New Policy Changes to SHRM Recertification!

Article Originally Published by SHRM

SHRM is announcing several policy changes to SHRM Recertification, which will become effective August 1, 2019. We believe these changes will improve the member’s experience in maintaining their credential. Below please see full details on each change, benefits of the change and frequently asked questions (FAQs):

1. Earn and Record PDCs During the Grace Period
 
Effective August 1, 2019, SHRM Certification holders who are recertifying can earn PDCs for activities they participate in through their grace period (the 60-day period between their certification end date and expiration date). This is a change from the current policy which does not allow PDCs to be earned during the grace period.
 
Benefit Of This Change
SHRM Certification holders who recertify will be provided with more time to add activities to their account.
Key Points

• Any PDCs earned during this period may be applied toward the recertification requirement.
• There is no maximum on the amount of PDCs one can earn during this period except in the areas with PDC limits (i.e., Advance Your Organization category - 20 PDC limit and the Advance Your Profession category - 30 PDC limit.)
• Since this activity is taking place after the regular recertification cycle, individuals taking advantage of this benefit will need to remit a $50 late fee (in addition to the recertification application) to recertify.

FAQs:

• Do I have to do anything to take advantage of this benefit? All you need to do is continue earning your PDCs and adding them to your account until you have 60 or more on record. Once that is done submit your application, pay the required fee and you’re done!
• Is there a cost involved? Yes, in some cases there may be a cost for learning activities, and in addition to the recertification application fee, a $50 late fee charge will be accessed for taking advantage of this benefit. 

 
2. Immediately Begin Earning PDCs for New Recertification Cycle When You Recertify Early
 
Effective August 1, 2019, the new recertification cycle for SHRM Certification holders who recertify will begin the NEXT DAY after they recertify. Their end date will continue to be on the last day of their birth month. This is a change from the current policy that sets the new start date on the day AFTER the previous cycle’s end date.   
Benefit of This Change

• Allows individuals to begin earning PDCs in their new cycle right away (this is particularly advantageous to those who recertify early).
• Those recertifying early may have more than 3 years in their new cycle. Note: Conversely, those recertifying late may have less than 3-years in their new cycle.

Example
If a certification holder’s recertification end date is July 31, 2019 (last day of their birth month) and they recertify on May 15, 2019 their new cycle will begin on May 16, 2019, 12:00 AM and their end date will be July 31, 2022 (the last day of their birth month 3 years later).

FAQs:

• The individual’s end date will not change.
• The new cycle date will automatically update in the individuals account.

 
3. Carry Over a Maximum of 20 Credits to the Next Recertification Cycle
Effective August 1, 2019, SHRM Certification holders who recertify with more than 60 credits in their account will be able to carry over up to 20 credits to their new cycle. This is a change from the current policy which does not allow carry-over credits.
Benefit of This Change

• Allows SHRM Certification holders who earn more than 60 credits the opportunity to get credit for up to 20 excess credits in their new cycle.

Key Points:

• Individuals must have completed the recertification process (achieved recertification) with more than 60 credits in their account to carry over the excess. Individuals cannot carry over more than they have earned.
• Maximum carry over is 20 credits per recertification cycle.
• Carry-over credits will be autoloaded into the account and will appear as an activity in the Advance Your Education category.
• Auto upload will appear in the account at the end of the month following recertification.

FAQ’s

• What if I wanted to add PDCs to my previous cycle? PDCs cannot be added to a previous cycle.
• Are there certain types of PDCs that are eligible? All PDCs are created equal. All PDCs are eligible.
• Will this new policy be applied retroactively, for example, I recertified in 2018 with 75 PDCs in my account, can I get credit for the 15 excess PDCs in my new cycle? We’re looking into it and if it changes we will notify all certificants.

Additional questions? Email SHRM Cert News at SHRMCertNews@shrm.org.

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August 13th Professional Development Summit Focuses Strategically - Receives Strategic Credits!

Join members at the Alliant Energy Center for two great presentations with strategic focus.   Session 1 titled Become the HR Strategic Partner Your Organization Needs wil bee presented by Liz Weber, President, Weber Business Services, LLC.   Session 2 titled Your Personal MBA: Understanding Business Functions & Business Acumen  will be Presented by:  Julie Kowalski, Spizzerinctum Group.

Both programs are approved by SHRM for certification credit and both programs approved by HRCI for Business/Strategic credits.

More information...

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September PDS Topic:  How to minimize biases during the interviewing process?

Submitted by September PDS presenting organization Step Up: Equity Matters

I love watching The Voice. It’s truly uplifting. 

The auditions are one of my favorite parts. I love that the coaches can’t see what’s happening on stage. The only thing they can focus on is the voice of the contestant and the way the audience is reacting to the performance. If you watch it long enough you learn that more often than not the coaches are blown away with the physical representation accompanying some of the voices. They say things like “I don’t understand how such a powerful voice comes out of your little body,” or “You sound so mature for a fifteen-year-old.”  

Similarly, as a Latina with an accent – yet with an “excellent command of English/English skills,” as some have referred to me – I didn’t understand how my interview style may differ from others’. 

About six years into my career, I had the opportunity to do an interview in my native language for the very first time. While I can’t remember the exact nature of the discussion I vividly remember I was less nervous and much more confident. Instead of focusing on not “messing up” my English, I was able to be in the moment; I was better able to share my experiences with the interviewer. Coincidently, this was also about the time I began to see stark differences between male and female interviewing styles.

