July 2019 |
HR InTouchThe Monthly Newsletter of the Greater Madison Area SHRM |
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In This EditionPresident's Message Government Affairs & Legal Updates
Professional Development New Policy Changes to SHRM Recertification! College Relations Committee Celebrates Mentors and Students Compensation and Benefits GMA SHRM Compensation Survey – Participation Still Available to Save 50%! Workforce Readiness Diversity Workforce Investment at UW Health! Alternatives to COBRA Coverage GMA SHRM Media Relations Join Our Team!
Human Capital Conference Recap GMA SHRM at The Duck Pond July 25th! July HR Advice Network Roundtables August 13 Professional Development Summit - Session Focus: Strategic Vision for HR GMA SHRM Member News Spotlight: Retention & Recruitment Welcome New Members!
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Greetings GMA SHRM Members – Government Affairs & Legal Updates The Dangers of Destroying Documents Too Soon
Submitted by Brian P. Goodman, Attorney with Boardman Clark and GMA SHRM VP of Programming An employer that destroyed an employee’s personnel record within days of firing her will be hard-pressed to prevail in a former employee’s discrimination lawsuit. In a case out of the federal district court of Montana, Webster v. Psychiatric Medical Care, LLC , the company hired an employee only to terminate her two weeks after starting. It alleged her firing was due to performance issues. The company claimed that it did not foresee litigation, given the short period of time she was employed, and shredded the employee’s personnel record, including documents related to her training performance. The employee sued for disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and requested her performance and training records in order to show the she was performing satisfactorily. However, the records were already destroyed. 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 PeriodEffective 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
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
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:
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
Additional questions? Email SHRM Cert News at SHRMCertNews@shrm.org.
College Relations Committee Celebrates Mentors and StudentsSubmitted by Tyler Wood, Talent Acquisition Specialist & Recruitment Manager and GMA SHRM Director of College Relations Committee
Compensation and Benefits GMA SHRM Compensation Survey – A Great Resource from GMA SHRM, Don’t Miss It!
Get Involved; Dane County Regional Fair & Workforce Readiness Committee PartnershipSubmitted by Jennifer Brikowski, Director of Workforce Readiness Committee, GMA SHRMThe 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. Return to Top Alternatives to COBRA CoverageSubmitted by Jennifer Brikowski, GMA SHRM Director of Workforce Readiness Director, by Colleen Harryman, licensed federally-certified health insurance Navigator with Covering WisconsinWhen assisting employees who are leaving the workplace, one of the biggest concerns is health insurance coverage. While COBRA coverage does offer certain advantages, the monthly premium may be cost prohibitive. There are other options for employees to consider that may be more affordable. Marketplace plans are often cheaper than COBRA. Employees who lose employer sponsored coverage are eligible for plans in the Health Insurance Marketplace (Marketplace,) also known as Healthcare.gov. The Marketplace website address is: https://www.healthcare.gov/. Plan premiums on the Marketplace tend to be significantly cheaper than the premiums for COBRA. Many employees will also be eligible for financial help that will lower the cost of monthly premiums based on their household income. Some people will also qualify for lower out-of-pockets costs when they use their health insurance. Marketplace plans are considered full coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and will cover the required essential health benefits under law. Additional assistance for some Dane County residents. Some consumers in Dane County with a lower household income may be eligible to receive additional financial help to lower their monthly cost for insurance though the Health Connect program of the United Way. You can find more information on their website: https://www.unitedwaydanecounty.org/get-help/healthconnect/. When can a person enroll in the Marketplace? The employee’s loss of employer-sponsored insurance coverage allows for a 60-day special enrollment period (SEP) in the Marketplace. The special enrollment period begins the day the employer sponsored coverage ends. The employee may also enroll in the Marketplace 60 days prior to the end date for the employer-sponsored coverage. This early enrollment can prevent a lapse in coverage. If the employee misses this 60-day SEP window, they will need to wait until the regular open enrollment period. Open enrollment for the federal health insurance Marketplace is November 1 through December 15 with coverage beginning January 1. Cancelling COBRA coverage does NOT result in a Marketplace SEP. Please note that if an employee chooses COBRA, cancelling that COBRA coverage early will not result in a special enrollment period for the Marketplace. If an employee still wishes to cancel their COBRA coverage early, they should meet with a health insurance agent or broker to see if they qualify for a short-term plan. Short-term plans do not offer the same protections as Marketplace plans and it is very important to read the “fine print” to understand what is and