Looking to earn CPD credits towards your CPHR accreditation? Tech Talent North is a pre-approved CPD partner allowing you to earn up to 10 certified education hours towards your CPHR designation.

CHRP, CHRL and CHRE members of HRPA may self-report hours for CPD.

---

Design your personalized learning experience based on your primary track of interest.

Never before has the fight to attract and retain top talent be as fierce as it is today. Here in the final innings of a pandemic that has lasted too long, the complexities of how we work, where we work, and what we need to do to build incredible teams intensifies. How do we enable our teams and culture to stand out so we can bring on the best people and keep them when they arrive, navigate an unpredictable future, and thrive in the new world of work? 

In this engaging, research-backed, and actionable keynote, hear from workplace culture expert and bestselling author Eric Termuende as he shares insights and out-of-the-box thinking that we can immediately implement to better prepare for an uncertain future and build incredible teams.  

What you will learn: 

• How to build a deeper sense of trust across the team 
• Where the heart of engagement lies and how to improve it 
• How culture has evolved over the pandemic and where it resides today 
• The three rules of recognition and what we can do today to improve alignment 
• What cilantro can teach us about attracting top talent 
• The importance of a culture of experimentation and where to start  

Our industry-leading platform allows for you to move between tables, and interract face-to-face with your peers and other HR leaders in tech from across Canada – just as you would at a physical conference! Have a private one-on-one meeting, catch up with old contacts, or share ideas as a group in our Networking Hub.

Join our culture, marketing and strategy experts as they explore how organizations can create a strong and compelling employer brand remotely, and that has global appeal. 

You will learn:   

• The foundational building blocks from both a marketing and people perspective of building a culture which connects with candidates.   
• The challenges of scale and maintaining your culture as you grow.   
• The flavour of how decentralized work is changing how leaders think about building and promoting culture.  

One of HR’s key roles in a fast-growth business is to ensure a steady flow of potential succession pool candidates for promotion and new roles. That begs the question, do you buy this talent from the marketplace or do you build the talent internally? Join Laurie Murdock, Vice President, P&O, at Sony Imageworks, and Mike Desjardins, CEO at ViRTUS, for an engaging 30 min conversation on the buy versus build question.  

Curious how to link strategy, continuous performance and people?  It may be time to look at your Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) to track progress, create alignment, and encourage engagement around measurable goals instead of traditional performance management reviews. 

You will learn:  

• How to set OKRs and link them to 1:1s as continuous performance management  
• Integration of recognition and feedback  
• Increasing alignment and transparency around performance  

Do you need to grow your technical team fast? Is it time to internationalize your workforce? Issues such as payroll, benefits, taxes, cross-culture, compliance, immigration, time zones, pay equity etc. for international employees can feel overwhelming. Although the process for hiring global talent or helping international tech talent relocate to Canada isn’t as complicated as it may feel – the playbook is different. 

You will learn: 

• Key tools for attracting, hiring, managing and retaining international employees 
• Steps to relocate international tech talent to Canada 
• To understand the top challenges and solutions of hiring without borders

Traditional DEI behaviour change approach has been ineffective and harmful. Sharon specializes in a radical new approach to diversity and inclusion that is measurable, strategic, and based on a strong foundation of design thinking. She will guide you through what an innovative structural change approach looks like practically and its benefits and outcomes.     

Canada is projected to see exponential growth in the need for tech talent and software developers in particular for the foreseeable future. Retaining top talent reduces your need to compete for talent. With happy employees being less susceptible to talent poaching, understanding their intrinsic motivation to stay (or join) your company is key. Can you compete for talent against deeply funded tech companies moving into Canada?

Although salaries need to be competitive, money isn’t everything! Learn innovative strategies, including values-based approaches for keeping your high performers, even as a smaller organization.  

You will learn:    

• Competing for top software development talent 
• How to attract top software developers and keep them   
• To develop your employer value proposition (holistic benefits, work life balance, selling your executive team, work environment, etc.) and strategies for retaining a great team.    
• Employer retention programs that don’t focus on money.    

