The upcoming 2022 Fall Conference, the final large-scale HRPA professional development event for this year, will be shedding light on topics that HR professionals are eager to learn about. Conference sessions will equip HR professionals with new and critical skills, tools and strategies to strengthen, develop and transform their practices and organization.

Here are three key themes you can expect to hear about at this conference:

Managing Talent

2023 will bring with it new HR developments when it comes to talent attraction and retention. As employees seek out skills development to ensure they stay relevant in changing times and as employers gear up for the changing world of work, now is the time for HR professionals to get familiar with strategies to enhance business practices, manage change and facilitate a culture of growth. Such a purposeful, people-focused and culturally sensitive approach to HR is key for dynamic organizations that are looking to keep up with both, employee expectations and technological advancements.

In fact, talent management has become even more relevant in light of trending buzzwords like quiet quitting, quiet firing and the great resignation. This illustrates the need for handling talent in a way that accounts for the complete employee lifecycle. In turn, this means that employees’ priorities must be considered when cultivating meaningful, development-oriented employee experiences.

Given the generational differences in how work is perceived, it is also necessary to understand Gen Z values and incorporate them into how organizations onboard workers in remote, hybrid and in-person positions. Indeed, successful onboarding practices are not only conducive to employee success and retention – they also play a central role in helping build organizational commitment.

Enhancing Leadership

As conceptualizations of work change, so do leadership styles, rendering certain practices out of date. It’s common knowledge that leadership extends far beyond those in traditional leadership or management roles. It includes all contributors who use their leadership abilities to enhance team morale and productivity. Beyond competence in technical skills, they also embody leadership traits and are always open to learning. They implement the principles of holistic leadership and proactively plan to put these principles in practice in their organizations.

To contextualize this, the pandemic has only further sped up changes in effective leadership techniques. Yet, the need for good leadership is also paramount. This begs the question – how can today and tomorrow’s leaders set themselves up for success? To address this, we need to take a closer look at not only why and how leadership is evolving, but also what the mindsets and skills are that present and future leaders need to support their teams and organizations.

Advancing IDEA (Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility) 

As women demand better working conditions and as they leave workplaces that don’t meet their needs, we are seeing a higher discrepancy between the number of men and women leaders. Such a monumental shift calls for paying attention to the barriers facing women from all walks of life as they carve their place in the workforce, as well as the ways in which women are overcoming these barriers. If such obstacles are not addressed systemically, we risk depriving ourselves of the unique impact that women in leadership roles have on their teams, and beyond.

Another central aspect of workplace accessibility is the implementation of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Aiming to support participation in the workforce and in broader communities for people with disabilities, this progressive legislation also targets removing barriers. Given that all employees require training on accessible customer service and on interacting with people with disabilities, HR professionals are poised to implement AODA requirements and to ensure their organization meets these standards. 

Making workplaces more accessible also means authentically opening them to neurodiverse workers. In addition to improving accessibility, neurodiverse organizations that adopt such a view also benefit from varied talents and skills, and from the multiplicity in ways of thinking about, perceiving and interacting with the world. Truly, there is much that business leaders and HR experts can glean from the lived experience of neurodiverse individuals when it comes to making workplaces inclusive, equitable and accessible.  

To sum up, spanning three-half days, this virtual conference on Leadership and Trust: Build, Restore and Redefine HR, November 22 – 24, will address recurring workplace issues, tackle emerging HR trends, and prepare attendees for the future of HR in organizations. Sign up for this conference to expand your strategies, build up your leaders and redefine HR practices.