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HR InTouchThe Monthly Newsletter of the Greater Madison Area SHRM |
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In This EditionPresident's Message Diversity EEOC Issues Revised Guidance Regarding Diabetes, Epilepsy, Cancer and Intellectual Disabilities Employee Relations What Your Employees Won’t Tell You (But Wish You Knew) GMA SHRM Social Media Our Member Directory is Now Mobile Friendly! GMA SHRM Upcoming Events
August 13, 2013 - GMA SHRM Toolbox
August 22, 2013
August 28, 2013 Click here to see the full 2013 GMA SHRM Event Calendar. GMA SHRM Announcements Nominations Accepted for 2013 WISHRM Workplace Diversity & Inclusion Award! Requesting Speakers for Student SHRM Chapters GMA SHRM Member News
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According to Wikipedia, there are almost half a million HR practitioners in the United States. What are you doing to differentiate yourself from almost 500,000 others in our country? Well, you’re on the right track. If you’re reading this, you’re likely a GMA SHRM member (or you’re really bored). In all seriousness, if you’re a GMA SHRM member, I truly believe you’re a part of one of the finest local chapters in our country. I am honored to assume my role as President of this exceptional SHRM chapter. I have been privileged to volunteer for our chapter for almost 10 years and am currently entering my fifth year on your Board of Directors. This is a role that I take very seriously. My priority has always been, and will continue to be each of you, our members. Whether it’s analyzing our strategic plan, budgets or one of our main member benefits, programming, I always ask myself, “What is the best decision for our members”? With that, I welcome any of your ideas, suggestions or feedback. Please feel free to reach out to me directly at any time at (608)204-6274 or Jake.Siudzinski@qtigroup.com. On a personal note, who is your new President? Upon graduation from our own UW Madison, I began my career in recruiting. Since then, I have expanded my career in the Human Resource services industry into account management and business development. I am thrilled to be a part of The QTI Group now for three years and look forward to utilizing the deep HR knowledge I have access to in my service to the chapter and board. GMA SHRM is fortunate to have so many wonderful volunteers and a strong Board of Directors. Thank you to our immediate past President, Melissa Versnik, and also our outgoing past President, Mike Leibundgut. Your leadership, along with the rest of our past and current board and volunteers, is part of what makes GMA SHRM such a great chapter. I hope to continue this tradition of excellence and will do whatever I can to accomplish the best for our Greater Madison Area HR Professionals.
Warmly,
GMA SHRM Board of Directors
EEOC Issues Revised Guidance Regarding Diabetes, Epilepsy, Cancer and Intellectual Disabilities
Zero Tolerance Policies Be careful of zero-tolerance policies and contradictory policies. Zero tolerance is generally taken to mean discharge for any violation, no matter how small. This may be a reasonable approach for major issues of honesty and significant safety rules. However, zero tolerance may be difficult to enforce on lesser infractions and lead to discrimination suits. In Brockbank v. U.S. Bancorp. (9th Cir., 2013), an older employee was fired under the supposed zero tolerance policy for abuse of the business credit card. She put personal expenses on the company card, including payments for home Internet service. Unfortunately for the bank, there was evidence that younger employees had also put personal charges on their company cards, without being disciplined. Also, another company policy on reimbursable expenses allowed "reasonable" non-reimbursable personal use of credit cards and prohibited only "excessive use." The court found that the inconsistency in enforcement and the inconsistency between policies created an appearance of "pretext" in the discharge and created grounds for an age discrimination case.
Warning! There are many more "policies" than those listed in the employee handbook. Numerous "protocols," "guidance," "procedures" or "work rules" are spun out by each department. (The larger the organization, the more directors that make their own sets of rules for their own various purposes, often without any central overview and without any thought about what is in the employee handbook.) These are all "policies" which can bind the company to liability. This case illustrates how a zero tolerance policy in a handbook can be totally undermined by the reimbursement guidance which is spun-off by the finance or bookkeeping unit. Coordination and overview is crucial.