While paying attention to the strategic side of rapid growth is important, many companies underestimate the critical role culture plays as this growth strategy becomes reality. The oversight of cannibalizing culture during rapid scaling can dampen a company’s growth plans. Hear about the challenges and strategies of three tech companies who have exploded during COVID and how they are preserving their corporate culture.

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 

Limited capacity. Pre-registration required. REGISTER NOW

Amidst the great resignation, massive change fatigue and pandemic related weariness, it has become crucial for HR professionals to create a motivating workplace culture. In this session, you will learn:

• Why you might be motiving your tech talent the wrong way
• How your unconscious bias towards motivation might need a shift
• 5 specific strategies that you can implement to create a highly engaged and motivated tech culture

Track: Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness 

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.

Track: Engagement & Culture

“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. 

Track: Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness

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

Track: Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness

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.

Track: Competing for Talent

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.

Track: Diversity & Innovation

Integrating diversity, equity and inclusion into processes, culture, and systems for real, measurable change.

Track: Diversity & Innovation

Where are you looking to hire the next generation of innovators to solve your future talent pipeline challenges? Have you considered unlocking the human potential of under-represented groups such as youth, vets, and Indigenous communities? Hear from organizations who are looking beyond the traditional talent pool to grow their competitive advantage with highly engaged individuals and creative thinkers. Expand your scope and start planning today for tomorrow’s needs.

Track: Competing for Talent

Recent events have profoundly raised our awareness of the importance of trust. It has also raised our awareness of how little trust we actually have. While many are talking about trust, few are actually talking about how to build it. This session will focus on what trust is, how it works, and how to build it.

What you will learn

• Trust will be defined
• The trust model will be outlined and explained
• Practical application to HR issues in tech

Track: Engagement & Culture

HR work isn’t easy. Our roles have become the command center to guide our leadership and teams on managing the uncertainty and disruption of world events. And while many of us have found ways to push through the waves of the pandemic, we are still human experiencing the same roller coaster of emotions that our teams are enduring. In this workshop, we’ll learn how compassionate leadership can give us the strength to build a stronger and more resilient post pandemic workplace.

Track: Engagement & Culture 

When an organization is navigating big changes (such as downsizing, M&A, and outsourcing), HR is often at the heart of supporting the team through the complexities of these initiatives. Hear strategies on how to overcome common obstacles and considerations such as communication breakdowns, employee resistance, identifying and mitigating risks, providing emotional support, boosting trust between management and employees and championing change.

Track: Competing for Talent

Going through an interview process can be extremely stressful for candidates. As talent acquisition professionals, one of our key missions is to make that recruitment experience as easy, positive and smooth as possible, so that we can bring out the best in every candidate – their win is our win. In this session, we will discuss 5 low-budget, quick-to-implement steps you can take to enhance your client experience, and leave every candidate that interacts with your organization saying “this is the best hiring process I’ve ever been through!”

Key Takeaways:

• Candidate experience: why should you care?
• Key pain points of a candidate experience
• How to turn each of these pain points into wow opportunities
• Making the candidate experience that you provide truly unique
• Tools to implement and measure your results

Track: Competing for Talent

Leaders fell under the spotlight during the pandemic, and the valuable lessons learned will help drive companies forward in a transition from crisis to growth mode. As leaders were forced to pivot their businesses and upend their workspaces, employees were gifted the opportunity to experience how human-centric, agile, innovative, transparent, and resilient their organizations were. Hear how these leaders used the strategy and experience of the pandemic to shape the future of work in the ever evolving and fast paced world of tech.  

Challenge stereotypes, ask questions, and hear first-hand stories about the good, bad, and exclusive work experiences from our VIP group of storytellers in our connection zone (based on the concept of the ‘Human Library’ experience).  Have authentic 15-minute conversations with diverse individuals representing groups that may otherwise fall outside of your recruiting radar. Our goal is to raise awareness of what it truly takes to create inclusive workspaces and corporate cultures that attract, engage, and retain talent from individuals typically overlooked in the search for tech talent. 

