November 
2017

HR InTouch

The Monthly Newsletter of the Greater Madison Area SHRM

In This Edition

President's Message

By Melissa Chadwick
 

Government Affairs & Legal Updates


Changes Proposed for Wisconsin Family Medical Leave Act (WFMLA)

SHRM A-Team:  Countdown to 10,000

IRS Announces 2018 FSA Limits
 

Compensation & Benefits


The 2017 GMA SHRM Compensation Survey

Professional Development


November Professional Development Summit - Legal Hot Topics and Government Affairs
 

Workforce Readiness & Diversity


GMA SHRM Media Relations


Enhance Your HR Expertise in Under 5 Seconds 

Forward HR


GMA SHRM News & Upcoming Events


2018 GMA SHRM Corporate Partner Program and Human Capital Conference Sponsorship Opportunities

GMA SHRM Food Drive

November Professional Development Summit -November 14, 2017 - Alliant Energy Center
Session 1:  Keeping Up with the Times:  What's Scary and What's Not in Employment Law
Session 2:  Intermittent Leaves of Absence Under State and Federal Disability Laws


View the 2017 Calendar of Events!
 

GMA SHRM Member News



Spotlights

Welcome New Members!

Movin' Up

In Transition

 


 

 

President's Message

GMA SHRM
2017 Corporate Partners

Gold Level

Boardman & Clark Law Firm
Career Momentum
Godfrey & Kahn
The Payroll Company
Remedy Intelligent Staffing
Threadfellows

Silver Level

Bunbury & Associates
First Choice Dental
Hausmann-Johnson Insurance Group
M3 Insurance
QPS Employment Group
Summit Credit Union
Ultimate Software

Bronze Level

Adecco Engineering & Technology
The Alliance
Edgewood College
Escape This! Team Building - Special Events
The QTI Group
Stark Relocation
Unity Health Insurance

Thank you!

 


 

Greetings GMA SHRM Members –

At this time last year, we were all wondering (and maybe a bit panicked!) about the new FLSA laws and how that would impact our businesses.  Thankfully, it seems that has, for now, come to a stop.  However, you’ll want to attend our November 14th PDS to learn about new Employment Law Hot Topics and Intermittent Leaves under State and Federal Disability Laws.  Register here for this event!  We will also be doing a food drive at our November PDS, to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank.  Please bring your non-perishable food items or cash donation. 
 
This is also a great time of year to stop and reflect on the many blessings we all have in our lives.  Between work, family, friends, laundry, running errands and all our many commitments, it’s easy to lose sight of the great things we do have in our lives and it’s important to take time to reflect on them.   I hope each of you will take some time this month to thank your support networks for being a sounding board, gut check, mentor, listener – and your family, for not talking to you on nights when you’ve just spent too much time talking at work.  Working in HR is a challenge and if you’re like me, you couldn’t do it without your co-workers, employee’s and support network.
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank people who have supported GMA and me in the past year:

  • Our GMA Board of Directors.  It’s amazing what this group of people does on a volunteer basis while still holding full-time jobs and additional outside commitments.  Thank you for the work you do, the time you give and the passion you have around advancing the HR profession and giving back to our community.
  • GMA Volunteers.  We could not function as an organization without each of you.  Whether you give an hour a year or several hours a week, thank you for the time you dedicate to your committees and making GMA be a best-in-class SHRM organization.
  • Morgan Data Solutions, our Chapter Administrator.  Your work does not go unnoticed for all of the “behind the scenes” work you do to run our chapter.  We are beyond lucky to have you.
  • Our partners.  Our partners make financial investments in our chapter and, we in turn reinvest the money in our monthly programs, the e-newsletter and weekly e-blasts, our networking events, website and our efforts to give back to the local community through projects such as our annual Job Boot Camp. Thank you for partnering with us and supporting GMA.
  • Our Members.  Thank you for continuing to support GMA through our membership renewals, attending our events and supporting our partners.  We are so glad you see the value in what we provide and we continue to strive to provide you the best value we can with speakers, events and information.
  • My own family, friends and colleagues.  As I said, HR is not an easy field and many days can be mentally exhausting or completely exhilarating.  Thank you to my husband, children, family, friends and co-workers that are now friends for supporting me in my HR Career and as the GMA President.

