Dear Friends,
First of all, I hope that you and your families are staying healthy and engaging in good social distancing practices. With a little community effort and individual responsibility, we can soon move forward and return to our normal lives - and that includes getting back to face-to-face professional development activities.
However, for now we're all getting adjusted to working, socializing, and learning through our computer monitors and web cameras. ATD Detroit is still here to provide you many opportunities to grow and develop your skills as talent development professionals. I wanted to take a minute and share with you some important resources available to you right now.
Midwestern ATD Virtual Collaboration
We've teamed up with ATD chapters all over the Midwest to bring you as many FREE online learning activities as we could find. Detroit, Ann Arbor, St.Louis, Chicago, Central Ohio, and several other chapters are opening online events to any ATD chapter member no matter what chapter they belong to.
This means that ATD Detroit members have FREE access to more than ten webinars and learning events throughout the month of April. Check out the full list of awesome activities on our website HERE. We're adding new events as other chapters plan them, so check back frequently!
Unemployment Benefits for Freelancers and Self-Employed
As many of you know, the federal government recently implemented a widespread package that includes stimulus checks to individuals, interest-free loans to small businesses, and the extension of state unemployment benefits to freelancers and the self-employed.
We know many of you are likely to be eligible for unemployment benefits for the first time, as independent consultants, freelancers, and general "one-person show" shops are traditionally exempt from receiving unemployment payments.
The State of Michigan will soon issue guidance about the application process and requirements for these extended unemployment benefits. Follow the state's Unemployment Insurance Agency's website - michigan.gov/uia - for important information.
Small Business Loans under the CARES Act
There are interest-free small business loans available for employers with fewer than 500 employees. This also includes self-employed individuals, freelancers, sole proprietorships, and other groups not traditionally eligible for SBA loan programs. Eligible entities and persons can borrow up to 2.5 times their monthly payroll amount, and loans can be forgiven if the money is used to pay employees and other qualifying expenses (including mortgage, rent, and utilities that keep the office space going).
You can also visit the Michigan Paycheck Protection Program's website HERE to find out more about application processes, requirements, and timelines. HERE is a Forbes article published April 2, 2020 with some additional helpful general information about the loan program
Social Distancing Doesn't Mean Social Disengagement
Looking for ways to interact with others during all this "work at home" time? We're setting up frequent virtual networking sessions to help keep everyone engaged in our community.
The first one is next week's "distance lunch" on Tuesday, April 7th at Noon. Grab your lunch, turn on your webcam, and join us on Zoom for some light conversation. Talk about what you're doing to keep busy, share some resources with each other, and break up your day with a little fun. Register now on our website.
On Demand Member Resources and Benefits
Looking for something do right now? Check out some of our always-available member tools and benefits:
Please contact me at president@detroitatd.org if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas for activities we can provide during this “online only” effort. I'm also happy to set up some group Zoom chats if you just need someone to talk to during the chaos.
On behalf of the ATD Detroit Board of Directors, thank you for your continued participation in our chapter. We miss seeing you all at events, but we're making sure you're not missing out on learning.
Please continue to take care of yourself, your family, and each other.
Sincerely,
Michael Haynes
Chapter President
president@detroitatd.org
For more information about COVID-19 and related economic support programs:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
State of Michigan - https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus
Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency - http://www.michigan.gov/uia
United States Small Business Administration - http://www.sba.gov