For example hear:

• Common obstacles facing neurodiverse employees and jobseekers, from challenges interviewing and securing work, to hurdles within the workplace.
• While developing your talent pipeline, why not talk to teenagers planning to work in tech and hear within the next 5 years. Ask questions and hear their vision of what they will be looking for in a future employer and workplace.
• Experiences of workplace discrimination for 2SLBGTQQIA+ individuals and how it impacts employees’ health and wellbeing and reduces job commitment and satisfaction.
• For new immigrants, especially Black People and People of Color, the lack of Canadian credentials and experience compounded by preconceived prejudices results in inequalities in job opportunities.  Hear how as a visible minority, the diverse knowledge and international experience can give them a unique edge in their field.

Attendance for this interactive DEI experience is limited (preregistration is required) but our volunteer storytellers will be networking in the happy hour after conference to make more connections.

Note: our storytellers have generously volunteered to join us for this event and will be given an honorarium for their time. They will share individuals stories and experiences that are not meant to be a  representation of any specific group or community. These conversations should not function as a replacement for assessments, data collection and tangible actions towards building equitable and inclusive workplaces.

Limited capacity. Pre-registration required.

Pulling together and engaging your distributed workforce has unique challenges. Whether your team works locally but hybrid, or spread across the globe, companies that offer flexibility face common obstacles related to asynchronous communication, equity, engagement, fostering culture and performance management. Hear what processes, tools, strategies, and expectations are utilized by three HR tech leaders to keep their team aligned and productive no matter where they’re located.

Track: Leadership & Organizational Effectiveness

The micro in microaggressions is a bit of a misnomer. Because when you experience one, it doesn’t feel very micro. In fact, it can feel like death by a thousand cuts. It might be one of the reasons an astonishingly low number of Black employees (3%) say they would want to return to the office full time. This session helps us understand where microaggressions come from, how to recognize when they are happening, how to speak up when you observe one, how to cope when you experience one and lastly, how to respond when you have committed one.

Tracks:  

Industry downturns and recessionary economies are critical times to ramp up authentic employer branding as a way to retain employees, job candidates and customers. In addition to ensuring that you maintain your stake in the market, economic slides may offer a unique opportunity for business growth when instinct may want to lean towards laying low in times of crisis. Sharing the vision of your organization and the unique values of your brand will help create the narrative on ‘why’ people will choose to work with and for you.

Takeaways:

• Strategies for building authentic and effective employer branding during an economic downturn
• Identifying and prioritizing target markets for retention
• How to pivot from recruitment to retention strategies with vision casting
• The value of incorporating L&D and wellness as part of your employer brand – and why this should not be cut in a down economy

Tracks:

The only constant in the tech industry is change. Amidst volatility, the need for HR and leadership to steady the ship and prepare for all outcomes is a necessity – especially today when news can go viral almost instantly. The successful rollout of an organizational transformation relies heavily on how the change is communicated to employees and other stakeholders. Creating a compelling narrative is the first step. Developing a playbook to get buy-in and guide the dissemination of information at all levels can make all the difference. Learn the importance of a narrative in addressing the ‘what’ and ‘why’ to diverse stakeholders and how you can create a shared understanding amongst your team to guide you into the future. 

 Takeaways:

• How to develop your narrative and a play book to gain buy-in
• The Three T’s: Trust, transparency, timing 
• Coaching leaders to articulate change in a way everyone understands through storytelling and connecting the what and the why
• Be proactive and anticipate all outcomes

Tracks:

Workplace cultures may have shifted to increase feelings of belonging and inclusion for many, but recruitment metrics on diversity of tech talent have not followed suit. Learn how you can approach talent acquisition differently to make a measurable difference and move the needle on your DEIB initiatives. It’s time to focus on diversity hiring by developing and implementing a strategy that corrects bias while attracting, and retaining, qualified candidates.