Dumb statement by bearer of bad news was not illegal, but still cost a lot. A company won an age discrimination case but spent a huge amount on defense costs due to a stupid statement by a supervisor. A 61-year old Rental Agent was fired. On a rating scale of 100 -- with 80 as minimum acceptable -- she rarely achieved even 56. Corporate headquarters reviewed overall performance of all agents, plus her violation of several important policies, and ordered her to be fired due to her ratings. Her supervisor had no role in this decision but had to deliver the message. In the meeting, the supervisor called the employee "old Rose" and opined that "you're slipping and getting too old for your job." The fired agent filed an age discrimination case under the ADEA and the Michigan Elliott Larson Act. The court dismissed the case because the supervisor's statements were unrelated to the actual termination decision. The decision was made at a higher level, for valid non-discriminatory reasons. Marsh v. Associated Estates Realty Corp. (6th Cir., 2013). Did the company really "win"? A federal case often costs the company over $100,000 in defense costs. Improper statements by supervisors cost employers countless dollars in lost profits or budgets even if the case is eventually "won." This case would never have occurred except for the supervisor's unprofessional comments. All supervisors should see this case comment or be required to read the article It Was Just a Joke, Boardman & Clark, in order to avoid this scenario.
What Your Employees Won’t Tell You (But Wish You Knew)
Chances are, your employees aren’t going to come up to you one day and give you a piece of their mind. This could be for many reasons—maybe they don’t feel comfortable, maybe you don’t have a culture of transparency, or maybe they value their jobs, to name a few. Or maybe they consider you to be scary and intimidating (in which case, you should probably smile more). But whatever the reason, there are likely a lot of things that your employees are thinking, but wouldn’t ever dare to tell you. Here are two of them.
“We want to know what’s going on.” The reality is, in the absence of communication, people fill the void with often-incorrect tidbits of information—and it’s rarely positive. For example, employees will assume you’re not communicating because the company is in trouble or hiding something. Now, maybe it is, and maybe you think you’re protecting your employees by not sharing information. However, many employees would rather be trusted so they can have ownership and actively participate in solving problems. Build your employees’ trust by communicating as often and as openly as you can, welcoming questions, and allowing people to have insight into the decision-making process. There may still be some information you can’t share, but sharing what you can and encouraging people to ask you questions (even if you sometimes answer “I don’t know” or “I can’t go any deeper”) will show your team that you trust them and make them feel like they’re in the know. “We want to have a relationship with you.”
As a leader, it’s sometimes difficult to balance how to connect with your team, how to lead them, and how to be sensitive to those who want to keep their professional and personal lives separate. But the thing is, most of the time, your employees want to have a relationship with you. In another Fierce survey about employees’ relationships with supervisors, 75% claim their relationships with their bosses have a direct effect on their job satisfaction. By opening up and connecting with them, you’ll build their trust, improve workplace morale, and be able to better relate to them as people and as co-workers.
Check in with your team on a daily basis to understand how they are doing, both personally and professionally. This should be more than just a brief “How are you doing?”—it should be sincere and unique for each person. Get curious and ask questions to gain a deeper understanding of the people you’re working with. The biggest takeaway from these four points is that employees crave communication. They want honest, open conversations with each other and with their leaders, and they want to feel heard and appreciated. So don’t be afraid to ask questions, value different opinions, and be as transparent as possible. You’ll eventually create a company culture where employees feel comfortable to come up to you and speak their mind—no longer wishing you knew something, and instead telling you directly. To learn more about Fierce’s work with leaders, make sure you sign up for GMA SHRM’s September Summit on September 17th where I’ll dig deeper into this topic. Click on this link to register.
GMA SHRM Social Media
Wish you could stay connected with GMA SHRM members? Now you can search for a member, call, e-mail or find directions to their listed location and be confident that it’s up to date. Check it out today, you can now stay better connected to GMA SHRM members and it’s just a click away at http://www.gmashrm.org/mobile
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.
July 18, 2013 – GMA SHRM Toolbox
Topic: Accommodating Disabilities in the Workplace and Best Practices in Hiring Disabled Veterans
Location: Olbrich Botanical Gardens
Our July HR Toolbox approaches the American Disabilities Act and accommodating veterans with a realistic approach in understanding how to best support our veterans in returning them to productive and rewarding employment. You don’t want to miss this presentation as you will learn more about Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and the resources available.
