La Crosse Area SHRM | September 2026 Newsletter

President's Message

Join our LASHRM Coffee Chat Book Club on Tuesday, September 29th from 7:30am to 9:00am at Java Vino as we explore How to Be an Inclusive Leader by Jennifer Brown. This insightful book invites readers to examine their own perspectives and build the skills needed to foster belonging, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Through engaging discussion and shared learning, participants will gain practical strategies for leading with empathy, curiosity, and awareness. Whether you are a seasoned HR professional, people leader, or simply passionate about creating inclusive environments, this book club offers a valuable opportunity to connect, learn, and grow with fellow LASHRM members. We hope you'll join the conversation on September 29th or October 27th!

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Membership

By Amber Wierzba, SHRM-CP, Membership Director

Check out our upcoming events! LASHRM Events

Interested in becoming a member? Join LASHRM

Have questions? Reach out to [email protected]  

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SHRM Foundation

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Continued Education

By Nicole Haugen SHRM-CP

Have you been thinking about earning your SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP certification, but the cost of preparing for and taking the exam has been holding you back? The SHRM Foundation may be able to help.

The 2026 SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP Certification Grant Application #2 is open August 10 through October 16, 2026. This grant provides eligible HR professionals with financial support to take an important next step in their professional development.

What Does the Grant Cover?

Recipients of the SHRM Foundation Certification Professional Grant receive:

• One SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP certification exam
• Access to the SHRM online Learning/Prep System

This is a valuable opportunity because certification involves more than simply taking an exam. The SHRM Learning System provides structured preparation based on the SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge (SHRM BASK®), allowing candidates to strengthen their HR knowledge and behavioral competencies while preparing for the exam.

Why Consider SHRM Certification?

Earning a SHRM certification demonstrates your HR knowledge and your ability to apply that knowledge to real workplace situations.

The SHRM-CP is geared toward professionals performing operational HR responsibilities, while the SHRM-SCP is designed for professionals working at a more strategic level and aligning HR strategy with organizational goals.

Preparing for certification can also help broaden your perspective beyond your current responsibilities. Whether your work focuses on benefits, recruiting, employee relations, payroll, learning and development, or another HR specialty, the certification process provides exposure to the many functions that make up our profession.

Could This Opportunity Be for You?

Applicants must meet the SHRM Foundation's eligibility requirements, including maintaining an active SHRM membership and meeting the eligibility requirements for the certification they plan to pursue. Applicants also cannot already be receiving organizational support or reimbursement for their certification exam and preparation expenses.

If SHRM certification has been sitting on your professional “someday” list, this may be the opportunity to turn someday into a plan.

Application Window: August 10–October 16, 2026

Professional development is an investment in yourself and your future. Take a few minutes to review the SHRM Foundation grant requirements and consider applying. Your next professional goal may be closer than you think!

To learn more and apply visit: SHRM Foundation Certification Grant Application

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Emerging HR Professionals

The Wisconsin State Council SHRM is accepting applications for the 2026 Callie Zipple Student Scholarship until September 25th!

This annual scholarship honors the legacy of Callie Zipple, SHRM-SCP, a dedicated HR professional and SHRM volunteer whose passion for helping others continues to make a lasting impact on the HR community.

Scholarship Details

• Award Amount: $1,500
• Application Deadline: September 25, 2026
• Recipient Announced: Wisconsin SHRM State Conference (October 14-16, 2026) 

This scholarship recognizes students who demonstrate:

• Academic achievement
• Leadership
• Community involvement
• A passion for the HR profession

How to Apply Submit all application materials as one PDF file to [email protected].

If you have questions about the scholarship or application process, please contact Sarah Ebert, WI SHRM College Relations Director, at [email protected].

Don't let this great opportunity pass you by! 

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Governmental and Diversity Affairs

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Programming

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Sponsored Messaging | The Insurance Center

Open enrollment is evolving. Healthcare costs continue to rise, employees are looking for more personalized benefits, and technology is changing how they make coverage decisions. For employers, open enrollment is no longer simply an annual administrative task—it’s an opportunity to reassess benefits strategy.