 Takeaways:

• Audit your systems: how to audit your recruitment process to ensure you are using inclusive practices throughout the hiring process; from preparing, sourcing, screening, selecting, hiring, and onboarding
• Reduce Bias in the hiring process: learn about practical ways to reduce bias that contribute to inequitable experiences for tech talent from underrepresented groups 
• Connect with diverse talent: gain strategies and tactics that will help you connect with and source talent coming from different (or underrepresented) social or cultural backgrounds
• What now? Ways to measure if your DEI hiring efforts are getting results you want

Tracks:  

Supporting employees from burnout and feelings of overwhelm is a huge challenge – particularly with the added barriers of leading remote teams.  Learn what companies can do to create the kinds of environments where employees can flourish – personally and professionally while reducing absenteeism, improving productivity, and increasing employee morale. To deliver scalable, sustainable results, it is critical to understand and care for the emotional and mental health of your talent. Hear how companies can address the misalignment between employee needs and expectations and the reality of what organization are offering in order to boost retention and overall wellbeing of their talent: 

• Mental Health in the workplace  
• How can CPOs improve their EQ skills in a remote work environment?
• What benefits can have a meaningful impact on employees’ circumstances?
• The latest demands related to hybrid and remote work—and the best ways to respond

Tracks:

Since the start of 2023, over 300 tech companies have laid off 100,000+ workers. These decisions to layoff or furlough employees are not easy for the employers, laid-off workers, or the staff that remains. Maintaining and enhancing company culture after personnel cutbacks may be as challenging to a business as operational downsizing. The ‘new normal’ after layoffs are often littered with feelings of mistrust, burnout, ‘workplace survivors’ guilt, employee disengagement, and high staff turnover.  This session will explore tactical tips on what employers can do to reinforce their commitment to their remaining employees, boost morale, and capitalize the opportunity as a catalyst to improve company culture.

Takeaways:

• Boosting employee morale, trust and persuading your remaining employees to emotionally reinvest in your company after making workforce cuts
• Strategies to reduce employee turnover and retaining top employees during restructuring
• The importance of transparency, open communication, and commitment to your corporate values and purpose during restructuring
• How to ensure DEI measures and initiatives are not forgotten in the process and aftermath of layoffs

Tracks:

Systemic change is needed to attract and retain more Indigenous employees in the tech sector to support diversity, equity, inclusion, innovation, and reconciliation. Organizations should be more authentic and intentional on how they foster and recruit tech talent amongst Indigenous peoples. This session will uncover how the existing frameworks and core values of most tech companies present fundamental conflicts that actively exclude underrepresented talent – and learn tactical tips on how you can remove barriers in both recruitment and retention. Gain insights on how to actively seek out Indigenous perspectives and go beyond simply inviting them to the table by providing them a culturally safe workplace.

Takeaways:  

• Benefits of integrating an Indigenous lens on mental health in the workplace (and the impact if you don’t)
• Key elements to building an inclusive workplace where Indigenous tech talent can thrive and succeed
• Advice for finding, hiring, supporting, leading and retaining Indigenous tech talent
• Get a copy of an EDIB mental health toolkit that you can start using today

Tracks:

Hear Josh Nilson’s unconventional path from rural BC, to being a proud Metis co-founder and CEO of the $150M tech company, East Side Games. Josh breaks the myth that you need to go to college or university to work in tech – and shares his beliefs that formal education requirements can block DEI initiatives.  This candid conversation will discuss the industry’s power, privilege, and social responsibility to move the needle on drawing more diverse people into the tech sector – and how the industry can become a great equalizer by opening up jobs for everyone.

Takeaways:

• Josh’s lived experience and non-traditional path from working in a rural kitchen in northern BC, to founding a highly successful gaming company
• The opportunity to train and re skill workers from any demographic, geographic location or ethnicity into tech jobs
• Raised awareness of the work that still needs to be done to build culturally safe, inclusive and welcoming work environments for Inuit, Metis and First Nations Peoples
• How we can build towards drawing more diverse people into tech

Tracks:

Chat GPT, layoffs, less investment funding … the only thing constant in tech is disruption. This inspirational and hands on session will explore the implications to our people and where people and culture leaders can build a practical talent strategy and roadmap to lead organizational change. Be a disruptor for change, learn how to put a change management plan in place and ensure you and your people are irreplaceable. 

