October
2015

HR InTouch

The Monthly Newsletter of the Greater Madison Area SHRM

In This Edition

President's Message

By Dawn Koopman, SHRM-SCP, SPHR

Government Affairs

Employee or Contractor: Misclassification from the DWD Perspective

EBSA’s National Priorities and Projects for 2016 

Employee Engagement

Employee Recognition: It’s That Simple
 

Compensation & Benefits

Local Compensation Data


Diversity

Mock Interviewers Needed for High School Students
 

Education & Professional Development

Student Scholarship Application & Awards

GMA SHRM Social Media

Forward HR
 

GMA SHRM Announcements 

The 2016 GMA SHRM Corporate Partner Program

Help Wanted!


Help GMA SHRM Make a Difference


GMA SHRM Upcoming Events

GMA SHRM Member News

GMA SHRM Member Spotlight

GMA SHRM Volunteer Spotlight

Welcome New Members!

Movin' Up

In Transition

 


 

 

President's Message

GMA SHRM
2015 Corporate Partners

Gold Level
Boardman & Clark Law Firm
Career Momentum
Godfrey & Kahn
Momentum Insurance Plans
The Payroll Company
Remedy Intelligent Staffing

Silver Level
Adecco
Cottingham & Butler Employee Benefits 
Delta Dental
Express Employment Professionals
Hausmann-Johnson Insurance Group
Stewart Leadership
QPS Employment Group

Bronze Level
Ameritas
The Alliance
Edgewood College
Profession Direction
The QTI Group
Scott Savage Consulting LLC
Unity Health Insurance

Thank you!

Greetings,
 
The GMA SHRM Board of Directors is excited to announce two changes for our chapter starting in 2016. We have listened to feedback from our members and have made these changes to make it easier for members to take full advantage of what GMA SHRM has to offer.
 
All- Inclusive Membership
Beginning January 2016, we will be offering an all-inclusive membership. The reason for this change is to provide a smoother process for our members when registering for events. Members will only have to ask their employer once for the membership fee AND the programming events. Dues will increase slightly to $75 for those of you who also have a National SHRM membership and $100 for those of you who only have a local GMA SHRM. If you have been with GMA SHRM for a while, you know that our fees have not increased in many years. The Human Capital Conference will be your only additional cost for the year. All other programming events will be included in your annual membership fee.
 
New Programming Structure  
Beginning January 2016, our new educational programs will be called Professional Development Summits (PDS) and will be taking the place of our current summits and toolboxes. These PDS will be free to members and included in the new all-inclusive membership fee. Four times a year we will be offering two educational sessions (PDS) each day. This equals to eight educational programs that will be offered in four days. They will start at 8am and the sessions will run one right after the other with a short break in between. You can attend either one (first or second) or attend both! You will be receiving just as much education and only be out of the office four morning of the year instead of eight. We will continue to offer quality programming and recertification credits (both HRCI and SHRM) for all of these events.
 
We will also be offering monthly networking opportunities through a HR Resource Group that will be taking the place of our roundtables and previous solo HR practitioner Resource Group. These are also free events that are included in the new all-inclusive membership fee. This will be offered as a resource for GMA SHRM HR professionals to get together and share information, seek advice, discuss best practices, and provide support to one another. This is an informal group that has meetings one a month and is open to all members.  We have found that most HR professionals are looking for that connection with other HR professionals to talk about work situations and deepen their networking connections.  We expect these events to become very successful.
 
In addition to the Four PDS events and monthly HR Resource Group meeting, we will continue to offer:

  • September Summit
  • Human Capital Conference in May at the discounted Member Rate (there is a registration fee for this event)
  • Two Networking events a year
  • Two GMA SHRM Revealed events a year 
  • Monthly HR Resource Network Group meetings

CLICK HERE for more information on these changes and to answer any additional questions you may have.
 
The GMA SHRM Board is very excited about these changes and we know you will be as well! As always, please reach out to myself or anyone on the BOD if you have any additional questions, thoughts or concerns. 