Here are five trends to watch in 2027.

1. Rising Costs Require Earlier Planning

Healthcare costs are projected to increase significantly, with PwC projecting a 9% group medical cost trend for 2027. With continued near-double-digit increases, employers are looking for ways to manage costs without simply shifting more expenses to employees.

This means starting renewal discussions earlier and exploring options such as plan design changes, network optimization, and closer review of high-cost claims and prescription drug spending. Employers that use benchmarking and work proactively with their benefits advisors will be better positioned to manage rising costs.

2. Women’s Health Benefits Continue to Expand

Benefits supporting women are moving beyond traditional maternity coverage. Employers are increasingly considering fertility treatment, egg freezing, adoption, surrogacy, and menopause support.  Flexible scheduling, hormone therapy coverage and other menopause-related resources are also gaining attention. These benefits can play an important role in employee retention, particularly for experienced employees in midlife and leadership positions.

3. GLP-1 Coverage Requires an Intentional Decision

GLP-1 medications have become a significant consideration for employer health plans. Their potential health benefits and impact on healthcare spending make it important for employers to develop a clear strategy rather than allowing coverage decisions to happen by default.  Employers should consider whether coverage will include diabetes only or weight management, as well as whether utilization management such as prior authorization or step therapy will apply. Whatever the decision, it should be intentional and supported by data.

4. AI Is Changing the Enrollment Experience

Artificial intelligence is becoming more common in benefits enrollment. AI-powered tools can provide personalized recommendations, help employees compare plans, and make enrollment more accessible through mobile technology. These tools may also encourage employees to reconsider their usual plan choice instead of automatically selecting the same coverage every year. Better decision-making can lead to greater employee satisfaction and potentially better cost outcomes.

5. Nontraditional Benefits Are Becoming More Important

Employees are increasingly looking beyond traditional health and retirement benefits when evaluating an employer. Gym memberships, pet insurance, legal services, tuition assistance, travel discounts, and financial wellness programs are examples of benefits employers are using to enhance their overall package. Many of these benefits are relatively low-cost and may be voluntary or employee-paid, but they can still have a meaningful impact on recruitment, retention, and employee satisfaction.

Key Takeaways

The 2027 open enrollment season presents both challenges and opportunities. Rising healthcare costs are requiring employers to make difficult decisions, while employees continue to expect benefits that are relevant to their individual needs. Employers that start planning early, use data to guide decisions, and look beyond simply renewing last year’s plan will be better positioned to control costs while continuing to offer a competitive benefits package.

Contact The Insurance Center an Alera Group for additional open enrollment resources and guidance.

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Sponsored Messaging | The Alliance

Healthcare Costs are Our Issue

As another election season approaches, we'll hear candidates debate about taxes, education, public safety, and countless other issues that shape our communities.

One issue, however, affects every Wisconsinite regardless of political affiliation: healthcare.

Our health can get lost among other issues we face until it affects us directly. When we face a significant health issue, it leaps to the top of the issues list at once. Further, no matter where you fall on the political spectrum, I think we can all agree on this scenario. The healthcare we need at that moment can be difficult to access and then costs too much.

Our employees continue to pay more in premiums and out-of-pocket costs. Employers are facing difficult decisions as healthcare expenses consume a growing share of their budgets.

Patients are navigating an increasingly complex system, and everyone is feeling the pressure.

With 51% of voters saying healthcare costs are extremely important for candidates to talk about, healthcare affordability is one of the few issues that offers an opportunity for bipartisan progress.

Look for Leaders Who Will Move Healthcare Forward

While candidates differ on where they place the greatest emphasis, both parties recognize that healthcare costs remain a major challenge.

The United States spends more on healthcare than any other nation. In 2025 alone, we spent more than $5.7 trillion on healthcare. Spending is projected to reach $9 trillion by 2034. This is unsustainable. We cannot continue down this path.

