UKG Fall 2020 eSymposium: A FREE Learning Event for #HR and #Payroll Pros
(Editor’s Note: Today’s article is brought to you by our friends at UKG – Ultimate Kronos Group. Formed by two leaders in HR solutions, UKG combines the strength and innovation of Ultimate Software and Kronos. They are committed to inspiring workforces and helping pave the way for their people, customers, and industry. Enjoy the article!)
Regular readers of this blog know that our friends at UKG have been offering a free educational event for human resources and payroll professionals each spring and fall for the past few years. And the good news is 2020 will be no exception. The UKG Fall HR and Payroll eSymposium is scheduled for Tuesday, December 1, 2020 from 10a to 4p Eastern time. As someone who has attended their events in the past, I can speak from firsthand experience that UKG delivers quality professional development that is absolutely worth your time.
I know that our plates could be very full right now with budgets, annual benefits enrollment, and sad to say, a pandemic. But now more than ever, it’s important to carve out time for professional development. Spending time at a learning event will make us even more equipped to handle today’s challenges and bring additional value to the organization. Before, I share a sneak peek of the agenda, here are three things about the event you might like to know.
- Every session is recorded. 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 December 1st 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.
- The program has been approved for recertification credits. Let’s face it, recertification credits are important. Especially if budgets are tight (and going to get tighter). I’ll say it again – the event is free. Most 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. And for our friends in Canada, most sessions have been preapproved by the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) and the Canadian Payroll Association (CPA). UKG will be providing a certificate of participation for your files.
- The content is relevant. 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.
Now that you know the event is flexible, affordable, and relevant. Let’s talk about the program. The theme of this eSymposium is focused on thriving through change and resetting for the future. The sessions are organized in four tracks, “Navigating Today’s Landscape”, “Ensuring Employee Well-Being”, “Building a Culture of Inclusion”, and “Preparing for the Future”. Personally, I think the track titles are clearly aligned with what HR and payroll professionals are facing right now.
The opening keynote immediately caught my attention – “Resilience Lessons from Mount Everest: Facing Change, Challenge & Uncertainty” with Jim Davidson, New York Times best-selling author of “The Ledge: An Inspirational Story of Friendship and Survival”. I’d like to believe by now that everyone realizes resiliency is more than a learning trend du jour. It’s the thing that’s going to help our employees and organizations more forward successfully.
Speaking of resiliency, I saw a very interesting session on “Using Data to Drive Performance and Profitability During the COVID-19 Recovery” being presented by Dave Gilbertson, vice president of strategy and operations at UKG, and John Frehse, Senior Managing Director at Ankura. Numbers have always been important in business. I can’t imagine not using data to help us effectively plan our way to the new normal.
I was also excited to see Dr. Jarik Conrad on the agenda. His session is focused on “Overcoming Common Pitfalls in Diversity Initiatives”. I’ve heard him speak before and he’s great. I’m hoping he will also be sharing some of the work that UKG’s Equity at Work Council has been doing.
Lastly, UKG Senior Manager of Product Diana McGowin will be discussing “Navigating Total Rewards Offerings in a Year of Change”. Benefits have always been important but in light of what’s currently happening, I think they are even more so. With organizations trying to figure out how to manage a hybrid workforce, benefits will need to be realigned.
Of course, this isn’t the entire agenda. But hopefully, I’ve piqued your interest. The UKG Fall HR & Payroll 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 a professional development event: 1) high quality content, 2) no-cost to attend, and 3) pre-approved for recertification. It’s fantastic when they’re all in a single event!
Find some time to focus on your professional development. Sign up for the UKG Fall HR and Payroll eSymposium. Here are the registration details:
UKG FREE HR & Payroll eSymposium
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time
Look forward to seeing you there!
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