Takeaways: 

• Tips to effectively implement change management at any scale 
• Optimize organizational design ‘to do more with less’ in recessionary times 
• Obtain a talent strategy canvas and framework tool and transition roadmap to increase productivity and workforce planning
• Create a pragmatic plan to prepare for changes in your P & C role to lead your organization through disruption and change 

Tracks:

As the abundance of collaboration software and productivity tools continues to evolve, the challenge of managing and working in a hybrid workplace is becoming increasingly complex.  Many of the tools and systems adopted to increase productivity and engagement are proving to be ineffective, redundant, and underutilized.  If your workers are becoming overwhelmed, communication gaps are growing and organizational effectiveness is challenged, it may be time to audit your current communication and enterprise search strategies and get back to basics.

 Takeaways:

• The art of simplifying tools and communication channels
• Learn how to define your communication principles and identify redundancies or overlaps
• Optimize finding, accessing, and using cross-functional information efficiently across various portals, internal channels, and websites within your organization
• Tips for engaging hybrid workers to seek information and optimize communication tools

Tracks:

Gone are the days when it was taboo for organizations to comment on social or political issues. Modern HR is facing a fundamental shift to manage activism and value expectations in the workplace. Taking a public stance on ESG and embracing activism is expected from employees, candidates and customers alike.  With all the chaos in the world this can be a sandpit if not managed effectively. People want to know if your corporate social responsibility, commitments and values on issues such as climate change, the war in Ukraine, reconciliation, BLM, LGBTQIA2S+ rights … and more. Learn how and where to take a stand in a polarized world.

Takeaways:

• What is HR’s responsibility around addressing hot political and social topics?
• How to set a framework for activism in the workplace, and the risk for not doing it
• Tips for getting C-suite buy in for ESG and making a public stance on social issues
• How to start managing activism, and the pit falls to avoid

Tracks:

Enjoy a 10-minute mind-body break to reset your nervous system. Learn how to activate the Vagus nerve through gentle movement and breath to help increase your body’s ability to recover from stress quickly and return to more regulated states with increased physical, emotional, and mental health. Join us for gentle targeted movement, a simple rhythmic breathing exercise, and proven mindful self-compassion technique leaving you feeling energized yet calm as you wrap up your conference day.

Human values drive everything that people do, but in the tech industry right now values are out of alignment as personal and professional lives are disrupted, and colleagues are saying goodbye. In his conference-closing keynote, human values expert David Allison will reveal groundbreaking valuegraphic data from a custom study on technology industry talent based on 750,000 surveys. He will share statistically-sound tactical insights to help you attract the right people, keep people engaged and build a competitive talent advantage – all based on valuegraphics, the new scientific approach to human values.  Key takeaways include:

• New valuegraphic data on the shared values of tech talent
• How to use metrics to influence, motivate, and engage people
• How to augment the data to represent the core values of your organization

Tracks:

7:30 – 7:55 Hot Breakfast & Peer Connections

7:55 – 8:20  Pre-conference Workshop

We are living through some of the greatest disruption in history, and Human Resource leaders in the tech sector face increasing pressure. To make the best decisions, you need the best knowledge.  

Join HUB at Tech Talent North for an in-depth look at the latest trends in employee benefits from the tech sector. This presentation will provide valuable data-driven insight from the previous two years and bring you up to date on the emerging priorities. 

• Benefits insight gained from the last two years, and forecasts for the imminent future. 
• Gain actionable insight into current and future benefits trends in the Canadian tech sector so that you can plan for today and tomorrow.  
• Explore strategies to address the dynamic landscape of benefits and balance your recruiting and retention efforts with economic realities. 

