HR InTouch
President’s Message
Cassy Van Dyke, SPHR
It is with excitement and great honor that I step into my role as President of the Greater Madison Area SHRM Chapter. As I reflect on where the chapter has been, where we’ve come, and our vision for the future, I feel privileged to be part of the team of volunteers that contributes to our chapter’s success.
Please join me in thanking Anthony Dix for his leadership of our chapter over the past year. In his time as President he made many significant contributions to our chapter. Most notably, during his time as President, Anthony and the Programming Committee revamped our programming structure to ensure that we are offering top quality educational opportunities for our members. Anthony is now moving on to be our District Director on the WI SHRM State Council.
Please also join me in congratulating and welcoming our 2008-2009 GMA SHRM Board of Directors:
§ President Elect: Kari Lauritsen, SPHR
§ Immediate Past President: Anthony Dix, SPHR, MBA
§ Secretary/Treasurer: John Komosa
§ Vice President of Membership: Chris Berg Thacker, PHR
§ Vice President Programming: Zach Penshorn, PHR
§ Vice President of Communications & Marketing: Dave Furlan, PHR
§ Director of Workforce Readiness & Diversity: Melissa Perry
§ Director of Education and Development: Kris Schmitt
§ Director of Government Affairs: Mike Leibundgut, SPHR
In addition to Zach, Dave, and Melissa joining the Board, it is interesting to note that every one of last year’s Board members have assumed new positions. This rotation amongst leadership roles will offer diverse perspectives, development opportunities for our Board members, stronger leaders, and ultimately, enhanced services for our membership.
Lastly, I’d like to thank all of you for your active participation in our chapter. I encourage each of you to take advantage of the benefits our chapter has to offer you, including:
§ Enhanced educational offerings
§ Various networking events
§ New compensation and benefits surveys, and
§ Diverse volunteer opportunities.
Thank you to those of you that completed the membership survey and gave us your feedback. That input will be summarized and shared in an upcoming HR InTouch newsletter.
In the meantime, if you have any feedback for the Board and/or if there is any way that we can better serve your membership needs, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 608-242-4100 x30150 or .
I look forward to networking and developing with you in the upcoming year!
Cassy Van Dyke, SPHR
GMA SHRM President
Legal Updates
Compensation and Benefits
Diversity
Is diversity cultivated in your workplace?
Nominate an organization for the Workplace Diversity Award
Sponsored by the Wisconsin-SHRM Workplace Diversity Advocate – Wisconsin State SHRM Council
This award is presented in order to recognize those organizations and/or companies who foster an inclusive work environment in which all employees are inspired to contribute their best through their different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. Award an organization who has been a role model in their local community as a strong advocate for diversity. This award will be based on organizational achievements. The Workplace Diversity Award is presented to the recipient at our Wisconsin State SHRM Conference that is being held October 15-17, 2008, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Deadline for all nominations is July 15, 2008.
Who is eligible?
Organization/company nominated for this award should:
· Have displayed diversity in their local community.
· Be a role model for others in their advocacy of diversity.
· Have demonstrated leadership in championing the cause of racial, cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and other aspects of diversity within the human resources profession and community.
· Be an organization, company, or division of an organization/company that is based in the State of Wisconsin.
Who can nominate?
· Nominations may be submitted by a member of the Wisconsin State Council of SHRM (e.g., SHRM Chapter Presidents, Functional Directors, Regional Directors, or Officers)
· Nominations may also be submitted by a Chapter Diversity Advocate/Chair from a Wisconsin SHRM Chapter (Local Chapter Members and Chapter Board Members may prepare nominations for submission by their SHRM Chapter President or Chapter Diversity Advocate/Chair).
· An organization can self-nominate by submitting the application to the board of their local chapter or directly to the Wisconsin State Council Diversity Director.
Click here for complete nomination information and application!
Employee Relations
Talent Management
Technology in HR
Website of the Month: When Work Works
By Dave Furlan, PHR
This website, created by the Families and Work Institute and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, features great tips and case studies on workplace flexibility. Equally important, the site devotes an area on research with compelling data about how workplace flexibility improves the bottom line. Site visitors can also read about award winners of the Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility.
With report titles like 2008 Guide to Bold Ideas for Making Work Work and Tips for Companies – A Guide to Flexibility, there is an abundance of information on the site. Some reports are quite lengthy (up to 90 pages) and are in PDF format. Given the nature of the topic, some may find it easier to print off a report, take it home, and kick back on the couch to see how a little flexibility in a work schedule can go a long way.
Learning and Development
Leadership, It’s All About Trust
By Wes Pruett, Presenter at GMA SHRM Summit on July 22, 2008.
Click here for program information.
Leadership, elusive and complex, yet we all know it when we see it and we especially know it when it is absent. Becoming a good leader is achievable but may take an entire career. As leadership skills increase, good leaders come to realize that the job is never fully complete. The good news is that leadership is comprised of distinct parts and each of these parts can be learned. There is ample and convincing evidence that we are not born as leaders but each of us has the capacity to develop and grow our leadership skills.