 
Best Wishes,

 
Dawn Koopman, SHRM-SCP, SPHR
President
GMA SHRM

Click here to view the full GMA SHRM Board of Directors
 

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Government Affairs

DOL Seeks Input On Electronic Use – Wages And OT  
&
EBSA’s National Priorities and Projects for 2016 

Join us on October 22, 2015 for an educational session about classifying a worker as an independent contractor. Jim Chiolino from the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) will provide an overview of the various laws enforced by the DWD. This session will provide you with the tools and knowledge to conduct careful analysis of each proposed contractor position.
 
In addition, we also have a speaker from the U.S. Department of Labor attending the event to share the national priorities and projects for 2016 for the Employee Benefits Security Administration. This session will also include a discussion of enforcement processes and activities.
 
To register for this free event for GMA SHRM members, visit our website at http://gmashrm.org/2015-OctoberToolbox


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Employee Enagement

Employee Recognition: It’s That Simple

Matthew Coleman (@matthewjcoleman) is the Marketing Director for MyEmployees.
 
Employee morale is vital to the success of your company. When your employees feel valued, their engagement levels soar. Productivity increases. Absenteeism and tardiness dwindle. Complaints all but cease to exist.
One of the easiest ways to set out on that course is through an employee recognition program. When your employees are recognized and appreciated for their efforts on a regular basis, your work environment becomes one of positivity, support, and team orientation.
 
Here are a four key points to consider when creating an effective employee recognition platform:
 
Reward
You must include some form of reward. We call this trophy value. Find something to symbolize the event, and personalize it wherever possible. Don’t be tempted to use cash prizes. Employees will say they want cash rewards, but kids say that want ice cream for dinner. Research has shown that other forms of praise have a more lasting effect.
 
Criteria
Establish specific criteria for recognition. Employees must know what they have to do to receive recognition. Specific criteria also eliminates the perception of favoritism and the possibility of unfair selection practices. BONUS TIP: use company goals and objectives as part of your criteria; sales and customer service can grow with employee morale, too. (Want some FREE criteria tracking sheets? Download them HERE)
 
Presentation
Present the awards as publicly as possible. Use some form of suitable presentation. Gather the team around and explain why someone is being recognized. It achieves two goals: everyone knows what they need to do next time for praise, and gives the recognized employee a moment in the spotlight.
 
Consistency
Most importantly, consistency is key. Nothing crushes an employee recognition program quicker than gaps between awards. When employees see weeks, months, even quarters go by without anyone receiving recognition, they perceive it is unimportant to management and adopt that same mentality. Whatever schedule you plan to use to award your employees, make it a regularly scheduled business function. Also, the more you can mix in spot-on and in-the-moment tokens of appreciation, the greater the effect of the entire program.
 
The first step toward your higher employee engagement levels is covering these four elements. Your employees will thank you for thanking them, and your organization’s growth and improvement are your reward.

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Compensation & Benefits

Local Compensation Data

Losing a key employee over compensation can be expensive (recruiting costs, training a new employee, etc.) and so can over paying employees.  The GMA SHRM Compensation Survey Report provides local compensation data related to Base Pay, Total Cash Compensation, as well as Salary Range Information.  It also includes information regarding Pay Practices of participating organizations
 
About the 2015 GMA SHRM Compensation Survey

  • Sixty-four participating organizations in the GMA SHRM membership area.  Click here to see a list of participating organizations!
  • The 2015 GMA SHRM Compensation Survey includes 264 exempt and non-exempt benchmark jobs.  Click here to see a listing of jobs with definitions.
  • The GMA SHRM Compensation survey now 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: Type of Ownership, Total Revenue or Sales, Industry, and Total Number of Employees (where available).
  • Participant breakdown by industry - 
  • Report also captures data on 10 pay practices questions. 

 
To purchase your 2015 GMA SHRM Compensation Survey, click here.

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Diversity

Mock Interviewers Needed for High School Students 


By Heather Kennedy, Director, Workforce Development & Diversity
 
With the school year in full swing, so are our volunteer opportunities! We are looking for volunteers for mock interviews with high school students at Madison West and Madison East through Common Wealth Development. I volunteered last year and was quite impressed with the students. Feel good moment alert - I also received a hand written thank you card from the students that I interviewed :)
 
Interviews are from 3:30 - 5:00. Madison West High school (30 Ash Street) is on Tuesday, October 6. Madison East High school (222 East Washington Ave) is on Tuesday, October 13. 
 
