March 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 An HR Director’s and Veteran’s Summary and Review of the SHRM Foundation Veteran’s at Work Certification Program Survey Supercharged HR: Leveraging Behavioral Science and Big Data Education and Development SHRM Certification Scholarships Workforce Readiness Boys’ & Girls’ Club of Dane County – Looking for internship opportunities with your company Volunteer Opportunity – March 20, 2019; Dane County Regional Job Fair GMA SHRM Media Relations
Dr. Rick Rigsby Announced as 2019 Human Capital Conference Keynote Presenter HR on Ice Recap - The Membership Committee Plans More Opportunities for You to Meet Other GMA SHRM Members! Congratulations to the GMA SHRM Scholarship Winners! March 19, 2019 - Professional Development Summit Session 1: Conscious Leadership = Employee Retention + Improved Engagement! Session 2: People Analytics: Adding Some Crunch to your Soft Skills Madison and surrounding communities consistently rank as a top community in which to live, work, play and raise a family GMA SHRM Member News Spotlight: Programming Committee Welcome New Members!
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Greetings GMA SHRM Members – Government Affairs & Legal Updates 5th Annual WI SHRM Day on the Hill RecapSubmitted by: Jeff Palkowski, Director of Government Affairs GMA SHRM and WI SHRM, SHRM Advocacy Captain (Wisconsin 1st CD) On February 14th (yes, Valentine’s Day) over 50 human resources professionals from across the state gathered in Madison for the 5th Annual WI SHRM Day on the Hill event. This annual event provides Wisconsin HR professionals with employment law and legislative updates, public policy and advocacy updates from National SHRM, and an opportunity for attendees to visit the Wisconsin State Capitol to meet with their elected officials to discuss workplace issues.
I had the honor of presenting a brief overview of the framework of Wisconsin State Government in a presentation I titled “Under the Capitol Dome.” In this short presentation, I provided a comparison of the branches of federal government vs. state government, discussed the current makeup of the Wisconsin State Legislature, and provided some tips for those that would be visiting the Wisconsin State Capitol later that day.
House and Senate Bills Introduced to Facilitate Employer-Provided Student Loan Repayment AssistanceSubmitted by: Abigail Darwin, GMA SHRM Government Affairs Committee Member and Employee Benefits Attorney at Quarles & Brady LLCIn February 2019, companion bills were introduced in both the U.S House and Senate that would provide tax benefits to both employers and employees for employer-provided student loan repayment assistance benefits. The Senate bill, S. 460, was introduced on February 12 by Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and John Thune (R-SD), and the House bill, H.R. 1043, was introduced on February 7, by Scott Peters (D-CA) and Rodney Davis (R-IL). As of February 16, 2019, the House bill already had 101 co-sponsors, and the Senate bill had 18 co-sponsors. Importantly, the bills have bipartisan support in both chambers. Under existing law, if an employer wants to help an employee pay off his or her pre-existing student loan debt, that money is counted as taxable wages to the employee. S. 460 and H.R. 1043 would allow an employee to not have to include up to $5,250 per year of employer-provided student loan repayment benefits as wages, and would also allow an employer to take a tax deduction up to that same amount if they provide such benefits. S. 460 and H.R. 1043 would accomplish this by extending Internal Revenue Code ("Code) § 127 to include employer contributions toward employee student loan repayment. Currently, Code § 127 only allows employers to deduct, and employees to exclude from wages up to $5,250 per year for tuition reimbursement for classes employees take while currently employed. Currently, over 44 million people (about 1 in 4 adults) in the U.S. have student loan debt, and collectively, they owe over $1.5 trillion! Student loan debt has surpassed credit card debt in the U.S. and is second only to mortgage debt. With college tuition increasing about 6% annually nationwide, and the current national unemployment rate hovering right around 4% (or a little less), student loan repayment benefits are likely to increase in prominence as an important tool to recruit and retain employees, especially Millennials. Allowing the benefit to be tax-qualified would make it much more palatable and useful to both employees and employers. National SHRM has indicated that it plans to issue legislative letters in support of S. 460 and H.R. 1043. Return to Top First in a Two-Part Series on Veteran’s Recruiting, Hiring and Engagement
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Photos from HR on Ice! | |
Submitted by: Tyler Wood, Director of College Relations, GMA SHRM
GMA SHRM is proud to recognize the 2019 GMA SHRM Student Scholarship Award winners! This scholarship was established to recognize outstanding students who have an interest in the human resources field, have positive academic standing, participate in university and community activities, and demonstrate leadership qualities. Each student will receive $750. Congratulations to these students on this incredible achievement.
“As a student and aspiring HR professional, I am most excited to learn about how organizations can utilize their HR departments in a strategic manner. Many contemporary companies are beginning to realize the full potential of the HR department beyond administrative duties, and are including HR workers as strategic business partners, leading to more effective hiring and training and improved alignment of company goals. Understanding methods to develop an administrative HR team into a strategic business partnership, especially within staffing and team creation, will support my long term goals of working within the field of leadership development. As a passionate learner, I also have the long-term goal of receiving my MBA.
