Greetings, GMA SHRM Members and HR Professionals!

Spring is a great time to refresh, renew, and reconnect with your HR friends and colleagues!  We are coming off our first in person Human Capital Conference held May 17th and with over 200 attendees, we are excited to build on its momentum.

Other key opportunities to engage with SHRM this year include the Wisconsin State SHRM Conference October 12th – 14th at Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells and the    SHRM Annual Conference and Expo June 12th – 14th in New Orleans.  The 2022 Wisconsin SHRM Conference will be a hybrid event, with in-person and virtual experiences. Whether you choose to attend virtually or in-person, there will be a variety of sessions to increase your HR knowledge and provide credits toward recertification. WI SHRM State Conference 2022.    The national conference also has an exciting line up of speakers and entertainers including former President George Bush, Arianna Huffington, Brad Paisley, and SHRM President & CEO, Johnny Taylor! 
   
Your GMA SHRM Board of Directors has just completed our annual succession planning and are readying for a new Board of Directors to begin their service on July 1.  Please watch for our board slate to be announced soon for member vote, and we would greatly appreciate your vote of support for the new board!  If you’d like to get more involved in the chapter, check out our “Get Involved” page.   You can also reach out to Dana Denny, our President Elect from our GMA SHRM Leaders page.  here: GMA SHRM Leadership.  Thank you to all our current board and committee members who demonstrate their commitment to serving each month as we plan networking and educational events for our community of members and guests, and to our chapter administration, Morgan Data Solutions, for the support they provide in ensuring our members and guests are experiencing the best GMA SHRM has to offer! 

Our next networking event following the Human Capital Conference is the June 9th Meet, Greet & Eat event, so sign up today to share stories, interests and have some laughs over coffee.  A great way to connect, gripe and celebrate with your HR peeps that "get it"!. 

Lastly, as always, a big thank you to our corporate sponsors whose financial support makes it possible for us to continue to serve the HR community at surprisingly affordable membership rates that includes almost all events and member benefits without extra charge. Haven’t joined GMA SHRM quite yet? Watch for our enticing membership promotion coming soon!


All the best,

Tracy Nelson, SPHR, CPTD
President-GMA SHRM
Tracy.nelson@aspiretalentgroup.com

Prompt and Effective Remedial Action is Key When Responding to Harassment Complaints
 

Submitted from Brian P. Goodman, GMA SHRM Programming Member, Sarah J. Horner, and Storm B Larson, all Attorneys at Boardman & Clark LLP, a Platinum Sponsor
 

Brian P. Goodman

Sarah J. Horner Storm Larson

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has been issuing a lot of employment law decisions recently. Paschall, et al. v. Tube Processing Corp is another decision worth noting because it highlights the importance of reasonably and promptly responding to an employee’s reports of harassment to limit an employer’s potential liability from hostile work environment claims.

Paschall involved two employees alleging that they were subjected to a hostile work environment, which is a type of harassment claim. One employee brought claims based on sex and race discrimination; the other brought a claim based only on race. A claim of a hostile work environment due to coworker harassment based on either sex or race requires an employee to show, among other things, that there is a basis for employer liability. If the employee’s coworkers (rather than a supervisor) are the harassers, there can be no basis for employer liability unless the employer was unreasonable in discovering or remedying the harassment.

The question of whether an employer took reasonable action in response to the harassment complaints was dispositive in this case. The Seventh Circuit concluded that the employer took reasonable action and therefore, the employer was not liable.  The employer assigned the harasser to a different job and reprimanded the harasser upon receiving the employees’ initial complaints of harassment. According to the court, the employer responded in a manner likely to end the harassment.

Paschall serves as a good reminder that responding quickly and effectively with remedial action in the face of an internal harassment complaint can prevent hostile work environments from developing and mitigate an employer’s risk of liability.

Meet, Greet, & Eat - June 9th

June 9th – 8:00am - 9:00am
Finca Coffee - 2500 Rimrock Road,  Madison, WI

Meet, Greet & Eat with your fellow GMA SHRM Members!

Share stories, interests and have some laughs over coffee!  A great way to connect, gripe and celebrate with your HR peeps that "get it"!

Member Registration


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Our Next Professional Development Summits

• August 16,  2022 - Professional Development Summit

Focus:  Total Rewards/Recruitment
Alliant Energy Center
Program Details Coming Soon

• September 20,  2022 - Professional Development Summit

Focus:  Retention
Alliant Energy Center
Program Details Coming Soon

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Grow Personally and Professionally as a Volunteer

 Submitted by Sarah Hart, GMA SHRM Director of Media Relations
 

Sarah Hart

I first joined GMA SHRM when I returned to the HR field about four years ago as a way to stay educated in the HR field. I received so much more than I expected - the training was excellent, but I also got the opportunity to network and meet so many amazing people. I knew I wanted to get involved, so I became the Newsletter Coordinator and joined the HCC committee, where I got to know the board members and see first hand how much work goes into planning the many events that GMA SHRM holds.

For the last year I've served as the Director of Media Relations, managing the newsletter process and social media. Being on the board has opened my eyes to how dedicated our volunteers truly are in our chapter. I feel lucky to have the opportunity to work with such gifted, driven, and compassionate people. There are so many ways you can volunteer at GMA SHRM. If you are interested in hearing more, any of us board members would love to chat with you!

Networking.  Paying it forward.  Future HR Leaders. 

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Member Awards and Recognition

In Transition

HR InTouch Guidelines