The way we approach work is changing before our eyes. Technological advances, demographic shifts and new perspectives on the employee/employer relationship have led to a major cultural shift when it comes to the workforce. The Workforce Executive Council Virtual Summit will convene WEC members to discuss key program themes, including the future of work, employee engagement and talent development, and diversity and inclusion.
Chief human resource officers, diversity and inclusion leaders, and top talent and benefits executives often are the guardians of a company’s culture. They face a delicate balancing act, and the stakes are high. The role of the HR executive never has been more challenging — and the opportunities more exciting. As corporations and financial markets place more value on human capital concerns like stakeholder capitalism, corporate culture and jobs of the future, it’s clear that senior Human Resources Officers will be central to redefining how businesses survive and thrive in the next era.
To be the agent of change in these complex times, the right tools and resources are needed. The WEC is the unparalleled resource for senior HR executives, equipping them with the information and network necessary to succeed in today’s business environment. The WEC is a community of members from a wide range of industries with access to exclusive private events, intimate peer-to-peer networking, professional development, and news and information products tailored uniquely for them.
Learn more about the council here.
Dr. Joseph G. Allen is an associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, director of Harvard’s Healthy Buildings Program and coauthor of a landmark book, Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity, which was named a Fortune magazine Best Book of the Year in 2020. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Allen has served as commissioner of The Lancet Covid-19 Commission and Chair of its Task Force of Safe Work, Safe Schools, and Safe Travel.
An internationally renowned expert and sought-after adviser, Dr. Allen has authored over eighty peer-reviewed scientific papers—including in such journals as JAMA, Science, and The Lancet—and is a regular contributor to the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal.
Masheika Allgood is an AI Ethicist and the founder of AllAI Consulting, LLC, a platform for providing AI education across various industries to people with non-tech and non-AI backgrounds. The company's goal is to create an AI literate society, allowing citizens from all walks of life to feel comfortable engaging in discussions on the use of AI technology in their lives and communities. Before founding AllAI Consulting, Masheika founded and led the AI Ethics Workgroup at NVIDIA. She is passionate about purpose-driven design, empowering the everyday activist, and building AI educational materials that are accessible to all. Masheika holds a Masters in International Business from Florida International University, a Juris Doctorate from Florida State University, and an LL.M in Litigation and Dispute Resolution from the George Washington University School of Law.
Jared Bernstein is a Member of The White House Council of Economic Advisers
Nick Bloom is a Professor of Economics at Stanford University. He has been researching working from home for almost 20 years. He has been heavily involved with policy, including meeting President Obama, and speaking in the 2014 Working Families Summit. He gave a 2017 TedX talk on working from home, has consulted with 100s of CEOs and managers, and has been covered extensively in national and international media.
2:00pm ET
WELCOME REMARKS
Tyler Mathisen, CNBC “Power Lunch” Co-Anchor and Vice President, Events Strategy
There are plenty of reasons for the current labor crunch: a widening skills gap, slowing immigration, increased retirements, child-care challenges and a broad re-evaluation of life purpose to name a few. But, even if we vaguely understand how we got here, the path forward remains murky.
Betsey Stevenson is a professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan and the former chief economist at the US Department of Labor. She’ll tackle the root causes of the current crisis and how the public and private sectors can partner to create lasting change.
Betsey Stevenson, University of Michigan Professor of Public Policy, Professor of Economics
Interviewer: Sara Eisen, CNBC “Closing Bell” Co-Anchor
With the pandemic winding down Hybrid Work models have emerged as the solution for employers looking to retain knowledge workers who proved extraordinarily productive while WFH (working from home); value the related quality of life gains; and recognize their added leverage during a red-hot labor market. But choosing Hybrid means introducing endless variables and new challenges.
Stanford University Economics Professor Nicholas A. Bloom has delved deep into the risks and rewards of these new arrangements and will help workforce executives avoid hidden pitfalls while unlocking the promise of our post-covid world.
Nicholas Bloom, Stanford University Professor of Economics
Interviewer: Dominic Chu, CNBC Senior Markets Correspondent
The return to offices must be paired with cultural changes to acknowledge the many ways we’ve all been affected by a historic global pandemic. So says Yale School of Management Senior Lecturer Heidi Brooks. Through strategic communications, equity and belonging initiatives, and thoughtful support of middle managers, Brooks believes senior leaders can capitalize on this moment to drive sustainable success.
