May 2011

HR InTouch

The Monthly Newsletter of the Greater Madison Area SHRM

In This Edition

President's Message

By Dave Furlan, PHR
GMA SHRM President

Government Affairs Update

Statewide Uniformity of Family and Medical Leave

Compensation and Benefits

Health Care Reform Update

Talent Management

How You Treat New Employees Says a lot About the Company

Professional Development

A New Role for HR in Strategic Planning

FREE subscription to InBusiness Magazine

Community Events

Volunteer Opportunities

GMA SHRM Social Media

Like Us on Facebook

Forward HR

GMASHRM is LinkedIn

GMA SHRM Upcoming Events

Wednesday, June 1, 2011, GMA SHRM Roundtable
Topic: Project Management

Thursday, June 16, 2011, GMA SHRM HR Toolbox
Topic: The Crucibles of Management On-boarding & Development

Click here to see the full GMA SHRM Event Calendar.

GMA SHRM Announcements

Member Referral Program winner!

Philanthropy committee update

Student HR Games Host Chosen for 2012
 

GMA SHRM Member News

GMA SHRM Member Spotlight

Welcome New Members!

Movin' Up

In Transition

GMA Membership Poll  

 


Printable version

 

President's Message

GMA SHRM
2011 Corporate Partners

Gold Level
American Family Insurance
Boardman Law Firm
First Choice Dental Group
The Payroll Company
Remedy Intelligent Staffing
Wisconsin Rx 

 

Silver Level
Career Momentum
Cottingham & Butler Employee Benefits
Lee Hecht Harrison
Physicians Plus Insurance Corporation
Ultimate Software Group

 

Bronze Level
The Alliance
Delta Dental
Edgewood College
Express Employment Professionals
Higgins Insurance Group
Hemb Insurance Group
Metro Transit
M3
Melli Law, S.C.
Unity Health Insurance
UW Credit Union
The QTI Group
Wegner CPAs & Consultants

 

Thank you!

Greetings,

Do you “like” our new Facebook page?

I am pleased to announce that GMA SHRM is entering its next phase of developing social media as a component of our chapter operations. We have had a members-only group on LinkedIn for the past year or so and have been successful in adding members and encouraging helpful discussions and postings.

Having learned to manage LinkedIn, the chapter is now moving on to Facebook and Twitter. This trifecta of social media allows us to participate in an important support program offered by the Wisconsin State SHRM Council. As part of the program, the Council has challenged all local chapters to develop a presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter by this year’s State Leadership Conference in August.

Through the dedicated efforts of our Communications and Marketing Committee, the Facebook page is up and running. If you are a Facebook user, search for Greater Madison Area SHRM and “like” our page. We already have a few updates worth noting. Look for more information from the chapter in coming months on the development of both our Facebook and Twitter efforts.

Speaking of socializing, registration is open for the 5th Annual GMA SHRM Golf Outing. This year’s event will be at the Oaks Golf Course in Cottage Grove, and proceeds from the outing will benefit Second Harvest Food Bank. Sponsorship opportunities are also available if your company is looking to be a part of this relaxing day of fun with GMA SHRM members. Many thanks to our Philanthropic Committee for their planning and organization well in advance of the event!

Lastly, we had another enjoyable member orientation last month. The orientations are an opportunity for new and old members to meet board members and committee chairs and learn all about GMA SHRM. The orientations are also a great venue to learn about committees and volunteer opportunities, which has prompted me, one last time before my term as President expires in June, to encourage all chapter members to find a volunteer “niche” for themselves at GMA SHRM.

At the member orientation, I emphasized that GMA SHRM volunteer opportunities are an excellent way to develop and use skills that we don’t necessarily have the chance to use every day in our jobs. Perhaps you are seeking more project planning experience or you want to try out your skills leading a team. Or you could be like some of our members who have shared their backgrounds, perhaps from a previous job, in areas such as public relations, marketing, writing, technology, and education.

The types of volunteer needs vary as well. You can be a part of a committee and help out with all types of tasks that come up, or you could use your HR specialization to help in areas like programming and surveys. If attending regular committees is challenging for your schedule, ask our Workforce Readiness committee to add your name to the list of volunteers for important projects in our community and area schools. You can then volunteer for something when your schedule permits it.

Almost all of our volunteer opportunities are on our website, and I know our board members and committee chairs would be happy to chat with you about any needs within their committees. A day does not pass by where I don’t greatly appreciate the many contributions of our GMA SHRM members. I sincerely hope all of you strive to make this commitment to become a more integral part of a chapter that I have been honored to serve over the past year. 

