Even the most well-intentioned workplaces can harbor hidden gender bias—in hiring decisions, performance reviews, employee development, team dynamics, or everyday conversations. For HR professionals, the responsibility isn’t just to recognize bias when it surfaces, but to build systems, practices, and cultures that actively reduce it.

Our goal for this HR Lunch Bunch discussion is to explore how gender bias shows up in subtle ways, how it influences employee experience and equity, and what HR professionals can do to address it. Through real-world examples and thought-provoking questions, participants will reflect on how policies, practices, and people processes can either reinforce or disrupt bias.

This session is not about blame—it’s about awareness, curiosity, and action. Join us to sharpen your lens, learn from your peers, and walk away with practical insights you can apply immediately to foster fairness and inclusion in your organization. Gender Bias in the Workplace is Not Always Intentional, But Always Impactful!

In today’s fast-paced workplace, burnout is a growing concern that can impact morale, productivity, and employee retention. This program is designed to help leaders and organizations create a culture that actively prevents burnout and fosters long-term engagement and well-being.

Participants:

- Identify the root causes of burnout by examining workplace factors such as workload, lack of control, unclear expectations, and insufficient support.
- Recognize early warning signs of burnout in themselves and their teams, including physical, emotional, and behavioral indicators.
- Discover strategies to build individual resilience through self-care, time management, and stress-reduction techniques.
- Develop organizational strategies to prevent burnout, including creating balanced workloads, fostering open communication, and promoting a supportive workplace culture.
- Learn to implement proactive leadership practices that prioritize employee well-being and engagement.
- Explore real-world examples and tools to sustain a burnout-resistant culture in diverse workplace environments.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month—a perfect time to spotlight the importance of mental health in the workplace. This is a dynamic discussion on how Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) can provide meaningful support for employees while promoting a healthier, more productive workplace.

We’re excited to welcome Michelle Martin from Canopy, who guides us through an in-depth look at EAPs, including their benefits, emerging trends, and common myths. We also explore real-world challenges and celebrate successes in implementing these vital programs.

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Layoffs are one of the most challenging scenarios for any organization and one of the most difficult set of responsibilities an HR professional faces. Whether due to economic downturns, restructuring, or operational shifts, handling layoffs requires thoughtful planning, clear communication, and legal awareness to minimize impact on both departing and remaining employees.

We share and discuss practical strategies for navigating layoffs with transparency, empathy, and compliance while also maintaining morale and engagement within your organization. We discuss best practices, legal considerations, and post-layoff recovery to ensure that HR professionals are well-equipped to support employees through this difficult process.

Our key discussion areas include:

- Planning for a Layoff: Strategic considerations before, during, and after the announcement
- Legal & Compliance Considerations: WARN Act, severance, documentation, and risk management
- Delivering the Message: Conducting layoff conversations with empathy and professionalism
- Supporting Employees & Managers: Resources, outplacement, and emotional impact
- Post-Layoff Workforce Management: Rebuilding trust and engagement with remaining employees

As state and federal legislation continues to reshape the pay transparency model, HR professionals play a critical role in fostering open communication around compensation. During our time together we explore what you are doing in this area, what questions you have, and the expectations employees now have. We cover how organizations can adapt their policies and practices to align with current trends, from job postings and hiring strategies to addressing wage gaps and promoting pay equity.

We specifically discuss:

-The increasing demand for pay transparency and its implications for HR professionals like yourself
-Explore the benefits, challenges, and best practices for creating a culture of openness around compensation
-Pay equity and address wage gaps to build trust and fairness in your workplace

When leaders want to proactively create a culture that prioritizes well-being, they need to go about it in a holistic way. All too often, we see leaders thinking the work is done if they have a wellness program in place.

In order for leadership to make wellness a part of their culture and values, they need to communicate it in three areas: Permission, Policy, and Programs. Come explore these three pillars and uncover ways your organization could round out their approach to employee well-being through the lens culture.

