H R
W E S T
®
2 0 1 4
C O N F E R E N C E
P R O G R A M
25
Concurrent Sessions
Understand the ins and outs of PTO, vacation, sick time, intermittent leave, and
how bonus eligibility may be affected by leave.
Presenters:
Mary Wang, Esq., Partner, Hixson Nagatani LLP,
and Raymond Hixson, Partner, Hixson Nagatani LLP
ROOM 201
204
Winning the Global Talent Wars:
Nuances of U.S. Immigration
Workplace Application:
With a solid understanding of immigration laws,
develop strategies to maximize the use of foreign talent.
A November 2012 McKinsey study predicts a shortage of 1.5 million workers
with college or graduate degrees in the U.S. by 2020. In addition, the American
workforce is aging and despite high levels of unemployment, the demand
for highly educated workers is steadily growing. Be prepared to support
international talent, and learn to navigate increasingly complex immigration
regulations and policies. Understand U.S. immigration reform and how it
impacts recruiting and retention strategies, temporary visas and Green Cards.
Learn the five most important components of a corporate immigration program
that meets the needs of employers and employees.
Presenters:
Sameer Khedekar, Esq., Managing Attorney,
Pearl Law Group and William Taylor, Esq., Head of Global Mobility,
Adobe Systems, Inc.
ROOM 203
205
Conflict on the Team!
Turning Crisis into Creativity
Workplace Application:
Build skills to support healthy teams
that foster collaboration and decision-making.
In
The Ten Minute Team
, Thomas Isgar cautions, “Conflict can destroy a team
which hasn’t spent time learning to deal with it.” In
The Fifth Discipline
, Peter
Senge said, “In great teams conflict becomes productive. The free flow of
conflicting ideas is critical for creative thinking, for discovering new solutions
no one individual would have come to on his own.” Teams are a reality in the
workplace today, but many implode. Support healthy teams during formation
and learn how to respond when there is crisis. Establish working agreements
that foster harmony, and use consensus as a decision-making tool.
Presenter:
John Ford, President, John Ford & Associates
ROOM 208
206
Collaborative and Strategic Thinking for HR
Workplace Application:
Align your organization’s performance and
culture with its mission and strategy to remain competitive.
In today’s hyper-accelerated business environment where radical game-changing
disruptions alter entire industries almost overnight, companies cannot take
years to build capabilities in emerging markets; they must mobilize quickly
or lose competitive advantage. Organizations can no longer afford to count
on a select number of problem solvers. Knowledge and ideas exist at every
organizational level—the challenge is to find and leverage them. HR must help
the organization create the right motivation, infrastructure and social climate
for encouraging employees to speak up, share knowledge and collaborate to
achieve common goals. Learn to align performance to strategy.
Presenter:
Lisa Brown Morton, President and CEO, Nonprofit HR
GRAND BALLROOM DE
207
Building Manager Capability for Competitive Advantage
Workplace Application:
Identify seven practical actions to upgrade manager
performance resulting in increased engagement and productivity.
While organizations tend to place great emphasis on the importance of
competent, charismatic executive leadership, equally important is great
capability in the middle of the organization—the ranks of supervisors and
managers. In departments with great managers, employees perform better
and managers themselves are more engaged and more productive. Learn
seven key elements of focus—including identifying metrics used to assess
performance, modifying rewards to reinforce manager behavior, and creating an
employee development strategy—to achieve a significant increase in manager
performance at your organization.
Presenters:
Renee Smith, Senior Consultant, Towers Watson and
Thomas Davenport, Senior Consultant, Towers Watson
ROOM 204
208
2014: The Year of the Candidate
Workplace Application:
Be prepared to quickly and efficiently source, recruit,
screen and onboard the best candidates as the economy improves.
As the job market gains momentum, we could be in for the perfect storm:
a growing number of jobs to fill, employees looking to make a move, and
the longtime unemployed ready to get back in the game. The challenge for
employers will be to find, filter, communicate with, screen, onboard and retain
the most qualified talent. Identify the right candidate-facing communication
tools, processes and related technologies to achieve your talent acquisition
goals. Develop and present an engaging and consistent employment brand
presence at every candidate touch point.
Presenter:
Holly DeMuro, Hire Expectations Institute Curator, iCIMS
JUNIOR BALLROOM 1 & 2
209
Building a Brand as an Employer of Choice
Workplace Application:
Discover what makes other organizations desirable,
and learn what you can do to attract valued candidates.
HR organizations continue to scour the globe for the human capital that will
set their companies apart. With 68 percent of American businesses suffering
from bad hiring decisions, and all organizations at risk of retention problems,
no company can afford valuable time waiting for qualified candidates to come
through the front door. If they hesitate, their competitors surely won’t. Using
real-life examples, learn what it takes to be a highly desirable place to work and
gain practical tips for building your brand as an Employer of Choice.
Presenter:
Melissa Carpenter, People Development Manager, Ultimate Software
ROOM 205
210
Employee Disengagement:
The Silent Disease Infecting Corporate America
Workplace Application:
Identify the symptoms and causes of employee
disengagement and learn a five-step plan designed to re-engage your workforce.
Employee disengagement costs U.S. corporations $500 billion per year in
lost productivity. Disengaged employees are less productive, not innovative,
resistant to change and deliver poor customer service. HR professionals must
work with their business leaders to identify disengagement and implement
Compensation, Benefits and Hris
Employment Law and Legislation
Talent Management and Engagement
Leadership and Management
Employee Relations
General HR
has spoken at
SHRM Conference
was or is an
HR Practitioner
