General CoE questions should be directed to the COTG Chair– Elect (Robert Gutzwiller: rgutzwil@asu.edu and please title your email “HFES Circle of Excellence”)

Bronze Level

• Please refer to the TG Handbook and the Society’s Operating Rules for further information on TG requirements and contact information for HFES Staff

Silver Level

• ​​If your TG desires to participate in the Silver Level Featured the first step is to reach out to the COTG Chair–Elect (Robert Gutzwiller: rgutzwil@asu.edu - please title your email “HFES Circle of Excellence”) to see which month is available
•  Once your featured month is chosen you will need to provide HFES Staff (Joann DeNardis – jdenardis@hfes.org) with your minimum of four social media posts at least two weeks in advance of the first scheduled post. HFES will post on the official HFES LinkedIn and Facebook pages, but TGs are responsible for posting on their own social media. All TG members should be encouraged to share the posts with their own networks
• The TG article for the Bulletin can be on a topic of interest to the TG that you would like to educate others about, or your TG – what they focus on, work/activities they’ve done, etc., or a combination.  At the end of the article, you should include links to your TG webpage/social media links and contact information for your leadership. It is suggested the article be no more than two pages, 12 point font, single-spaced including any pictures, figures, weblinks, etc., but a longer length is allowable, as long as readers’ attention span is considered. The article should be provided in a Word document to info@hfes.org 2 weeks in advance of its anticipated post date (date provided by HFES Staff – Bulletin is released every other Thursday of each month).
• TGs are encouraged to hold a webinar on a topic of interest to both their members and others in the society and the general public. The webinar should be planned to last one hour, including Q&A. Time can also be allotted to share about your TG and their activities if desired. Details about the webinar (topic/brief description, who is speaking, date, time, weblink provided by the TG, etc.) must be submitted through the Webinar Submission link at a minimum of six weeks before the scheduled time (determined in coordination with HFES education staff) to allow for advertising. TGs should also share about the webinar on their Connect and social media channels

Gold Level

10 Point Activities

• Counting social media posts is on the honor system for TGs as there’s no feasible way for the COE administrator or HFES staff to do this. You will not be asked to show proof of social media posts, please just keep track and remember that posting the same message on multiple different platforms only counts as one.  Post independent messages on each platform counts as one each
• TG membership counts can be found by going into your HFES Connect Community. After logging in and clicking on “My Communities” a list of communities to which you belong will appear. On the right side, you will see three statistics: Discussions, Libraries, and Members. Click on Members and scroll down until just after the search feature boxes and it will say “Showing X of XXXX.” For larger TGs it’s important to click through to this page as on the main pages it may show “2.5K members” but when you click to the member listing it shows the exact number of members
• The number of TG members who have a completed profile (email, phone number, address, organization affiliation, photo – optional, but encouraged, expertise) will be provided by HFES staff in July of each year

To Edit Your HFES Member Profile:

• Go to hfes.org then click on “Connect” then choose “HFES Connect” from the drop-down menu and login
• In the upper right-hand corner click on the downward-facing arrow next to your picture/icon and choose “Profile”
• On the left side click on the pencil icon next to “Details/Edit Profile” and you should be redirected to your profile page
• Under the Overview Tab consider adding a picture of yourself and update your contact information, be sure to hit Save at the bottom of the page after editing your organization name, phone number, address, etc.
• Under the Account tab several different items can be updated/edited: Personal Information, Contact Information, Certifications/Designations, etc., and you can designate which of the listed information is shared in the directory
• Please know that HFES does not share or sell your personal information
• Gather Voices Videos: videos are up to 90 seconds in length. Topics can include “Why I became a HFES/TG member,” “who I am and what I do in HFE,” “Why you should join HFES/TG,” or any other specific or general topic of the TGs choosing. Directions of how to record the videos will come from HFES Staff