I look forward, as always, for the year to come and what is in store.  I look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming events and hope you enjoy the start of the holiday season.

Best Wishes,

Melissa Chadwick
President
GMA SHRM

Click here to view the full GMA SHRM Board of Directors
 

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Government Affairs & Legal Updates

Changes Proposed for Wisconsin Family Medical Leave Act (WFMLA)

Submitted by:  Jeff Palkowski, Director of Government Affairs GMA SHRM and SHRM Advocacy Captain (Wisconsin 1st CD)

In 1988, Governor Tommy Thompson signed Wisconsin’s Family Medical Leave Act (WFMLA) into state law.  Five years later, President Bill Clinton signed the federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) into federal law.  Although somewhat similar in nature, human resources professionals have had to concurrently manage both laws for employees for nearly 25 years.  This has often created confusion and extra effort for both employers and employees alike to manage.  (For a comparison of Federal and Wisconsin Family Medical Leave Laws, visit the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development web page at:
https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/er/civil_rights/
fmla/federal_state_law_comparison.htm
)
 
State Senator Alberta Darling, Representative Joan Ballweg and Representative Mike Rohrkaste have authored a bill which would adopt the federal FMLA for most employers who now are required to follow both acts while maintaining a WFMLA provision to allow employees to take care of a spouse, parent, domestic partner, or parent-in-law with a serious medical condition.
 
The following is an analysis of the bill draft by the Legislative Reference Bureau:
 
This bill provides an exemption from state family and medical leave law for an employer that is covered under the federal family and medical leave law. Under the current state family and medical leave law, an employer, including the state, that employs at least 50 individuals on a permanent basis in this state must permit an employee who has been employed by the employer for more than 52 consecutive weeks and who has worked for the employer for at least 1,000 hours during the preceding 52 weeks to take six weeks of family leave in a 12-month period for the birth or adoptive placement of a child or two weeks of family leave in a 12-month period to care for a child, spouse, parent, or domestic partner of the employee or a parent of the spouse or domestic partner of the employee (parent-in-law) who has a serious health condition.  Current law also requires an employer to permit an employee to take two weeks of medical leave in a 12-month period when the employee has a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the employee's employment duties. Under the current federal family and medical leave law, an employer that employs at least 50 individuals for each working day for 20 or more weeks in the current or preceding year and the state or a political subdivision of the state, regardless of the number of employees employed (employer), must permit an employee who has been employed by the employer for at least 12 months and who has worked at least 1,250 hours for that employer during the preceding 12 months (eligible employee) to take 12 weeks of family or medical leave in a 12-month period for the birth or adoptive or foster care placement of a child; to care for a spouse, child, or parent, but not a domestic partner or parent-in-law, who has a serious health condition; or when the employee has a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the functions of his or her position.  Federal law, however, excludes from the definition of “eligible employee" an employee who works at a worksite with fewer than 50 employees if the employer employs fewer than 50 employees within 75 miles of the worksite.  In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court has held, in Coleman v. Court of Appeals of Maryland, 566 U.S. 30 (2012), that, absent a waiver of sovereign immunity, a state may not be sued for damages for a violation of the medical leave provisions of the federal family and medical leave law.
 
The bill provides that the state family and medical leave law does not apply to any of the following:
1.  An employer that is required to provide leave under the federal family and medical leave law.
2.  An employer that opts to provide leave under the federal family and medical leave law to an employee who is not an eligible employee, so long as the employer provides leave to such an employee in the same manner as the employer provides leave to an eligible employee.
 
The bill, however, does not prohibit any of the following:
1.  An employee from taking leave under the state family and medical leave law to care for a spouse, child, parent, domestic partner, or parent-in-law who has a serious health condition.
2.  An employee of the state who has a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform his or her employment duties from taking medical leave under the state family and medical leave law.
 
