Hi GMA SHRM Members, 

It’s February!  Wow!  It has been a busy GMA SHRM week so we’re skipping a video & sending a quick President’s Update note to all of you – our remarkable GMA SHRM members.
 
Tuesday, January 19^th marked our first PDS of 2021 and it did NOT disappoint.  DE&I work is on the forefront of HR’s minds this year, and we are thrilled to offer DE&I programming to members, especially those whose organizations may not have resources to do so.  If you missed the event, check out Lisa Koenecke & Step Up Equity Matters on social media for a glimpse of who they are.  The March PDS is on March 9th – Summer Rector and Tina Hallis?  You will want to be there!
 
Your GMA SHRM Board of Directors held a fun & engaging virtual Strategic Planning Retreat on January 22^nd  – we may have set the record for amount of times saying ‘pivot’ and ‘new normal’ – worth it, however, in order to ensure GMA SHRM is offering YOU, our members, what you need (and HR’s needs have clearly changed over the past year!).  A few talented volunteers joined for the retreat – one of many cool perks of volunteering on a GMA SHRM committee!
 
You may have seen that the WI-SHRM State Council planning is moving full steam ahead in hopes that your favorite State Conference be held in person this October.  Read more details here.
 
Our very own GMA SHRM Human Capital Conference is a short few months away!  It will be fully virtual – if you were impressed last August, just wait till you see what we have put together for May!  Block your calendar for May 18-19, 2021 – registration will open in the next few weeks.  In the meantime, take a peek at our keynote speaker Risha Grant (https://rishagrant.com/).
 
Things are looking up in the world – keep your head up as we power through these next few weeks of winter (yes, weeks!) and know your GMA SHRM community & friends are always here for you. 
 
Hope to ‘see’ you at an upcoming GMA SHRM event soon!


 
Brittany Hanson, MBA, PHR
President
GMA SHRM

COVID-19 Resources

Travel Time Between Office and Telework from Home is Generally Non-Compensabl

Submitted from Brian P. Goodman, GMA SHRM Programming Member, and Sarah J. Horner, both Attorneys at Boardman & Clark LLP

Brian P. Goodman

Sarah J. Horner

As teleworking from home becomes more commonplace, your organization might be considering permitting employees to work partial workdays from home. But is travel time between an employee's home and office during the regular workday compensable? As a general rule, ordinary commuting time is not compensable. However, required travel between different worksites is compensable under a principle known as the “continuous workday doctrine.” The Department of Labor recently clarified in an opinion letter that employers are not required to compensate employees for travel time between an employee's home and office as long as there is sufficient time to perform personal tasks in between the employee's “on-duty” time.
 
For example, an employee begins her day working from home for two hours, takes a break to prepare her kids for school and then drops them off at school on the way to the office, where she then completes her workday. In that situation, the employee’s travel time to the office is not compensable.  
 
Likewise, travel time is not compensable if the employee chooses to travel between worksites for their own purposes when the employer does not require it, or if the employee is “off-duty” between leaving one worksite and resuming work activities at the other worksite. An employee is “off-duty” if they either have sufficient time for personal activities or sufficient flexibility to choose when they resume their work-related activities. Therefore, if an employee chooses to work a partial day from home to accommodate a doctor's appointment, a parent teacher conference, or any other personal activity, the employer is not required to compensate them for their travel time. 
 
As organizations continue to develop their future work environments, these general principles should provide some clarity and reassurance when seeking to offer greater remote work flexibility.
 

WISHRM (Virtual) Day on the Hill and the Government Affairs Committee

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

Anything happen recently in politics? Any changes to be aware of?  Maybe a few!

The WISHRM Virtual Day on the Hill event on February 18th will provide you with a half-day of education, legal updates, advocacy, and networking opportunities with your HR colleagues and legislators.

WISHRM is planning for a legal update, legislative and advocacy updates from National SHRM Government Affairs, multiple Networking Roundtables facilitated by industry professionals, and a panel discussion with legislators and/or staff from the Wisconsin State Legislature.

