September 2012 Newsletter

BOARD MEMBERS

President Rachel Untz, PHR

Nippon Sharyo Manufacturing, LLC

President-Elect

Anne Noble KSB Hospital

Secretary

Susan Swegle, SPHR Jack Mabley

Developmental Center

Treasurer Dianne Frye

Dixon Public Schools

Education Chair Kathryn Snow, SPHR

SVCC

Certification Chair Kendra Hull, PHR

Sinnissippi Centers

Diversity Chair Carol Fitzgerald

YWCA of the Sauk Valley

Legislative Chair

Doug Lee Ehrmann, Gelbach,

Badger & Lee

Membership Chair Amber Olson Dixon Direct

Program Co-Chairs

Sally Hanrahan and

Mike Winters Best, Inc.

Workplace Readiness

Jeanne DuPuy SVCC

Past President Lisa Taylor, SPHR

Halo

RRHRPA Membership: I hope this message finds you well. We are excited to start our regular meeting cycle. It has been an interesting summer with many exciting educational opportunities. I personally attended both the National and State SHRM Conferences this year. I’ve obtained a wealth of knowledge and look forward to what is to come. We had a great turn out this year for the attendance of the IL SHRM Conference in Oak Brook, IL. There was a lot of information being shared and one of our members even won a free registration to the 2013 National SHRM Convention in Chicago, IL. Congratulations to Susan Swegle. There has also been a new law passed in IL called IL Social Media Password Protection that prohibits employers from requesting passwords of employee’s personal social media accounts. If you haven’t heard about it, you should look it up. We will be holding our regular board of directors meeting on 9/25/2012 at 11:15 AM in our regular meeting room, so anyone interested in joining please do so. If not we will look forward to seeing everyone at our regular membership meeting on 9/25/2012 at noon. See you soon.

Rachel Untz, PHR, President

CERTIFICATION

Submitted by Kendra Hull, Certification Chair

MEMBERSHIP

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT The September Membership Spotlight is on Rachel Untz. Rachel is the Director of HR at Nippon Sharyo in Rochelle. Nippon Sharyo began operations of the Rochelle facility this past July. Nippon Sharyo currently employees about 140 but will continue to grow to around 300 in the next year. Nippon Sharyo manufactures passenger railcars. The first railcar produced in Rochelle is 160 Gallery-Type Electric Multiple Unites (EMU) to Metra, the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation based in Chicago. For more information on Nippon Sharyo check out their website at www.nipponsharyousa.com. Rachel likes that variety and challenges in her job. She likes that what she does every day not only affects the business, but the employees, and the communities we operate in. Rachel has an Associates Degree in Management from Sauk, A Bachelors Degree in Management from NIU, and her MBA from Aurora University. She has 10 years of progressive generalist experience in automotive, builders hardware and transportation manufacturing. In her spare time Rachel enjoys spending time with her family, hunting, fishing, and doing anything outdoors. Amber Olson, Membership Chair

TREASURER’S REPORT Previous Checking Balance $4,042.41 Previous Savings Balance $2,140.27 Deposits 5/22/12 Membership dues $60.00 7/19/12 July seminar $1,350.00 7/26/12 July seminar $220.00

8/10/12 Reimb. from Lee Ann Piano overpayment $66.00

Deposit Total $1,696.00

Payments 5/22/12 Sauk Valley Chamber (membership) $100.00

5/22/12 SHRM (Secretary membership dues) $180.00

5/24/12 State SHRM-NIU (S. Swegle conf. exp. – winner of May drawing) $370.00

5/24/12 USPS (stamps) $9.00

5/24/12 Consolidated Mgmt. (exp for May luncheon) $303.60

5/29/12 HALO (membership gifts) $315.85

5/29/12 Lee Ann Piano (July ½ day seminar speaker - ½ down payment) $816.00

7/21/12 Sauk Valley Chamber (ad blast for July seminar) $25.00

7/25/12 County Market (food for July seminar) $68.71

7/26/12 Lee Ann Piano (July ½ day seminar speaker – balance of speaker’s fee) $816.00

7/30/12 Comfort Inn (hotel stay for July speaker) $88.80

8/16/12 Rachel Untz (reimb. For SHRM basket) $96.31

Payment Total $3,189.27 Total Checking Balance $2,549.14 Current Savings Balance interest income $.43 $2,140.27 Total Cash Balance $4,689.41 Dianne Frye, Treasurer

LEGISLATIVE While its ultimate effect remains undetermined, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently released new guidance regarding employment policies concerning the hiring of workers with criminal records.

Employers long have known that they cannot refuse to hire an applicant solely because the person has been arrested, because an arrest does not prove that conduct occurred and because persons protected by Title VII tend to be arrested in disproportionate numbers. In the guidance, however (titled “Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964”), the EEOC maintains that employers may not base employment decisions on criminal records unless the criminal history is related to the responsibilities of the position at issue.

