HR Conference take-aways from: @FromDayOne

Thank you @FromDayOne for such a great HR Conference today!

#FD1conference

You know a day of learning is impactful when you’re left with more questions than answers, when your brain is still buzzing with ideas, and when you want to keep listening and talking about these topics.

Here are some of the learnings that arose for me today as things I want to keep exploring in upcoming conversations:

RECOGNITION

*Basic needs need to be met at work (ie. being paid enough). With all the talk about AI and improving tech and motivating, engaging employees—we need to remember compensation DOES matter when it ensures people have food on the table.

*”Emotional Salary’ comes next, after you’ve met basic needs. Then, you need to be consistent with contributing to employees with feelings of recognition, empathy, compassion.

*The most impactful recognition is peer-to-peer and manager-employee and both should happen as often as possible IF they are specific (therefore meaningful)

*Notice what the employee did and how it impacted the organization (that combo gives the most meaningful recognition)

LEARNING

*L&D is going through some big changes with AI coming in to do text/immediate learning on-the-spot, and we will still need subject matter experts to deliver customized training and work with leaders to build strategy

*Sometimes we give employees too many choices (200 plus courses in an LMS) vs. giving them bespoke learning that meets THEIR unique needs

*L&D teams will need to focus more on outcomes, user experience and consulting, not ‘creating content’

WOMEN IN BUSINESS panel:

*It is going to take 300 years to close the gender pay gap! Eek. But each company can do it’s part to make change

*Effective leadership needs to consider biases in things like ‘return to work’; data is clear that working in an office doesn’t improve productivity. It may improve socialization (and combat loneliness) but let’s call these biases out for what they are

*Men give themselves more grace and greater self-compassion since COVID and women are closer to burn-out since pandemic

*There are systemic, entrenched reasons for gender bias and we need to start with “What a C-suite looks like”

*Leaders need coaching on empathy and compassion; not just compliance training

*Companies asking people to RTO may in fact be trying to get rid of them ! (avoiding severance etc. by pushing resignations. Don’t discount calculated business strategies there. Eek)

*When approaching generational differences in the workplace, we need empathy not eye-rolling

*Gen-Z may be ‘counter behaviorally’ to other generations in that they have higher expectations about company cultures, their bar to build trust is higher, they don’t just want ‘values written on a wall’ and they value empathy vs. ‘keep calm and carry on’ mindset

*We leave ‘beef patty out of the sandwich’ meaning we train leaders and new-employees. We need greater focus on upskilling mid-level and enable leaders to be better at…leadership

Going to let all of these notes land and continue to think about them.

Let’s keep learning with each other!

Laura

EastSideStaffing.com