20 Point Activities

• TGs interested in putting on an additional webinar should contact the HFES Education team about timing to ensure it doesn’t conflict with an already scheduled webinar. Webinar information (topic, speaker(s), brief description, meeting link provided by the TG, etc.) must be submitted through the Webinar Submission link six weeks prior to the webinar to allow time for advertising. TGs should also work to promote the webinar through their own social media channels, HFES Connect site, etc.
• TGs wishing to hold a networking or social event on-site at the Annual Meeting should reach out to Caitlin Sarlo (csarlo@hfes.org) who will work with the meeting planner to find an appropriately sized space and coordinate food, payment, etc. Those wishing to go off-site will be responsible for coordinating the details themselves but should email HFES Staff their final plans so it can be put in the Annual Meeting program. TGs should advertise their event on their social media platforms and in their Connect Communities
• TGs who choose to host an awards program at the Annual Meeting for best poster/podium/etc. should notify HFES Staff as soon as the winner(s) are known so they can print certificates if desired, order award/plaque (paid for by TG), etc., and also so HFES can publicly recognize the winners

30 Point Activities

• Students and early career professionals are two special interest groups to HFES. Topics specifically aimed at these two groups may include things such as resume/cover letter writing, interviewing well, what should I say yes and no to, how do I best find research collaborators, how may I find clients as a practitioner, etc. as an example, topics are not limited! Activity/event details (who is involved, who can participate, topic, description, TG provided meeting link if applicable, etc.) should be sent to HFES Staff at least six weeks prior to the event/activity to allow for advertising/promotion, however, TGs should promote the event/activity on their social media channels/website as well
• TGs hosting an event/activity related to National Ergonomics Month, Usability Day, or other similar day/week/month relevant to their professional area of focus should provide any details of the event (e.g., description, who is involved, who can participate, web links, zoom/another hosting link if applicable) at least six weeks prior to the event/activity to HFES Staff to allow for advertising/promotion, however, TGs should promote the event/activity on their social media channels/website as well
• Media broadcast (e.g., podcast, radio spot, etc.) can be on the topic of the TG’s choosing – “hot topics,” commentary on advancements in the field, etc. If interested in doing a podcast one potential opportunity is with Human Factors Cast (Nick Roome, humanfactorscast@gmail.com), TGs should share links to the broadcast via their own social media channels/web page, and HFES staff
• TGs are encouraged to collaborate with other organizations through the publication of articles in another society’s newsletter/blog, magazine, etc. Topics could include “hot topics” within the TG’s expertise, thoughts from a technical/professional perspective, how/why HFE is important in other professions, how the TG is/could collaborate with another organization/society, best practices, etc. Once the article is published TGs should share links to the broadcast via their own social media channels/web page, and HFES staff.

40 Point Activities

• TGs wishing to plan and execute a competition at the Annual meeting will need approval from the Technical Program Chair (TPC) and HFES staff to ensure there is appropriate time and space allotted for this activity. A proposal for such an event should be presented to the TPC and HFES Staff no later than six months prior to the meeting. The TG will be responsible for staffing the event and providing any materials needed to run the event. All details will be determined and agreed upon by the TPC, HFES Staff, and the TG
• TGs planning joint activities with other professional societies/organizations should reach out to the President-Elect who chairs the Representatives and Liaisons Committee and HFES staff for approval and to coordinate logistics. All activity details (topic, speaker(s), who can attend, meeting link, etc.) should be provided at least six weeks in advance to HFES Staff to allow time for advertising. TGs should also utilize their own social media channels, HFES Connect Community, TG website, and personal networks to advertise their event/activity
• White papers are summaries of HFE work on a specific topic, previous examples may be found here: HFES - Human Factors and Ergonomics Society > Publications > White Papers. Those interested in writing a white paper should reach out to the chair of the Outreach Division as white papers undergo review prior to publication.
• Policy statements are a means for the Executive Council to take a position and express an opinion on human factors/ergonomics issues including those related to proposed or enacted federal or state legislation; regulations, policies, or acts of governmental agencies or instrumentalities; and other items concerning the discipline of human factors and ergonomics. Previous examples may be found here: Policy Statements | HFES. Those interested in writing a policy statement should reach out to the chair of the Government Relations Committee.