Program Information

Technical Groups (TGs) are a wealth of information within HFES. While several TGs are very active, some also exist primarily as a mechanism to accept and review papers for the Annual Meeting. If engaged at a higher level, TGs can play a much more vital and visible role in HFES’s desire to grow in size, in those who we engage as members, and in those who we serve in the community. To do this, we would like to promote TG’s knowledge both within and outside of HFES to help others learn who we are, what we know, and what we do through a society-wide recognition program called the HFES Technical Group Circle of Excellence (TG CoE).  

The Circle of Excellence (CoE) will be an annual program where TGs will strive to meet certain criteria to reach the desired level of achievement. The CoE is designed in three tiers – Bronze, Silver, and Gold. All TGs are expected to participate in the CoE, as the Bronze level criteria are identical to the requirements TGs are to follow in the Society’s Operating Rules. Participation in the Silver and Gold levels is optional but encouraged.  The activities at these levels are designed to bring additional promotion and awareness of the TG and their activities to HFES members and those in the community. As HFES recognizes, values, and celebrates the differences of our members and those in the community, we encourage TGs to incorporate components of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging into your activities. A more detailed explanation of each level can be found below, along with additional information about program logistics.

Given it is in the inaugural year of the program, it is expected that there will be questions and small adjustments to the program that will have to be made along the way. Both HFES and TG leadership have given input into the development of the program but we certainly welcome further comments and suggestions. For more specific information about each item please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Page.

BRONZE LEVEL

The Bronze Level requirements are those specified in the Society’s Operating Rules for Technical Groups, with an additional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) component. Contact information and additional details can be found in the TG Handbook.

• Contact information and term start and end dates for TG leadership filed with the HFES office.
• Leadership team names and contact information (photos suggested, but not required) appear in the Committee and Technical Group Leadership Directory.  Please send all information to HFES staff member, Enar Ogar.  
• Submission of annual TG report filed by the required date to the HFES office
• Attend 75% of the online or in-person COTG meetings each year (attendance at all is recommended) 
• Attend 50% online or in-person Program Chair TG meetings (attendance at all is recommended)
• TG description on HFES website is up to date (includes 'as of date' on the webpage)
• Have and up-to-date social media or web presence (e.g. current/upcoming events listed, current leadership listed)
• Hold an annual business meeting (virtual or in-person)
• Complete reviews of abstracts for the Annual Meeting 
• Publish a minimum of two newsletters per year
• Conduct at least one technical session at the Annual Meeting
• Holds officer elections each year and fill all leadership positions
• Inclusion of a DEI statement on the TG’s webpage. If the TG does not have a webpage the statement can be included on their LinkedIn page or included with their description on the HFES Technical Group landing page. 

SILVER LEVEL

To achieve Silver Level, TGs must meet all requirements of the Bronze Level in addition to all the items below. The Silver Level requirements are formatted in a “Featured Technical Group of the Month” setup. If TGs desire to achieve Silver Level, they will work with the COTG Chair and HFES staff to determine which month they will be featured in the Society (a maximum of 2-3 TGs may be featured in a month). HFES Staff will provide guidance in terms of dates and information needed for each item below once the specific month is selected. Additional details on logistics can be found on the FAQ page. During your “Featured Technical Group of the Month” timeframe you will need to:

• Create a minimum of four social media posts (one per week) within their featured month that will be shared on HFES and TG (if applicable) LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. social media platforms.
• At least one post should be DEI focused (e.g., either highlighting TG member biographies from marginalized communities, describing a TG DEI initiative, encapsulating TG member’s research/project that supports DEI tenets)
• Write one article for the Bulletin about a topic relevant to the TG, also include your TG description/web or social media link(s) at the end of the article, as well as your TG leadership and contact information.
• Hold one online webinar related to your TG or a topic of interest to your TG

 GOLD LEVEL

To achieve Gold Level, TGs must meet the requirements of the Bronze Level AND the Silver Level AND accumulate at least 250 points from the activities in the categories below, with at least 30 points being from DEI category activities. This level is meant to recognize those TGs that go above and beyond in promoting HFE within the Society and in the community. It is not necessary to accumulate points from each point level category, but some activities do have noted limits in terms of the points that can be accumulated from that activity. Additional details for activities can be found on the FAQ page.
 

Activities Worth 10 Points

• For every five unique social media posts (posting the same message on different platforms counts as one post) - TGs may only earn a maximum of 50 points from this activity
• For every two unique social media posts (posting the same message on different platforms counts as 1) about DEI-related topics (Black History Month, International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Pride Month, etc.)
• For every 5% increase in TG membership (calculated based on # of members registered in the TG between July 15 - July 31, 2024 versus July 15 - July 31, 2023.  
• For every 5% increase in annual meeting conference submissions (calculated based on # of submissions in May 2024 versus May 2023, data obtained from TG Program Chair)
• For every 5% increase in members who complete reviews for current Annual Meeting submissions (calculated based on # of reviewers in May 2024 versus May 2023, data obtained from TG Program Chair)
• For each 20% of members who fully complete their profile (photo-optional but suggested) in the HFES member directory (information does not have to appear in the directory, just be complete). Details of how to update profile HERE. HFES staff will provide a list of members with complete profiles
  +10 extra points for each 20% of members who complete the diversity portion of their profile (Gender Identity through LGBTQIA Status fields) NOTE: answers to these categories are not visible in the membership directory, but they do help HFES better understand and meet the needs of members.
• For each 20% of members who respond to HFES Society-wide surveys or the Annual Meeting event evaluation (data will be provided by HFES staff)
• Each co-sponsored conference session at the Annual Meeting (this will be arranged by the TG Program Chair)
• For every two TG membership recruitment/area of interest videos completed using the Gather Voices tool (more information HERE)
   +10 extra points for each video that has a DEI component
• For every five original posts (not reposts of HFES events/news, etc.) by a TG in the HFES Connect Community. Remember that your Connect Community is internally focused only to HFES members - you may only earn a maximum of 50 points from this activity
• For every two original posts (not reposts of HFES events/news, etc.) by a TG in the HFES Connect Community that as a DEI component (e.g., Black History Month, International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Pride Month, etc.). Remember that your Connect Community is internally focused on HFES members only
• For each student from a marginalized community to whom financial support (minimum $250 award/student) is provided to travel to the Annual Meeting - you may only earn a maximum of 20 points from this activity
• For each $250 in financial support provided to the DEI committee, Coalition of Affinity Groups (COAG), or specific Affinity Group events, meetings, and social gatherings – you may only earn a maximum of 20 points from this activity

