Greetings GMA SHRM Members –

I can’t believe we are nearing the end of 2019 already. Our chapter had a great November with some very successful events including our annual Student Night Out, GMA SHRM Revealed and our annual Legal Update. As part of our November Professional Development Summit, we had a representative from the Madison Police Department provide members Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) Training. This was my first time going through the training and it was extremely helpful to prepare me for that type of event. Did you know the Madison Police Department will come to your office and provide this training free of charge? I recommend submitting a request with them if your business hasn’t already been through a similar program. You can find all the details on their website: https://www.cityofmadison.com/police/safety/commTrainings/crase.cfm
 
In preparation for 2020, we have most of our event dates posted on our website and will be posting details in the near future. Our January Professional Development Summit will focus on Recruiting in a Competitive Environment. I think every organization will benefit from tips and tricks in that area of Human Resources.
 
Our chapter is finalizing our Corporate Partnerships for 2020 in December and your organization won’t want to miss out on this opportunity. Becoming a Corporate Partner will allow your business multiple opportunities to promote your products and services to over 700 Human Resource Professionals throughout the year. You will find all the details on our 2020 Corporate Partnership page. 
 
I included this last month but, in case you missed it, national SHRM membership is going up to $219 effective January 1, 2020. If you renew by the end of the year, you will beat the dues increase and will be able to use the code STATE20 to save $20.
 
Have a happy and safe holiday season!

Take Care,

Tammy Wacek, SHRM-CP, PHR
President
GMA SHRM

Request for New Supervisor is Not a Reasonable Accommodation

Submitted by Brian Goodman at Boardman & Clark LLP and GMA SHRM VP of Programming

Another federal court has concluded that an employee’s request for a new supervisor is not a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). The ADA generally requires an employer to provide accommodations to a qualified employee with a disability.  Employers can deny accommodation requests that are unreasonable, would impose an undue hardship on the employer, or would result in a direct threat to the requesting employee or others.
 
In Hamilton v. GlaxoSmithKline, LLC, the Montana District Court recently emphasized the requirement that an employee’s accommodation request must be reasonable. In that case, the employer approved the employee’s request for short-term disability benefits after the employee’s relationship with her supervisor caused the employee gastritis and anxiety. But when the employee later provided a doctor’s note requesting reassignment to a new supervisor as an accommodation, the employer was unable to grant the request. The employer had assigned the employee to work under the safety supervisor because the employee was the only occupational health safety nurse in the employer’s vaccine manufacturing facility. Therefore, while the court found that reassignment to a new, non-safety supervisor was unreasonable in this case, the court refused to adopt a per se rule that such a request for a new supervisor would never be reasonable.
 
The federal courts with jurisdiction over Wisconsin have more affirmatively concluded that employers do not violate the reasonable accommodation requirement of the ADA by declining to assign an employee to work under a different supervisor. Additionally, under state law, the Labor and Industry Review Commission has held that such a request is not reasonable when the employee’s disability would prevent the employee from working effectively with any supervisor. Finally, the Equal Opportunities Commission for the City of Madison has held that an employer does not fail to provide reasonable accommodation if the employee refuses to discuss alternatives to supervisor reassignment.
 
These decisions serve as important reminders that employers do not need to automatically accept an employee’s initial accommodation request. If the employer follows up on an initial accommodation request by engaging in the interactive process to determine a reasonable accommodation, the employer might be able to determine an equally effective accommodation for the employee that would fulfill the employer’s obligations under the ADA. A successful interactive process can establish a reasonable accommodation for the employee, while preserving the employer’s right to make decisions regarding appropriate supervisors for its personnel.  As a final word of caution, if an employee’s request for a new supervisor stems from alleged misconduct or unprofessional behavior by the supervisor, the employer should investigate and address that conduct or behavior, as appropriate. 

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Professional Development

What's a PDS?   About our Professional Development Summits

Each Professional Development Summit/PDS will offer two sessions and will be held five times a year. This is equal to ten educational programs offered in five days. The sessions start at 8am and 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 mornings 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.
 
Typical program schedule:

• Program 1 - 8:00am to 10:00am
• Program 2 - 10:30am to 12:30pm

Typical Registration Fee:  Included in membership dues

A few recap photos from November’s PDS:

 

 

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Compensation and Recruitment:  Our January 21, 2020 PDS Focus  

Session 1:  It's Time for A Compensation Revolution

Presented By:  Summer Rector,  QTI Consulting

A total rewards system should include a base pay structure, bonuses, and annual merit increases, right?  Wrong…or not necessarily.  For years, these programs were defined as essential, but are they effective at attracting, motivating, and retaining talent?  Have we lost sight of their true purpose in the decades of evolution?  Join us as we discuss revolutionary ideas such as paying employees to quit, eliminating bonuses, compensation coaching, unique recognition programs, and more.