This session was facilitated by Danielle Dinkelman, MBA, NBC-HWC. Danielle is the Co-founder and CEO from ACW Coaching.

As we look ahead to 2025, employee learning and development (L&D) are set to be at the forefront of organizational priorities. A recent HR and L&D survey shows that leadership development will be the number one focus, with 26% of respondents identifying it as their top priority. At the same time, the lack of growth opportunities is predicted to be the leading factor driving turnover in the coming year.

Our discussion explores the key trends impacting L&D, including:

Leadership Development: Strategies to nurture and grow effective leaders
Career Growth and Retention: How clear career development opportunities can attract and retain top talent
Combating Employee Burnout: Addressing the challenges of high workloads, unclear expectations, and change fatigue
Peer Learning and Mentoring: The growing importance of workshops, mentor programs, and social learning for employee development

This is an engaging conversation on how HR professionals can align their L&D strategies with these emerging priorities to foster employee growth, reduce turnover, and build stronger teams in 2025.

This session is facilitated by Deborah Jeffries, SHRM-CP, PHR, CPC. Deborah is Vice President at HR Answers, Inc.

Resilience is our ability to bounce back from the stressors of life. It’s not about avoiding the stress but learning to thrive within the stress.

Resilience is typically defined as the capacity to recover from difficult life events. Resilience is a special skill because it is also defined by outlook and response. It is an adaptive mode of thinking which has to be developed gradually, alongside techniques for improving one’s initial response to something bad or unwanted.

We use the five pillars of resiliency to discuss ideas for building one’s own resilience both individually and within the workplace. We also explore developing a personal resiliency plan.

Whether it is new compliance concerns or trends that HR needs to be aware of, there are so many challenges and opportunities going on for HR right now. AI is definitely one of those hot topics and transformational resources we can use to aid us in the work we do from:

- Recruitment & Onboarding
- Employee Engagement & Retention
- Training & Development
- Performance Management
- Workplace Analytics
- Offboarding and More

So, we are talking about these things and more. How is AI being used in workplaces? What other resources are being used to make the work easier or aiding in being more effective?

For many people, the topic of menopause has been considered taboo, leaving individuals who experience menopause to quietly manage symptoms out of fear of ageism or bias. However, those going through menopause are the fastest-growing demographic in the workplace. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), individuals of menopausal age make up nearly 30% of the labor force.

Employers must recognize the importance of supporting individuals through this life stage. Individuals in their 40s and 50s, who often experience menopausal symptoms, are typically among your most experienced and knowledgeable leaders. They bring invaluable wisdom, serve as mentors, and drive organizational success. By normalizing the conversation around menopause, employers can offer tailored benefits and flexibility that help retain this vital talent.

Additionally, there is a significant gap in menopause management within healthcare, with many individuals left to navigate their symptoms alone. A lack of training in family medicine and OB/GYN practices means that too many people go untreated or feel that nothing can be done. Meaning they are on their own to experiment with what, whom, and where they can find to help.

This discussion explores how employers can better support menopausal individuals and highlight the mutual benefits of creating a more inclusive and understanding workplace.

How have you promoted DEI in your Workplace? What strategies, tips or challenges have you found?

Employee engagement and trust don’t just happen; actions have to be intentional. Employees want to work for an organization that does the right thing. Employees want a feeling of being connected to co-workers, feeling safe, valued, and that the work they do matters.

Time and time again we have heard the importance of having a broad array of experiences, thought processes, and perspectives will help our marketing, product sales, customer interaction, employee engagement, and more. These are REAL benefits for our employees, and yes business too, making this topic an employer necessity.

We discuss a couple of key questions:

-What does workplace diversity look like to you and how does it contribute to organizational success?
-How do you think cultural competence and sensitivity can be fostered in the workplace?
-How can diversity in leadership teams positively impact organizational culture and decision-making processes?