Dear GMA SHRM Members,

I hope the new year is off to a strong start for each of you! February, often associated with Valentine's Day, is a time for celebrating love and appreciation. I want to express my deep appreciation for SHRM and the privilege of serving our outstanding HR leaders and GMA SHRM members. Your dedication and contributions to your organizations, employees, and the community continually inspire me.

Our Board of Directors has shown remarkable adaptability, successfully pivoting for our recent Strategic Planning Retreat on January 12th. The event unfolded in two parts, with the first half on the 12th via Zoom and the second half scheduled for an in-person meeting on February 2^nd due to the severe winter weather we had. These adjustments ensure our chapter remains robust, and our planning for the year ahead stays on course.

If you are interested in joining a committee or the board, we welcome your involvement. Reach out to Ashley Kowalchuk or myself anytime to explore these opportunities.

Exciting plans are in the works for GMA SHRM education and connection opportunities, thanks to our hardworking programming and membership committees. Be sure to keep checking our events page for all the details regarding upcoming events that we believe you will love.

One such event to check out and register for is our next Meet, Greet & Eat event at Me & Julio on February 20th, from noon-1pm. This casual and interactive gathering promises Tex-Mex delights and powerful connections. Register today on GMA SHRM's events page to secure your spot.

We're also proud to be a sponsor for the WI SHRM’s annual Workplace Policy Conference on February 29th at the Park Hotel here in Madison. This all-day event will provide valuable insights on legal, compliance, and industry-critical topics to empower you for the year ahead. There are nearly 100 people registered already – be sure to join us and see what all the excitement is about!

For those not yet part of our monthly GMA SHRM HR Advice & Networking Roundtables, I highly encourage you to explore these accessible virtual events. Find a session that suits your schedule on our website.

Looking ahead to warmer days, mark your calendar for our Professional Development Summit on March 19th. The topics covered in March will be "Creating a Culture of Hustle Without Burnout" and going “From Being Inclusive to Practicing Inclusion." Reserve your seat by registering at the March PDS Information page.

Lastly, anticipate a vibrant and spectacular spring event on May 21^st as we host our highly sought-after annual Human Capital Conference, made possible by our Corporate Partners, MDS, and HCC Committee. This full-day conference offers the chance to hear phenomenal presenters, gain invaluable insights, and connect with a few hundred of your closest HR friends – who doesn’t love the sound of that?

Hope to see you soon!

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

Click here to view the full GMA SHRM Board of Directors

Legal Update – When An Accommodation Request Is Not An Accommodation Request

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

Employees are not required to use “magic words” to request a reasonable accommodation under the ADA and state law. However, such requests must generally contain enough information to put their employer on notice of the need to explore potential options. A recent appellate decision provided a rare example of an insufficient accommodation request. 

The court held that an employee did not request an accommodation even though he submitted a note to his employer entitled “Accommodations Requests” which specifically referenced the ADA in its opening message. The actual substance of the note, however, made clear that it was related to generalized workplace complaints and did not make clear that any workplace changes were medically necessary. In fact, the letter never mentioned medical issues. Instead, the letter stated that its purpose was to “foster a well-running office, based on the principles of mutual respect, clear communication, and . . . well-defined roles.”

On appeal, the court ruled that the employee’s letter was not a request for a reasonable accommodation because it did not identify any medical issue or how the proposals were related to a qualifying disability. Therefore, although the burden of requesting an accommodation is light, the employee failed to meet it in this circumstance. The fact that the letter was entitled “Accommodations Request” and referenced the ADA did not outweigh the substance of the letter, which made no mention of any medical condition and concerned general workplace issues.

While this case is not a binding precedent for Wisconsin employers and doesn’t address state law, it illustrates a good point for all employers. The general rule remains true that employees need not use magic words to request accommodations.  However, in rare situations, an employee’s request for accommodation might not actually give rise to a legal obligation to start the interactive process for considering an accommodation.  Nevertheless, it is important to recognize how extreme the facts might need to be to avoid the interactive process, which they were in this case. Employers should work closely with legal counsel for assistance if they receive a request for accommodations that appears potentially insufficient.