Tracks:

Summary: In the dynamic landscape of modern workplaces, the journey towards DEI requires continuous navigation and adaptation. As senior HR leaders, it’s crucial to explore multifaceted approaches that not only initiate but also sustain momentum in DEI initiatives amidst the backdrop of political and social polarization. This session delves deep into the complexities of maintaining progress, offering actionable insights and practical strategies to fortify organizational commitment. By embracing inclusivity as a cornerstone principle, attendees will uncover innovative tactics to not only navigate challenges but also harness them as opportunities for growth. Join us to discover how to foster a culture of belonging, drive sustainable progress, and champion DEI efforts that resonate with the diverse fabric of our society.

What leaders will learn/practical takeaways:

• Strategic Adaptation: Learn how to dynamically adapt DEI strategies to address the unique challenges posed by political and social polarization, ensuring that initiatives remain relevant and effective in an ever-evolving landscape.
• Engagement Techniques: Explore innovative engagement techniques designed to sustain momentum and commitment across diverse organizational levels, fostering a culture of active participation and inclusivity.
• Navigating Complexity: Gain insights into navigating the complexities of DEI implementation amidst polarization, equipping you with the tools to anticipate and address potential roadblocks while staying true to the overarching goals of equity and inclusion.
• Transformational Leadership: Discover how to cultivate transformational leadership practices that empower HR senior leaders to drive sustainable progress, inspire meaningful change, and champion DEI efforts that resonate deeply within the organization and the broader community.

Tracks:

We’ll explore how technology can enhance every phase of the employee lifecycle, from employer branding to post offboarding relationship management. By leveraging the right tools and strategies, organizations can improve efficiency, engagement, and effectiveness throughout the employee journey. We’ll cover key technological solutions for each stage, including recruitment, onboarding, development, career pathing, performance management, and exit processes, highlighting practical examples and best practices.

Key Takeaways:

• Streamlined Recruitment with AI and Automation: Discover how AI-powered tools and automated systems can streamline the hiring process, making it faster and more efficient. This includes applicant tracking systems (ATS) that filter candidates, chatbots for initial communication, and predictive analytics to identify the best talent.
• Enhanced Onboarding Experience: Learn about the importance of a seamless onboarding process and the technologies that can facilitate it. Digital onboarding platforms and online/hybrid learning modules ensure new hires are quickly integrated and equipped with necessary knowledge and skills.
• Continuous Development and Performance: Understand how continuous learning and development and performance management platforms can help employees grow and succeed within the company. Tools like Learning Management Systems (LMS), career pathing software, and performance management apps, contribute to ongoing professional development, growth, productivity and effectiveness.
• Efficient Offboarding and Knowledge Retention: Explore methods for managing offboarding processes to ensure smooth transitions and knowledge retention. Technologies such as knowledge management systems, exit interview software, and alumni networks apps can maintain organizational knowledge, help capture departing employees’ insights, and provide a platform for leveraging your alumni relationships.

Tracks:

Discover powerful leadership habits to help you unleash your team’s hidden potential. Explore the secrets that drive accountability, fuel motivation, alleviate stress, and cultivate a culture where everyone strives for excellence. Be prepared to redefine your leadership and inspire greatness in others by learning how to foster greater accountability through empowering your team members to take more ownership of their work and immediately increase trust within your teams to boost collaboration and minimize friction and stress. In this session you’ll discover how to acquire the moral authority to hold others accountable and equip your team with the tools to cultivate a culture of continuous improvement where innovation and progress are the norm.

Tangible Takeaways:

• Accountability Framework: three fundamental leadership habits that drive accountability and superior results.
• Feedback Culture: Acquire the skills and actionable steps to cultivate a culture of constructive feedback, empowering your team to learn and grow while also addressing performance issues promptly and positively.
• Expert Problem-Solving: Equip your team with a toolkit of strategies to tackle every problem.
• Workbook: Each participant will receive a worksheet to record the actionable strategies they will receive.

