17th!  We will be enjoying the evening with a casino night, door prizes, great food/drink, and great company! 
 
We have decided this year to combine our networking event with our volunteer appreciation event that we hold every year to thank all of those who have taken time out of their busy schedules to keep GMA SHRM running smoothly! 
 
We have so many volunteers and members who do countless tasks and have not had the opportunity to thank them as much as we should.
 
These new awards include:

  • GMA SHRM Rising Star award  -  This award will be given to a volunteer who has been volunteering less than 2 years with the chapter and has made a big impact on GMA SHRM. 
  • GMA SHRM Champion award  -  This award will be given to a volunteer who has been volunteering for 5+ years and is someone GMA SHRM has always been able to count on to help where needed.  They are committed to the chapter and the greater Madison HR community. 
  • GMA SHRM Ambassador award  -  This award will be given to a volunteer or member who has been with GMA SHRM for 3+ years and has always spoken highly of GMA SHRM and is always advocating to the greater Madison Community about our chapter and what we offer.This event is open to all members and especially our volunteers.  If you have volunteered this year, you will receive extra chips and drink tickets as a thank you for your dedication this past year.

Hope to see you there! 

More information and registration.

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September Professional Development Summit 

Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Alliant Energy Center

Both sessions have been approved for credit by SHRM and HRCI!

Session 1:  Going from Surviving to Thriving

Presented by Janet Nodorft, CWC, CWWS, MS, Wellness Consultant with Blue Jewel Coaching
Time: 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m

Session 2:  Why We Need to Talk about Mental Health in the Workplace
Presented by Nancy Pierce, Advanced Clinical Practitioner, Journey Mental Health Center
Time: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.


More information and registration.


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View the 2017 Calendar of Events!

Get out your calendars and save these dates now for the 2017 GMA SHRM Programming and Networking Calendar!

Click here to view the calendar!

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GMA SHRM Member News
 

Spotlights

Let’s say goodbye Volunteer Spotlight – and hello to the Committee Volunteer Highlights Section! 
 
The Committee Volunteer Highlights Section will showcase a different GMA SHRM committee each month – get the inside scoop on what each committee is all about – there are volunteer opportunities on every GMA SHRM committee.
 
Check out this section each month to see which committee fits YOUR strengths and passions.
 
Want to join a committee?  The email for each Committee Director will be listed in this section – contact them directly – OR you can always email chapteradmin@gmashrm.org.  
 

 

Welcome New Members!

GMA SHRM welcomes the following members who joined our chapter in June 2017!

Kimberly A. Bellefeuille American Family Insurance
Elizabeth Boivin Forte Research Systems
Shelby L. Bowe QPS Employment Group
Amanda Horn CUNA Mutual Group
Kelley Martin Bell Laboratories, Inc.
Riley Pink Monona Bank
Ellie Roekle, SHRM-CP,PHR Remedy Intelligent Staffing
Todd Roller, SHRM-SCP, SPHR Stoughton Trailers
Jenny Schindler ADP
Aiden Whinnery M3 Insurance



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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