One area of broad agreement is the need for greater transparency to help improve affordability, accountability, and value across healthcare.

Whoever voters elect this November, here in Wisconsin and across the country, will inherit these challenges.

So, as you’re vetting candidates, I encourage you to pay close attention to what they say about healthcare.

●     Do they support improving healthcare affordability and access?

●     Do they support innovation that rewards value?

●     Do they support the role employers play in providing healthcare coverage?

●     Do they support collaboration between healthcare stakeholders? Or do they focus on problems in one area?

These questions matter because there is no single policy or one-size-fits-all solution that will fix healthcare overnight. It took decades for our healthcare system to become this complex. And it will take time, persistence, and collaboration to improve it.

Healthcare is a problem worth solving, and we can make change happen by working together as legislators, providers, and employers creating solutions together. Fortunately, we've already seen reasons to be optimistic.

The Alliance is Part of the Solution

The Alliance doesn't suggest we have all the answers. Healthcare is too complex for any one organization to solve alone. But we are collaborative, tenacious and curious. We believe progress begins by asking better questions, challenging conventional wisdom and the status quo, and building on one another's ideas.

We are bringing industry experts together to have meaningful discussions about positive change. Our goal is to get people thinking because some of the greatest breakthroughs happen because someone is willing to challenge what is considered impossible.

The Alliance is working toward increased competition, choice, and access which could lead to the democratization of healthcare. A system where employers have meaningful information, employees can make informed decisions, and providers are rewarded for delivering value.

When Healthcare Costs Less, Everyone Wins

Lowering the cost of healthcare isn’t a single party goal, it’s an American goal. Every unnecessary healthcare dollar spent is a dollar that could be invested in higher wages, business growth, and stronger communities. Every barrier that keeps someone from accessing affordable, high-quality care affects all of us.

In summary, we are not advocating for a political party or a particular candidate, but rather for better outcomes.

In my case, I want my sons, and someday their children, to inherit a healthcare system that is more affordable, more transparent, and easier to navigate than the one we have today. I know I’m not alone in this thought.

As voters, we have an opportunity to ask thoughtful questions and hold our leaders accountable for making healthcare a priority.

No election will solve the issues in our healthcare system on its own, but it can place us on a path toward a better future for us all.

If we continue working together, and elect leaders who are committed to making healthcare more affordable and accessible, we can keep building on the progress that's already underway.

As we all can agree, when healthcare costs less, everyone wins.

I'd love to hear your perspective. What healthcare issues matter most to you as you evaluate candidates this election season? Share your thoughts at [email protected].

Curt Kubiak is the President and CEO of The Alliance, a non-for-profit cooperative that helps employers save money on their healthcare spend. After an early career in the manufacturing sector, Kubiak has spent nearly two decades as an executive in the healthcare industry in Wisconsin.

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Sponsored Messaging | Trust Point

How Did I Become A Fiduciary? (401K Fiduciary Guide)

It can happen innocently enough. The variations are endless. But here are some common scenarios:

• I started a small business. We had some success. My employees began asking for benefits, and we decided to offer a 401(k) plan. Yes, you’re a fiduciary.
• I joined a company in the HR Department. Now one of my responsibilities is to oversee the 401(k) plan. Yes, you’re a fiduciary.
• I went to a participant-education session about my company’s 401(k) plan and asked a couple of questions. Afterward, the HR Manager asked if I wanted to be on the Investment Committee. It sounded interesting, so I said, “Sure, why not?” Yes, you’re a fiduciary.

What is a Fiduciary?

What exactly is this role that you have adopted, intentionally or not? The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) defines a Retirement Plan Fiduciary as “a person who owes a duty of care and trust to another and must act primarily for the benefit of the other in a particular activity.” By law, fiduciary responsibility falls upon anyone with discretionary authority or control over a retirement plan or the investments offered in that plan. Fiduciaries must avoid conflicts of interest and prohibited transactions. It is important to remember that your fiduciary status is established by the functions you perform, not by your title or position in the company.

