Greetings GMA SHRM Members –
 
Who is ready for spring?! I know I am.

I recently attended the 2020 Day on the Hill and am happy to report that this was another successful event put on by the SHRM State Council. The conference included several timely legislative updates and, most importantly, the opportunity for SHRM members to meet with their local legislators. In our meetings we made legislators aware ofwho is represented by SHRM and let them know we are a resource for them regarding employment related topics. We also shared information on the Pathways to Employment Act (AB33 / SB39), which would change the way that courts process and grant expungement. For low-level, nonviolent crimes, the act  allows the individual to seek expungement after completing his/her sentence and removes the age 25 limitation that currently exists with the expungement process in Wisconsin. Changes like this are in line with SHRM’s Getting Talent Back to Work pledge.  

I’m excited for our keynote speaker for the May 19th conference will be Mike Sarrielle, CEO of Echelon Front Overwatch, retired US Navy SEAL officer, and recipient of the Silver Star, six Bronze Stars, two Defense Meritorious Metals, and a Purple Heart. He will speak about Extreme Ownership – Combat Leadership for Business and Life and The Dichotomy of Leadership – The Mindsets for Victory and Balancing Dichotomies. 

Breakout session topics include:

• Employment Brand – Take Control of Your Narrative
• You Can’t Say That! Strategies to master diversity in a new decade. 
• The Extinction of Stagnant Workplaces: How are you Preparing for What’s Next?
• Mastering the Art of Delegation
• Reconnecting to our Center: Staying Grounded When the Ground Feels Shaky
• Coaching for HR Professionals
• and the latest HR Legal Updates!

 
SHRM has launched a new newsletter for managers of people. The intent of the newsletter is to provide managers information that enables them to be great leaders and create supportive workplaces. I think this is a useful tool to support leaders in your organization. To subscribe, go to this website: https://lp.shrm.org/preferences.html.
 
SHRM has a new initiative through their foundation Advancing Disability Inclusion at Work. SHRM conducted a study to explore what employers are currently doing to recruit, train, accommodate and advance employees with disabilities. The study also includes what is working for organizations and what the challenges are to creating and maintaining an inclusive workplace for people with disabilities. They found there are misunderstandings amongst HR professionals and managers about the capabilities of employees with disabilities and about the costs associated with supporting employees with disabilities to thrive in the workplace. For that reason, SHRM in partnership with Workplace Initiative has launched this initiative to expand awareness of employment challenges and strengthen the skills and abilities of professionals to hire, retain and advance individuals with disabilities. Information can be found on their website: https://employingabilities.org/
 
I hope to see you at our March Professional Development Summit on the 10^th. Our topics are focused on Retaining Top Talent and details and registration can be found here.
 
Take care,
 
Tammy Wacek, SHRM-CP, PHR
President
GMA SHRM
 

Is Your Job Application Website Accessible to Applicants with Disabilities

Submitted by Brian Goodman, Attorney at Boardman & Clark LLP and VP of GMA SHRM Programming Committee

 While most employers are aware of their obligation to provide physically accessible workplaces for employees with disabilities, a growing wave of website accessibility claims serves as an important reminder that accessibility expands beyond brick and mortar spaces or internal operations. In October, DISH Network agreed to pay $1.25 million to settle lawsuits from job applicants with disabilities who alleged they were denied the opportunity for employment because of their inability to request accommodations while completing the company’s online job application. Providing a job application website that is accessible to applicants with disabilities, such as a website that is compatible with screen readers used by applicants with visual impairments, is one way employers can make their job application process accessible to applicants with disabilities.
 
Under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), employers must generally provide reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities to ensure that they have an equal opportunity to participate in the application process (unless the accommodation creates an undue hardship for the employer). Adhering to this statutory obligation for online job applications is crucial not only to avoid litigation, but also to create a more inclusive work environment and robust workforce.
 
One option for employers wishing to provide generally accessible job application websites is to ensure that their job application websites are compliant with the current Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, which are WCAG 2.1 (level AA is generally the appropriate level of compliance with these guidelines). These guidelines ensure that websites are compatible with the latest assistive technology for people with disabilities. Third party website accessibility vendors can also help design and ensure continued compliance with WCAG 2.1.
 

Regardless of whether an employer’s job application website is compliant with WCAG 2.1, no technical guidelines can ensure complete accessibility. Therefore, all employers should prominently include, in an accessible format, a phone number and email address on their job application website to allow applicants to request a reasonable accommodation from HR. HR should promptly respond to such requests to ensure applicants with disabilities have an equal opportunity to apply for jobs. HR should be prepared provide reasonable accommodations when accessibility issues arise, which might include allowing an applicant to complete a paper application or orally complete a job application.

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2020 WI SHRM – 6th Annual Day On The Hill was a GREAT SUCCESS

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Professional Development

The 2020 Human Capital Conference

  

GMA SHRM is excited to announce its 15th Annual Human Capital Conference will be held Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, WI!   

Our 2019 keynote presenter Dr. Rick Rigsby referenced the book Extreme Ownership by Echelon Front authors Jocko Willink and Leif Babin several times in his address.  The message was so powerful that we had to find out more... and bring Echelon Front to Madison!

For 2020 we are honored to have Echelon Front Overwatch CEO Mike Sarraille as our keynote presenter!   Mike Sarraille is a retired U.S. Navy SEAL officer, a graduate of the University of Texas McCombs Business School, and now a leadership instructor, speaker and strategic advisor for Echelon Front.   Mike is a recipient of the Silver Star, six Bronze Stars, two Defense Meritorious Service Medals, and a Purple Heart.

Mike will use his incredible combat leadership experience and business acumen to deliver two keynote addresses based on the best-selling books by Echelon Front; Extreme Ownership: Combat Leadership for Business and Life, and The Dichotomy of Leadership - The Mindsets for Victory and Balancing Dichotomies

Along with the outstanding morning program and the great networking our conference is known for, we will feature 9 breakout sessions from industry experts!   Breakout session topics include:

• Employment Brand – Take Control of Your Narrative
• You Can’t Say That! Strategies to master diversity in a new decade. 
• The Extinction of Stagnant Workplaces: How are you Preparing for What’s Next?
• Mastering the Art of Delegation
• Reconnecting to our Center: Staying Grounded When the Ground Feels Shaky
• Coaching for HR Professionals
• and the latest HR Legal Updates!

More information!

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Programming Committee Spotlight  

Submitted by Jessica Zych, MBA, PHR, SHRM-CP VP of Human Resources and GMA SHRM Director of Programming Committee

During the late summer, the Programming Committee comes alive to start planning the Professional Development Summits (PDS) for the next year.  We are tasked with organizing 5 PDS events that contain 20 hours of educational programming that is free to our GMASHRM members!
 
The planning begins with sending out Call for Proposals (CFPs) to many interested speakers.  Once the CFPs are received, each proposal is evaluated to find the best programming for our Professional Development Summits that meet our member interests and qualify for certification credits. The committee works to have the entire next year of programming scheduled by the end of the previous year.
 
We are a small dedicated group looking for additional members that like to have fun and are interested in shaping the future learning opportunities for GMASHRM.  If you are interested in being a part of the Programming Committee or know of a potential speaker that would be beneficial for a Professional Development Summit, please contact Jessica Zych at jzych@tricorinsurance.com or 608-338-1155.
 
Hope to see you at the March PDS on March 10 where the topic will be Retaining Top Talent!

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

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Members on the Move

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!  

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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 .