 Workforce Initiatives The Workforce Connector is a monthly publication made possible by HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital, Marshfield Clinic Health System, Mayo Clinic Health System, Prevea Health, and Xcel Energy. The Eau Claire Area Chamber has many initiatives to help employers retain, recruit and develop employees. Many of these programs, committees, and events have been around for years; At the 2019 Annual meeting our CEO/President David Minor announced the intention of focusing on Workforce Challenges and Solutions in the Chippewa Valley. This publication and the initiatives highlighted on our website are the beginning, use the button below to "learn more". The chamber's workforce initiatives are led by the Workforce Development Committee Chair, Monica Obrycki of Eau Claire Energy Cooperative and Kaylynn Stahlbusch, Workforce and Program Director of Eau Claire Area Chamber.  Chamber Buy Local Bucks Sales Top $260,000 in 2020In a year where supporting our local businesses was more important than ever, our community did their part to keep their dollars right here in the Chippewa Valley. According to the Chamber’s chief financial officer, Danielle Kummer, in 2019, the total amount of Chamber Bucks issued was $194,955. In 2020, it was $266,180, an increase of nearly 37% and an additional $71,225 contributed to our local economy. Thank you to everyone who purchased Chamber Bucks, to WEAU 13 News for helping us promote them during the holiday season and to the 425+ Chamber investors that currently accept Chamber Bucks. If you are a Chamber investor who would like to participate in the Buy Local Bucks program, please contact us at information@eauclairechamber.org  Learn About Regional Career PathwaysThe Wisconsin Workforce Development Association's Talent Development Council in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction welcomes you to hear from Karin Smith of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction as she provides an overview of Wisconsin's Regional Career Pathways program. Learn how educators, employers, economic and workforce development partners around the state are working together to create Regional Career Pathways for high school students that highlight high-skill, in-demand careers. Please register for the event by visiting the WWDA events page. Details for how to log into the call are below. You can submit questions for our speakers ahead of time by emailing them to wwda@wwda.org. Zoom call details Topic: TDC presentation on Regional Career Pathways with Karin Smith Time: Jan 12, 2021 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/99695422193?pwd=QjBiRjdtS3pScE9pMlB6ZUJSekp0dz09 Meeting ID: 996 9542 2193 Passcode: 178547 One tap mobile +13126266799,,99695422193#,,,,*178547# Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 Meeting ID: 996 9542 2193 Passcode: 178547  Emergency Use Authorization Vaccines - A Caution to EmployersHappy New Year! As we move into 2021, we know that many of you are considering whether to require employees to get the COVID-19 vaccination. The current COVID-19 vaccines have received Emergency Use Authorization ("EUA") from the Food and Drug Administration. The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act ("FDCA") governs the conditions of emergency use authorization including the condition that: "individuals to whom the product is administered are informed ... of the option to accept or refuse administration of the product..." Section 546(e)(1)(A). Both the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 EUA Fact Sheet and the Moderna COVID-19 EUA Fact Sheet clearly specify that recipients or their caregivers must have the right to accept or refuse the vaccine. Links to each fact sheet: So what does this mean for employers? Employers who require employees to get these vaccines prior to full FDA approval run the risk of a "wrongful discharge" in violation of public policy. While Wisconsin and many other states recognize the "at-will doctrine" (employer may terminate employees at any time for any reason) there are exceptions. One such exception is "when the discharge is contrary to a fundamental and well-defined public policy as evidenced by existing law." (See Brockmeyer v. Dun & Bradstreet, 113 Wis.2d 561, 335 N.W.2d 834 (1983)) Accordingly, employees terminated for refusing the vaccine under the FDCA likely have a viable claim for wrongful discharge under the public policy doctrine. Bottom line: Once the vaccine receives formal FDA approval (barring religious or accommodation issues as we reported in our previous e-alert: Breaking News! EEOC Issues Vaccine Guidance), you can take a stronger stance on requiring the vaccine. Until then, we recommend you steer clear of a mandate. About the Authors - Follow the Links What Businesses Need to Know About the New Pandemic Relief BillThe new federal law includes a “Second