Introduction to Compference23 with instructions for how to navigate the Goldcast platform

The way we approach hiring and retaining talent is changing. From hybrid work setups to an increased talent velocity, it’s never been more important to take a step forward into the future and ultimately unlock a happier, more productive workforce. In this panel, you’ll hear from a group of experts as they discuss how HR departments are adapting to the complex challenges of today’s workplace, evolving technology advancements, and redefining the employee experience.  

The global pandemic did not only change where work takes place, it is altering where work fits in our lives. The combination of a shift in leadership from Boomer and GenX to GenX and Millennial and the entrance of Generation Z into the workforce is altering the fundamental values around work. Labor shortages show no signs of abating and are shifting the power from employers to employees. In this RUPT (Rapid, Unpredictable, Paradoxical, and Tangled) world, leaders can no longer be unquestioned experts driving productivity with fear. The leadership profile shifts to a humble and curious learner who can inspire potential, help talent connect with their own internal drive and motivate with culture, love, and belonging. The factory default settings have all been removed from who works (diversity as a norm), where work takes place (home, office, anywhere, hybrid), what we do for work (exploration over routine tasks), how we lead (inspiration over fear), and why work in the first place. In this talk, buckle up for a fast paced and inspirational overview of the post pandemic world comprising an empowered and engaged workforce.

Compensation is not about money (basic pay or base salary). Its about the entire employee experience. Compensation is part of the larger value proposition providing an employee at any level with self confidence, self worth, motivation, and the will to perform beyond what is written on the job description. The employee experience starts with solid market-based pay practices, communications, presentation, and regular check-ins with the supervisor. The Compensation function must provide the tools, resources, training, and processes to implement a positive high-impact compensation strategy linked to the larger HR/People strategy and the overall business strategy.

Currently, about 1 in 4 workers is covered by some form of U.S. pay transparency legislation. At least 15 states are considering pay transparency laws in 2023. An effective pay transparency strategy requires a focus on four principles: Presence, People, Processes, and Performance. In this session you will hear from compensation veteran Denise Liebetrau, founder and CEO of Prosper Consulting and a rising influencer on LinkedIn. You will learn how a foundation in the four principles will prepare you for current pay transparency requirements as well as what is coming, how to use facts and figures to tell your pay transparency story, and how to prepare managers and employees for conversations with BIG feelings.

The goal of rewards transparency is to empower all people with facts, working with their managers to understand their compensation in relation to where they stand in their careers today.  Encouraging frequent check-ins to align on future development needs and progress. Outside channels such as Glassdoor, agencies or social media sites, may influence false narratives surrounding compensation. We decided to shape this narrative by proactively sharing available information with our people. The competitive landscape we operate in for talent has demonstrated pay transparency is necessary, coupled with global legislative changes requiring transparency. Using the US as an example, where states like New York and Colorado being required to disclose compensation ranges on job postings.

In the wake of pay transparency, the importance of pay communications has surged. In this panel, you will learn how organizations of different sizes are educating their managers on pay transparency, compensation strategy, and compensation structures, as well as how to discuss pay with employees throughout the employee lifecycle for a variety of different scenarios, including rewarding performance.

Pay transparency triggers a significant shift in culture, defined as “the way we do things here,” that many organizations don’t feel prepared to address. But ready or not, pay transparency legislation is forcing organizations to change. In this session, you’ll hear from an expert in change management on how to identify the change needed, align with leadership, and anticipate (and answer) questions from employees and candidates. The session will also feature tools to assess readiness as well as a success story from a practitioner, Nancy Hammers, VP of Total Rewards, The Raley’s Company.

How do we make workplaces more human, and why has this been such a central topic in HR circles in recent years? In this mainstage keynote, join Liz Ryan, CEO and Founder of Human Workplace and author of Reinvention Roadmap: Break the Rules to Get the Job You Want and Career You Deserve, and Paul Wolfe, Human First Leadership Advocate, Payscale Board Member, and author of Human Beings First – Practices for Empathetic, Expressive Leadership for a fireside chat on the role of empathy in the workplace and the challenges facing HR leaders as they navigate building work cultures in the modern era that will attract, engage, and retain talent.

Compensation and rewards are often used interchangeably, but they are different things, especially when you are talking about incentivizing performance. Compensation impacts an employee’s self-confidence, self-worth, and motivation. When it comes to compensation strategy, there is an overarching set of connective points between compensation and rewards that work together to engage and inspire employees to do their best work. In this session, you will hear from seasoned compensation leaders whose careers have spanned multiple distinguished organizations about how the foundational elements of jobs, base salary, incentive pay, career transparency, and manager training and communications must all work together to attract and retain talent.

The compensation function is increasingly requiring leadership and collaboration skills that are unfamiliar to some compensation professionals who are more comfortable working with numbers and spreadsheets. In this session, led by global compensation manager Tarik Bazzy, you will learn the importance of listening to understand pain points and how to build your network within the business and communicate effectively with HR business partners and build strong relationships for more advanced compensation initiatives such as manager/leader education, job architecture, career pathing, global grading, and pay transparency.

Research suggests that a bachelor’s degree can translate to a million-dollar increase in lifetime earnings. But how much of that wage bump is due to the skills you learn in college? A growing body of research has found that employers are overlooking millions of workers who are Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs) rather than a bachelor’s degree — an exclusionary practice that both diminishes businesses’ supply of talent while limiting economic mobility for half the workforce. In this session, Ashley Edwards, Director of Data Services for Opportunity@Work, will discuss who STARs are, how their economic mobility has been impacted by the invisible barrier called “the paper ceiling” over the past generation, and what companies can do to unlock the potential of 70+ million skilled workers across the country and create conditions for greater pay equity.

Compensation isn’t just about base pay. It’s about the whole package. In this session, you will hear a panel of experts discuss the importance of total rewards, including how to manage employee expectations, how to manage costs overtime without cutting value, and how to get the most out of your benefits program through education, training, and communications – no matter your organization’s size or industry.

Performance-based equity compensation has become a common and increasingly generic piece of the total rewards offered to executives and others. Unfortunately, the age-old mantra of “what is everyone else doing” does not serve your unique company, culture, and strategy well. More importantly, participants in these programs regularly complain that their awards don’t make sense or lack alignment with their work effort. This session, led by the engaging equity compensation expert, Dan Walter, will provide you with the foundational art and science of building an effective, custom performance-based equity compensation program.