According to the EEOC, “even where employers apply criminal record exclusions uniformly, the exclusions may still operate to disproportionately and unjustifiably exclude people of a particular race or national origin.”

The effect of the guidance is unclear because it has met resistance in Congress. The House in May passed an appropriations bill that funds the EEOC but blocks implementation and enforcement of programs dealing with the use of arrest and conviction records in pre-employment screening. The Senate Appropriations Committee also criticized the guidance, noting in a report that it “may limit the ability of conscientious employers to hire with confidence and create conflict with federal and state laws.”

In the guidance, the EEOC recommends that employers ask applicants about their criminal history only when it is relevant to the position and even then limit the questions to specific convictions that might be related to the job’s responsibilities.

For an employer to consistently satisfy the guidance’s “job related and consistent with business necessity” defense, the EEOC suggests that the employer have the EEOC formally validate the employer’s criminal record screening policy and use only a “targeted screen” that considers the nature of the crime, the time elapsed since the conviction and the job’s responsibilities. Employers then should individually assess each person excluded by the screen.

The guidance notes that conducting criminal background checks to comply with other federal laws and regulations does not violate Title VII. Such criminal background checks, however, should not be broader than necessary to satisfy the other law or regulation.

Doug Lee, Legislative Chair

DIVERSITY Sometimes, we tend to think of diversity as a task. But it’s also something to celebrate! A diverse culture strengthens and benefits us all. From September 15-October 15, it’s time to

celebrate Hispanic Heritage month. We have benefited from Hispanic people’s contributions since our nation’s beginning. And we continue to benefit, locally and nationally. This year’s theme is “Many Voices, Many Backgrounds, One American Spirit.” What a perfect phrase to capture what diversity is about! Look for ways for your workplace to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month this year!

Carol Fitzgerald, Diversity Chair

NEXT MEETING September 25, 2012, 12:00 noon

Sauk Valley Community College, Room 2K2

Jennifer Lollino from Sikich LLP, Compensation Under Fire HRCI recertification credits have been applied for.

Upcoming Chapter Meetings

Upcoming Board Meetings

10/30/12 – TBA

11/27/12 – Annual Diversity Training YWCA of the Sauk Valley

9/25/12 11:15am SVCC, Rm 2K2

11/27/12 11:00am

SVCC, Rm 2K2

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

Compensation Under Fire The current economy along with increased scrutiny from several government agencies on pay practices is creating challenges for employers, to say the least. From hiring freezes to pay compression to misclassification issues, employers are faced with a number of compliance and strategic issues related to compensation. In this session, we will cover a broad range of topics including:

A high level look at the three key compliance areas being investigated – o Employee misclassification – exempt vs. non-exempt o Employee misclassification – independent contractors o Internships – paid vs. unpaid

Key elements of every compensation plan including an overview of job description content and salary structures

Handling strategic issues affecting both public and private employers including: o Use of merit pay o Compensating top performers o Market pricing

This session will provide you with an overview of key areas of both compliance and compensation best practices that will allow you to evaluate your current practices and begin to set your priorities for the remainder of the year. And, as always, if there are topics or specific presenters you are interested in or feel would be valuable to others in the chapter, please let us know by calling 815-288-1260, emailing your suggestions to best1@grics.net or talk to us at the meeting.

Sally Hanrahan and Mike Winters, Program Co-Chairs

GUEST ARTICLE RRHRPA thanks Attorney Doug Lee for this extra piece of information this month: Group health plan sponsors should remember that the deadline to provide the summary of benefits and coverage (SBC) required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is upon us. Participants and beneficiaries must be provided the SBC with the first open enrollment period that begins on or after September 23, 2012. For participants and beneficiaries who enroll in group health plan coverage at a time other than an open enrollment period (such as new hires, special enrollees and others newly eligible for coverage), the requirement to provide the SBC applies for the first plan year beginning on or after September 23, 2012.The SBC must contain specified information about the plan's coverage, certain other statements and contact information. The SBC must be prepared using the form set forth in the regulations, cannot exceed four double-sized pages in length and cannot include print smaller than 12-point font. The SBC may be provided in paper form or electronically, if certain conditions for electronic disclosure are satisfied. A uniform glossary providing definitions of certain health-coverage related terms must also be made available to participants and beneficiaries.The final SBC regulations provide that a group health plan that willfully fails to provide the SBC will be subject to a fine of not more than $1,000 for each failure. A separate fine can be imposed for each individual or entity for whom there is a failure to provide an SBC. Do you have some information you would like to share with the group? Submit a guest article and if approved by the BOD, you’ll see it published here! Submit your article to Secretary Susan Swegle at ssweg1017@gmail.com.