If there is one characteristic that is absolutely essential to great leadership, it is trust. Now, most, if not all of us would describe ourselves as trustworthy. But when we think of those we work with, often they fall short of the mark. Quite frankly many of us would rate ourselves higher on the trustworthy scale than others would. Why is that?
Part of the issue is the emotional value we place on the word trust. If I said I didn’t trust you, there is a good chance you would be offended. That is because you equate the word with fundamental moral values like cheating, lying, stealing, or an intentional desire to do harm. These are not the issues we usually deal with in the workplace.
The more common issue is reliability. That is, can you be relied on or trusted to do what you say you will do? Reliability and dependability are often what employees are referring to when they say there is a trust issue. We may perceive ourselves as being trustworthy but most of us could be more reliable, dependable, and timely. A leader with low trust ratings may not have a moral problem but there is a good chance they will lack credibility. Reduced credibility will lead to a myriad of problems not only with your personal image but also with the effectiveness of business relationships. One cannot lead effectively without the mutual belief that people will meet their commitments.
How many times have you said, “I’ll get right back to you.” or “I’ll have that on your desk by Monday.” or the message on your phone says, “Leave a message and I will return your call.” And do you follow through with these commitments one hundred percent of the time? Most of us don’t. We may intend to but busy work lives have intervening factors. The problem is that the people we make the commitment to may not know or care about our overloaded lives.
The reality is that people tend to keep score on each other rather like a bank account. We make deposits when we meet our commitments and withdrawals when we don’t. The size of deposits and withdrawals vary too. We can score big points when we not only do what we say we will do but also when we put our colleague’s interests ahead of our own. On the other hand, some withdrawals can critically and irreparably damage relationships. If a coworker believes that you willfully acted to harm them or betrayed a confidence, your trust bank account may become overdrawn and the relationship may go into bankruptcy. Leaders cannot afford to let this happen.
There are ten key points to remember that will help you build and maintain trust.
1. Do what you say you will do. If you make a commitment keep it.
2. If you can’t keep a commitment, let the other person know what happened and why, then fulfill it as soon as possible.
3. Volunteer regular updates so that people know that you haven’t forgotten about a commitment. If someone asks you for an update it may be a sign that you waited too long to communicate.
4. Regularly ask for feedback and ask coworkers and direct reports how you are doing. Better yet, implement a 360-degree feedback system.
5. If you are a manager, remember that you are held to a higher standard than your direct reports. Your job is to set the bar, so never expect others to be more reliable than you.
6. If you are disorganized, sometimes late, or tend to forget things, chances are there are reliability (trust) issues. Get some help to build systems to improve.
7. You have to trust to be trusted. It involves risk but you cannot expect others to trust you if you don’t reach out and trust them first.
8. Be aware of an inclination to tell people what they want to hear just to avoid conflict. These are commitments that are easy to forget. People prefer the truth even if they don’t like the message.
9. Under promise and over deliver. The old service maxim applies to trust too. Think of your co-workers and direct reports as customers and your leadership will improve.
10. Good intentions don’t matter. We all intend to do what we say but ultimately it’s what we do that counts.
None of us will be perfect in our reliability score but with a little effort we can be better. The payoff can be huge. High levels of trust will improve your image and credibility. People will see you as someone who gets things done and direct reports will be more likely to come to you with issues and concerns rather than find ways to work around you. A trusting work environment paves the way to increased productivity and a higher probability of fulfilling your organization’s mission. Trust is really as simple as doing what you say you will do.
Best of success on your leadership journey.
Wes Pruett is owner of HR Advisors a consulting firm that provides coaching, training, and HR compliance services. www.HRadvisors.biz. Thanks to, Leadership Challenge 4th Edition by James Kouzes and Barry Posner for some material and concepts.
Workforce Readiness Committee Launches a New Partnership
By Melissa Perry, GMA SHRM Director of Workforce Readiness &
Diane Kraus/Dane County School Consortium/Director School to Career Program
Greater Madison Area SHRM Workforce Readiness Committee has launched a new partnership with Wisconsin Careers Connection (WC-Connection) to further the mission of volunteerism and enhance the diversity of the community. By bringing members’ experience and expertise in Human Resources as well as interest in having a positive impact on the community, this partnership will expand the reach of the resources developed and offer additional opportunities to influence the future workforce.
The WC-Connection (www.wc-connections.org) is a web-based tool that connects schools and job seekers to business through the WisCareers website (www.wiscareers.wisc.edu.). It is a pilot project launched through the Dane County School to Work program and South Central Workforce Development Board in 2007. It links business information and employment opportunities to students and job seekers. It also creates a database of volunteers from local businesses to be used to locate volunteers for career education and job seeking activities.
GMASHRM Workforce Readiness Committee has developed a training series that speaks to these issues. Current partnerships already exist with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation where GMA SHRM members offer a series of training to assist with job preparation and career exploration. Training can be applied to needs of educators, counselors and administrators and expand the audience for SHRM to students and educators in K-12, at the University and Technical Schools. We encourage all GMA SHRM members and their employers to register with WC Connection.
This is a very unique opportunity to utilize the expertise of a group of professionals who have experience and passion. The idea behind WC Connection is at the heart of what Workforce Readiness is all about – linking our volunteers with community members to prepare them for today’s workforce.