(Editor’s Note: Today’s article is brought to you by our friends at Kronos, a leading provider of workforce management and human capital management cloud solutions. The Workforce Institute at Kronos has a new book out, “Being Present: A Practical Guide for Transforming the Employee Experience of Your Frontline Workforce”. Yours truly contributed a chapter on performance management. I hope you’ll check it out. Enjoy the article!)
As human resources professionals we might be very focused on other things right now – and justifiably so. But now more than ever, it’s important to carve out time for professional development. Spending time learning will make us even more equipped to handle the challenges of today and bring additional value to the organization.
Regular readers of this blog know that our friends at Kronos have been offering a free educational opportunity each spring and fall for the past couple of years. This year is no exception. The Kronos Spring HR and Payroll eSymposium is scheduled for Wednesday, May 6, 2020 from 10a to 5p Eastern time. As someone who has attended this Kronos eSymposium in the past, I can speak from experience that Kronos delivers quality professional development that is really worth your time. Here’s a little sneak preview of this year’s agenda.
Kronos Spring eSymposium Agenda
Kronos shared with me that this year’s agenda is going to have four tracks – basic, intermediate, advanced, and compliance. But don’t let those track titles sway you. I found something interesting in every single track!
“Seeing is Believing: Charting Your Course to Presenting Data Visually” really caught my eye because I’m hearing a lot more conversation these days about storytelling. Yes, we’re being asked to spend more time crunching the numbers but it’s being able to turn the numbers into a compelling story that makes a difference.
Fellow Workforce Institute board member, Chris Mullen, is leading a conversation on “How Infusing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion into Your Hiring Practices Can Make You an Employer of Choice”. I know some industries are facing hiring freezes right now, but we know that won’t be the case long-term. Investing time now in our talent acquisition processes will prepare us for the future.
Another session that I’m looking forward to hearing is “The Cost of Doing Nothing: Change Management”. Organizations are facing some tough decisions right now. Being able to make good business decisions and successfully manage organizational change will be critical. From an HR standpoint, not only do we have to help the organization maneuver change but also help the individuals within the organization.
Finally, I’m excited to share that I’m going to be one of the panelists for the afternoon session on “Disrupting HR: How Prepared are You to Deal with Unprecedented Change?” We are living through one of the most unsettling times for individuals and businesses. This conversation will focus on what we can do as human resources professionals to bring value to the business.
Of course, this isn’t the entire agenda. But hopefully, I’ve piqued your interest. Now, I know some of you might be saying, “I know professional development is important, and this agenda looks terrific, but I simply don’t have the time.” Well, please read on because I have an answer that might change your mind.
Kronos Offers Digital Learning That is Being Recorded
One of the things I love about this eSymposium event is the flexible format. I can follow one track or switch back and forth to explore other programs. Here are the three reasons that I believe an event like this really makes sense for human resources and payroll professionals right now.
REASON #1 – Recordings. There will be recordings of every session and you’ll be able to download all of the session materials. So, if you’re not able to listen to the live sessions on May 6 OR your learning preference is to space your listening out over time, then you have that option. Personally, I especially like this when there are two topics that I want to hear and they’re both being presented at the same time. With recordings, I don’t have to worry about missing out on learning.
REASON #2 – FREE Quality content. I’ve been responsible for both human resources and payroll a few times in my career, so I like that this event brings together both payroll and HR. The eSymposium is also good way to encourage HR pros to learn more about payroll and vice versa. And because the event is free, the company can have multiple people sign up, listen to the content, and then maybe set up a virtual meeting to discuss the sessions. It’s a great way to bring the team together.
REASON #3 – Recertification credits. Let’s face it, recertification credits are important. Especially if budgets are tight (and going to get tighter) – again, the event is free. All of the sessions have been pre-approved by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI). In addition, many have been approved by the American Payroll Association. Kronos will be providing a certificate of participation for your files.
This one-day eSymposium is designed to bring HR and payroll professionals education on the topics we deal with every day. It has the three ingredients many of us look for in professional development opportunities: 1) high quality content, 2) no-cost to attend, and 3) pre-approved for recertification. We all know this doesn’t happen very often.
Find some time to focus on your professional development. Sign up for the Kronos Spring eSymposium. Here are the registration details:
Kronos HR & Payroll eSymposium
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time
I look forward to seeing you there!
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