COVID has changed the way we operate – and some of these changes are here to stay. These changes directly impact our frontline employees, who are ultimately the ones that make our organizations successful. As our industry continues to ramp up in this new reality, Human Resources leaders will play a vital role in attracting, engaging, recognizing, rewarding and enabling our frontline heroes. This session will identify some of the challenges that our businesses are facing in the post-COVID recovery and address how HR teams can contribute to  the success of operations.

Session takeaways

• What are the permanent changes that Covid brought about and their impact on the workforce
• What do these changes mean for the HR leaders and how they interact with and support the workforce
• The importance of digitally enabling our frontline employees, in the context of the larger digital transformation

Join us for what promises to be an enlightening moderated panel discussion on the implications of the Future of Work on the hospitality industry.  As more FoW technology and approaches enter the workplace, in concert with a seismic shift in labor pool demographics, and how that labor views work, we find ourselves in the midst of a sea change.  No longer something simply interesting or academic to read about, it has arrived. From robotics, to widescale use of AI, machine learning and big data, to hybrid man-machine jobs, and the spread and embrace of the gig economy, substantive changes are afoot. What does this mean for our industry? Are we being smart about where and how best to incorporate FoW? What about the impact on our people? Do jobs need to be redesigned? Is upskilling existing talent a viable strategy? Do we need to rethink our branding, attraction and recruitment strategies, given the apparent new world order? We may not get to it all, but this session will certainly give you pause and much to think about.

Session takeaways

• Understand FoW technologies
• Define the current and future labor market
• Impact on recruitment, selection, and management

Finding the right balance of HR programming for franchisees remains a vexing challenge. We know the risks associated with joint employer liability and the importance of limiting involvement in the daily operations of franchisees. However, not all franchisees are alike and their HR needs can vary considerably. As such, it’s important to develop a suite of HR supports that can address a wide array of priorities. In this session, you’ll hear from our seasoned experts how to best support franchisee HR needs so they can manage their daily operating requirements and meet the respective brand standards in a consistent, independent and sustainable manner.

Session takeaways

• To Come

In this experiential session, you will not only learn how Virtual Reality (VR) can be used for empathy and perspective taking but you’ll get to experience it firsthand. Praxis Labs, a social impact driven venture that advances diversity and inclusion outcomes through Virtual Reality based unconscious bias training, will share how they are partnering with Fortune 100 companies to upskill the workforce of the future on working across difference to create workplaces where everyone belongs. You’ll have the chance to learn about the research supporting their work and how they are bringing their research-backed solution to global companies. Then, you’ll get to experience a full learning module and gain insights into how other companies are leveraging the training and the impact on their work, and lastly better understand how your organization could implement VR trainings for soft skill leadership development.

Session takeaways

• Experience a VR based unconscious bias training
• Identify how the insights and data from this tech-enabled training could make your workplace more inclusive
• Learn how these experiential learning experiences could be implemented at your organization

Hospitality HR departments face several complex challenges raised by the increasing presence of people with disabilities. On the employee side, the perceived lack of accessibility to finding open positions is a real cause for concern as advocacy groups seek to bolster hiring of people with disabilities, a severely and chronically underemployed population. Even following a successful offer, the challenges extend to making appropriate workplace accommodations, from providing adaptive technology and reconfiguring workspaces to addressing prevailing attitudes. On the guest side, HR departments are responsible for ensuring that all front-facing associates are fully equipped to interact smoothly and professionally with all guests, including those with disabilities, and that the property is able to offer equivalent service to this group. In this session, the high-experienced moderator and panelists will identify the primary environmental, technological and social barriers faced by prospective employees and guests, and discuss a number of prescriptive and easy-to-implement action steps that can be taken to ensure the workplace is welcoming and truly inclusive of employees and guests with disabilities.

Session takeaways

• Understanding of the nature and scope of challenges for employees and guests with disabilities, and the resources available to address the focal needs
• Effective management and operational strategies for welcoming employees and guests with disabilities
• Legal considerations for creating physical and technological adaptations

Mid-level managers serve a critically important and increasingly difficult role. They are responsible for translating and implementing strategic objectives and initiatives into operational reality. They are also instrumental in keeping line staff engaged and performing at or above expectations. Unfortunately, middle managers can be one of the most difficult groups of employees to develop and retain. In light of the recent circumstances, they have been asked to do more work with fewer resources, and are facing unprecedented levels of change and competitive uncertainty. As such, many are burning out at a very fast rate. In this session, you’ll learn about some of the more progressive and impactful efforts to engage and support front-line managers, and ways to foster a workplace where mid-managers have a strong sense of belonging, confidence, and value.

Session takeaways

• To Come

In this experiential session, you will not only learn how Virtual Reality (VR) can be used for empathy and perspective taking, but you’ll get to experience it firsthand. Praxis Labs, a social impact driven venture that advances diversity and inclusion outcomes through Virtual Reality-based unconscious bias training, will share how they are partnering with Fortune 100 companies to upskill the workforce of the future on working across difference to create workplaces where everyone belongs. You’ll have the chance to learn about the research supporting their work and how they are bringing their research-backed solution to global companies. Then, you’ll get to experience a full learning module and gain insights into how other companies are leveraging the training and the impact on their work, and lastly, better understand how your organization could implement VR training for soft skill leadership development.

Session takeaways

• Experience a VR-based unconscious bias training
• Identify how the insights and data from this tech-enabled training could make your workplace more inclusive
• Learn how these experiential learning experiences could be implemented at your organization