Please continue to watch for updates including public hearing opportunities as the bill advances through the Wisconsin State Legislature this fall.  You can track this and other legislation here: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/.



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SHRM A-Team:  Countdown to 10,000

Submitted by:  Jeff Palkowski, Director of Government Affairs GMA SHRM and SHRM Advocacy Captain (Wisconsin 1st CD)      
 

GMA SHRM Director of Government Affairs and SHRM Advocacy Captain Jeff Palkowski with House Speaker Paul Ryan meeting in district to discuss SHRM’s Workflex in the 21st Century Act.
 
The SHRM Advocacy Team (A-Team) is nearing a milestone of 10,000 members.  The SHRM A-Team was founded five years ago by SHRM Government Affairs to provide human resources professionals with a means to be informed about public policy issues that impact their workplace as well as provide team members with a way to make their voices heard in both Washington, DC and their state capitals across the country.
 
At a recent SHRM Advocacy Team Webinar, Meredith Nethercutt, Senior Associate of Member Advocacy and SHRM A-Team Director reported that there were currently 9,434 active members on the SHRM A-Team.  This number includes over 700 Advocacy Captains covering all 435 congressional districts across the nation.  The goal is to surpass 10,000 members by year end.
 
The SHRM A-Team members have been busy developing credible and influential relationships with their elected officials to inform legislators about policy impacts on both employers as well as employees in their respective congressional districts.  As a local example, I had the recent opportunity to meet with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Congressman Paul Ryan in his district office to discuss a proposed bill (developed with and supported by SHRM) which would provide employers with a voluntary way for employers to expand paid leave and workplace flexibility opportunities for all employees while satisfying all state and leave requirements.  The “Workflex in the 21st Century Act” is expected to be introduced by Representative Mimi Walters of California by year end.  In my brief meeting with Speaker Ryan, we discussed the pending legislation as well as the role of SHRM in advocating for the human resources profession worldwide.
 
Joining the SHRM A-Team allows you to receive regular updates and information from SHRM Government Affairs and also provides you with opportunities to reach out to your elected officials to advocate for issues that may be important to you, should you choose to do so.  If you are interested in helping the SHRM A-Team reach their goal of 10,000 members by year end by becoming a member, please visit the SHRM Policy Action Center for more information and to find out how you can get informed and involved with SHRM.


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IRS Announces 2018 FSA Limit

Submitted by:  Mary Wilkosz, HR Specialist, Therma-Stor LLC

The IRS announced the maximum allowable contribution rate for 2018 Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) on Thursday, October 19th, 2017.  The maximum contribution amount has been increased to $2,650.00, a $50 increase compared to the 2017 maximum contribution amount of $2,600.00.  The Dependent Care FSA maximum allowable contribution amount remain at $5,000.00 for 2018. 
 

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Compensation & Benefits

The 2017 GMASHRM Compensation Survey

Submitted by: Dana Denny, Director of Human Capital Conference Committee
 
GMA-SHRM is pleased to announce the newly redeveloped and expanded biennial Madison Area Salary Survey. For many years, GMA-SHRM has produced one of the largest salary surveys in the state. The 2017 Annual Salary Survey included data from over 60 organizations reporting base pay and total compensation for approximately 200 job titles at all organizational levels, including manufacturing, administrative support, blue collar, technical, professional, and managerial positions.
 
In today’s global economy, because it is even more critical to ensure your organization is spending it’s compensation dollars wisely, having current external labor market information is the best method to knowing and understanding your positions worth and the current trends to correctly target merit increase budgets and salary range movement. In addition, accurately comparing organizational data to your competitors within the Madison labor market can only strengthen your position for either recruitment or retention efforts.
 
