As another year descends upon us, we want to take some time to reflect on the past year and how it changed the human resources landscape for the future. 2023 put HR and people leaders to the test, to say the least. Tightened budgets, wavering employee satisfaction, the continued talent shortage, and record layoffs put extreme pressure on HR teams.
Nevertheless, you persisted. Organizations improved their DE&I commitments and initiatives, employee well-being became a forefront effort, and leaders embraced new technology and automation that strengthened their teams.
HR at the Table by Verified First is a monthly panel-style webinar that explores relevant and engaging topics through various HR leaders, influencers, and role models. Each month, we bring in a new subject matter expert to connect with HR professionals nationwide, facilitate learning and discussion, and ultimately empower you to grow and manage your team.
Let’s explore this past year through HR at the Table episodes to see what we’ve learned and what we can expect in 2024.
Season 3, Episode 1
Speaker: Madeline Laurano | Founder of Aptitude Research
To kick 2023 off we addressed a hard-hitting topic that comes up each year: What is the best talent acquisition (TA) technology for my organization? Choosing the right TA technology can be challenging, and there are a lot of various factors HR teams need to consider before adopting tech. Is my current tech stack effective? How do I pick a good provider? What’s the ROI of my solutions? Not knowing this information can make it almost impossible to properly leverage TA technology.
This episode of HR at the Table helped HR professionals better understand talent acquisition technology and trends for 2023. State of Talent Acquisition Tech: 2023 Trends focused on how organizations can evaluate their current HR technology and build a stronger tech stack that supports their current and future needs.
Season 3, Episode 2
Speaker: Gianna Driver, CHRO at Exabeam
With our second episode of the season, we moved right into organizational culture to discuss the often-forgotten part of DE&I: belonging. You know that a robust DE&I strategy is essential for successful teams. But it’s one thing to recruit and create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace — it’s another thing to make each person belong.
Our speaker helped convey just how important belonging became in 2023, and how organizations could start focusing on the forgotten aspect of DE&I. This episode focused on improving employee well-being and team culture to build a dynamic, cohesive, and supportive workforce.
Season 3, Episode 3
Speaker: Chris Courneen, Global Head of HR at MSI
As we settled into the year, we also settled into some prevalent HR trends of 2023. The first trend we tackled was “HR Modernization” – an idea commonly discussed, but generally misunderstood.
Chris Courneen, Global Head of HR at MSI, helped us unpack HR Modernization and why so few companies can truly put it into practice. From streamlining processes to leveraging technology and everything in between, we discussed how leaders can take advantage of HR modernization in their organizations.
Season 3, Episode 4
Speaker: Elizabeth Boyd, Talent Development & Learning Owner at TalentLab
Did you know that the average U.S. enterprise wastes up to $4.5 million in productivity annually by failing to preserve and share knowledge? Institutional knowledge is extremely prevalent in an organization’s continued success, but can also be a daunting topic for HR professionals to manage.
That’s why we hosted Elizabeth Boyd, Talent Development and Learning Owner at TalentLab, for the fourth episode of this season! Capturing institutional knowledge doesn’t have to be strenuous with the right knowledge management processes in place.
Season 3, Episode 5
Speakers: Esther Ayorinde-Iyamu, Founder of GrowthQ, and Symphone’e Lindsey, Senior Director for HR at Twilio
Research has proven that building successful, high-performing teams requires diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) to achieve synergy. Yet, many departments still struggle to maximize their potential.
Cultivating diversity in your organization requires ongoing commitment. For episode 5 of this season of HR at the Table, we hosted two keynote speakers, Esther Ayorinde-Iyamu, Founder of GrowthQ, and Symphone’e Lindsey, Senior Director for HR at Twilio, to discuss the role and impact diversity has on sustainable success in teams.
Season 3, Episode 6
Speaker: Dr. Jennifer Fairweather, CHRO at Jefferson County
This year HR professionals faced quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, and all types of other trendy fads and buzzwords to describe the same thing: dissatisfied employees. It was hard to jump back after the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers sought more opportunities, safer conditions, and better treatment.
