Aug 2020 | NINTH EDITION NEWSLETTER
WHAT'S NEW(S)?
How HR Should Respond to Social and Political Expression at Work
By Lisa Nagele-Piazza, J.D., SHRM-SCP | August 13, 2020 SHRM

With the approaching presidential election, tempers can flare and heated debates can create tension among co-workers. In some cases, disagreements escalate into name-calling, hurling insults or shunning colleagues who hold opposing views.
4 COVID-19 Legal Questions
You Should Answer
By Jathan Janove, J.D | .July 31, 2020 SHRM

When it comes to HR legal issues these days, it's all coronavirus all the time. For the HR professional, navigating this seemingly endless and ever-changing legal maze can be quite daunting. 

Vacation Travel Policies May Need to Be Altered Due to Pandemic
By Allen Smith, J.D.| August 11, 2020 SHRM.ORG

Employer attempts to restrict where employees go on vacation to prevent their exposure to COVID-19 are limited by laws and employee-relations considerations. However, pre-travel inquiries and advisories are allowed, so long as they are applied neutrally and uniformly.
Actions on Payroll Taxes and Unemployment Benefits Promise Relief, Raise Questions
Payroll managers should be prepared to make withholding changes by Sept. 1
By Stephen Miller, CEBS August 10, 2020 SHRM.org

On Aug. 8, President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders and memorandums intended to provide financial relief to employees and those who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
How health, safety and ethics will become the heart of HR
By: John Sumser | August 14, 2020 | HREXECUTIVE.com

Long-time observers of the HR technology industry traditionally have not considered health and safety to be part of the territory. Health was a benefits question, while safety belonged to the facilities team. Disabilities caused by work were the province of workers’ comp. The industries with on-site medical teams never purchased much talent management software.
Preemployment Training as a Retention Tool
By Lin Grensing-Pophal, Contributing Editor 
Aug 21, 2020 | HR Daily Advisor
 
The idea of training employees before you hire them might seem a bit nonsensical at first. For one, there is seemingly no need to train people who aren’t actually going to work for you. Theoretically, they could even end up taking a job with a competitor. But some argue that pretraining may be a valuable recruitment and retention tool.
Make Remote Training Stick with These Simple Tricks
By HR Daily Advisor Content Team 
Aug 20, 2020 | HRDailyAdvisor.com
 
Could you imagine 66% of the workforce being remote last year? At the start of 2020, having a vast majority of employees working remotely would have been laughable, but here we are. And how quickly we’ve all adapted to keep up in this short time frame.

Employee Burnout is at the Top of the Stressor List
By Justin Black, Head of Glint People Science Aug 20, 2020 | HR Daily Advisor
 
In 2020, the world has dramatically changed, from COVID-19, which greatly impacted our daily lives and the world of work, to protests that shine a light on injustice and oppression. Organizations are looking to understand how all of this impacts their employees—how are they doing, and how can I be of support?
Flexible Benefits and Counteroffers

Hiring and retaining key talent is a pressing issue for most organizations. As employers consider how to attract and retain the necessary talent to succeed in the modern marketplace, flexible benefits are a consideration for organizations to meet the evolving needs of the employment market.  

INSPRO
President Trump Signs Executive Order on Pandemic Relief
President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order and three memorandums to address pandemic relief in response to the ongoing impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. After negotiations for a relief package between the White House and lawmakers collapsed, the executive actions are intended to extend pandemic unemployment benefits, student loan payment deferrals, eviction protections and payroll tax cuts.
INSPRO

Families First Coronavirus Response Act Notice – Frequently Asked Questions

Form I-9 Requirements Flexibility Extended
for an Additional 30 Days 

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FAMILY FORTUNE

for Iowa school districts, area education agencies (AEAs), community colleges and other stakeholders in response to COVID-19. 
COVID-19 & Remote Learning: How to Make It Work
edweek.org

BACK-TO-SCHOOL KIDS' LUNCH IDEAS!
by Modern Honey | Modernhoney.com

The Ultimate Back-to-School Shopping Lists
(From Kindergarten to College)
We pre-made these school supplies lists to make your back-to-school experience easier
(no matter what it looks like this year).
BY SHANON MAGLENTE AND AMANDA GARRITY | Jul 28, 2020 | goodhousekeeping.com
STRONG MINDS | STRONG HEARTS
Local Small Community Needs Your Help!
TROPHY CABINET
IAEC has partnered with the Iowa Employment Conference for a number of years and helped promote it to our members through our email list serve and e-newsletters. We have done so because it provides an excellent educational opportunity for our members as it offers a wide variety of classes and speakers that cover broad human resources issues and training. The conference is great training opportunity for human resource professionals along with offering continuing education credits for our cooperative members.

Katrina Davis, CMP Director of Education and Training
Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives
THE YUM FACTOR
13 Genius Ice Cube Tray Hacks That'll Blow Your Mind
Karla Walsh | Aug. 2020 | MSN.com
Pickled Sweet Corn
Rainbow Relish
Jeff Mauro | Food Network
NOTES FROM NAN
Nan Boland

First Grade
Hawley Elementary
Fort Dodge, IA
1972
BACK TO SCHOOL | CHANGE

Back to school likely means several things to different people. Lots of mixed emotions. Maybe it means back to work for you, celebrating your newfound free time, or coordinating learning from home options. Perhaps you are concerned about safety practices for your kids attending school. Likely you are concerned about new routines and the overall changes.

For what it's worth, I believe that while we are all having to make these changes in our lives, we should do our best to embrace the mindset that change can be great! But change isn't for the weak. It's often difficult to adapt, however; change is where we grow as parents, professionals and as humans.

Since the pandemic began, we've all fallen into a different routine at home, in our personal lives and at work. Heck, I haven't worn real pants with buttons and zippers in forever! But from a personal perspective, kids and families need to establish a new routine for the season approaching, something the children can learn from and have the comfort of expectations.

From a work standpoint, routine doesn't challenge you enough. It doesn't force you to be better. So shake it up, fix your mindset and power through the changes, learn from your past and make this the best back-to-school / back-to-work year yet!

Nan