Robin Jones, Director of the Great Lakes ADA Center and Marcea Weiss, Branch Manager for Merendino Cemetery Care, our guest speakers, are experts in their field and will be discussing this topic from both an ADA and employer perspective as to how to best accommodate veterans requiring accommodation.
In Part I of this program Robin Jones discusses the ongoing struggle employers have in understanding their obligations to provide reasonable accommodations and what it means to their operations. Despite a desire to work, veterans with disabilities remain underrepresented in the work force even though they represent a rich talent pool with proven skills and abilities. Modifying work schedules, providing assistive technology, allowing individuals to do the task differently than everyone else, allowing intermittent leave to address on-going medical/rehabilitation needs, permitting service and emotional support animals in the workplace are just some of the potential accommodations that Veterans with Disabilities may need. Robin will explore some common accommodations utilized to enable returning veterans to perform their job successfully.
Part II of this program offers suggestions for best practices in hiring veterans. Whether you are just starting to hire military veterans or looking for new ideas to “jump start” your efforts, Marcea Weiss will be sharing why hiring military veterans is great for both business and community. As a military veteran, hiring manager and the author of a book on this topic, Leaving the Military; Your Deployment Guide to Corporate America, Marcea has seen this challenge from both sides of the table. The efforts of her employer’s best practices in hiring veterans were recognized by Governor Scott Walker and Department of Veteran Affairs Secretary John Scocos during the summer 2012.
Robin has extensive experience as a consultant/trainer regarding barriers to community participation for people with disabilities including employment, education, transportation, and electronic information. Robin is actively involved in assisting business and government to meet their obligations under federal disability rights laws and is recognized as a key resource regarding the ADA.
Marcea served in the Army as a Helicopter Pilot, Training Officer and Maintenance Manager with the 25th and 1st Infantry Divisions in Germany, Hawaii and Kosovo. Marcea has worked in progressive hiring, sales, operations and management roles, working with Cypress Semiconductor, GE, Apple, Microsoft and Merendino to reach the next level and achieve results. Marcea holds a BS in Electrical Engineering and MBA as well as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (change management) Certification from GE. She has written and published a book to help other transitioning veterans titled, Leaving the Military; Your Deployment Guide to Corporate America.
Click here for more program information and to register.
August 13, 2013 - GMA SHRM Toolbox
Topic: Hot Topics in the HR Legal World Location: City Center West This program will provide attendees with valuable information on a variety of timely HR legal topics. You will leave the program better informed on critical topics affecting your workplace and better “armed” to prevent certain workplace legal issues before they take on a life of their own! Our panel of three well known, experienced employment lawyers will bring their expertise, insights and practical hints to you. You’ll be glad you spent the morning with them.
Keeping the NLRB out of Your Business: Lauri Morris, L.D. Morris Law S.C.
Controlling Health Care Costs with Wellness Plans: Nilesh P, Mahadev Law Group, LLC
Employer-sponsored wellness plans continue to be a key component in controlling health care costs. Employers who elect to enact such plans must understand legal restrictions and other key issues. Employers must design and implement legally compliant plans to maximize their cost savings. Nilesh Patel will give an overview of wellness plans and update you with the latest regulations so you are up to speed.
The Courts’ Impact on HR: Jennifer Mirus, Boardman & Clark LLP For more information and to register for this event click here. August 22, 2013 - GMA SHRM Member Networking Event Location: Coliseum Bar The GMA SHRM Membership Committee invites you to our Summer Networking Event! Are you looking to make some new GMA SHRM connections? Or maybe just looking to reconnect with some members you haven’t seen in a while. Come to our semi-annual networking event to escape your crazy, busy work life and join your friends at GMA SHRM! The event will be held from 4:30-6:30. Registration is free but we do request an RSVP. Appetizers provided. Cash bar. For more information and to register for this event click here. See you there!