Activities Worth 20 Points

• Each additional article published in the Bulletin (beyond the one required for Silver Level), the topic is of the TGs choosing. Can be co-authored with another TG. Articles need to be emailed to HFES Staff at least two weeks prior to the desired publication date, keep in mind the Bulletin is published bi-weekly on Thursdays.
• Each additional webinar (beyond the one required for Silver level)/workshop/event/activity, the topic is of the TGs choosing, may be co-sponsored with another TG. Webinars can be open to the general public. More information can be found HERE
• Holding a TG networking/social event at the annual meeting (can be on- or off-site), more information can be found HERE
• For each TG member who is actively participating as a mentor or mentee in a mentoring program. To be counted the individual must be matched and engaged with their mentor/mentee on a routine basis. Mentor/mentee status will be provided by the respective TG mentoring program administrator or HFES staff.
• Hosting a paper/poster awards program in conjunction with the HFES Annual Meeting (e.g., student, practitioner, etc.), more details provided HERE. Only a maximum of 20 points can be earned for this activity.

Activities Worth 30 Points

• Each activity/event (online or in-person) is specifically for students and/or early career professionals - more details are provided HERE
• Holding an activity/event (online or in-person) for National Ergonomics Month, Usability Day, or any other day/week/month relevant to the TG - more details found HERE
• Each media broadcast (e.g., podcast, radio spot, etc.) - more details found HERE
• Each TG-related (non-journal) article published in an outlet of professional work (e.g., newsletter/blog/magazine/etc. from UXPA, AIHA, ASSP, etc.) - more details found HERE

Activities Worth 40 Points

• Coordinates/co-coordinates a design/problem solving/hack-a-thon competition aimed at the general membership/students/practitioners/etc. at the annual meeting, more details can be found HERE– you may earn up to 120 points from this activity
• Each joint activity (webinar, event, etc.) with another professional society/organization. Click here to complete the webinar request form.
  +20 extra points if the activity supports a DE&I-related issue
• Each white paper or policy statement published by HFES - more details can be found HERE

*Additional items beyond those listed may be submitted to the COTG Chair-Elect, the administrator of the CoE Program for points consideration. To submit additional items email Robert Gutzwiller (rgutzwil@asu.edu - please title your email “HFES Circle of Excellence”)

Recognition Levels

• Bronze: TG Name and Leadership names included in a Bulletin announcement, posted on the HFES website, and in the presentation at Annual Meeting Awards Ceremony. All TG members receive a digital certificate of recognition via email. Contributing TG members (as submitted by TG leadership) will be entered into a raffle to receive an additional Bronze Level award*, Bronze TG CoE ribbon provided for Annual Meeting badge.
• Silver: TG Name and Leadership names included in a Bulletin announcement, posted on the HFES website, and in the presentation at Annual Meeting Awards Ceremony. All TG members receive a digital certificate of recognition via email. Contributing TG members (as submitted by TG leadership) will be entered into a raffle to receive an additional Silver Level award*, Silver TG CoE ribbon provided for Annual Meeting badge.
• Gold: TG Name and Leadership names included in a Bulletin announcement, posted on the HFES website, and in the presentation at Annual Meeting Awards Ceremony. All TG members receive a digital certificate of recognition via email. Contributing TG members (as submitted by TG leadership) will be entered into a raffle to receive an additional Gold Level award*, Gold TG CoE ribbon provided for Annual Meeting badge.

Program Timeline

• Activities/Points will accumulate on a 12-month cycle, from August 1 to July 31 each year. The first awards will be given at the 2024 Annual Meeting, and then at each Annual Meeting thereafter.
• Because the CoE program timeline will likely span more than one administration of TG leaders, all of those who were in leadership positions during the particular time period will be recognized in the achieved level at the Annual Meeting

Program Tracking

• Accomplishments will be self-reported by a designated member in each TG (e.g., the TG Chair, Chair-Elect, or someone else nominated for the position). Tracking will be done using a Google Form for the time being. Each TG will receive a unique link to their tracking document from HFES Staff.
• It is likely that HFES members may participate in more than one TG. If a member participates in an activity and is in multiple TGs, credit will be given to all the TGs in which they are a member for relevant activities. For example, if a member is in the Healthcare TG and the Occupational Ergonomics TG and they update their profile in the membership directly, both TGs would receive credit.   

Program Oversight: The COTG Chair-Elect, Robert Gutzwiller (rgutzwil@asu.edu - please title your email “HFES Circle of Excellence”) will oversee the Technical Group Circle of Excellence program, with assistance from HFES staff as needed. The COTG Chair-Elect may also appoint additional COTG members to assist with the program if desired.