To your continued success,


Dave Furlan, PHR
President

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GMA SHRM Board of Directors

Dave Furlan, PHR
President
Mike Leibundgut, SPHR
President Elect
Kari Lauritsen, SPHR
Immediate Past President
Wendy Brendel, SPHR
Secretary Treasurer
JoAnna Vanderpoel, PHR
VP, Membership
Jake Siudzinski
VP, Marketing & Communications
Jeff Russell
VP, Programming
Kris Schmitt
Director, Education & Development
Melissa Wieland
Director Workforce Readiness & Diversity
Zach Penshorn, PHR
Director, Government Affairs

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Government Affairs Update

Statewide Uniformity of Family and Medical Leave
Contributed by Tammy Barden, PHR, Sr. Employee Relations Specialist, WPS Health Insurance

On April 12, 2011, the Wisconsin Assembly passed a bill (AB 41) which requires family and medical leave law to be uniform throughout the state. As you may be aware, the Milwaukee paid sick leave ordinance has been a recent topic of debate. This ordinance would require employers to provide up to nine paid sick days per year based on the number of hours worked by the employee and the size of the company. Ordinances like this could have serious negative impacts on businesses, specifically those that do not currently provide paid sick leave due to the nature and size of their business.

Assembly Bill 41, if signed into law, will prohibit local governments from enacting and administering ordinances requiring paid or unpaid leave for family and medical leave reasons. The purpose of the bill is to deal with the public’s concern over inconsistency with having local ordinances and to force statewide uniformity in this regard.

 

To review specific reasons for leave that are covered by this bill, go to http://legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/data/AB-41.pdf.

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Compensation and Benefits

Health Care Reform Update
Contributed by Adam Jensen, Director of Compliance Services for Cottingham & Butler Consulting Services.

Free Choice Vouchers and CO-OP Programs Eliminated
In what appears to be a change in strategy from outright repeal or defunding to piece-by-piece dismantling, Congressional Republicans negotiated the elimination of both the Wyden Free Choice Voucher and Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) programs as part of a Congressional deal for the final 2011 federal budget. Both programs were set to take effect in 2014. The Wyden Free Choice Vouchers would have required employers to re-direct employer health plan contributions to employees who met certain income and contribution thresholds so they could purchase coverage from health insurance exchanges. The CO-OP program provided funds to states to create co-ops to be offered through health insurance exchanges.

Click here for the full article.
 

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Talent Management

How You Treat New Employees Says A Lot About Your Company
Contributed by Peter Gray, Executive Search Manager at The QTI Group

Does your organization have a good onboarding process? "Onboarding" refers to how an employer orients and integrates new hires, from their first day on the job.
A smart onboarding process can save costs, increase productivity, and make your organization a better place to work through increased employee morale and retention.

A personal story: I remember my first day at a new employer, early in my career. I had pursued the company for months, and I was excited to be starting there. It was a large, leading company in its industry and I was joining a new startup business unit.

I arrived, and there was no desk, no chair, no computer, no phone, no business cards nothing. They found me a vacant place to sit and somebody's computer to share. It was three weeks before I had a computer.

Click here for the full article.
 


Professional Development

A New Role for HR in Strategic Planning
Contributed by John F. Macek LCSW
 
Strategic plans are road maps companies develop to determine directions for the future. These maps identify anticipated customer wants and needs and whether the company can effectively and profitably meet those needs. Developing products and services of the future will call for skills and equipment that do not presently exist. While a company can find a team of technical experts to design specialized equipment, it requires special skills to use it for its intended purpose and adapt to others. That’s where a company can maximize competitive advantage and productivity.
 
Historically, HR has not been party to the strategic planning process. Managers simply assumed that HR could scour the marketplace and find the requisite skills. While that was true in the low-tech days of manufacturing, it is far from true in the high-tech enterprises of today that compete in a global market. Bringing on board personnel with versatility and imagination can determine whether a company can use its equipment to greatest advantage.
 
As the economy slowly recovers, companies are finding large pools of applicants, few of whom have the requisite skills. That’s because we have moved from an industrial to a knowledge economy.
 

FREE subscription to InBusiness Magazine

Did you know InBusiness Magazine offers a FREE subscription to their magazine? If you are interested, fax in this form to sign up. A signature must be on file prior to issues being mailed out.

Also, you can receive free online ezine as well that you can easily subscribe to at IBMadison.com. The ezine is sent with area stories about business on Tuesdays. To take advantage of this offer, there is a free subscription area in the top right hand corner of the website. Enjoy!
 

