No slides, no set agenda—just real talk and real solutions. In this interactive unconference session, you set the topics. Bring your biggest challenges or burning questions and collaborate with peers who have been in your shoes. Whether you're seeking fresh ideas, feedback, or simply a sounding board, this dynamic session is designed to foster open dialogue, collective problem-solving, and actionable takeaways.
Work doesn’t work like it used to.
For most of us, work has been designed around a centralized, often physical, structure. Employees commuted to office spaces, tackled a list of prescribed tasks, and aimed to climb the corporate ladder—with tenure and titles as the ultimate markers of success.
Today, work is fundamentally different. Remote work has become the norm. Employees are more likely to set their own tasks, and few have a desire to climb the traditional corporate ladder, preferring to create their own “ladder” instead. As work evolves, so must the roles of Total Rewards and HR professionals. They now face the challenge—and opportunity—of adapting to this shifting landscape and develop new approaches to respond, react, and reset work in this new context. Employees expect more from their employers than ever before. This moment demands innovative approaches to elevate employee experiences and help organizations thrive.
Let’s explore the current world of work and uncover actionable strategies for Total Rewards and HR professionals to lead confidently into the future of work.
A well-designed pay equity analysis does more than identify and address disparities by gender, race/ethnicity, or other protected characteristics—it also sheds light on what your organization truly values and rewards. In this session, we’ll take a deep dive into Wage Influencing Factors (WIFs), the compensable factors that help explain differences in employee pay. We’ll explore how to identify the right WIFs (hint: it starts with your compensation philosophy) and how to evaluate whether your organization’s pay practices align with its stated values and objectives.
You’ll walk away with a clearer understanding of how to:
- Identify the Wage Influencing Factors that reflect your organization’s compensation philosophy
- Interpret analysis results to uncover what your organization actually rewards
- Detect and address misalignments between your pay practices and your stated philosophy
Brought to you by: Trusaic
AI is no longer a future concept—it’s here. But how do you actually put it to work in HR and Total Rewards? At Resideo, we’ve been exploring that question firsthand. From launching AskRiCK, our internal AI chatbot, to using generative video tools to explain complex programs, our team has taken bold steps—and hit a few bumps—on the road to more efficient, employee-friendly HR support.
In this interactive discussion, we’ll share our lessons learned: what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what we’re still figuring out. Topics will include how to get started with AI (even on a tight budget), governance and risk management, internal adoption strategies, and real-life use cases across compensation, benefits, and communications.
This session is designed to be a two-way exchange. Come ready to share your experiences, ideas, and challenges—we’re all navigating this shift together.
Key Takeaways
- Practical insights from Resideo’s AI implementation journey
- Common pitfalls in launching AI tools—and how to avoid them
- Use cases for AI in benefits, compensation, and employee communications
- Ideas for using chatbots, video, and generative content to simplify Total Rewards
- Peer-driven discussion on what’s working (and what isn’t) across industries
Join us for an interactive roundtable discussion where industry peers come together to navigate the ever-changing landscape of labor and employment regulations. This engaging session offers a unique opportunity to share insights, ask questions, and explore strategies for compliance and adaptation in a collaborative setting. Gain diverse perspectives, exchange best practices, and leave with actionable takeaways to help your organization stay ahead in an evolving regulatory environment. Come ready to participate, connect, and contribute to the conversation!
As seasoned professionals approach retirement, organizations face both a challenge and an opportunity. How can companies design retirement provisions that not only honor long-tenured employees but also encourage the thoughtful transfer of institutional knowledge? This roundtable will explore creative approaches to aligning retirement programs with succession planning, ensuring that valuable expertise is passed on while opening pathways for emerging leaders. Join the conversation to share practices, uncover new strategies, and discuss how benefits, culture, and leadership development intersect in preparing the next generation.
Unlock the power of personalized benefits communication and watch employee engagement soar. In this inspiring session, Jennifer Taffaro, Director of Benefits, Ochsner Health and Guy Westermeyer, President, Westcomm, shares real-world lessons from Ochsner Health’s transformation to tailored, data-driven messaging. You’ll gain insider insights, smart strategies, and best practices for segmenting your audience and making your benefits communications more relevant—and more effective. Walk away with fresh, actionable ideas to personalize your approach and steer clear of common missteps that stall progress.
Key Takeaways
- Learn how tailoring benefit communications using personalized data significantly boosts employee engagement and satisfaction.
- Understand the importance of segmenting communication materials to deliver more relevant and impactful messages.
In today’s relentless professional landscape, excellence is expected, pressure is constant, and the margin for error is razor-thin. High-performing professionals are not just managing tasks—they’re navigating high-stakes decisions, emotional turbulence, and the invisible weight of leadership. Yet, the traditional support systems—coaching or therapy in isolation—often fall short of addressing the full complexity of their needs.
What if we’re asking our best people to operate like elite athletes, but without the integrated support systems elite athletes rely on?