Although I was not aware of SHRM before this semester, I was inspired to become a member after attending the GMA SHRM Student Night. I appreciated learning from HR professionals, and was excited to learn their take on the world of HR beyond the textbook. I have signed up to become a student member, and am looking forward to networking with more HR professionals in the upcoming year. I appreciate the opportunity to join GMA SHRM as a student, and appreciate your dedication to students via the scholarship.”
- Erin Faella, Wisconsin School of Business, BBA Management and Human Resources, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Class of 2019
“I am a conscientious and self-driven UW-Whitewater senior majoring in Corporate & Health Communication and double minoring in Human Resource Management and Health Promotion. The reason that I chose this path in college is because it combines my three biggest passions: people, wellness, and Human Resources. By being an active member of SHRM, I love being able to network with HR professionals, learn new HR tactics, and attend chapter events, which has only grown my passion for HR. Through my work experience as a Peer Mentor and Wellness Peer Educator at UW-Whitewater, as well as having been a Store Management Intern at Kohl’s last summer, I have gained skills that I could not learn inside the classroom: training, instructional design, conflict management, leadership, team collaboration, interpersonal communication, and much more.
The idea of bettering an organization by educating staff members, creating strong relationships with others, enhancing productivity, and contributing to the organization’s bottom line excites me more than it probably should, which is why I would like to eventually get my Masters in Adult Education, once I have experienced the work world for a few years. One day, I aspire to become a Corporate Trainer, Director of Talent Acquisition, or HR Director. No matter where life takes me, I believe that my strong passion for Human Resources and drive for excellence will guide me to be an influential Human Resource professional.”
- Anne Zietlow, Corporate & Health Communication Major, Health Promotion, Human Resource Management Minors, University of Wisconsin Whitewater, Class of 2019
Session 1: Conscious Leadership = Employee Retention + Improved Engagement!
Session 2: People Analytics: Adding Some Crunch to your Soft Skills
Program Details
Submitted by: Gail Johnson, Restaino & Associates, Relocation Division, GMA SHRM member
A sophisticated medium-sized city, Madison is distinctively situated on an isthmus between our area's two largest lakes, Mendota and Monona – a setting with impressive beauty. Against the backdrop of high-tech businesses and admired academic institutions, Madison emanates the casual, down-to-earth feel and small-town vibe, yet impresses us with big city amenities. Madison is also the center for health care, information technology and manufacturing industries. The State Capital and home to the University of Wisconsin, Madison features more than 15,000 acres of picturesque lakes and beaches, as well as 260 parks and is one of the most accommodating cities for cyclists. It’s a vibrant cultural hub with plenty of activities to do all year round!
Time after time, Madison and surrounding communities rank as a top community in which to live, work, play and raise a family. And here are some recent honors showcasing our beautiful city!
GMA SHRM Member News
Submitted by: Brian P. Goodman, Vice President: Programming and Attorney at Boardman Clark
The Programming Committee is a lively group of people who love both HR and education. We are fortunate to have many long-standing members on this committee, and new members join each year as well. If you are interesting in volunteering with GMA SHRM, the Programming Committee is a great place to start.
The Programming Committee is responsible for organizing five professional development summits each year. Each professional development summit is four hours long and completely free to GMA SHRM members. That is over 20 free hours of educational programming each year.
The Committee works hard to ensure that this significant member benefit is of the highest quality and of greatest interest to our members. The Committee oversees the annual member survey, which it uses to obtain information on topics of interest to members. In August, the Committee sends out a Call for Proposals to dozens of interested speakers. The Committee vets these proposals and selects programming that addresses member interests, will be delivered by high-quality speakers, and qualifies for certification credits. The Committee’s goal is to have an entire year of programming scheduled at the start of each year.
The Committee meets every couple of months, but more frequently in the fall when proposals are reviewed. If you are interested in serving on the programming committee, contact Brian P. Goodman at bgoodman@boardmanclark.com or 608-283-1722.
Hope to see you all at the March PDS on March 19!
GMA SHRM welcomes the following members who joined our chapter in January 2019!
Bailey | Adkins | QTI Consulting |
Kathryn | Benson | State of Wisconsin |
Sarah | Dahl | Hawks Quindel |
Vernon | Franklin | NeuGen, LLC |
Eileen | Goode | Goode Solutions LLC |
Mike | Gotzler | Littler Mendelson |
Emily | Greenall | Willy Street Co-op |
Sara | Gussine | Student - Herzing University |
Robin | Hayward | Reynolds Transfer & Storage, Inc. |
Andrew | Joudrey | Madison Capitols Hockey - USHL |
Ashley | Kidd | Iconica |
Melissa | Klein | Eastman Klein Consulting Group, LLC. |
Kyra | Matkovich | Exact Sciences |
Arrington | Muhl | Bell Laboratories |
Taylor | Orton | Cottingham & Butler |
Natalie | Scharine | RateLinx |
Riley | Schartner | Drake & Company of Madison Inc |
Taylor | Schultz | Bluetree Network |
Sara | Stanfield | Widen |
Dan | Truehl | Lift Consulting, LLC |
Nathan | Wood | zizzl Benefits & Payroll Co. |
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!
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.
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 .