Heidi Brooks, Yale School of Management Senior Lecturer in Organizational Behavior
Interviewer: Sharon Epperson, CNBC Senior Personal Finance Correspondent
From vaccine mandates to wage increases to supply chain solutions, the Biden administration is heavily engaged in business affairs.
White House advisor Jared Bernstein, a member of the Council of Economic Advisers, will share President Biden’s views on how business leaders can partner with the administration to navigate the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Jared Bernstein, White House Council of Economic Advisers Member
Interviewer: Kayla Tausche, CNBC Senior White House Correspondent
3:05pm ET
While AI has been valuable when it comes to finding potential candidates, without human intervention, it is easy for algorithms used in the recruiting process to reproduce bias from the real world. As the need for new hires continues to grow more organizations are adopting this tech, but how do you make sure your use of recruiting tools doesn’t limit the DE&I you strive to achieve? AllAI Consulting, LLC Founder Masheika Allgood shares what you should be looking for in your recruitment technology today over what is promised in the future, and how to examine insights from the lens of decision augmentation, instead of decision making.
Masheika Allgood, AllAI Consulting Founder
Interviewer: Kate Rogers, CNBC Restaurant and Small Business Correspondent
Sponsored and programmed by Alight
The Great Resignation is real—the pandemic has pushed wellbeing to the top of the priority list. Employees are eager for an opportunity to thrive at work, have benefits that matter to their unique circumstances, and secure a financial future they can feel good about. They will keep looking until they find what they need. This discussion will focus on ways employers can personalize their teams’ benefits experience and improve employee wellbeing while retaining a motivated and productive workforce.
Alison Borland, Alight EVP, Wealth Solutions and Strategy
Interviewer: Devin Banerjee, LinkedIn Editor at Large
Watch the full interview
3:30pm ET
As the vaccine mandate deadline looms, it is likely that you and your teams are scrambling to fully understand legalities and loopholes and challenges, all while trying to keep your workforce safe, and engaged. Lawrence O. Gostin is University Professor, Georgetown University’s highest academic rank, and Founding O’Neill Chair in Global Health Law. He directs the World Health Organization Center on National and Global Health Law. He is working with the WHO on the global COVID-19 response, including impacts on the health workforce and international migration. He’ll share his legal insights on the upcoming vaccine mandates and what employers need to consider and plan for next.
Lawrence O. Gostin, Georgetown University Professor, Founding O’Neill Chair in Global Health Law; World Health Organization Center on National and Global Health Law Director
Interviewer: Contessa Brewer, CNBC Correspondent
Chances are you have thought more about indoor air quality in the past 18 months than in your entire pre-pandemic life. In addition to health and safety, you may need to consider employee productivity and work quality when asking the question “are we doing enough?”
We speak to a Harvard scientist whose research may shock you.
Joseph Allen, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Associate Professor and Harvard Healthy Buildings Program Director
Interviewer: Meg Tirrell, CNBC Senior Health & Science Reporter
The lighthouse effect is simple: any of us can pause and change the life of another. It’s likely that many of you went into the HR field to make a difference. The strain of the past two years may have dimmed the light. WEC member, Steve Pemberton, Chief Human Experience Officer of Workhuman and author of “The Lighthouse Effect: How Ordinary People Can Have an Extraordinary Impact in the World” shares his thoughts on how to light the way.
Steve Pemberton, Workhuman Chief Human Experience Officer
Interviewer: Sharon Epperson, CNBC Senior Personal Finance Correspondent
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About Alight Solutions
With an unwavering belief that a company’s success starts with its people, Alight Solutions is a leading cloud-based provider of integrated digital human capital and business solutions. Leveraging proprietary AI and data analytics, Alight optimizes business process as a service (BPaaS) to deliver superior outcomes for employees and employers across a comprehensive portfolio of services. Alight allows employees to enrich their health, wealth and work while enabling global organizations to achieve a high-performance culture. Alight’s 15,000 dedicated colleagues serve more than 30 million employees and family members. Learn how Alight helps organizations of all sizes, including over 70% of the Fortune 100 at alight.com.