Conference Day One
7:45 am Conference Registration & Networking
8:45 am What it Takes to Make a Leap a Reality
8:50 am Chair’s Welcome, Opening Remarks & Connection Before Content
Re-Defining the Future of Work in Higher Education to Increase Employee Engagement & Retain Talent
9:00 am Discover: Exploring A Four-Day Work Week to Address Burnout & Boost Staff Morale
Synopsis
- Is a four-day work week feasible for a residential higher education institution?
- How Hayley Harris (CHRO of UChicago) piloted a 4-day work week during the summer months at her previous institution
- How the University of Chicago is exploring creative solutions to meeting the needs of a changing workforce, which can lead to improved recruitment and retention of top talent, as well as a boost to staff morale
9:20 am Discover: Implementing a Multifaceted ‘Future of Work’ Initiative to Address Onsite, Hybrid & Remote Work HR Challenges in Higher Education
Synopsis
- How can we address the interlinked challenges that the future of work brings?
- Implementing an approach to navigate the multifaceted changes of shifting work modality.
- How Brown University has created a 5-pronged approach to address changes to: policy and procedures, community engagement, training & development, technology and space.
9:40 am Discover: Empowering Managers to Successfully Manage a Remote Workforce: Setting Parameters & Easing Disparity of Opinions With Regards to Remote Work
Synopsis
- How can we help our managers to feel competent & confident at managing a remote work force?
- By providing managers and employees with a tool kit that opens discussion and increases clarity
- How Caltech implemented a toolkit that helped managers to: allow remote working, successfully set working parameters, & ease remote work disparities to move into the future of work and increase employee satisfaction.
10:00 am Develop: What More Can We Learn from The HR Leaders Who Are Restructuring the Landscape of Work Across a Hybrid/Remote Setting?
Synopsis
Question & Answer Session Facilitated by the Focus Day Chair
10:20 am Action: What Are You Going to Put In Place For a Successful Future Of Work?
Synopsis
Output Focused Action Session Facilitated by the Chair
10:40 am Speed Networking Break
Synopsis
Introduce yourself to experts across the Higher Education ecosystem, including the brightest minds capturing the main challenges and changes in human resources to establish meaningful business relationships
11:10 am Network and Refreshments Break
Re-Thinking Onboarding & Orientation to Supercharge Retention in Higher Education
11:40 am Discover: Reinventing the Employee Orientation to Keep Employees Engaged & Aligned to Our Mission
Synopsis
• How do we engage senior management to ensure that employees are aligned to your mission and values?
• Reinvent the employee orientation program.
• How Butler university reshaped their employee orientation process to increase engagement and alignment to the university mission while counteracting buyer’s remorse.
12:00 pm Discover: Constructing a Specialised Senior Employee Onboarding Program to Maintain Culture, Build Relationships, & Increase Belonging
Synopsis
- How can we onboard senior employees effectively into an already established team, with established routines?
- Create specialised onboarding processes, specific to the job title to ensure effectiveness from day one.
- How the University of Maryland – Baltimore have created individualised onboarding processes for each senior position to aid: effectiveness, relationship building, appropriate knowledge base & feelings of belonging.
12:20 pm Develop: What More Can We Do With The Onboarding and Orientation Process to Aid Retention?
Synopsis
Question & Answer Session Facilitated by the Focus Day Chair
12:40 pm Action: What Are You Going to Change About Your Onboarding & Orientation Process to Make the Role More Attractive, Comfortable and Competitive ?
Synopsis
Output Focused Action Session Facilitated by the Chair
1:00 pm Innovation: Top 3 Recruitment Trends for 2024: Securing top talent with limited resources
Synopsis
- How can your institution do more with less, and secure top talent in 2024? You will learn more about:
- The crucial role that data, analytics, AI, and automation play in talent strategies
- Why it’s so important to consider changing employee and candidate expectations in your strategies
- How your team can secure the best new hires in 2024
1:10 pm Networking Lunch
Developing a Diverse & Inclusive Institution That Intentionally Promotes ‘Belonging’.
2:10 pm Discover: Understanding What DEIB Looks Like in Your University to Promote Belonging & Retain Staff
Synopsis
- What do ‘inclusion’ & ‘belonging’ truly mean at your university?
- Assessing the implications of remote work on feelings of ‘inclusion’ & ‘belonging’
- Strategies Northwestern University recommend, reemphasising the ‘belonging’ aspect of DEIB to retain valued staff members.
2:30 pm Discover: Exploring New Talent Pools Through Inclusive Outreach
Synopsis
- Where & how can we recruit more diverse staff to meet university needs?
- Recruiting from alternative talent pools
- The decision-making process that led to Cornell University’s pilot program to recruit ‘Justice Impacted’ candidates.
2:50 pm Discover: Utilising An Employee Engagement Survey to Disaggregate Demographic, DEI Data
Synopsis
- How can we spot weaknesses in DEI strategy, portray this data easily and hold people accountable to make the appropriate changes?
- Create an employee engagement survey for which the data is represented clearly on a dashboard.
- How UC Berkeley are creating a dashboard to display DEI data that will compare experiences of historically oppressed groups, open up conversations and directly inform data-driven strategy changes in this area
3:10 pm Develop: What More Can We Learn from Universities Who Have Established What It Looks Like to Belong at Their University?
Synopsis
Question & Answer Session Facilitated by the Focus Day Chair
3:30 pm Action: How Are You Going to Increase Diversity or Feelings of Belonging Within Your University Staff?
Synopsis
Output Focused Action Session Facilitated by the Chair
3:50 pm Refreshments Break
Recognizing & Rewarding Your Faculty for Increased Employee Engagement
4:10 pm Discover: Refocusing on the Employee Life Cycle to Improve Employee Experience & Increase Engagement Leading to Increased Retention
Synopsis
- How can we remain competitive employers without increasing salary?
- Refocus on employee lifecycle and improve engagement.
- How UCLA improved employee retention through refocusing on engagement initiatives throughout the employee life cycle.
4:30 pm Discover: Developing an Intentional Employee Recognition Program to Boost Retention & Morale
Synopsis
- How can we increase staff morale & retention as an employer within the restrictions of public budgets?
- Be intentional about employee recognition, using it to increase feelings of belonging & achievement within the institution.
- How Georgia Technological University developed a 3-pronged intentional employee recognition program that utilises ‘Awareness and Education’, ‘Financial recognition & Incentive Programs’ & ‘More Frequent Service Milestones’ to increase feeling of achievement, belonging to ultimately retain staff.
4:50 pm Discover: Unlocking Potential: Transforming HR with Skills-Based Strategies
Synopsis
- Examine how a skills-based framework is essential for aligning with evolving faculty and staff expectations and institution’s objectives in a rapidly changing world
- Explore how a skills-based approach can revolutionize talent acquisition, development, and retention in modern institutions
- Learn how advanced HR software empowers institutions to identify, nurture, and leverage skills
5:10 pm Develop: What Else Can We Do to Increase Employee Engagement?
Synopsis
Question & Answer Session Facilitated by the Focus Day Chair
5:30 pm Action: How Are You Going to Build, Restructure Or Evaluate Your Engagement Initiatives?
Synopsis
How Are You Going to Build, Restructure Or Evaluate Your Engagement Initiatives?