Our discussion of this great topic will be enriched by two HR professionals who have personally dealt with Downsizing. Cory Erickson, Co-owner, President & COO of Career Momentum; formerly of Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Mary Jo Spiekerman, VP of HR at Hausman Johnson Insurance. We all can empathize with the emotional and organizational effects of these "right sizing" events, but what are effective strategies for keeping "survivors" engaged and communicating in ways that support the new organization? Come share your insights and discuss your questions. Our facilitator, Laura V. Page will provide her summary of the book The New Corporate Cultures, Revitalizing The Workplace After Downsizing, Mergers, and Reengineering. For more information and to register for this event click here.
Nominations Are Now Being Accepted for the WISHRM 2013 Workplace Diversity & Inclusion Award! It’s not too early to start thinking about nominations for the WISHRM 2013 Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Award!
Does your organization stand out from your peers when it comes to diversity and inclusion initiatives? Do you know of an organization that is a true advocate in your community when it comes to diversity and inclusion? Do you view your organizational culture as diverse and inclusive in all aspects of your business and daily routines?
If the answer is “yes” to any of these questions, then now is the time to start thinking about recognizing your organization or another organization in the community for the 2013 Diversity and Inclusion Award. The Award will be presented at the Wisconsin State SHRM Conference in October.
More information on eligibility and the nomination process will follow.
Nominations are due Friday, July 19, 2013.
While summer is just getting started and school just let out for the spring semester, our local SHRM student chapters are already planning for their fall semesters. UW Madison, UW Whitewater and UW Platteville have requested GMA SHRM members to speak at their meetings this fall. Topics that have been suggested by the student chapters are: recruiting trends, how to use social media to job hunt, benefits and health care reform, “a day in the life of an HR professional”, generational trends in business, communication, employment law, or any topic that you may be willing to present. Chapter meetings are held during the week and usually start between 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. and speakers have about 45 minutes to present. Chapters usually can be flexible regarding start time, with notice. Please contact Melissa Chadwick at melissa.chadwick@bakertilly.com if you would be interested in speaking and indicate which topic(s) you would be interested in speaking about and which schools you would be interested in traveling to for a meeting. Thank you for your help in supporting our student chapters! GMA SHRM Member Spotlight Name: Dan Loichinger, CMC
Where do you currently work?
Principal Coach & Consultant.
25+ years in corporate training, leadership development & coaching.
• Supporting strategic growth of clients with competency models, 360-degree assessments and executive coaching development programs.
• Delivering measurable ROI to global manufacturer after designing and implementing a high-potential leadership development initiative over a five year period. • Successfully partnered with HR leaders and business executives by offering custom leadership development solutions after their organizations completed succession and/or talent reviews.
Listen closely to the client; they will tell you what they are struggling with. Help them with those challenges rather than worrying about what you have to sell.
It’s important for me to better understand the state of organizations and how HR leaders need to leverage their human capital. Secondly, I know I have something I can offer as a senior HR leader, to members at large, or as a contributor to one of the standing committees.
If you’d like to be published in an issue of HR InTouch, please complete this profile and submit (along with a photo) to Tia Gibson @ tia.gibson@covance.com.
GMA SHRM Volunteer Spotlight
Name: Ann Wetley
What committee are you volunteering with? Have you volunteered on other committees? If yes, which one?
I have only volunteered on the Communications and Marketing Committee. What do you enjoy about volunteering? I enjoy volunteering because I meet so many people! You can learn so much by being part of a great organization like GMA SHRM and recruiting new volunteers allows you to give them the same opportunity, plus learn from them.
What would you say to others who are considering volunteering with GMA SHRM?
What would I say about those considering volunteering? DO IT! Why? It's is such a valuable opportunity to give and receive great things from the HR community.
What have you gotten back from volunteering with GMA SHRM?
More than I could give! I learn so much from my peers on the committee as well as those I meet at various SHRM events. Personally, some great friendships from my HR peeps!!
Welcome New Members!GMA SHRM welcomes the following members who joined our chapter in May 2013!
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Movin' UpHave 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 TransitionIf 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. GMA SHRM Member PollDo you have a burning HR question that you’d like to see featured on our GMA SHRM Member Poll? If so, please submit your questions to Tara Conger at tconger@pjpower.com HR InTouch GuidelinesArticle 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 .
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