Click to view video message from GMA SHRM President, 
Brittany Hanson, MBA, PHR
 

Hi GMA SHRM Members, 

Greetings GMA SHRM Members!  Happy December!  I think it is safe to say we’re all pretty thrilled that this year is almost over.  On the bright side, it has been a true joy serving and connecting with you all during this wild year.  I could not have done it without you, and hopefully you found comfort & resources with your GMA SHRM Community. 
 
Our November PDS focusing on employment law and wage and hour issues during the pandemic was a hit.   Thank you so much to our wonderful presenters for providing this imperative and important information to our members.
 
Registration for our Jan PDS, which will be virtual, is already live!  Register today and get your coworkers to attend with you!  Topics focus on inclusive hiring, and strategies to improve your diversity, equity, and  inclusion practices - topics that are front and center for all of us right now.
 
In fact, our entire 2021 programming calendar is on the events page of the GMA SHRM site.  Our programming committee volunteers have put together a remarkable year of programming for you – look at the events page, and book it on your calendars now.
 
The deadline to become a 2021 GMA SHRM Corporate Partner is fast approaching.  If your organization offers products or services that would benefit the Madison HR community, check out this great opportunity now.
 
From all of us on the GMA SHRM Board of Directors, we wish you the happiest and healthiest holiday season and New Year.  Thank you again for making our chapter as strong as it is. We are so grateful for all of you.  We will see you in 2021!

 
Thanks and be well!
 
Brittany Hanson, MBA, PHR
President
GMA SHRM

COVID-19 Resources

Protecting Against Remote Workplace Harassmen

Submitted from Brian P. Goodman, GMA SHRM Programming Member, and Sarah J. Horner, both Attorneys at Boardman & Clark LLP

Brian P. Goodman

Sarah J. Horner

With 2021 just around the corner, employers are settling into a new normal with many employees continuing to work remotely for the foreseeable future. Part of establishing this new normal means reviewing anti-harassment policies and anti-harassment training, particularly for remote employees. Not only can harassment still occur remotely, but the more casual and isolated work-from-home environment may actually increase the risk of workplace harassment.
 
Employers should take two initial steps to help prevent remote workplace harassment and limit liability if a harassment suit arises due to conduct by or toward remote employees: (1) review their harassment policy to ensure it covers conduct arising out of or directed to remote work environments; and (2) provide harassment training to their employees (which can be virtual but should allow employees to ask questions and interact with the presenter to limit employees simply having the training on in the background while they work).
 
Some states, such as Illinois, require certain harassment training, particularly training on sexual harassment. While Wisconsin does not expressly require harassment training, it is an essential part of establishing a respectful workplace. Organization-wide harassment training sets clear expectations for what constitutes unacceptable behavior. It can inform employees about the organization’s harassment policy, explain the process for reporting harassment, and outline how the organization will address such reports.

Communicating this information to employees can help protect an organization from liability in the face of a workplace harassment suit. For example, an employer may have a strong defense to a harassment complaint if it shows that the complaining employee knew about the employer’s harassment policy and unreasonably chose not to take advantage of the reporting process afforded by that policy. By reviewing anti-harassment policies and providing regular harassment training that reflects the employer’s new normal, employers can foster a more respectful remote workplace for their employees and limit their potential legal liability for harassment going forward.

 

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Government Affairs Committee and Day on the Hill 2021!

Submitted by Hilary Stone, GMA SHRM Director of Government Affairs and HR Generalist at UW Madison Engineering Professional Development

The goal of our committee is to share legislative information with our fellow GMA SHRM members through newsletter articles, events, and other resources in an objective and non-partisan manner. 
 
Our committee is always looking for new volunteers who are interested in legal updates, employment law, and human resources legislation. Some ways to get involved on our committee include:   

• Meeting as a group (usually during happy hour) to discuss current legislative topics and events four to six times per year.
• Assisting with programming such as the annual Legal Update/Professional Development Summit and volunteering at the annual WI SHRM Day on the Hill event held at the Wisconsin State Capitol.
• Connecting with the national SHRM Advocacy A-Team as an HR Advocate to learn more about federal issues and if you choose, personally advocating on HR-related issues with your elected officials on behalf of yourself or your employer. 

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Professional Development

January 19th PDS - Focus on Diversity & Inclusion

Session 1:  Inclusive Hiring		Session 2:  3 Strategies to Improve Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Practices!
Presented By:   Gautam Jayanthi and Amy Kesling, Step Up for Equity •8:00am-10:00am		Presented by:  Lisa Koenecke •10:15am-12:15pm
Participants will learn to:    Identify how bias influences each stage of the recruitment cycle. Define the role of the hiring team in advancing equity in the organization. Identify practices that will keep the hiring team committed to making equity a priority in the organization.		Participants will learn: Learn how to SHOW DEI efforts Define how to SHIFT from a small a ally to a capital A Ally SHAPE policies and procedures to promote an Inclusive and Belonging Culture

 

  
 

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GMA SHRM Dual Membership Contest

Happy Fall everyone from your Membership Team!  We are glad to have you in our network and we hope that you are fully utilizing all the resources available with GMA SHRM. 

Today we want to inform you of an exciting opportunity to renew your SHRM membership or become new member!

If you become a SHRM member or renew by November 30, you will receive a SHRM Totebag and DigitalHR Ebook.  This ebook is good for 3 recertification credits when you complete it. Current SHRM members can renew now and your current membership will be extended another year.   You will not lose membership time for renewing early.

Example:

• Your membership expires February of 2021
• Renew now
• Your membership renews and expires February of 2022

If you are not a SHRM member and are considering a national SHRM membership, now is a great time to get additional resources along with the coveted tote bag and ebook!
 
You know how important your roles have been in the past months and will be in the months to come.  The national membership can provide added resources to help you navigate and provide the needed support.  If you didn’t know already, your local GMA SHRM membership is only $75 as a national member.  
 
Use promo code DIGITALHR when you renew or become a new member.

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Saving for Higher Education - An Easy to Manage Benefit

Submitted by Khaleel Ali, Edvest Wisconsin

With higher education costs being one of the largest investments a family makes, getting started with Edvest is an important step to achieve financial wellness.  529 plans, like the Edvest College Savings Plan, are low-maintenance and offer unique tax advantages. Edvest – Wisconsin’s College Savings Plan, is a way to differentiate and enhance your employee benefits package.

With automatic payroll deductions, your employees get a hassle-free opportunity to save for their children’s higher education costs with low, budget-friendly minimums that make saving easy. And the best part? It costs you nothing and creates no additional administrative burdens. In fact, we’ll do all the work. Administering Edvest at Work is free and easy.  Edvest offers ongoing support as well as a digital toolkit with everything you need to help educate your employees about saving for college.  Click here to learn more and to view a special offer.



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GMA SHRM welcomes the following members who joined our chapter in October 2020!

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Member Awards and Recognition

GMA SHRM member Lisa Barry has joined Peoplink Group as their Human Resources Manager on October 19^th. While Peoplelink Group’s corporate office is located in South Bend, IN, they have over 70 offices across the country with different staffing focuses their different branded divisions. Locally, TeamSoft, located in Middleton, WI focuses on IT staffing. Lisa would like to thank GMA SHRM members Gail Johnson, Relocation Manager at Restaino & Associates Realtors and Tami Sailing, Recruiter at TeamSoft for their help learning about the position! 
 
 
GMA SHRM member Eileen Goode, Owner of Goode Solutions, Inc, was interviewed by blog Caffeine Clarity. Read the article here!



Have you recently earned a professional achievement award? If so, we want to hear about it. 
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 .