Greetings & Happy New Year, GMA SHRM Members!

I hope your holiday season was filled with joy, relaxation, and a renewed sense of energy!

As the year closed, and we ushered in the new one, taking intentional moments to reflect brought me peace and excitement. I trust you found the same. The allure and promise of a new year, and the opportunity that it holds always excites me – here’s to a year brimming with potential!

After our original date of Friday, January 12th was snowed out, our Board of Directors are diving into the mid-year strategic planning session on February 2nd, and I can’t wait!  It’s an incredible day filled with dynamic volunteers, boundless energy, and innovative ideas. We'll be reflecting, looking ahead, and brainstorming ways to enhance our support for you. Our goal is to foster better workplaces and communities for everyone through top-notch professional development and networking opportunities.

Looking ahead, we’re gearing up for the new board year starting in July 2024 and have already kicked off succession planning. If you're passionate about serving the HR community and eager to expand your network, there's a spot for you in GMA SHRM. I would encourage you to join in the fun and consider joining a committee or stepping into a volunteer leadership role.

Interested in getting involved? Connect with Ashley Kowalchuk, our President Elect, GMA’s Volunteer Coordinator or any one of the GMA SHRM Leader(s) to learn more about the area(s) of interest you’d like to explore.

In the spirit of proactive planning for the new year, we understand the importance of navigating the ever-changing talent management landscape. Compensation is a key component, and our 2024 compensation survey, conducted by Gallagher, is ready and available for you to leverage! Visit the GMA SHRM Compensation Survey page for more information, pricing, and ordering details.

While visiting our GMA page, don’t miss out on registering for our January 23rd virtual Professional Development Summit. Vanessa Caranza will share insights on "Extraordinary Candidate Experience," while Jesse Dill will present "Artificial Intelligence and Workplace Law – What’s New, Novel, and Next."

Shortly after that is the highly anticipated 2024 WISHRM Workplace Policy Conference on February 29^th!  It’s a day of connection with other HR professionals from across Wisconsin, exploring workplace policy matters, how to ensure safety for employees and customers, discussing advocacy topics, and insights around the latest employment law updates. Oh – and don’t forget to save the date for the 2024 Annual Human Capital Conference happening May 21^st at the Alliant Energy Center!

I am looking forward to seeing you and wish you all a healthy, prosperous, and joyous year ahead!

Cheers,

Laura Bermudo, President
Greater Madison Area SHRM Chapter
lbermudo@myhaus.com / 608.383.4568

Legal Update – To Test or Not to Test (For Marijuana)?

Submitted from Mai Chao Chang, Storm Larson & Brian P. Goodman, GMA SHRM Programming Committee Member, and Attorneys at Boardman & Clark LLP, a Platinum Partner
 

Mai Chao

Storm Larson

Brian P. Goodman

Many states have legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal or recreational use. Wisconsin is not one of those states. Nevertheless, many employers in Wisconsin struggle with whether or not to test applicants for marijuana use after making applicants a contingent offer of employment. Compliance with the law is only one important consideration for employers evaluating a pre-employment drug testing program for marijuana.

Employees in positions subject to federal Department of Transportation drug testing regulations need to be drug tested for marijuana prior to employment. Employees who work in states where pre-employment drug testing for marijuana is restricted, such as Minnesota, should generally not be drug tested (unless a legal exception applies such as employees in safety-sensitive positions or those subject to DOT drug testing regulations). 

Between these two extremes, employers have a fair amount of discretion. In a challenging hiring market, testing applicants for marijuana might make it difficult to fill certain positions. Where the safety risk of these positions is low, an employer might choose not to drug test these positions. Instead, employers can address potential drug use by employees by utilizing reasonable suspicion drug testing if there is evidence that an employee might be under the influence at work. 

Employers operating in multiple states should weigh the potential burdens of maintaining multiple different testing programs for applicants based on applicable state laws against the potential risks of eliminating pre-employment drug testing for marijuana across the board. Ultimately, employers will have to carefully assess all the relevant factors, including legal compliance, when making this determination.
 

2024 WISHRM Workplace Policy Conference

February 29, 2024
Premier Park Hotel
Madison, WI

Workplace policies are so much more than a document. They’re a powerful statement of what an employer does and does not stand for, and (when implemented well) can play a big part in building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. Join us at the Premier Park Hotel in Madison on February 28, 2024 for a networking reception and/or February 29, 2024 for our 2024 Workplace Policy Conference.

Visit the WISHRM Workplace Policy Conference webpage for more details and registration.

Return to Top

HR InTouch Guidelines