November Connector: Solutions Summit Recap
Workforce Solutions Summit 2022 Recap:
The Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce had a great turnout of employers across the region and excellent information was shared. The keynote speakers and breakout sessions gave employers a chance to share ideas to solve workforce problems and implement changes in the workplace.
Ron Wirtz was the first keynote speaker to start off the summit. He shared data on how the economy of the Mid-West affects how the workforce fluctuates. He gave his audience a chance to answers questions related to every employer’s
individual workforce situation and geared his presentation towards their responses. The biggest problems Ron saw employers struggle with was childcare, retirement, and other life expenses. Those life expenses were dependent on the economy such as inflation
affects and the overall state of the economy. Since Inflation is going up and the economy is entering a recession, workforce members are struggling to keep up with life expenses while being a productive workforce member.
A comment the chamber got on the summit was,
“Excellent keynote speaker – Ron was very informative!”
After Ron’s presentation, the first breakout session occurred which gave the attending employers the opportunity to go to different presentations on specific topics related to workforce. These presentations were designed to share important solutions to specific workforce problems. One of breakout sessions talked about key areas of focus when hiring high school and college students, and how employers can help them find a pathway for their future education and career.
The second keynote speaker was Todd Kuckkahn. Mr. Kuckkahn explained the importance of company culture and how it relates to the workforce. He shared his experience from working in different company cultures and how it’s important to make sure the culture works well for the company mission and vision. Todd explained how it’s also important to keep positive connections between current employees and former employees because you never know when connections will be needed. The questions he said all employers should ask themselves when it comes to addressing their workforce situations are:
How are you developing your next leaders?
What are you doing to promote and grow the right culture?
How are you encouraging connected communication?
Why should someone stay with your organization?
How do you treat your employee alumni?
Todd said if you can answer these questions, you will figure out where your action should be focused.
After Todd’s presentation, lunch was provided to everyone. During lunch, all the presenters were assigned to a table so attendees could speak to them and ask questions related to their area of expertise. During lunch, employers also had a great time to network and share more insight on workforce problems and the next steps that could be taken in their company.
The chamber was also informed that,
“Great presenters. I was truly impressed with their level of engagement and knowledge.”
After Lunch, the second break out session occurred, which gave employers another opportunity to learn more about solutions and key takeaways to help solve more problems related to workforce. One of the presentations during the second breakout session was about resources available for employers to find qualified talent.
We were glad to hear that the employers who attended thought,
“Speakers with data were amazing. So many great action items that I took away for my company.”
The final presentation for the summit was a fire side chat with all the employers in attendance. This presentation was on childcare resources and solutions. One of the biggest struggles for employees, especially those with young children, is finding childcare options. Childcare is tough because of the cost and the space available at facilities. When employers take the time to understand what struggles their employees are enduring, they will create a collaborative culture in their company and avoid problems that can negatively affect their culture in the future.
Thank you everyone who attended, the summit wouldn’t be possible without you!