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) defines the actions that result in fiduciary duties and the extent of those duties for retirement plans.

Basic fiduciary responsibilities include:

1. Acting solely in the interest of the participants and their beneficiaries.
2. Paying only reasonable plan expenses.
3. Carrying out duties with the care, skill, prudence, and diligence of a prudent person familiar with the matters in question.
4. Diversifying plan investments to minimize risk.
5. Following the guidance of the plan documents.

Trust Point can assist you as the Plan Sponsor in identifying and documenting all the Fiduciaries involved with your retirement plan.  When you become a Retirement Plan Fiduciary, you assume the responsibility as an individual. It is a personal liability, not associated with your role in the company. You are liable whether you are the CEO or a junior staffer. 

What to Do Now?

Confused? Scared? Before you decide to resign your position on the Retirement Plan and Investment Committee, let’s talk about some best practices surrounding the fiduciary role, and how you can stay out of trouble.

Acknowledge Your Role as Fiduciary

The simple fact that you understand that you are a fiduciary of the retirement plan is a big step. Many organizations require plan fiduciaries to acknowledge their status in writing. This ensures that people taking on fiduciary responsibility are aware of the fact. It also allows the organization to show regulators that there was no confusion as to who performed what roles with respect to the retirement plan.

Safeguard Participants’ Assets

The company should purchase both a Fidelity Bond and Fiduciary Insurance. The Fidelity Bond is required by the U.S. Department of Labor and the IRS to make sure that plan participants’ assets are safeguarded. People often confuse these two items or think they are the same thing. In fact, they are distinct and different.

Fidelity bonds are designed to protect the participants’ contributions from a fraudulent activity from the time those contributions are withheld from their earnings until the funds are deposited into the plan’s trust account. If someone were to steal the money during this transaction period, the fidelity bond would cover the loss. Generally, the bond must equal at least 10% of plan assets handled, with a minimum of $1,000 and a maximum of $500,000. For plans that include employer securities, the maximum bond requirement increases to $1,000,000. IRS Form 5500 has a question that asks if this bond is in place and what value it has. 

Fiduciary insurance, on the other hand, is purchased to protect the individuals who are acting as plan fiduciaries. This insurance covers costs associated with potential litigation and breaches of duty. The policy should be reviewed carefully so that you clearly understand what is covered and what is exempt.

Establish a Retirement Plan and Investment Committee

Once the appropriate coverage is in place, the Retirement Plan and Investment Committee (“the committee”) can be established. The committee’s size usually is related to the size of the plan and the company. In our experience, small plans, with assets less than $3 million, often include only the company owner and a key HR employee on the committee. Medium-sized plans, with $3 million to $10 million in assets, tend to expand the committee to include more key HR personnel and other high-level management employees. Large plans, with assets in excess of $10 million, typically have the company owner, key HR personnel, other senior-management people, and some employees representing different labor pools within the organization.

Provide Fiduciary Training on Several Topics

When the committee is formed, the very first action should be to provide fiduciary training. Trust Point routinely provides Fiduciary training to client investment committees explaining duties and best practices.

This training should cover what caused each member to qualify as a fiduciary, and explain each of the primary responsibilities, such as the following: 

Acting solely in the interest of the participants and their beneficiaries.

This means that when members enter a committee meeting, they may not consider what is in their own or even the company’s best interests. They must focus only on the plan participants’ best interests.

Controlling plan expenses.

This doesn’t mean that the committee must find the least expensive options available. It does mean, however, that all fiduciaries must understand what the plan fees are, how they are allocated to participants, and how this compares to industry averages.

Carrying out duties with the care, skill, prudence, and diligence of a prudent person familiar with the matters.

Fiduciaries do not all need to become experts in retirement plans or investments. But, they must understand and document the needed areas of expertise, and they must have methods to monitor and evaluate any outsourced functions.

