Hi GMA SHRM Members, 

" 'Cause a little bit of summer’s what the whole year’s all about."  - John Mayer
 
Hello GMA SHRM friends!  I'll keep this, my last President's Update, short and sweet.  While last summer we felt a small reprieve from COVID-19, our lives were still shrouded with uncertainty and worry.  This summer it's looking like we're getting our lives back.  GMA SHRM Chapter activities will wind down for a bit, as we imagine seeing (and setting!) a lot of 'Out of Office' replies.  There are still plenty of virtual networking events to help you stay connected with your GMA SHRM friends. Be sure to catch an HR Advice Network Round Table, a Meet Eat & Greet, or a Networking event (sign up here).  We're keeping events virtual and will let you know when that changes.  The August 17th Professional Development Summit is our next big event - mark your calendar!  Registration is also well underway for the National SHRM Conference in Las Vegas this September, and our very own WI-SHRM State Conference this October.  Both events will be hybrid, with in person and virtual options. 
 
We are coming off a wildly successful 2021 Virtual Human Capital Conference - thanks to our speakers, volunteer event planners, and attendees!  Planning two virtual conferences in the span of a year was QUITE a feat.  GMA SHRM's active member base, talented volunteer leaders, and wildly hard-working chapter administrators made it a reality.  We hope you enjoyed it!  And we look forward to seeing our GMA SHRM family in person for HCC 2022! 
 
GMA SHRM's new Board of Directors begin their service effective July 1st, 2021.  Thank you in advance for voting in our new volunteer leaders!  Being a GMA SHRM Volunteer Leader has been my most rewarding and impactful career experience.  As an HR department of two in 2013, I joined GMA SHRM to learn and network.  I volunteered here and there (remember Job Boot Camp?!) and became the Newsletter Coordinator in 2016.  I joined the Board of Directors as Director of Media Relations in 2017, accepted the role of President Elect in 2018, and the rest is history!  Thanks to Tia Gibson, Dawn Koopman, Kathy Konichek, Mary Jo Speakerman, Erin Peters, Melissa Chadwick, Tammy Wacek, and all my GMA SHRM mentors and inspiration!  I am tremendously thrilled to welcome Tracy Nelson into the Chapter President role.  You are in good hands!
 
I know my calendar is booked with lots of 'summer revenge travel', however GMA SHRM is still here to support your HR needs as you navigate new mask guidance, vaccines, return to the workplace, and more.  Attend a round table or send us an email. We’re here for you.  Enjoy your June everyone!

 
Brittany Hanson, MBA, PHR
President
GMA SHRM

Click here to view the full GMA SHRM Board of Directors


 

COVID-19 Resources

Caution Regarding Conviction Record Discrimination

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

The Wisconsin Fair Employment Act (WFEA) includes a prohibition on conviction record discrimination. Employers that perform background checks on potential new hires should be careful to not use those background checks in a way that violates the WFEA. For example, an employer can only refuse to employ someone if the individual has been convicted of a felony, misdemeanor, or other offense under circumstances that substantially relate to the circumstances of the particular job. This is called the substantial-relationship test, and it requires a case by case analysis.

In Cree, Inc. v. LIRC, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals clarified the substantial-relationship test with respect to crimes of domestic violence. In 2012, Derrick Palmer was convicted of strangulation/suffocation, fourth-degree sexual assault, battery, and criminal damage to property related to a domestic incident with a live-in girlfriend. After initially offering Palmer a job, Cree rescinded it after a criminal background check revealed these convictions.

In the position for which he applied, the applicant would have worked in a large facility with many employees, including women, while he designed and recommended installation of lighting. But the court explained that the purpose of the substantial-relationship test is to assess whether the tendencies and inclinations to behave a certain way in a particular context are likely to reappear later in the context of employment.

The court in Cree opined that Palmer’s criminal record demonstrated a tendency and inclination to be physically abusive toward women in his domestic relationships. However, Cree presented no evidence that Palmer had ever been violent outside of a domestic relationship, nor that Palmer would be supervising, mentoring, or even working closely with female employees. Therefore, the court held that Palmer’s convictions were not substantially related to the job for which he applied and consequently Cree violated the WFEA.

Employers should know that not all criminal convictions, even serious ones, are substantially related to a given job. They need to review the circumstances surrounding each conviction and determine if they are substantially related to the job at issue, which requires a careful case-by-case analysis. Employers should consider contacting legal counsel to navigate these challenging situations when they arise.

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Professional Development

Keynote Presenter:  Robert Shallenberger,  U.S.A.F. Pilot Retired, CEO Becoming Your Best Global Leadership

When employees are asked for their biggest challenges, responses range from, "I feel overwhelmed with everything on my plate" to "We have this great opportunity, but we can't get everyone aligned." The answers span a wide range, but they all share a common issue– they need a planning process that is practical, manageable, and will help develop a way forward.

During this hands-on and interactive program, each leader will tackle the most significant issue they are facing - personal or professional – then use the Six-Step Process to find a solution and develop a plan to solve it. This experience will provide a process you may use again and again in your personal and profession life! The Six-Step Process can immediately be taken back to your teams to address any issue until it becomes a part of your culture.

Becoming Your Best Global Leadership firm has spent years researching more than 50 organizations to see how employees and leaders planned and problem solved to identify what worked and what did not. It was interesting to find less than 10% of leaders had a planning or problem-solving process. To close the gap an approach to planning, The Six-Step Process, was born.

This program will utilize the Six-Step Process to give individuals and teams a process to solve their biggest problems and create a clear plan of who will do what by when in order to solve the problem. The Six-Step Process is the same process used by many successful organizations to solve their biggest challenges. While it will apply to any organizational problem or opportunity, people can also use it to solve any personal challenge they may be facing.

This program will help participants:   

• Understand how you can use the Six-Step Process with individuals, teams, and your organization to solve your biggest problems and challenges.
• Develop a plan of who will do what by when to solve your biggest problems and achieve your vision.
• Learn strategies to help stay accountable and flawlessly execute your plan at a high level.

 

GMA SHRM welcomes the following members who joined our chapter in April 2021!
 

Kathryn	Benson	SHRM-CP	State of Wisconsin
Kayla	Graser		Sauk Prairie Healthcare
Anja	Hartmann		Cottingham & Butler
Jean	Heinzman	PHR	The Gallina Corporation
Rick	Kiley		gThankYou, LLC
Taylor	Maas		RenewAire
Christina	Ortuzar	SHRM- SCP	The QTI Group
Rebecca	Sersch		Great Big Pictures
Harry	Wolfe		University of Wisconsin-Madison

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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 .