The GMA-SHRM Salary Survey is a great value! You will receive data on over 200 different positions from over 60 Madison, WI area public and private sector organizations. Job families included within the survey include:
 
Accounting
Engineering
Health Care
Information Technology
Legal
Manufacturing and Skilled Trades
Purchasing
Human Resources
Banking and Insurance
Finance
 
2017 Survey Pricing: GMA-SHRM Members who participated in the salary survey will receive a copy of the salary survey report for a discounted price of $300.00; GMA-SHRM Members who did not participate may purchase a copy of the salary survey report for $600.00.

Click here for more information and to purchase.

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Professional Development

November Professional Development Summit - Legal Hot Topics and Government Affairs  

November 14, 2017 - Alliant Energy Center

Session 1:  Keeping Up with the Times:  What's Scary and What's Not in Employment Law

Session 2:  Intermittent Leaves of Absence Under State and Federal Disability Laws

GMA SHRM Fall Food Drive
GMA is hosting a food drive to benefit Second Harvest Food bank at our November 14 PDS.  Please bring your non-expired, non-perishable  & lower sodium food items to donate to this great cause!  If you need some ideas, you can follow the “Food Drive Five”, which is below.  Alternatively, there will also be an option to donate cash if that’s easier than bringing items to the PDS.

1.      Protein Foods - nuts, canned seafood, poultry
2.      Fruit - packed in juice, dried & sauced
3.      Soups – with protein & vegetables
4.      Whole-Grain – pasta, cereal
5.      Vegetables – colorful & canned


More information and registration.

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Workforce Readiness & Diversity

FutureQuest 2017

Produced by the Dane County School Consortium and the Madison Metropolitan School District, FutureQuest 2017 will be held December 6, 2017 at the Alliant Energy Center.   FutureQuest will provide approximately 5,300 middle school students with an opportunity to relate their current interests to future education and career opportunities found within 16 career clusters. Students who attend this event will be better prepared to choose high school classes that relate to their interests and strengths.

Unlike a job fair, YOU can help students explore their options by facilitating hands on activities and responding to questions regarding required preparation and training needed for entry into your industry while offering advice on the joys and challenges of your profession.

Why participate?
Your participation in this event will expose you as a representative of your industry and bring your profession to the forefront in the minds of middle school students. 
 
What is your role?
You will speak to middle school students that come to your exhibit about what you do, why you are interested in your field, how someone would prepare for your career, and the types of positions available within your organization.
 
You will answer questions such as:

  • What high school courses were essential in helping you learn about your areas of interest?
  • What education and career path did you follow?
  • How should students prepare for future opportunities?
  • Tell me about your career and how you got interested in the field?
Click here to view the information brochure or follow this link for registration - tinyurl.com/Futurequest2017

 


 

GMA SHRM Media Relations

Enhance Your HR Expertise in Under 5 Seconds   

Submitted by: Brittany Hanson, Director of Media Relations Committee
 
That’s right – you are 5 seconds away from taking your HR career to the next level –
 
By following GMA SHRM on Facebook!
 
Click here  https://www.facebook.com/GMASHRM/  and click “Follow” – voila: you now have instant access to all things GMA SHRM. 
 
You already peruse Facebook daily – by following GMA SHRM, you’ll see GMA SHRM updates/news/events/etc. regularly. 
 
You or your employer invested in your GMA SHRM Membership – get the MOST out of your investment by following us on social media.  You’ll always be up to date on what’s happening with GMA SHRM –  events, opportunities to get involved, and more!  
 
https://www.facebook.com/GMASHRM/


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Forward HR

Want to know what’s going on in HR for the other areas of Wisconsin?  WI SHRM has a new blog, Forward HR. Click here to take a look.

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GMA SHRM News & Upcoming Events

 

2018 GMA SHRM Corporate Partner Program and Human Capital Conference Sponsorship Opportunities


Submitted by: Shaun Thomson, Director of Partnerships & Sponsorships
 
If your organization is looking for strategies to promote its products or services to the Madison Area Human Resources community, these are great opportunities to connect with our members.

