What was it like to be at HRPA 2019?
Well, it was both a pleasure and a blast, to have a booth at the trade show–
to have our Chief Engagement Officer, Rob Catalano, speak on 2019 employee voice trends–
to co-host the Unofficial Afterparty with Xref—
But even beyond all that, HRPA was inspiring.
It was inspirational to see the focus on diversity & inclusion and health & wellness.
The Diversity & Inclusion theme was reflected in multiple sessions, including:
- Leading Voices Amplify Call for Change: #MeToo by Tarana Burke, Caroline Codsi, Louise Taylor Green
- Self-Awareness Through Science: Improving Workplace Performance Through Cognitive Diversity by Gregor Jeffrey,
- Building a Business Case for Employers to Actively Recruit and Retain People with Mental Illness by Michael MacDonald and Nitika Rewari,
- Gender Equality in Canada – How are we Doing? By Caroline Codsi
- Leadership in the Times of #MeToo — A Values Proposition by Leanne Nicolle
- The Necessary Evolution of Diversity & Inclusion: The Three “Rs” Critical to Building a Truly Inclusive Workplace by Steve Pemberton
- + more!
It was amazing to see the emphasis on creating safe, inclusive workspaces, increasing equality, providing opportunities for people, proudly diverse in all spectrums. As minorities and those facing more hurdles in the workplace continue to gain a louder voice and receive more encouragement, we’re hopeful that the “workplace climate” will continue to shift towards beachy, sunny days–warmer than it was in Toronto during HRPA! We swear, it’s not usually that cold. But we hope you were warmed with smiles and words about all the wonderful things happening in HR right now, not only in diversity & inclusion but also in health & wellness!
Not only did we have multiple companies at the tradeshow, dedicated to making the world of HR a more healthy, active workplace, such as UpnGo, with a software encouraging a more active workplace mindset, and Fitterfirst, providing both healthy and agile office equipment, but this year’s HRPA boasted on-site massages at the Health & Wellness centre!
We also had three amazing workshops with Dr. Bhante Saranapala, renowned as the “The Urban Buddhist Monk,” hosted by MindLabb. This shift to health & wellness shows that we really do care about our people. Investing in our employees is the way forward, to engage them at work, to create a culture of passionate, happy, and mindful people.
Even though we spent a rather sleepless three days, on our feet, running around, talking to people and boothing it up, HRPA was an innovative, inspirational experience that left us glowing (and not just from sweat) and grateful to be working in a time where we’re more focused on the “human” than the “resources”, and everyone is working to improve work lives!