Tracks:

Dive into the intricacies of designing and implementing effective pay transparency practices. This session will guide you through the steps to create transparent salary structures, communicate them clearly to employees, and manage potential challenges. Equip yourself with practical tools and strategies to foster equity, trust, and organizational alignment through transparent pay practices.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn how to design transparent salary structures that align with organizational values and industry benchmarks.
• Understand effective communication strategies for introducing and maintaining pay transparency within your tech teams.
• Gain insights into addressing potential challenges and concerns related to pay transparency, such as privacy concerns and salary negotiations.
• Acquire actionable tips for monitoring and evaluating the impact of pay transparency initiatives to ensure continuous improvement and alignment with organizational goals.

Tracks:

Join us for a deep dive into the complexities of hybrid team structures and gain practical insights for optimizing team performance in the evolving landscape of remote and in-person work environments. In this session, we will explore the unique challenges and opportunities that arise when managing hybrid teams and provide actionable strategies for HR leaders to enhance collaboration, communication, and productivity.

 Tactical Takeaways:

•  Effective Communication Strategies: Learn how to foster clear and inclusive communication channels within hybrid teams, leveraging technology and best practices to ensure that remote and in-office team members stay connected and engaged.
• Building a Culture of Trust and Accountability: Discover techniques for cultivating trust and accountability among team members, regardless of their physical location. Explore ways to empower employees to take ownership of their work and collaborate effectively in a hybrid setting.
• Balancing Flexibility and Structure: Gain insights into striking the right balance between flexibility and structure in hybrid work arrangements. Explore approaches for setting clear expectations, managing workloads, and promoting work-life balance in a distributed team environment.
• Investing in Team Development: Explore strategies for investing in the professional development and equitable well-being of hybrid team members. Learn how to provide opportunities for skill-building, mentorship, and social connection to foster a sense of belonging and support career growth within the team.

Tracks:

Explore the pivotal role People Ops can play in driving environmental stewardship within your organization. Hear practical ways HR can cultivate a culture where the environmental values of ESG initiatives are embedded into the company’s DNA and learn how to shape and enforce policies that prioritize environmental responsibility and compliance. By integrating these practices into HR strategies and decision-making processes, companies can not only enhance their environmental performance but also foster a more engaged, responsible, and forward-thinking workforce.

Key Takeaways:

• ESG Awareness: Foster a culture of ESG awareness and engagement by regularly communicating updates, achievements, and challenges related to sustainability, social responsibility, and corporate governance.
• Feedback Mechanisms: Establish channels for employees to provide feedback, ideas, and suggestions on environmental initiatives, fostering a sense of ownership and participation.
• Environmental Policies: Develop and update HR policies, procedures, and guidelines to align with ESG principles and regulatory requirements, ensuring compliance and accountability across the organization.
• Risk Management: Identify, assess, and mitigate ESG-related risks and opportunities, integrating risk management practices into HR strategies and decision-making processes.

Tracks:

Hear about the practical application of AI within the HR function, the opportunity for AI on strategic initiatives and examples of how to support workforce and leader readiness from the top of some of Canada’s tech giants at Microsoft, EA, and SAP. In addition to learning how Generative AI is being applied to work today, we’ll explore how our tech businesses are thinking about the employee experience and getting people excited about what’s possible, while also staying ahead of challenges and changes in a fast-moving space.

• Practical Application of AI in HR: Understand how AI is enabling work in tech companies, learn where in HR there are already opportunities to enhance work through ‘no code/low code’ tools.
• Building an AI-Ready Organization: Hear about actual examples of leader and employee learning, adoption, and reinforcement methods to upskill and reskill for an AI-supported environment, including personalized learning paths and mentorship programs.
• Ethical Considerations and AI Governance: Gain insights into ethical considerations and best practices for AI governance and learn how HR can play a pivotal role in ensuring employee perspectives are included in design.

Tracks:

Discover how micro-moments of mindfulness can enhance your performance. Engage in a restorative breathing exercise followed by a brief guided meditation, designed to reset and calm your nervous system. Recharge and refresh your mind and body, preparing you for a productive and invigorating second half of the conference day.