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Community Events

 
 Volunteer Opportunity!

We have numerous volunteer opportunities coming up. Please contact the appropriate individuals directly if you are interested. 

Success Program Mock Interviews YWCA - 8-11 a.m.
Wednesday, May 25th
Contact: The YWCA at thorenm@cintas.com
 
Omega School - Mock Interviews
Contact: Michele at thorenm@cintas.com
We provide this interview sheet to Omega so their students can be prepared. If you do volunteer, please use this form.
Omega School is located at 835 W. Badger Road and more information about this school is available at www.omegaschool.org. This is a school that helps adult receive their GED. The participants will include students that are already in the school and some who have graduated and looking for work.

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Volunteer Opportunity!

ITT Technical Institute is looking for speakers that are involved in the hiring and recruitment of employees to speak to our Professional Procedures & Portfolio Management class. We have two sections of this class this quarter on Wednesday - one at 9am and the other at 6pm and need speakers for both! This class is all about creating resumes, cover letters, the importance of professional networking, social media for job searching, creating a professional portfolio, etc. All students are nearing their graduation as well, so this class is extremely important for them!

We have a mix of students in the class from all programs including Information Technology, Criminal Justice, Computer Electronics Engineering and Drafting & Design. So, this would be general and high level about what employers are looking for.

Additionally, this class is offered on Wednesday through mid-June. We would welcome speakers on any Wednesday, related to the topics mentioned above. 

If you are interested and available, please contact Jennifer Kalka, Director of Career Services at jkalka@itt-tech.edu or 608-288-6324!

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GMA SHRM Social Media

‘Like’ us on Facebook!

Do you have a Facebook page? Be sure to search for Greater Madison Area SHRM and “like” our page! Another great way to stay connected to GMA SHRM and your HR ‘friends’.


Forward HR

The Wisconsin SHRM State Council would like to announce the creation of its blog, Forward HR. We hope to provide content that goes beyond the state web site by including stories and thoughts behind the professional chapters and their leaders. In addition, we hope to provide coverage of the various conferences happening at the state and national level. You can access the blog directly at http://wishrm.wordpress.com.


GMA SHRM is LinkedIn

Are you on LinkedIn? Come join our GMA SHRM Chapter group on LinkedIn! What is LinkedIn? It’s a business-oriented social networking site that can be used to connect with friends (old and new), find or post jobs and get information. In order to join, sign in at www.linkedin.com and keyword search GMA SHRM Chapter.

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GMA SHRM Upcoming Events

Wednesday, June 1, 2011, GMA SHRM Roundtable
Topic: Project Management

Project management is a term we have all heard, but often ask ourselves, “What exactly is it and how do I do it most effectively?” It is important that Human Resources professionals understand Project Management for three main reasons. First, because of the stress that the Project creates for functional business units. Second, because of the unique organizational reporting structures that often are necessary for project success. Finally, as a tool in your toolbox when the HR Department requires a project focus to accomplish a distinct objective.

HR Professionals today are managing large scale projects, many extending beyond the scope of the HR Department.

Please join Keith Clark, MATC Project Management Instructor, and your peers in an interactive exchange of thoughts, ideas, and best practices at our Roundtable discussion on Wednesday, June 1st.

To learn more about the event or to register, click here.
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Thursday, June 16, 2011, GMA SHRM HR Toolbox
Topic: The Crucibles of Management On-boarding & Development

The shift from employee to manager has always been a transition that we have taken too lightly. Organizations now realize that their best performers don’t always make the best managers. In addition, economic and structural shifts have changed our organizations and the expectations we have for managers forever.

This engaging HR Toolbox will help you understand these dynamic issues, and provide you with a clear picture of the essential competencies and best practices organizations are using today to on-board and develop effective managers and leaders.

Please join us and our speakers, Dan Loichinger, Founder & Managing Partner and Jim Gray, Consultant of Loichinger Advantage, LLC on Thursday, June 16 to make an invest in your HR “Toolbox”. Loichinger Advantage is a management and leadership consulting firm based in Madison.

To learn more about the event or to register, click here.

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GMA SHRM Announcements

Member Referral Program winner!

Congratulations to Jennifer Petree from Diesel Injection Services! She was our 1st $50 gift card winner for our Member Referral Program! To learn more about this program click here! 

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Philanthropy Committee Update

GMA SHRM is proud to partner with two organizations throughout 2011 to benefit the HR profession and support our community.