Looking to stay connected year around?  The goal of the Government Affairs 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 human resources legislation. Some ways to get involved on our committee include:   

• Meeting as a group (usually during happy hour) to discuss current legislative topics and events four to six times per 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.
• 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. 

The Most Recent Stimulus Bill Includes Temporary Special Rules for Health and Dependent Care FSAs

Submitted by Mary Corcoran, Employee Benefits Sales Consultant at Cottingham & Butler

On December 27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 was signed into law.
 
This comprehensive Act provides temporary special rules for health and dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSAs) that give employees additional time to use these funds. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, employees may be more likely to have unused amounts in health or dependent care FSAs.
 
Key Points:
 
Carryovers Allowed– For plan years ending in 2020 or 2021, an employer may allow participants to carry over unused HFSA or DCFSA balances to the next plan year. 
 
Extended Grace Periods Allowed – An employer may implement an HFSA or DCFSA grace period of up to 12 months for plan years ending in 2020 or 2021. 
 
Mid-Year Election Changes – Employers may now allow employees to make prospective changes to HFSA or DCFSA elections for any plan years ending in 2021, even if they have not experienced a recognized election change event. 
           
DCFSA Participants with Dependents Who Age Out – The legislation contains a temporary rule that allows a plan to reimburse expenses for dependents who have not yet attained age 14 under certain circumstances. The employee must have elected to enroll in the DCFSA plan on or before January 31, 2020, and the child reached the age of 13 during that plan year.
           
HFSA Post-Termination Reimbursements –An employer may reimburse HFSA expenses incurred after termination by an employee who terminates from the plan during calendar years 2020 or 2021.
 
Key Employer Takeaway:
 
Employers need to determine if they want to incorporate any of these flexibilities in their plans, knowing that the impact of doing so has a cost.  Secondly, they need to determine if their administrator can accommodate it. However, the applicable dollar maximum limitations will continue to apply for each plan year. 
 
Recommendations:
 
-Request a summary report from your administrator to review the balances in HFSA/DCFSA accounts
 
-Determine which options you will amend:
 

• Carryover for both Health FSAs and DCFSAs
• Grace Period extension time 
• Flexibility in election changes for both Health FSAs and DCFSA

 
-Consider the administrative impact 
 
-How will any changes be communicated to employees

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Professional Development

 

March 9 PDS - Focus on Retaining Top Talent

Join us on March 9th for our next virtual Professional Development Summit focused on Retaining Top Talent.  This event is free for GMA SHRM members and Student Members.
 

Session 1:  HR Trends: The New World of Work		Session 2:  Staying Positive During Change & Uncertainty
Presented By:   Summer Rector, The QTI Group •8:00am-10:00am		Presented by:  Tina Hallis, Ph.D. •10:15am-12:15pm
Participants will learn to:     Learn about the top HR challenges and what high performing organizations are doing to attract, retain, and engage talent Learn how your organization can make forward progress in diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments and actions Learn about the compensation, benefits, well-being, and career trends to optimize your total rewards investment		Participants will learn: Gain a deeper understanding of the meaning and importance of positivity in people’s lives and in your organization Leave with ideas on how to increase and promote positivity in your people and organization based on Positive Psychology Discover a new appreciation for the power of our thoughts and how to tap into that power for more success

 

 

 

Save the Date!  2021 Human Capital Conference featuring Risha Grant!

 

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Virtual Roundtables and Social Events Extended Into 2021!

Thanks to some amazing GMA SHRM volunteers, our popular virtual roundtables and social events are continuing into 2021!  

Roundtables - These less formal virtual gatherings are held 3 times per month on Zoom.   More information about our Roundtables and registration can be found here!

Social events like our Meet, Greet & Eat programs are continuing too!  Our next one is Thursday, February 11th so visit the Meet, Greet & Eat​ information page and sign up now!


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GMA SHRM welcomes the following members who joined our chapter in December 2020!

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Member Awards and Recognition

Have you recently earned a professional achievement award? If so, we want to hear about it. 
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 .