Session 2:  Recruiting Made Easy – Maximize Your Time and Get Results You Want

Presented by:  Susan Thomson, Action Coach

Join us to learn about a radically different (and fun!) approach to hiring – one that consistently attracts only those people who are a great fit for your culture and for the role you need to fill. Best of all – it’s quick! What used to take months, can now take weeks instead. So you get to do what you need – time to focus on the business and you get an “A” player who can really help you grow. It’s a beautiful thing.

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Workforce Readiness

Workforce Readiness – Getting Involved for the Better Good

Submitted by Jennifer Brikowski, Employment & Training Specialist – Business Services Lead at The State of WI and Director of GMA SHRM Workforce Readiness Committee

The mission of the Workforce Readiness committee is to develop and maintain relationships with our greater community so that we can assist the workforce with becoming more employable.  What does this mean to GMA SHRM? We should reach out to various community organizations to offer our assistance for their missions.  What would this look like?  It could be assisting the Urban League with a job fair.  Going to Operation Fresh Start or a local high school and helping students with resume reviews or mock interviews.  It could mean volunteering to help build a Habitat for Humanity home to help a family secure housing, or volunteering at the Salvation Army so a parent can go to an interview.

The work our committee is tasked with is to build relationships with organizations in the community and identify volunteer opportunities that we can then share with all GMA SHRM members.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?" Our committee will work to find those opportunities.  We will then share these volunteer opportunities through the newsletter or Facebook. We will then ask our members to participate by volunteering their time and talent in service to our community.  John F. Kennedy once said "Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try". This is all we are asking you to do.  

To learn more about the Workforce Readiness Committee, contact Jennifer Brikowski

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College Relations

GMA-SHRM Student Night Out was a SUCCESS!

Submitted by Tyler Wood, Talent Acquisition & Recruitment Manager at UW Credit Union and GMA SHRM Director of College Relations

Student Night Out is a premier event hosted by GMA SHRM for students that are pursuing a career in Human Resources. There were over 25 students from various colleges throughout Southwestern Wisconsin who attended the event.
 
Additionally, Lee Wiersma-Executive VP and Chief HR Officer kicked-off the event as the keynote speaker sharing his professional experience and advice. The four person panel including Amy Loose, Dr. Don Schutt, Faustina Bohling, and Maureen Miner answered a lot of great questions posed by the students. 
 
Students learned about the benefits of SHRM, scholarships, and the GMA SHRM student mentorship program. One very lucky student also received a year’s free Premium LinkedIn Membership.
 
If you’re a student looking to get your foot in the door in the HR or business world, you may want to consider becoming a SHRM member.  The student scholarship deadline is December 10, 2019 with details located here: http://www.gmashrm.org/studentscholarship.
 
The GMA SHRM college relations committee consists of Alicia Genin, Andrea Wyant, Arlette Kambwa-Gitau, Jieqi Mei, Kayla Lubenow, and Tyler Wood.
 

Here’s some recap photos captured by our Social Media Committee (thank you!):

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Committee Spotlight:  Government Affairs

Submitted by Hilary Stone, HR Specialist at UW-Madison Engineering Professional Development and Director of GMA SHRM Government Affairs
 

Four of our Government Affairs Committe Members L-R: Hilary Stone (Director), Jeff Palkowski, Abigail Darwin (Chair), Mary Wilkosz

The goal of our committee is to share legislative information with our fellow GMA SHRM members through newsletter articles, events, and other resources in an objective and non-partisan manner. 
 
Our committee is always looking for new volunteers who are interested in legal updates, employment law, and pending human resources legislation. Some ways to get involved on our committee include:   

• Providing topics, ideas or articles for the monthly GMA InTouch Newsletter
• Meeting as a group (usually during happy hour) to discuss current legislative topics and events 4-6 times a year
• Assisting with programming such as the annual Legal Update/Professional Development Summit and volunteering at the annual WI SHRM Day on the Hill event held at the Wisconsin State Capitol February 12-13th. 2020 Day on the Hill
• Connecting with the national SHRM Advocacy A-Team as an HR Advocate to learn more about federal issues and if you choose, personally advocating on HR-related issues with your elected officials on behalf of yourself or your employer. 

For more information about the GMA SHRM Government Affairs Committee, please contact Director of Government Affairs Hilary Stone or Committee Chair Abigail Darwin.

Welcome New Members!

GMA SHRM welcomes the following members who joined our chapter in October 2019!
 

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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

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 .