2025 Agenda

This two-part event will start with peer-led, face-to-face dialogues over breakfast where YOUR mental first aid is the focus.  Share experiences and gain practical tools to reset together with fellow people and culture leaders who can relate to the uniquely challenging road you have travelled.   Part two dives into a tactical presentation evaluating and caring for the ever changing physical and mental wellness and expectations of you and your teams.    7:30 – 8:10 Breakfast & Peer Connections. A time to assess ‘How are YOU doing? As leaders it is critical that you take care of your own mental and physical health. Unpack some of the challenges you have been through with other delegates and participate in an optional mental health check-in to assess your own stress and well being.  Stepping back to assess your own wellness may be the best way to help others in both your private and professional life.  8:10 – 8:30 Tackling Employee Wellness Head On – Building Organizational Health in a Changing Workforce   As workforce expectations shift, employers need to adapt to provide holistic support for the wellbeing of their employees to build a more resilient workforce.  This session will explore the new definition of employee wellness and challenge HR leaders to re-think their workforce support to build organizational health for an unpredictable future. Attendees will learn:

• How the definition of employee wellness has changed
• Considerations for building organizational health and fostering a culture of wellbeing
• The role of leadership in supporting employee health & wellness
• Where to invest resources to improve the quality of life and work for employees

Creating a psychologically safe and supportive workplace is not merely a culture and retention strategy, it should be a top initiative from a business, legal and health perspective – and the right of all employees.

Disability claims related to mental health issues and loss of productivity due to PTSD, depression or anxiety have risen substantially in Canada since the pandemic.  Over half of Canadian workers say emotional, mental and physical fatigue is the top issue that is affecting them negatively. However, 37 per cent feel unsafe to talk about mental health at work, according to a report from Sun Life. Healthy organizations with proactive mental health strategies tend to experience lower staff turnover, fewer workplace injuries, less absenteeism and reduced employee burnout.

This session will explore tactical ways to support mental health in the workplace and create a sustainable culture where employees feel comfortable approaching HR with their mental health challenges.

“But… can they work well remotely?”  The stakes are high. You’ve worked hard to attract great, qualified candidates and yet versions of this question linger. What are the competencies of effective remote workers and how do you assess and develop them in remote and hybrid organizations?  In this interactive session, participants will learn about the competencies and capabilities identified for successful remote workers and explore the implications for HR & PeopleOps professionals in promoting high-performing hybrid organizations.

The HR function is moving beyond compliance and employee lifecycle management to business leadership that adds measurable business value.  Along with a seat at the leadership table comes expectations; CEOs look for data, metrics, business acumen and quantifiable results from HR leaders in addition to other departments such as finance, engineering and marketing.
The ability to understand and navigate the language and priorities important to business leaders means that HR will be better able to create successful initiatives aligned to and positively impact, business goals based on the human capital and talent development initiatives of a business.
Learn tactical tips on getting the attention and respect of your CEO and other key stakeholders in a move to the front end of strategic business decision-making.
Key take-aways:
1.       Improving your communication style and credibility as a senior leader by eliminating HR jargon, embracing business language that speaks and learning tips from the boardroom table
2.       Increase HR’s influence and engagement with the CEO, BOD and other key stakeholders
3.       Data and metrics that matter most to the C-suite and how to approach less quantifiable people topics
4.       What the CEO wants to see and hear in updates and meetings, especially when making your case for funds or resources

As leaders, we know how important it is to BE the change as we navigate and lead change within our teams and organizations. Within the context of our rapidly changing and increasingly divided teams, organizations and world, this can be particularly challenging. When we realize all change starts from the inside, our approach becomes so much simpler creating more impact with less effort.
In this session, Jessie Sutherland will share insights and practical strategies to: * Build a culture of belonging from the inside out – starting with yourself, as a leader facilitating change. * Focus your efforts so you can address your priority people and culture challenges more effectively and with greater ease. * Navigate the challenges that get in the way of increasing belonging in the workplace * Attendees will learn about Jessie’s proven award-winning Belonging Matters framework and receive her Culture of Belonging Temperature Check which has led many of her clients to focus their efforts and receive innovation awards for the impact of their social change efforts, that create greater impact with less effort.

In the “Great Resignation” headlines, the primary focus is on the employees leaving their companies in record-breaking numbers. But what about the supervisors, team-mates and mentors they leave behind?  What work needs to be done on the retention front and promote feelings of connection to leaders and organizations.  In addition to changes in policies and benefits, a winning retention strategy comes down to leadership.