 

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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.

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Addressing your Office Lactation Space - PUMP Act

Submitted by Jackie Cook, Popins CEO

Lactation support is no longer just an opportunity for retention; with the PUMP Act in effect for the last year, it’s also a legal requirement. Most businesses have some work to do in this area; Medela & Mamava share that 1 in 3 working mothers lack reliable access to a workplace lactation space.

If getting your office lactation space set up has been on your list, but you’re unsure how to manage the logistics of getting appropriate space set up to support your nursing parents, read on.

A quick overview of the PUMP Act Basics. Employers must provide employees space that is:

• Private (shielded from view, free from intrusion)
• Not a Bathroom (think of this as food prep)
• Functional for Pumping milk (has a chair, power supply, table for pump)
• Available as needed (Providing Time is the other key component of the PUMP Act)

Ideally, you are providing a clean, lockable space with a sign. If not in the room, a sink and fridge should be close by to wash pumping supplies and store milk.

This photo is real and from a Madison office. It’s not my post-it, but took me back to when I worked for a small, early stage company in an open concept office off the square. A coat closet also served as the VP’s office, conference call room to avoid disturbing others, and my pumping space. There was a door, but no lock. I usually remembered to put up my post-it note, but sometimes it fell off or wasn’t seen and an awkward “sorry I was just grabbing my coat to go to lunch” moment would occur.




 

Consider who may need to use the space in your office. Just employees? Or do you also have visitors - clients, people coming in for interviewers, etc - who may also be a new parent?

And how will the people who need to use your lactation lounge know how to find and access it? For employees, you may keep information on your internal website or parent page. For visitors, consider if an office manager, front desk worker, or other team members should be aware of where your space is.
 
From working with new parents (and my own experience), I know that asking about a pumping space is uncomfortable enough. It’s more awkward (for everyone) when the response is confusion.
  For smaller businesses or those tight on space, your lactation lounge does not need to be dedicated for the purpose of pumping only.

Some companies are branding their space as Wellness Rooms, Quiet Spaces, or other titles that help make use of the space more inclusive and practical. If you don’t have a dedicated room, consider options like:
 

• Space for pipe and drape or a Mamava pod
• Collaborate with other businesses in your building to share a space
• Adding a curtain to hide supplies or make a glass wall space more private

When a company I worked with was moving into a new space, I got to weigh in on the “Mothers Room.” The final space fit in seamlessly with other conference room spaces in the office, with a few tweaks - frosted glass, a lock on the inside of the door, a bigger/comfortable chair. It was also multi-use (which made sense and would still be compliant under the PUMP Act). What had been the beer fridge became the milk fridge. It housed the foosball table, along with a phone and a small table. So when not being used for lactation, others could pop in for a quick game, a huddle, or take a call.


Make it yours, make it nice, share it out
Like most business activities, putting some love into your office lactation space is an opportunity to show your stakeholders (employees, clients, community) that you care - and in this case, that you support working parents.

It’s also a chance to have a space that reflects or reinforces your company culture - whether by including the foosball table, adding a plant or some small decorations, or giving space for reading materials, supportive notes, or baby pictures.

Once your space is ready, make sure your team knows about it! Make an announcement, update your internal documentation, put the sign up.

Jackie Cook is the CEO of Popins, an organization that helps busy professionals and their employers save time and  stress less on the journey into parenthood. For more information or specific questions, you can reach Jackie at Jackie@Popinsfam.com.

Thank you Jackie for submitting an article for the GMA SHRM newsletter! If you are interested in sharing your expertise in an HR-related topic, we would love to hear from you. For more information, please contact GMA SHRM at chapteradmin@gmashrm.com.

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