In this provocative and practical talk, we’ll explore the critical gap between mental health and performance optimization—and why bridging it is no longer optional.
This is not just a conversation about surviving stress—it’s a call to reimagine how we support those we count on most. Because when high-performers thrive, everyone rises.
You’ll discover:
- Why high-achievers are silently burning out despite appearing successful.
- The hidden costs of fragmented support—and how they impact performance, retention, and well-being.
- A new model of integrated support that combines psychological resilience, cognitive clarity, and performance strategy.
- Actionable steps leaders, organizations, and professionals can take to build sustainable, high-impact performance cultures
Brought to you by: R3 Continuum
Although it has been well-established that meaningful rewards can boost employee engagement and performance–and despite employers spending nearly $200 billion annually on rewards and recognition—less than half of employees feel valued at work. In this session, Brie Harvey, the Head of Market Research for Achievers Workforce Institute will share insights from their 2025 State of Recognition Report, explore the evolving landscape of employee rewards, and uncover the most common reasons why many well-intended investments in traditional rewards programs fall flat and fail to drive cultural and behavioral outcomes.
Key Takeaways
- Discover the top reasons traditional rewards programs often fail to drive engagement
- Explore new data on what meaningful recognition looks like in 2025
- Identify strategies to align recognition with your company’s culture and business goals
- Learn how to build a high-impact recognition program that improves retention and performance
Brought to you by: Achievers
Every day across your company, managers, recruiters, and HR business partners make pay decisions. From offers to adjustments and everything in between. And these decentralized, discretionary choices are constantly impacting your compensation strategy in ways you can’t easily see. You know that well-meaning flexibility can lead to wasted budget, inequity, or compliance risk. But what’s the answer? Clamping down with more controls? You could, but what if you could learn from decision-making patterns in real-time to inform better pay decisions?
In this Big Ideas session, experts in compensation analytics and responsible AI will introduce a new way to think about pay decision-making – one that turns ambiguity into clarity. You’ll explore how modern compensation leaders are using AI-powered analytics to illuminate where discretion happens, when it helps, and how to make it more consistent, explainable, and aligned with business strategy.
You’ll walk away with the ability to:
- Understand why decentralized pay discretion can be a driver of waste and unintended pay inequities
- Learn how real-time compensation analytics help HR leaders stay ahead of market shifts
- Evaluate responsible AI solutions that unlock insight without sacrificing flexibility
This isn’t about removing discretion. It’s about making it smarter with transparency, structure, and intelligence.
Brought to you by: Syndio
As AI rapidly transforms the HR and compensation landscape, professionals are increasingly called upon to do more than analyze data—they must communicate it with impact. In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore the human side of our evolving field: storytelling, influence, and presence.
Together, we’ll discuss how to elevate your communication skills to lead conversations, build trust, and inspire action—skills that remain irreplaceable in an AI-driven world. Whether you're sharing insights with stakeholders or presenting to leadership, your ability to deliver a clear, compelling message can make all the difference.
Facilitated by a seasoned compensation leader with deep executive experience, this peer exchange will offer practical strategies, real-world scenarios, and shared experiences to help you strengthen your voice—and your value.
Key Takeaways
- Explore how to communicate compensation insights with clarity and impact
- Discuss practical techniques to build confidence and executive presence
- Learn peer-tested strategies for storytelling with data
- Gain tips to improve vocal delivery and body language—no tech required
- Walk away with tools to practice and improve communication skills in your day-to-day role
Promotions shouldn’t feel like a mystery—they should feel earned. At Shutterfly, we set out to build a “Promotion Playbook” that brings structure, transparency, and fairness to internal career moves—from non-exempt to exempt transitions, to stepping into leadership roles, and navigating the critical leap from Senior Manager to Director.
This case study explores how conceptual frameworks are being translated into a practical tool that supports HR business partners as they guide leaders through the promotion process. The session will cover key design decisions—such as assessing performance vs. readiness—how criteria flex depending on the type of move, and governance that supports consistency without overcomplicating the process (Guardrails, not Gridlock).
Following a brief overview, the session will shift to open discussion, allowing attendees to compare challenges and crowdsource ideas. Participants will leave with peer-informed insights and early ideas to help shape or refine their own promotion framework.
Key Takeaways
- Identify common pitfalls and first steps in building or refreshing your promotion framework.
- Explore design trade-offs such as competencies vs. outcomes and performance, vs. potential.
- Governance approaches for high-impact moves—like the Senior Manager to Director transition.
- Gain peer insights during an interactive roundtable—what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what to try next.
As we wrap up an incredible event, this closing session will help you connect the dots between key themes, insights, and strategies from the day. Together, we’ll reflect on the most impactful takeaways. Through guided discussion and shared perspectives, you will:
- Identify the most valuable insights from the sessions.
- Define key actions to bring back to your organization.
- Engage with peers to exchange ideas and best practices.
Leave feeling empowered and equipped to apply what you’ve learned, driving real impact in your organization and beyond.