The solution? Psychological safety and empathy. We hosted Dr. Jennifer Fairweather, CHRO at Jefferson County, to explore building healthy workplaces by addressing the hidden employee experience, including the emotional and psychological needs of their organization
Season 3, Episode 7
Speaker: Stacie Baird, Chief People Officer at Community Medical Services
It’s hard to understand resilience and self-compassion in the same sentence. However, as far as leadership goes, the two are entirely dependent on one another. As we reached the halfway point of Season 3, we discussed the importance of HR’s ability to balance resilience and self-compassion, including their vital role in today’s dynamic workplace.
Season 3, Episode 8
Speaker: Natasha Berry, Vice President of Human Resources at Smith & Nephew
Over the last few years, and in 2023 specifically, we saw a big shift in organizations prioritizing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. This much-needed shift brought light to another essential people management component: culture intelligence.
We hosted Natasha Berry, Vice President of Human Resources at Smith & Nephew, to discuss the importance of building and sustaining culturally intelligent and diverse teams. We explored how to create a culture that embraces, encourages, and appreciates diverse cultures, people, and passions that challenge company leaders today.
Season 3, Episode 9
Speaker: Jess Miller-Merrell | Chief Innovation Officer at Workology
While recruitment, hiring, and the job market are constantly changing, we learned one thing for sure: the digital world is here to stay. With significant pressure to attract top talent, HR leaders realized passive recruitment and hiring strategies are no longer enough.
Jess Miller-Merrell, Author and Chief Innovation Officer at Workology, shared her experience and expertise on digital recruitment and hiring, and how organizations can leverage these practices to stay competitive.
Season 3, Episode 10
Speaker: Cheryl DeSantis | Chief People Officer at National Veterinary Associates
Business shouldn’t feel like survival of the fittest. As we began to wind down this season of HR at the Table, we de-mythed the popularized idea that leaders must detach from their emotions in order to be successful.
Cheryl DeSantis, Chief People Officer at National Veterinary Associates, joined us to explore a new paradigm taking over the business world, leading with the heart, and essential strategies to prioritize empathic leadership.
Season 3, Episode 11
Speaker: Tim Toterhi | CHRO & Talent Consultant at Plotline Leadership
HR’s role continued to grow increasingly complex in 2023. What used to be thought of as just recruitment and hiring started touching almost every aspect of the organization – from legal and IT to brand and culture.
This month we welcomed back another returning speaker, Tim Toterhi, CHRO & Talent Consultant at Plotline Leadership, to explore how HR leaders can manage their priorities while continuing to drive business value.
Season 3, Episode 12
Speaker: Donald Knight | Chief People Officer at Greenhouse
If last year taught business leaders anything, it’s that prioritizing people is no longer a choice but a necessity. But what does putting people-first look like and how do we encourage it in our company cultures?
To close out 2023 with a bang, we brought in Greenhouse’s Chief People Officer, Donald Knight, to discuss people-first cultures. This episode explored essential strategies to equip leaders — HR professionals, Chief People Officers, executives, and alike — with the knowledge to cultivate and build people-first initiatives within their organizations.
While it’s hard to predict the future, there are a few things HR professionals can expect this year.
DE&I will continue to be a cornerstone of successful teams and organizations. Many companies will prioritize and focus on initiatives that drive diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in order to attract and retain top talent, increase employee engagement and productivity, and ensure the long-term success of their business.
People-first cultures and initiatives will be extremely important in 2024. Employees began to stand up for themselves last year, and companies that did not keep up with demands fell far behind. This year, we can expect successful leaders and teams to start prioritizing people and culture first.
2023 taught organizations that technology is not always the answer. Instead, the key to success is building a streamlined, integrated tech stack that solves your business’s current and future needs. Organizations will be evaluating their goals and providers more intensely this year to drive sustained growth and success.
Verified First can help you achieve your business goals in 2024. Our patented, one-click solution can streamline your hiring process from start to finish, giving you more time to focus on people-centric initiatives.
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