One critical area that may be outsourced is the role of the Retirement Plan Trustee. Many plan providers in the industry will try to convince Retirement Plan Sponsors to act as their own trustees. (Warning: Remember, this is a personal liability.) If a sponsor balks, these providers sometimes suggest that they (the providers) could act as Directed Trustees. This arrangement still requires the sponsor’s committee to sign-off, as fiduciaries, on any actions taken with respect to the plan.

If your committee can find a plan provider that is willing to act as Discretionary Trustee without Sign-Off, you will lessen the risk of your fiduciary liability. A Discretionary Trustee without Sign-Off is automatically a functional fiduciary of your retirement plan. Trust Point acts as a Discretionary Trustee without Sign-Off for all the plans that it works with!

Diversifying plan investments to minimize risk. 

Offering a diversified investment lineup, which may include low-cost institutional share classes, active and passive options, fixed income, equity, and target-date or allocation funds, can help fiduciaries meet this responsibility when selected and monitored through a prudent process. Avoid proprietary funds, since they normally have additional costs. The investment choices offered to participants should include both active and passive options, and it should include equity funds, fixed-income funds, and allocation or target-date funds.

Following the plan documents. 

All committee members should be familiar with the Adoption Agreement for the plan and with all rules associated with the plan. They also should be familiar with plan operation policies, such as a loan policy, QDRO checklists, etc.

While not required by ERISA, an Investment Policy Statement (IPS) is considered a best practice. If a plan is ever audited, it will be very beneficial to be able to show that an IPS is in place and being followed. The IPS generally covers these bases:

• Identifies all involved parties and their roles.
• Establishes frequency of reviews.
• Establishes reporting requirements and benchmarks for performance.
• Establishes participant-education standards.

Once the committee is trained, has determined its responsibilities, understands how the plan operates and has an IPS in place, it must meet on a regular basis to review the plan’s status. The meetings should include all committee members, key vendors, and industry experts, as needed. Trust Point prepares a comprehensive “Plan and Investment Review Booklet” for each of its clients. This booklet contains the following information: a summary of the plan assets and their movement for the time period in question, investment option performance, current Investment Policy Statement, plan recommendations and legislative review, plan demographics including participation rate, average deferral percentages, employer contributions, average account balance, and loan/hardship distributions, and finally a plan benchmarking review. Minutes of committee meetings should be kept and maintained as an official plan document.

Take Advantage Of This Opportunity!

In acting as a Retirement Plan Fiduciary, you are fulfilling a very important role. It is only with the help of properly trained, skilled professionals that a plan can operate efficiently and effectively. When you are presented with this opportunity, step up and help your colleagues. You will find it both challenging and rewarding.

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Sponsored Messaging | Boardman & Clark

Rounding the Punch Clock

Brian Goodman, Storm Larson, Emmerson Mirus - Boardman Clark Law Firm

     Many employers utilize punch clocks, require employees to complete time sheets, or use computerized time-recording systems to track hours worked by hourly employees. In the past, punch clocks stamped a timecard, requiring someone to review the timecards and calculate the total hours worked. Time sheets involved similar complexities. To simplify this process, many employers adopted a rounding practice for time entries. When employers switched to electronic time-tracking systems, the rounding practice sometimes remained.

     The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) permits employers to round employees’ punch-in and punch-out times to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth of an hour, or quarter of an hour. The Department of Labor (DOL) approves of a rounding system so long as it does not result, over time, in the employer underpaying employees.

     The problem with a rounding system is that it can be difficult to adopt a system that does not favor the employer. The FLSA envisions that, on average, employees sometimes punch in a little early or a little late, without advantaging either the employer or the employee. However, in practice, this is not always the case. Sometimes there are long lines at the punch clocks in the morning when everyone is getting started for the day, but the lines are shorter at the end of the day. As a result, employees’ morning punches may be rounded down, while punch-out times might rarely be rounded up. While this may seem like a small amount of time, employee-side attorneys have recently brought class action lawsuits on behalf of every hourly employee in such cases. That small discrepancy can add up to much greater potential liability.