We are currently offering Gold, Silver and Bronze Corporate Partnerships for 2018.  Click here to learn more about the Corporate Partnership Program.  In addition, we are also opening up sponsorship opportunities for the Human Capital Conference on May 15, 2018.  You can learn more about these opportunities by clicking here

We appreciate your consideration of these opportunities and look forward to another successful year with our Corporate Partners, Sponsors, and advertisers.  If you’re interested in reviewing all marketing opportunities with our chapter, please view our informational packet.

Please contact Shaun Thomson (smthomson@uwalumni.com) or our chapter office (chapteradmin@gmashrm.org) to express your interest in these opportunities

 




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November Professional Development Summit - Legal Hot Topics and Government Affairs  

November 14, 2017 - Alliant Energy Center

Session 1:  Keeping Up with the Times:  What's Scary and What's Not in Employment Law

Session 2:  Intermittent Leaves of Absence Under State and Federal Disability Laws


GMA SHRM Fall Food Drive
GMA is hosting a food drive to benefit Second Harvest Food bank at our November 14 PDS.  Please bring your non-expired, non-perishable  & lower sodium food items to donate to this great cause!  If you need some ideas, you can follow the “Food Drive Five”, which is below.  Alternatively, there will also be an option to donate cash if that’s easier than bringing items to the PDS.
1.      Protein Foods - nuts, canned seafood, poultry
2.      Fruit - packed in juice, dried & sauced
3.      Soups – with protein & vegetables
4.      Whole-Grain – pasta, cereal
5.      Vegetables – colorful & canned


More information and registration.


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View the 2017 Calendar of Events!

Get out your calendars and save these dates now for the 2017 GMA SHRM Programming and Networking Calendar!

Click here to view the calendar!

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GMA SHRM Member News
 

Spotlights

Media Relations Committee

Submitted by: Brittany Hanson, Director of Media Relations
 
What is the Media Relations Committee? 
We are a small committee of GMA SHRM Members that manage all things social media.

We manage the GMA SHRM Facebook page
 (click here  https://www.facebook.com/GMASHRM/  to Like & Follow)

We manage the GMA SHRM ‘Members Only’ Linked In Group
(click here  https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1898733 & request to join – make sure your Linked In Settings allow you to get Notifications from this group by checking “New Conversation Activity”)

We manage the GMA SHRM Idea Exchange (see below for instructions)
 
STEP 1) Go to www.gmashrm.org and click on Member Log In (see photo below)

STEP 2) Click on File Library – choose Idea Exchange from the drop down menu (see photo below) 

*don’t know your Member Log In info?  Email chapteradmin@gmashrm.org
 
We also manage the awesome info-packed HR In Touch Newsletter that you read from beginning to end each month!
 
Our committee enjoys moonlit walks on the beach, deep phone conversations, puppies, wine, and nachos – our bi-monthly committee meetings always involve at least one of those things. 
 
Our committee is made up of a few insanely busy HR professionals that enjoy taking a ‘break’ from the hustle & bustle and simply spreading the word about GMA SHRM. 
 
Interested in volunteering? 
Ask yourself these questions:
Do you have a smart phone/tablet/computer?
Are these devices connected to the internet? 
Have you been thinking about volunteering somewhere but don’t have the time?
Do you want to meet & connect with more HR professionals in Madison? 
If you answered ‘YES’ to, the MRC Committee is for you!
 
All volunteering is done from the comfort of your home/office/bathroom/dr’s office waiting room/etc. -  anywhere you have access to the internet.
Volunteers are asked to give +/- 1 hr/month to the MRC Committee. 
Volunteers are given a “Social Media Posting Guide” with step by step instructions on what to post and when – easy! 
 
Contact Brittany Hanson (Director of Media Relations) at brittanyh@seniorhelpers.com to chat!  

 

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Welcome New Members!

GMA SHRM welcomes the following members who joined our chapter in September 2017!

Rebecca Nissen    
Tricia Shields   Naviant, Inc.
Miranda Bucalo SHRM-CP, PHR CapSpecialty
Laisha Rowell   Boys & Girls Club of Dane County
Amanda Utz SHRM-CP, PHR Midwestern BioAg


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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!  

 

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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 .

 

 Amended