is not covered. Navigators can assist with Marketplace enrollment. Health insurance Navigators provide free, unbiased help to any consumer to enroll, understand, and use health insurance coverage. Navigators are licensed by the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and certified by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services. The Navigator’s role is to help the consumer understand how to use their healthcare and to help the consumer decide what plans works best for both their budget and health care needs. Navigators are not contracted by insurers and will not direct consumers to choose one plan over another. But wait, there’s more! Navigators may assist consumers with the filing of complaints and appeals, too. Navigators can also share information about additional resources such as prescription discount plans, social service programs, Medicaid, Medicare, etc. Best of all, Navigator services are free. How do I find a Navigator in my area? For Madison, Milwaukee and surrounding communities, contact Covering Wisconsin. The Madison telephone number for Covering Wisconsin is (608) 261-1455. The Milwaukee office phone number for Covering Wisconsin is (414) 270-4677. An online scheduling feature is available on the Covering Wisconsin website: https://www.coveringwi.org/enroll. In Northwestern Wisconsin, Navigator assistance is available through the Northwest Wisconsin Concentrated Employment Program (Northwest CEP.) The website is https://nwcep.org/affordable-healthcare/. The telephone numbers are listed below: Ashland CEP: 715-682-9141 Superior CEP: 715-392-6127 Spooner CEP: 715-635-2175 Park Falls CEP: 715-762-2477 Enrollment assistance in other areas United Way operators are a great resource for finding many forms of assistance. When seeking local enrollment help, dial 2-1-1 and tell the United Way operator the county in which you reside. Next time an employee needs affordable health insurance coverage, direct them to the nearest Navigator! Return to Top
Come Join Our Team!Submitted to Amanda Tetzlaff, Talent Acquisition Specialist at Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation and GMA SHRM Director of Media Relations Newsletter UpdatesJuly is the beginning of our new GMA SHRM Board year, which runs from July 1st through June 30th. GMA SHRM News & Upcoming Events Human Capital Conference PhotosBy Dana Denny, Director of HCC CommitteeAnother extremely successful 14th Annual GMA SHRM Human Capital Conference (HCC) was held on May 14, 2019 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, WI. Although conference speaker evaluation results have yet to be reviewed, overall attendee comments were extremely positive, especially regarding our modified conference format and keynote speaker, Dr. Rick Risgby. Dr. Rigsby’s enthusiastic message included how to keep your workforce engaged, methods of employer excellence, and modelling leadership in the face of adversity. The 2019 HCC followed a slightly different conference agenda, with Dr. Rigsby providing an inspiring morning Keynote followed up with a workshop which reinforced his powerful message. Other 2019 HCC highlights included afternoon themed Breakout Sessions on recruitment, retention and compensation, as well as the extremely popular employment law update. The Network Reception and Prize Drawing which ended the day welcomed new friends and reacquainted for many years. Many thanks to the GMA SHRM HCC, social media committees, as well as our Conference donors and sponsors who dedicated their time to efforts to another extremely successful event!
GMA SHRM at The Duck Pond!
July HR Advice Network RoundtablesWe have three roundtables held monthly at three different locations throughout the Madison area. The current meeting schedule is below.
August 13, 2019 - GMA SHRM Professional Development SummitAlliant Energy Center GMA SHRM Member News Spotlight: Retention & RecruitmentSubmitted by Gene Sarmiento, LegalShield Independent Associate and GMA SHRM VP of Membership Welcome New Members!GMA SHRM welcomes the following members who joined our chapter in May 2019!
Movin' Up In Transition
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 .
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In June, GMA SHRM held an event to recognize and celebrate GMA SHRM mentors and students. This was an inaugural year for a new mentor pilot program, led and hosted by the GMA SHRM College Relations Committee. Here, mentors and aspiring HR individuals shared learnings and ideas from the program, and also provided guidance on enhancements to the program. This partnership will strengthen the relationships with our SHRM campus partners and the HR profession.
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Professional Life: Mary currently works at Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation as an Employee Engagement and Social Media Specialist. It will be 2 years in September and all together 5 years as an HR Professional. Her role focuses on making sure employees are happy, enjoy what they do and where they work. “I enjoy every minute of it! It is critical to make sure our employees feel valued, especially when opportunities are all around us. It’s the employees who make the organization what it is. We need to appreciate that and not take them for granted.”
I am excited about another year with GMA SHRM. We ended the year with Meet, Greet & Eat on June 27 at Unos Pizzeria and start the year with the GMA SHRM at the Duck Pond. We hope to see you at this family friendly event whether it’s for a few minutes at the Tailgate or stay for the game.