GMA SHRM members, and non-members attending our monthly programming events, are encouraged to donate food items, non-food items, or money to Second Harvest Foodbank. Simply bring item(s) with you to our chapter events, and we will deliver them to the Foodbank!

GMA SHRM believes we can make a difference for families in Southern Wisconsin. We would like to help struggling families get on their feet. Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin serves more than 140,000 individuals annually. That’s 22,700 people receiving emergency food assistance in any given week.

We will be tracking the donations throughout the year, until our final event at the Annual Golf Outing and Charity Event at The Oaks Golf Course on August 2, 2011. Immediately following the golf outing, we will be totaling all of the donations from throughout the year and will calculate the number of meals we provided to the community. Our goal is to provide more meals than we did in 2010. Our donation in 2010 was 5,154 meals (109 pounds and $1690)!

Additionally, GMA SHRM will be collecting professional and personal development books, children’s books, fiction, and DVD’s in new or gently used condition throughout the program year. We will use the items we collect to hold a book/DVD sale at the GMA SHRM Human Capital Conference on May 5th, 2011. The money raised from the sale, along with monetary donations will be given to the SHRM Foundation - a 501(c)(3) non-profit affiliate of SHRM. A leading funder of HR research grants, the Foundation produces publications and educational resources to advance the HR profession. Their work is made possible by your generous tax-deductible donations.

Simply bring any of the items mentioned above to one of our chapter Summits/Toolbox sessions and drop them in the specially designated donation boxes!

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Student HR Games Host Chosen for 2012

Congratulations to the UW-Platteville SHRM chapter on winning the bid to host the 2012 Student HR Games! This is a very exciting opportunity for them and our Education & Professional Development Committee will be helping them out along the way. Stay tuned for future information on volunteering for the event.

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GMA SHRM Member News

GMA SHRM Member Spotlight

Heather Charest

Where do you currently work? 
 Senior Consultant - Beacon Performance Group
We are based out of the Baltimore, MD area and I work remotely from my home here in Madison

What is the focus of your position?
The focus of my position is helping companies engineer innovative human performance solutions in order to drive organizational results. The solutions we create come in many different forms, such as:
- Performance management
- Training and development
- Leadership development
- Strategic Planning

How long have you been in the Human Resource field?
11 years

Which of your career accomplishments makes you proudest?
While working in the Boston area, I helped the small pharmaceutical company I was working for develop a competency based selection program to expand its field sales force from 400 representatives to 1200. I lead the training for the district managers on how to conduct a behavioral based interview. I also evaluated the hiring assessment scores to insure that we were selecting the right talent based on our critical competencies for success.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Fear is the absence of faith

Why did you decide to join GMA SHRM?
I am looking to grow my network in the Madison area. 

 

Robyn Berth

Where do you currently work?
Baker Tilly

What is the focus of your position?
HR Representative

Which of your career accomplishments makes you proudest?
Completing two internships and offered a full-time position before I graduated college.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Take every opportunity that comes your way. Those experiences make you who you are today, help you grow as an individual, and provide life-long memories, lessons, and knowledge.

Why did you decide to join GMA SHRM?
I’m just beginning my career as an HR professional, so I believe GMA SHRM will provide me with a great opportunity to learn, network with other professionals, and participate in activities outside of work.

If you’d like to be featured in the Member Spotlight in an upcoming issue of HR InTouch, please e-mail Dawn Koopman at dkoopman@musicnotes.com .

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Welcome New Members!

GMA SHRM welcomes the following members who joined our chapter in March of 2011!

 

 

Mike J. Beringer HR Business Partner Coordinator Dean Health Plan
Karolyn O. Blair Benefit and Leave Coordinator Dean Health Plan
Scott M. Dettmann Principal Consultant Carlson Dettmann Consulting
Nancy L. Loehr Accounting Manager & HR Coordinator Dairyland Electrical Industries Inc.
Stacey J. Parenteau Personnel Officer State of Wisconsin Investment Board
Peter J. Richter Attorney Stroud, Willink & Howard, LLC
Chelsea B. Rose Corporate Development Manager The QTI Group
Beverly K. Shook HR Manager Energy Services Inc.
Clara J. Tavarez Personnel Assistant State of Wisconsin Investment Board
 

Movin' Up

Congratulations to the following recently certified GMA SHRM members!

Larry Bartruff, SPHR
Stacy Parenteau, PHR


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!


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.


GMA SHRM Member Poll

Do you have a burning HR question that you’d like to see featured on our GMA SHRM Member Poll? If so, please submit your questions to Jake Siudzinski at jakes@qstaff.com.
 

 


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 Amended