Greetings GMA SHRM Members –
 
On behalf of the GMA SHRM Board of Directors, I want to share our optimism that all of you are remaining healthy and finding stability in these times of uncertainty. Your happiness and wellbeing mean a lot to us and we want you to know your GMA SHRM community is here for you!
 
If your employment has been impacted by COVID-19 causing an inability to renew your membership, let us know.  GMA SHRM is offering a 90 day membership extension for those in need.  Staying engaged with your peers has never been more important and we will get through this together. Any questions or requests may be sent to us at chapteradmin@gmashrm.org.
 
Our Chapter has been busy in recent months ensuring we can deliver value added content to our members since some of our planned in-person events were not an option. We’ve had great participation from our members with the several virtual events that have been held so I’m hopeful that we are successfully meeting your needs during this time. We will be seeking feedback from all of our members in June with our annual survey. Please take a few minutes to help us ensure we provide the best content possible!
 
I am very excited about a new mental health series we have posted on our website. This is a quick and easy way to check in on your own mental well-being. You cannot take care of others until you take care of yourself! We are also providing a virtual Meet, Greet & Eat event this summer to ensure continued networking and connections between our members. This will include breakouts of smaller groups so you can interact with multiple people in a casual way. More details for all of our events can be found here:  http://www.gmashrm.org/events
 
Please take care of yourself and your loved ones and find ways to stay connected!

 
Take care,
 
Tammy Wacek, SHRM-CP, PHR
President
GMA SHRM

COVID-19 Resources

Remember Whistleblower Protections When Employees Raise Workplace Safety Concern

Submitted by Brian P. Goodman, Attorney at Boardman & Clark LLP and GMA SHRM VP of Programming 

A custodian at a manufacturing company refuses to work until she is given proper personal protective equipment (PPE) from her employer. Can the employer terminate the custodian for insubordination or violation of the attendance policy?
 
Potentially yes—but the employer should be prepared to defend the termination decision against allegations of retaliation. The custodian’s complaint regarding insufficient PPE is likely protected under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSH Act). However, the custodian’s refusal to work might not be protected. Regardless, the employer should take the employee’s concern seriously and evaluate if it has provided proper PPE to its employees.
 
The OSH Act prohibits employers from retaliating against employees for raising concerns related to safety or health in the workplace. However, this does not mean that an employee’s health or safety concerns give them a free pass to stop working.
 
Under the OSH Act, an employee only has a right to refuse to perform an assigned task if the employee: (1) has a reasonable apprehension of death or serious injury; (2) refuses to perform the task in good faith by genuinely believing that an imminent danger exists; (3) where possible, has asked the employer to eliminate the danger, and the employer has failed to do so; and (4) has insufficient time to eliminate the condition by requesting an OSHA inspection.
 
These elements create a fairly high bar for employees to receive protection for refusing to work due to health or safety concerns. However, it is not clear how OSHA or a court would weigh these factors in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The employee’s job duties and the specific risks an employee might face in the workplace are likely relevant to this analysis. For example, a custodian at a manufacturing facility likely faces less risk of death or serious injury due to a lack of specific PPE than a custodian at a hospital.
 
During the COVID-19 pandemic, employers are likely to face more complaints regarding safety and health in the workplace, including potential claims of retaliation based on those complaints. Additionally, complaints about workplace safety might also implicate protections for concerted activity under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) if employees are speaking on behalf of others.
 
Employers considering termination or discipline of employees who have raised safety and health concerns should consult with legal counsel for assistance and specific legal advice.

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Professional Development

Workforce Readiness & Diversity

Your Diversity Committee

Submitted by Mary Moua, Employee Engagement and Social Media Specialist at Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation and elected Director of Diversity Committee

The Diversity and Inclusion Committee is responsible for leading the effort to diversify the chapter’s membership/leadership and publicize successful diversity programs in the local community. The Diversity Committee promotes increased awareness about the impact of Diversity and Inclusion, providing content through articles, speakers and events happening in the community related to Diversity and Inclusion topics and efforts. 
The Diversity Committee is currently working on identifying future speakers for Professional Development slots. We also have content in current and future newsletters to spotlight Diversity and Inclusion efforts being executed by local employers.
 
If you are interested in joining the Diversity Committee, have valuable insight or information you would like to share as either a speaker or guest writer, or are just interested in more information about Diversity and Inclusion, please contact Diversity Committee Director Mary Vesely at mary.vesely@fairwaymc.com.

 

Current Happenings

Member Survey – Coming soon in June

Our Diversity Committee is eager to help provide:

• Educational information about D&I in the workplace (best practices, promoting D&I, how to develop/manage, etc.)
• Webinars/Local Events
• Articles - News/Stories/Stats/Updates relating to D&I
• Observances/Recognition Months
• Resources/Tools

 
But we need your help! Please complete the upcoming survey in June to select the most important information you would like to maximize our services to you.
 
You may also email me here for any feedback/suggestions.

 

Madison has seen significant unrest in response to the death of George Floyd. 

GMA SHRM exists as an educational association to educate and support HR professionals in our community.  Please take a moment to review the educational resources below that GMA SHRM, & National SHRM, provide to help HR professionals support and lead employees & organizations through difficult times.  Many of these resources include information on leading diversity, equity, & inclusion initiatives in your organization.
 

• GMA SHRM Newsletter archives
• Upcoming GMA SHRM Events
  • Monthly HR Advice Network Roundtables (ask your fellow HR pro’s how they are dealing)
  • Liz Nead Work-From-Home Mental Health Series (members only six-part virtual series)

Resources from SHRM

• SHRM Connect
• SHRM Blog
• Diversity & Inclusion Resources
• How To Guides – How to Develop a DE&I Initiative
• HR Q&A’s
• Toolkits

 
Click here to read National SHRM’s press release regarding the death of George Floyd.
 
June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month

National SHRM has numerous resources for HR professionals to enhance their knowledge and skills in relation to LGBTQ inclusivity in the work place – click here for an example on Creating LGBTQ-Inclusive Workplace Policies.”

If you are not a National SHRM member and have questions on how to access these valuable SHRM resources, feel free to reach out to Director of Diversity, Mary Vesely or Chapter President Elect, Brittany Hanson.
 
Please be on the lookout for a Member Survey coming soon to share what programming or resources you want to see from GMA SHRM in relation to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion.




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

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Member Awards and Recognition

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 .