To learn more about these and other opportunities and to register to help, follow this link to VolunteerSpot. Your email address is never shared or used by VolunteerSpot for any purpose, other than to sign up for volunteering and to keep you informed about new opportunities as they become available. 


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Education & Professional Development

Student Scholarship Application & Awards

There will be two $750 non-renewable scholarships awarded to students at one of the following universities provided they met the eligibility requirements.
 
Eligibility
Applicants for the GMA SHRM Student Scholarship Program must meet the following criteria:

  • Enrolled in a full-time, business related undergraduate program, such as human resources or related course of study at UW-Madison, UW-Platteville, UW-Whitewater, Globe University, Edgewood College, Herzing University, Cardinal Stritch, Lakeland, Upper Iowa University, or Madison College
  • Current member of a SHRM student chapter or member of a related business organization;
  • An Overall GPA of 3.0 or higher; 

To be considered for a scholarship, applicants must provide the following information:

  • A purpose statement one page in length describing why the applicant is pursuing a degree in human resources or related course of study;
  • Current resume;
  • List all school activities, including SHRM and relevant organizations, in which you have participated during your college experience. List all community activities in which you have participated without pay.  Note all special awards, honors, and offices held. If you have participated in a research project, please include that experience as well;
  • Transcript (official or unofficial). 

All scholarship applications must be postmarked by December 4th, 2015 to be considered. Application materials should be sent as 1 pdf file to chapteradmin@gmashrm.org.

 
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GMA SHRM Social Media

 

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 Announcements

The 2016 GMA SHRM Corporate Partner Program

GMA SHRM offers your organization a variety of unique marketing and sponsorship opportunities for reaching those Human Resource and related industry professionals. As a GMA SHRM Corporate Partner; see how your organization can successfully promote its products or services to one of the largest, most successful chapters in the United States.  This is an opportunity to reach out to over 800 HR professionals representing more than 500 employers. Reach HR professionals through GMA SHRM while also enjoying the benefits included in your partnership. Volunteer GMA SHRM members will be following up through October on our limited-time offering of annual partnership opportunities. We encourage anyone with interest to contact Alise Wozniak (awozniak@amfam.com) or Krista Naleid (Krista.Naleid@adeccona.com) to secure spots for 2016. We offer other advertising options during the year as well.
 
Highlights include:

  • Web Ad displayed on GMA SHRM’s Home Page;
  • Recognition of Partners at Professional Development Summits;
  • Featured Facebook Posts to GMA SHRMS’s page;
  • Greater Madison Area SHRM Chapter Membership for one included!

We appreciate your consideration of these opportunities and look forward to another successful year with our corporate partners!
 
The Corporate Partnership Program renews every calendar year with active solicitation beginning in the fall.  Please contact the chapter office at chapteradmin@gmashrm.org to express your interest in a corporate partnership.  One of our volunteers will contact you to answer any questions and assist you in signing up for your selected level of partnership.


Help Wanted!

The Human Capital Conference committee will be meeting soon to start planning for the 2016 conference.  This year’s conference will feature Dave Ulrich and is being held Tuesday, May 3.  If you are interested in helping with the planning of the conference, please reach out to Melissa Chadwick at melissa.chadwick@bakertilly.com.  You can volunteer as much or as little time you have - we look forward to you joining us!
 
The Education & Professional Development Committee is currently seeking GMA SHRM Chapter Members to volunteer and serve as a mentors for UW Madison SHRM chapter students.  Please contact Jeff Westra at jwestra@herzing.edu to sign up and find out more information. 
 
The Social Media & Technology Committee is looking for a Newsletter Coordinator! Are you organized, don’t mind pestering people, want to donate a little bit of your time to GMA SHRM? We are looking for a new Newsletter Coordinator! Our previous volunteer has taken a role outside of HR and is no longer able to assist.  Duties include gathering articles and announcements from committees, board members, community resources and other pertinent information on a monthly basis.  We have a few volunteers to proof the newsletter before it gets submitted to Chapter Administration for publication.  If you are interested in learning more, please contact Melissa Versnik at melissav@payrollcompany.biz.