In today’s fast-paced, high-pressure tech environment, burnout and poor mental health are pressing issues affecting the wellbeing and productivity of HR professionals, leaders, and employees alike. However, there are actionable strategies that can make a difference.  In this session, we will explore how prioritizing mental health isn’t just a personal concern—it’s fundamental for organizational success. Discover how fostering a culture that values and supports mental wellbeing not only enhances individual resilience but also cultivates thriving teams and fosters innovation.  Join us as we redefine leadership in the tech industry by placing mental wellbeing at the forefront – and it starts with you! 

Key takeaways include:  

• Recognizing the signs of burnout and mental health challenges in yourself and your team.  
• Learn practical tactics to promote mental wellbeing in the workplace  
• Tips for building a nurturing a culture of psychological safety and support where individuals feel empowered to prioritize their mental health.  

Tracks:

The masterclass will explore strategies to identify the necessary skills to meet the demands of a changing industry.  Gain valuable insights and practical solutions for organizations seeking to adapt to the future of work and address the challenges faced by employers in finding and retaining skilled professionals in an evolving workplace.

 What you will learn:

• How to build when the skills aren’t readily available to buy on the market because the skillset is so new
• Skills Identification – Discover ways to identify specific skills that are crucial for adapting to fill the positions of the future: data analysis, adaptability, creativity, emotional intelligence, and others.
• Strategies for upskilling and skills development during times of tight budgets

Pre-registration required – register here.

Tracks:

It’s time to flip the motherhood penalty on its head and create the motherhood opportunity. As a leader within your organization, you have a unique ability to advance equity and better support the experiences of mothers, at work and through the transitions of maternity leave.

We invite you to join Maturn Co-Founders for a workshop that will shed light on the impact of maternity leave in Canada, highlight what mothers in Canada are asking for at work and provide effective strategies to create equitable and inclusive work cultures that help mothers thrive.

Key takeaways:

• Gain a deeper understanding of the motherhood penalty and how it creates barriers to women’s full participation at work in tech
• Learn about Maturn’s National Research Study on what mothers want at work to stay and grow within inclusive work cultures
• Receive concrete tools and resources to bring back to your organization that will create more equity for mothers
• Learn strategies to combat the motherhood penalty and how you and your organization can fully support mothers before, during and after maternity leave

Tracks:

This session will start with a short overview of best practices for private equity compensation, and then dive into a panel discussion with practical tips and insights – including how to get people to value equity in a down economy.  Our panelists will share practical strategies to communicate the value, potential risks, key issues to consider and implications of private equity incentives to your employees.  Enhance your understanding and optimize your approach to equity compensation in the tech industry as a valuable part of your recruitment and retention plans.

Key Takeaways:

• Quick overview on the types and trends of private equity compensation
• Learn how to communicate the value of equity compensation as part of your total compensation package
• Best practices and practical trends of the ‘who, what, and when’ of equity plan implementation
• Considerations for designing equity value guidelines

Tracks:

Learn two practical breathing techniques that you can use anytime, anywhere to reset and calm your nervous system. Join us for this mindful break to rejuvenate your mind and body, preparing you for continued success at the conference and beyond.

Join this closing keynote to hear practical insights and tactical strategies for navigating the complex landscape of AI, technology, talent, and culture, on innovation and productivity. As the leaders who are often charged with creating the right structures and guardrails around what ideation to innovation looks like, HR often feel pressure to harmonize control of brand and behaviour with championing innovation. In this closing keynote, Anna Baird will opensource a few ingredients around Google’s innovation approach, her experience in broader tech and how opportunities to innovate can be executed through digestible activities in your environment and empowerment of your people.  Join us as we unlock the secrets to fostering innovation, empowering your people, and navigating the ever-evolving tech landscape with confidence and agility.  

  What you will learn:

• Generative AI for Innovation: Discover how Gen AI is empowering (or supercharging) the way organizations create and learn – harnessing your power to drive meaningful change within your organization
• Agility in the ever-changing hybrid working norms: Learn how to leverage new working norms models to enhance productivity, collaboration leading to employee engagement and happiness. 
• Embracing Data-Driven Decision Making: Explore strategies for data and analytics to inform strategy and drive business growth. 

Tracks: