Greetings, GMA SHRM Members!

One of the things I love most about being in this field is the connections I’ve made with other peers who are
passionate about creating better workplaces, more effective leaders and teams, and stronger organizations where team members feel valued and able to contribute their best selves each day delivering on their mission.  I got involved in the chapter over twenty years ago by attending events for my own professional development and networking, and my involvement over the years has grown to volunteer leadership in the Chapter as I’ve experienced the many rewards that come with being a part of this wonderful HR community. GMA SHRM has something for everyone! You can become a part of the ongoing community who gets together regularly for sharing of ideas and practices via Meet Greet  and Eat events, HR Roundtable discussions, networking and more, or if you’re feeling too busy but still want to ensure you have opportunities to grow and network, you can just “stick your toe in” periodically to attend a professional development event. You can get engaged on a committee to meet new friends and serve the Chapter and profession or explore a potential board role offering an opportunity to lead the Chapter and further grow your leadership skills. GMA SHRM is committed to being the valuable professional resource you can count on to help you grow, connect, and stay ahead of the curve to the degree that fits with your life and goals!

Want additional information about ways to get involved? Check out our “Get Involved” page here! I also want to say a big THANK YOU to all our volunteers and volunteer board leaders for all you do on behalf of GMA SHRM and our members! Our chapter continues to thrive in thanks to the efforts our volunteers put in each day to keep us strong and provide great educational and networking opportunities for our members and guests.

A big thank you also to our partnes/sponsors whose support means we are able to provide almost all of our professional development events at no cost to members. I know our members greatly appreciate that, so please take a moment to visit our Corporate Partners page so you can see the list of generous organizations who make that possible!

One of our most popular educational programs of the year is coming up on November 16th ! Regoister now for our Professional Development Summit Government Affairs/Legal Update to stay well informed on the policies and legal updates every HR professional needs to know!  The Professional Development Summits have become a GMA SHRM “fan favorite” as the move to virtual programming has created convenience allowing even more members and guests to take advantage of the educational sessions offered. Check it out!

See our Madison HR COVID Resource page to see curated resources and links to sources of valuable information to keep you connected and informed. 

Thank you to our members, guests, and many volunteers who continue to engage in the chapter and see the value GMA SHRM brings to our local community of HR leaders and professionals!


All the best,

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

Click here to view the full GMA SHRM Board of Directors


 

COVID-19 Resources

When Employees Are Indirectly Exposed to Harassment

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 Court of Appeals for The Seventh Circuit (which covers Wisconsin) recently emphasized that employees face a potentially high burden when bringing a hostile work environment claim based only on evidence of ambient, or indirect, harassment. In Howard v. Cook County Sheriff’s Office, ten female jail and courthouse employees sued their employer for failing to prevent male inmates from sexually harassing them. They attempted to bring the lawsuit as a class action on behalf of thousands of other similarly situated female employees on the basis that their employer, among other things, permitted a hostile work environment in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The plaintiffs’ ambient harassment theory focused on the general environment of sexual harassment in their workplace, against both the direct recipients of the harassing comments and conduct, as well as the bystanders who observed or heard about the harassment.

The court declined to let the case proceed as a class action on the ground that “significant variation in harassment levels” across the workplace rendered some of the employees’ work environments materially different from others. Because secondhand harassment affects each worker differently, the thousands of female employees lacked the characteristics required to proceed as a class.

Howard reaffirms that although harassing comments directed at others may be relevant to a hostile work environment claim, such indirect offenses may carry less weight than remarks directed at a plaintiff. However, this does not mean that all indirect harassment should be disregarded. For example, repeated use of racial slurs may create a hostile work environment based on race for any employee that has to regularly overhear such slurs as part of their job. The bottom line is that whether a given work environment is hostile based on protected class depends on all the circumstances of the situation, including the frequency of the discriminatory conduct, the intended target of the conduct, its severity, and whether it unreasonably interferes with an employee’s performance.

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Professional Development

 

HR Legal Update: Recent Developments and Hot Topics

Employers scrambled to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and now employers are looking to return to something resembling normal.  With all of these rapid changes, come complicated legal issues.  At the same time, courts and administrative agencies continue to issue decisions and guidance on non-COVID-19 related issues. 

This presentation will cover the hottest legal issues facing employers, including new legal developments.  This presentation will overview the relevant law, but also help HR professionals put the law into action.  Attendees will work through hypotheticals, case studies, and the practical implications of how the law will apply in their workplace. 

Participants will learn:   

• The latest legal aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic (including considerations for employees with “long COVID”);
• Common wage and hours errors (and how to avoid them); and
• Understanding the legal parameters around leaves of absences, flexible scheduling, and other issues related to “the new normal.”

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

Mannuel	Alderete		Madison Area Technical College
Sara	Errthum		Mount Horeb Area School District
Megan	Firari		State of WI - Department of Justice
Holly	Frank		Physicians Mutual
Sarah	Hammond		Hammond Power Solutions
Kayla	Hansen		Bachmann Construction
Julia	Houck	PHR	Agrace HospiceCare Inc.
John	Komosa		Alliant Energy
Darcy	Luoma		Darcy Luoma Coaching & Consulting
Kristin	McDaniel		Berndt CPA LLC
Kait	Rogstad		Therma-Stor
Dimitri	Starks		Heritage Credit Union
Alise	Wozniak		American Family Insurance

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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 .