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GMA SHRM Upcoming Events

GMA SHRM Revealed - Thursday, October 29, 2015

Location: Badger Bowl
Time: 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
 
Are you a new GMA SHRM member or are you a current member looking to get more involved? Come out and join us for GMA Revealed (previously known as our semi-annual member orientation)! Our newly restructured event is designed for all members of GMA SHRM. You will have an opportunity to meet each of our board members, learn about specific GMA SHRM committees and how your involvement can benefit your career. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to learn about the great programs, networking opportunities and events that GMA SHRM will offer your future.

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.
 




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GMA SHRM Member News

GMA SHRM Member Spotlight

Name: Betsy Larsen
 
Where do you currently work?  
I’m the HR Manager for Fish & Associates, Inc., located in Middleton.
 
What is the focus of your position? 
I’m a generalist - my position includes benefits administration, recruitment and hiring, policy development, employee handbooks, strategic planning, corporate insurance, safety and compliance, etc.  I love the variety.
 
How long have you been in the Human Resource field?
23 glorious years!
 
Which of your career accomplishments makes you proudest? 
Counseling employees to overcome obstacles to attain professional growth and job happiness.
 
What is the best advice you’ve ever received? 
How to put a positive spin on things.  A former boss taught me this concept, and it’s stayed with me ever since.
 
Why did you decide to join GMA SHRM?
The connections I’ve made with other HR professionals and the professional camaraderie I’ve enjoyed is very important. I can’t imagine not being a member. 


Name:  Kari Seay, SHRM-CP     
 
Where do you currently work? I work for The Employer Group (TEG), located in Verona. TEG is a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) that partners with businesses to provide employee benefits, payroll, tax reporting, regulatory compliance, and human resource consulting. We brand ourselves as The Human Resource ResourceTM.
 
What is the focus of your position? As an HR Generalist, I get to work with a diverse clientele base. Part of the reason I enjoy my job is because I get to handle a broad spectrum of HR duties that include employee relations, benefits administration, recruiting, and consulting. I like the challenge that every day is something different, because it keeps me on my toes.
 
How long have you been in the Human Resource field? 3 years
 
Which of your career accomplishments makes you proudest?  Recently passing the SHRM-CP exam. I was motivated, but very nervous to take the exam. Given the newness of the certification exam with SHRM, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I’m happy to say that all of my hard work paid off!  
 
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?  There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs. – Author Unknown

 

GMA SHRM Volunteer Spotlight

Name: Christine Wittleder
 
How long have you been volunteering with GMA SHRM? Seven years   
 
What committee are you volunteering with? Currently I volunteer on the Government Affairs committee but had previously also been involved with the Marketing & Communications committee.
 
What do you enjoy about volunteering? I love being involved in what is going on in our profession and the community, along with meeting people and networking.
 
What would you say to others who are considering volunteering with GMA SHRM?  Do it! It’s a great way to support the organization and be involved on the front lines as we are everyday with our jobs.
 
What have you gotten back from volunteering with GMA SHRM? I am always learning new things that can make me a more well-rounded HR professional. 


If you’d like to be published in an issue of HR InTouch, please complete this profile and submit (along with a photo) to Melissa Versnik @ melissav@payrollcompany.biz
 

Welcome New Members!

GMA SHRM welcomes the following members who joined our chapter in August 2015!
 

Amy Ableidinger Kraft Heinz Company
Wesley Chapman Alliant Energy
Jeremiah DeGollon Summit Credit Union
Debbie Delabarre Unity Health Insurance
Lori A. Giese, SPHR Alliant Energy
Scott Jaworski New Groove Coaching
Andrea J. Kersten ABS Global
Lisa Lasack Animart Pet, Inc.
Dan Murphy Randstad Technologies
Christa Neuser UW Madison Dept Radiology
Kayla Palcic Meriter-UnityPoint Health
Anthony Radloff Alliant Energy
Jackee Va Alliant Energy
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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

Outgoing, WOO (Winning Over Others) applicant looking for a change of career opportunity in Recruiting, Talent Acquisition, or Trainer.  I am a highly motivated, team-oriented individual with previous sales, office management and education experience.  I am extremely outgoing and have unique problem-solving skills.  I am looking for a change in career to a more people-oriented field.  I would be interested in an entry level opportunity focused on recruiting for a company or group of companies, working as a part of a talent acquisition team, or a trainer for a company or facility that needs to administer training to new personnel or new software and duties to existing personnel.
 
Lance Martin


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