Click here to continue reading the article on the Step Up: Equity Matters website.

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Compensation and Benefits

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Pay Equity Conversations

By Rachel Martin, Dept of Administration, Compensation & Classification Specialist and GMA SHRM Director of Compensation Survey

There has been a significant number of articles for human resource (HR) professionals regarding “Equal-Pay-for-Equal-Work.”  However, organizations and HR need to consider a different type of pay equity.  Pay equity within the pay structure (not related to protective status) is vital for retention and employee engagement.  Compensation systems must be “fair” to the employees in the compensation structure. However, pay equity is a very subjective process. 
 
An employee’s salary is influenced by market conditions, pay policy decisions and the organization’s internal equity structure. The balance of fairness and organization affordability is a key strategy when setting an employee’s salary.  Employees have more access to market analysis and competitor pay information than ever before. With that information, employees can evaluate an organization’s fairness with available compensation information.  This pay information may result in challenging conversations with supervisors or HR regarding how salary is determined within an organization.  Or, an employee may leave an organization based on a perception of unfairness in compensation practices. 
 
Since pay equity “fairness” is subjective to employee’s opinions, organizations need to be prepared to have compensation conversations with their employees.  HR professionals and supervisors need to have information available to evaluate pay equity within the salary structure of the organization.  These conversations can occur at any time, so being able to pull together information related to the request within the organization, unique skill sets, and market match information is critical to employee retention and morale. Employees in general have access to crowd sourcing data that they can bring to a supervisor and request a pay increase.
 
On a set schedule, organizations should evaluate market information to determine if there is an imbalance of pay equity in the organization.  Organizations need to have the ability to make “equity adjustments” based on that imbalance to the market and the organization’s pay policies. These adjustments can happen as needed or at a specific time of the year, depending on the organization’s policies. However, this equity-adjustment process should not overlook the fact that  every organization has pay outliers within their pay structure.  This process should consider when these outliers should be adjusted and if these outliers should be considered when adjusting other employees. 
 
One  method of adjusting the salary includes reviewing the salary structures in the organization to determine how employees compare to similar jobs.  After that process is completed, an analyst can then evaluate the salaries based on the organization’s method of determining equity (i.e., years with the organization, special skillset, merit increase, etc.). Then an organization can compare to the market data that has been collected.
 
Equity is about fairness, but fairness is very subjective to the organization or the employee.  Therefore, if an organization has employees who question the “fairness of pay based on equity purposes,” be prepared to have conversations regarding the organization’s pay policies and the current market information for the organization.  Some organizations may be more transparent regarding how pay is established for employees.  This allows more open conversation between employees and management about the organization’s compensation practices regarding paying for special skills or other reasons that impact pay equity. Some organizations are not as transparent about how pay is established. In these cases, following pay policies of the organization is essential.  Professionals should be prepared for employees to have a wealth of information available to them, e,g, . Glassdoor, Salary.com, personal connections, etc.  If pay equity within a pay structure is important to an organization, then having a documented process for how pay is established is vital.   
 

Workforce Readiness

Get Involved; Dane County Regional Fair & Workforce Readiness Committee Partnership

Submitted by Jennifer Brikowski, Director of Workforce Readiness Committee, GMA SHRM

The Dane County Regional Job Fair is fast approaching!  The Workforce Readiness Committee is a partner in this event.  As in the past we are looking for volunteers to join us in an assistance capacity before the job fair starts.  The job fair will be held at the Alliant Energy Center on Wednesday, August 28, 2019.  The doors open at 10am for the job seekers in our job seeker preparation area.  They can start meeting with employers at 11am. 
 
As HR professionals this is a fun and engaging way to demonstrate your skills in resume and interviewing for those less experienced.  How rewarding to have an opportunity to affect a resume for a jobseeker before it is submitted or review some basic interview questions! In this competitive recruiting and retention climate it is also an ideal set up to have the first conversation with a job seeker about what your company might be looking for in a candidate. We are looking for volunteers to come in for one or two hours – between 10am to 12pm. You would be working with the job seekers one on one.

If you have time and are willing to spend an hour or two helping out, please reach out via email to jennifer.brikowski@dwd.wisconsin.gov
 
If your company would like a booth at the job fair, please click here for information and registration.


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GMA SHRM Member News

Spotlight:  Retention & Recruitment

Submitted by Tammy Wacek, GMA SHRM President
 
We started our new Board year in July and have some new leaders. It is always exciting to have new people that bring fresh ideas. Please welcome our new Board members!

• Director of Volunteer Engagement: Lindsay Stilson
• Director of Retention & Recruitment: Beth Davison
• Director of Professional Development Summits: Jessica Zych
• Director of Government Affairs: Hilary Stone
• Director of Media Relations: Amanda Tetzlaff

Getting involved with GMA SHRM is a very rewarding experience where you are certain to meet great people and get valuable experience in return for your time. We have a variety of opportunities depending on where your interests lie such as planning events, recruiting and engaging with members, communications, finance and community outreach. As the saying goes…you get out what you put in!
 
If you are interested in being involved with our Board in the future, I would recommend joining one of our committees or reaching out to myself or any of the board members for more information. You will find our Board structure, job descriptions and contact information here.  


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