Draw” PPP for small businesses who have exhausted their initial loan, direct aid for performance venues, and PPP loan eligibility for civic organizations. There are also changes to EIDL loans, the loan forgiveness process, the tax treatment of PPP loans, and the Employee Retention Tax Credit. More information: What Businesses Need to Know About the New Pandemic Relief Package (US Chamber of Commerce)  Mayo Clinic Careers WebinarWe invite you to learn more about how to explore a “life-changing career” at Mayo Clinic! Invest an hour to learn how to promote yourself in the application process. Come hear from our recruiters. Whether you are starting your professional life or well vested in your career journey, you may wonder if you are aligning with the work you were meant to do. This webinar will provide the tools to help you navigate towards a life-changing career. REGISTRATION DETAILS Date: Thursday, January 14, 2021 Time: 1:00-2:00 PM (CST) Register at: Mayo Clinic Careers Webinar Cost: No cost to attend After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Preview our promise to you at: Mayo Clinic Life Changing Careers.  Affordable Care Act Reporting 2021 - WebinarAre your 1095-C and 1094-C forms ready? The process can be confusing and daunting. To help with 1094/1095 reporting required for 2020 and completed in 2021, MRA is offering a learning opportunity entirely focused on your ACA reporting requirements. Join us for a review of the forms! The fundamentals, such as forms and codes, are very similar to last year; however, we will cover any changes that have been made in the last year. In addition, we will discuss common errors employers make which cause them to receive penalty letters from the IRS. Learning Objectives:
Who Should Attend: HR professionals, business managers, payroll personnel Featured Speaker: Renee Kuhs is a Senior Compliance Attorney at M3 Insurance. She is responsible for assisting employers in proactively managing risk associated with their employee benefit plans. Renee advises employers on compliance obligations such as HIPAA, COBRA, FMLA, Section 125, wellness plan compliance, and the Affordable Care Act. She frequently hosts workshops to discuss compliance strategies and authors articles to explain new legislative developments. Renee also works closely with Account Executives and Account Managers to support clients. Setting New Goals for the New YearChallenge yourself in 2021 by setting new goals! Follow these five tips for setting your goals. Upcoming Chamber EventsMomentum Sales Conference  Thursday, January 14, 2021 Virtual Event Cost to attend: $59 - Investor Price $39 - Student Price $79 - Non-Investor Price Includes (1) $20 restaurant gift card per attendee Sales representatives have been selling the same way for years and with over 40% of professionals working from home now needing to adjust how they sell, it's important that we highlight those methods. How do you actually sell successfully in a virtual world? This conference will explore those best practices and creative ways to maximize your sales technique in today's virtual market. Announcing our Keynote Speaker - Christopher Fullarton, EO Johnson Business Technologies! Chris Fullarton is the Senior Vice President of Imaging at EO Johnson Business Technologies, a position he has held since early 2019. Prior to his role as SVP of Imaging at EO Johnson, he served as a Business Integration Specialist at the company. Click here for Chris's full bio along with the conference agenda, listing of presenters and topics. If you are interested in speaking at the conference or being a sponsor, please reach out to Phil Swiler at swiler@eauclairechamber.org. ***This event will be held virtually via the digital streaming platform, Perigon. Thank you to our Perigon sponsors, Prevail Bank and Royal Credit Union. Thank you to our Corporate Sponsor, Steamatic of Western Wisconsin and our Co-Sponsors, CF Products, Chippewa Valley Technical College and Coulee Tech! Business After Hours January 2021 - Special Edition!  Monday, January 11 2021 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM Cost to attend: $8.00 (Chamber Investor) $12.00 (Non-Investor) Business After Hours 2021 is Happening! Join us for the kick-off of the 2021 Business After Hours - "Special Virtual Edition" on Monday, January 11th from 4:30 to 6 PM! Come Network, Network, Network! Start off 2021 with some strong networking. Phil Swiler and a special guest will be hosting this fun event. We will be networking and sharing stories via ZOOM. We will be sharing the entire Business After Hours 2021 schedule. The cost will be $8 for Investors and $12 for Non-Investors. You must be "present" on the zoom call to be eligible for prizes! A zoom link will be sent to attendees a few days before the event. We will be giving away the following prizes: Wisconsin Logo Lawn Chair (2) Igloo 6-quart Wheeled