Staffing Connect: Session Descriptions

Executive Track

Managing Virtually in Uncertain Times

Mike Jacoutot, founder and managing partner, Butler Street

These are uncertain times; it’s no longer business as usual. Employees (as well as your clients and candidates) are now working from home. How do you effectively manage and motivate employees to focus on the task at hand?

Butler Street has been operating 100% virtually since its inception, making it the ideal organization to help leaders manage virtually as effectively as possible while preparing for post-Covid-19 realities. What will the industry look like when this is over? Jacoutot will address this question and many others.

He also will share insights on:

• Communication best practices
• Managing performance and accountability
• Leveraging the power of teamwork
• Balancing autonomy with responsibility
• Building a stronger, more engaged organization

Producer Track

Strategies for Staying Top-of-Mind With Candidates, Clients, and Corporate Employees

Rachel Modrak, Staffing eTrainer

Want to know the best way to stay top-of-mind with your candidates, clients, and corporate employees when you can’t meet face-to-face? The answer is simple: provide them with something they need and want. However, you must have sound operational strategies in place to succeed.

This session will deliver strategies to provide value and increase engagement during these uncertain times that will pay off in the long term. Emerge well-positioned for the inevitable “bounce back” to better times.

Modrak will lead the discussion on how to

• Develop a sound plan
• Leverage communication and technology
• Provide useful information and resources
• Build meaningful relationships virtually

Executive Track

Cracking the Culture Code Through Covid

Kelly Merbler, principal, The Kelly Merbler Co.

A strong culture is not easy to create during “normal” work circumstances and even harder through crisis. During a time of disruption, organizations need a plan to ensure they continue to create a work experience that is unique and valued by employees. When purpose and values are aligned on the front lines, it will impact performance and the bottom line.

Leaders set the tone by creating cultures of innovation, collaboration, and empowerment, and adopting an innovative approach to developing talent and aligning everyone on the team with what they do best.

When executive leadership understands that it’s not just about talent acquisition, but talent activation, the ROI speaks for itself.

Merbler will lead the discussion on

• How executive initiatives can play a significant role in employee engagement, growth, and company branding.
• How to lead and inspire remote teams so they want to work harder for you.
• How you can lead strategically by bringing to life your company’s values and building a culture of accountability to drive business initiatives.
• How developing a strengths-based culture can result in high performance that impacts the bottom line.

Producer Track

Crisis Communication Do’s and Don’ts

Linda Sasser, CEO, Impacting Leaders

Effective communication is a top challenge of nearly all companies in good times. Add in the uncertainty and fear that accompanies a worldwide pandemic, and the ability to communicate effectively with all stakeholders is more important than ever.

In this session, staffing professionals—including recruiters, marketers, branch managers, account reps, and more—will learn about proven tactics that will enable them to

• Communicate confidently amid uncertainty
• Quickly adapt their communication efforts to reach all stakeholders
• Understand what fellow employees, clients, and other associates need from them during challenging times

Participate in this lively session, make connections with other staffing professionals, and gain the knowledge you need to succeed right now in the months ahead.

Executive Track

Staffing in a Covid-19 World: A Look at Health Care Response Trends, Lessons Learned, and What Lies Ahead

Shane Jackson, president, Jackson Healthcare

The past and present impact of Covid-19 has fundamentally changed our professional and personal lives in ways we never imagined—from quarantining and sheltering in place; to remote work, furloughs and job loss; to mobilizing health care professionals to hotspots to help those in critical need. This session will provide key insights into what Covid-19 health care professional mobilization has looked like in the most heavily hit areas of our country—including Washington, DC, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, and Georgia—with interactive maps that provide a view into how staffing has evolved over the course of the response. Attendees also will hear about trends, best practices, and lessons learned along the way, as well as what likely lies ahead with the return of elective surgeries, an expected rise in behavioral and mental health needs, the ongoing and important role that telehealth plays, and other mid- and long-term projections for the staffing industry.

Producer Track

Confidence and the Self-Promotion Gap

Carol Sankar, founder, The Confidence Factor for Women

The vast majority of women leaders (69%) avoid promoting and celebrating their achievements, according to a recent study published by Forbes. According to the research, women instead have been conditioned to admire and promote the successes of other women—at the cost of spotlighting their own. This self-promotion gap creates a negative effect when women attempt to seek a promotion, start a business, land a new client or contract, or move into the c-suite. In a recent op-ed, “Brag More,” Carol Sankar discusses this double standard of modesty. The article and analysis aim to help women become more confident, take pride in their accomplishments, and constructively and effectively promote themselves as they seek growth opportunities and success. During this session, Sankar will discuss why self-promotion is essential to the careers of women, how to eliminate the stigma around perceived arrogance, how self-promotion builds confidence and increase recognizable value in the workplace, and how to leverage achievements to negotiate for more and increase your value.