     Employers should review their policies for rounding punches, as well as how those policies play out in practice. Given the wide availability of computerized time-recording systems, employers can now calculate an employee’s worktime closely, potentially down to the second. Employers should consider adopting a new timekeeping system and work with legal counsel to ensure proper timekeeping practices.

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Sponsored Messaging | Capitoline Intel

Gary Czaplewski
September 9, 2026

The CCAP Trap: Why a Quick Search Isn’t a Background Check

If you hire employees in Wisconsin, chances are you’ve used CCAP. It’s free, it’s easy, and within seconds you can search an applicant’s name and see Wisconsin court records.

But there’s an important distinction: searching CCAP is not the same thing as conducting a proper pre-employment background check.

CCAP was created to provide public access to Wisconsin court information. It wasn’t designed to be an employment screening system. A name appearing in CCAP doesn’t necessarily mean you have the right person, and a case appearing there doesn’t necessarily mean the information should be considered when making a hiring decision.

The Problem With “I Found It on CCAP”

A CCAP search can turn up arrests, dismissed charges, pending cases and older records that require considerably more context before they should be used in an employment decision.

This is particularly important when dealing with older arrest information that did not result in a conviction. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) places restrictions on what certain background information can be reported for employment purposes. Wisconsin law also places important restrictions on how employers may use arrest and conviction information when making employment decisions. This can lead to legal risk.

In other words, just because information is publicly available doesn’t necessarily mean it belongs in your hiring decision.

That’s one of the differences between looking someone up on CCAP and using a professional Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA). At Capitoline Intel, we curate the background report so you see the information you should be considering for your hiring decision, rather than simply handing you everything we can find.

CCAP Stops at the Wisconsin Border

There’s another obvious limitation that can be easy to overlook: CCAP is a Wisconsin court system. Your candidate may live in Wisconsin today, but where did they live three years ago? Five years ago? Ten years ago? A clean CCAP search tells you very little about what might exist in Illinois, Florida, California, Texas or anywhere else your candidate has lived.

Capitoline Intel researches an applicant’s address history and searches appropriate jurisdictions based on where that person has records of living. We provide screening capabilities throughout all 50 states and U.S. territories, rather than limiting the search to Wisconsin.

And Are You Sure You Have the Right Person?

If you search “John Smith” on CCAP and find a criminal case, how do you know it’s your John Smith?

Professional background screening involves matching identifying information, researching appropriate jurisdictions, reviewing case information and, when necessary, verifying records directly with the court. The goal isn’t to find as much negative information as possible. The goal is to provide accurate, legally reportable and relevant information that helps an employer make a well-informed hiring decision.

A Wisconsin Company That Knows Wisconsin Employers

Capitoline Intel is a Wisconsin-based background screening company. We understand Wisconsin records, Wisconsin employers, and the unique requirements our clients face.

We also believe background screening shouldn’t mean submitting an order to a giant national company and hoping someone answers when you have a question.

We get to know you and your business. When something unusual appears on a report, you can talk to someone who understands your account and can help you understand what you’re looking at. And when something urgent comes up, we’re available to our clients 24/7.

Consider What You’re Already Investing in That Employee

Think about what it costs to recruit a candidate, conduct interviews, complete onboarding, set up payroll and benefits, provide equipment, and spend weeks or months training a new employee.

Against that investment, the cost of a professionally conducted pre-employment background check is relatively small.

You’re not simply paying someone to search a database. You’re investing in a process designed to help determine that your candidate is who they say they are, that the information being reported belongs to them, that appropriate jurisdictions have been searched, and that the information presented to you is appropriate for employment purposes.

Lowering turnover by just a few people annually pays for this service.

CCAP is a useful public resource.

It just isn’t a background check.

This article is intended for general educational purposes and should not be considered legal advice.

[email protected] www.capitoline.info 414-209-1986

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