Cooler (like a YETI) Group Health Cooperative Bean Bag Game (full set) Chamber Bundle Basket (various items from the Chamber) 2 YP Memberships for 2021 and YP Masks We look forward to seeing you! Questions? Contact Phil Swiler at swiler@eauclairechamber.org. Eau Claire Chamber/ UW- Eau Claire Virtual Business Community Breakfast  Tuesday, January 12, 2021 7:30 – 9:00 a.m. Virtual Event via Perigon No cost to attend Sponsored by: EO Johnson Business Technologies, Market & Johnson, Inc., Mayo Clinic Health System, McDonough Manufacturing, Northwestern Bank and Royal Credit Union The Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce and University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire invite you to join us for this virtual event featuring a State of the University report with Chancellor Jim Schmidt. Chancellor Schmidt will review 2020 and share some of the lessons learned as UW-Eau Claire responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as take a look forward to the coming year, enrollment trends and projects on the horizon. Joining Chancellor Schmidt will be a panel made up of faculty, staff and students who will share details about upcoming initiatives and opportunities for collaboration with the region. Questions may be submitted via the chat feature during the panel discussion. There is no cost to attend but we do request that you register in advance by Friday, January 8, 2021. Those registered by January 8 will receive a breakfast swag bag. This event will be streamed via Perigon. A link to log into the event will be sent to all registered attendees on Monday, January 11. Each attendee will need their own individual login link. Thank you to our Perigon sponsors, Prevail Bank and Royal Credit Union. Eau What A Night 2021 Annual Meeting  Wednesday, January 27, 2021 3:30 - 4:00 - Special Pre-Event Entertainment 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. - Program & Award Presentations Virtual Event via Perigon Cost to attend: $80 The Chamber, along with Title Sponsor, WEAU 13 News, invite you to join us for Eau What a Night, the Chamber's 106th Annual Meeting! We have an exciting and fun evening planned with all of the elements our live event would offer:
This event will be offered via the streaming platform, Perigon. Attendees will receive an individual login link prior to the event. Thank you to our Perigon sponsors, Prevail Bank and Royal Credit Union. ***BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!*** As a registered attendee of Eau What a Night, you will also be invited to join us for Eau What a Night - Part 2! Save the date of Wednesday, May 19, 2021 and stay tuned for more details regarding this in-person, outdoor event that will take place in downtown Eau Claire's beautiful Phoenix Park. Virtual Eggs & Issues: The State of Eau Claire County  Friday, January 29, 2021 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM Cost to attend: $25.00 (Chamber Investor) $30.00 (Non-Investor) The Chamber's annual "State of the county" address. Hear the highlights of the county's work over the past year and its priorities for 2021, with remarks led by Eau Claire County Board Chair Nick Smiar and County Administrator Kathryn Schauf. The program will be recorded. A link will be sent to all registrants when the recording becomes available. If you can't participate during the "live" broadcast, register anyway and you'll receive the recording. Registration closes at 12:00 noon on Thursday, January 28. An email address is required for each attendee to register. A link to login to this session will be emailed to you about 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 28. ***PLEASE NOTE: If you do not receive the email containing the link to log in to the meeting, please be sure to check your spam folder. This event/program will be hosted using the webcasting solution, Perigon. Special thank you to our Perigon Sponsors, Prevail Bank and Royal Credit Union. The Eggs & Issues Series is a Chamber Business Advocacy event. Investors include: Partner level - Xcel Energy; Advocate level - Miron Construction; Supporter level - Banbury Place/Cigan Properties, Eau Claire Energy Cooperative and HSHS Sacred Heart and St. Josephs' hospitals  Comments are closed.
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101 N Farwell St, Ste 101 Eau Claire, WI 54703 Phone: (715) 834-1204 Fax: (715) 834-1956 information@eauclairechamber.org |
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Copyright © 2021 Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved.
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101 N. Farwell Street - Suite 101, Eau Claire, WI 54703
Phone: (715) 834-1204 | Fax: (715) 834-1956 | information@eauclairechamber.org
Privacy Policy
101 N. Farwell Street - Suite 101, Eau Claire, WI 54703
Phone: (715) 834-1204 | Fax: (715) 834-1956 | information@eauclairechamber.org