I love creating wrap up posts and blogs after events. It was fun to reflect on the whirlwind of a week that SHRM22 in New Orleans was. Here it goes!
For starters, SHRM21 in Las Vegas was so special to me, and will probably always be my favorite annual conference ever. After the 2020 conference was cancelled, the reunion of friends and being back in my conference element was incredible and so energizing. I also got to speak on the annual conference stage for the first time, and participate in a panel with my fellow SHRM EPAC (Emerging Professional Advisory Council) members sharing our insights about growing in our HR careers. This EPAC crew was the team that I had joined with in 2020 and we gelled so well and had a blast during that panel. (You can find my SHRM21 wrap up blog post here!)
I’m so grateful to have been part of the SHRM Blogger/Influencer team for my fourth annual conference in a row. This group is all passionate about learning, sharing and connecting and it’s so much fun to work together to put out SHRM blog content, content on our own blogs, Tweets and other posts to help the broader #HRCommunity prepare for the conference and get the most out of it while they are there. Thank you Michele Wood and SHRM for the opportunity to participate on the #SHRM22Influencer team!
Speaking highlights:
Thank you to Dr Vernon Williams, Kevin Abbed, and Jeanne Morris, SHRM staff who afforded me the amazing opportunities to speak and share my insight and passion at the conference this year! Sunday morning I co-presented conference orientation and I love this opportunity to help attendees get prepared for the next 4 days of fun. Orientation is a great time to make new friends and get a better understanding of what to expect during the conference. I remember attending my first annual conference in 2018, and orientation was so important to me and helpful, so I love being able to help my fellow #HRCommunity attendees prepare and get more comfortable. What’s particularly special to me, is being able to share my passion of connecting, posting and engaging intentionally, and how to do it during the conference, with orientation attendees. It’s really a dream come true to talk about what I love to bring HR Pros closer together. We need each other and are better together!
On Wednesday, my virtual session aired on “Jumpstart Your Career: Advice for Students and Early Career HR Professionals” which was part of the student track. I was able to log in to the virtual platform and engage in the chat with attendees during my session which was so much fun. I love being in good company with other HR EPs who want to learn, grow, and make a difference! It was so much fun to see the LinkedIn connection requests come through from those who had watched the session and wanted to share what they learned. This session covered how to advance your career, gain credibility, and tools and best practices to differentiate yourself from other candidates in the job search. I will always work hard to elevate and uplift the next generation of HR leaders.
Session highlights:
My favorite keynote session was with Arianna Huffington and her research/focus on mental health. Here were my three favorite parts of her session.
- I loved her comment about organizations conducting “entry interviews” where they would ask new employees, “what is important to you outside of work and how can we support you with that?” Whether it’s taking your kid to school, caring for an elderly family member, attending a workout class. Employers supporting their people with what’s important to them can really cut down on stress, burnout and anxiety. This is something I keep in mind as a manager, and ensure I support my team with doing what’s important to them because their happiness as a person comes first.
- She also focused a lot on gratitude and the power that an have on improving mental health and keep you moving forward. For a while I kept a journal and wrote down something I was grateful for everyday. I’ve gotten out of the habit this year, and this session inspired me to get back to it. It really is a small habit that helps positively change your perspective over time.
- The last thing during this session that was really impactful to me was the topic of keystone habits. A keystone habit is one habit that once you master it, other habits become easier. She learned that hers was sleep. Once she improved her sleep, sleeping longer and getting better sleep, it was easier to cut sugar. She realized she craved less sugar when she wasn’t tired… and when you’re not tired, you’re less irritable and make better decisions. She cracked me up talking about tucking your phone in at night – get a little bed and blanket for your phone, tuck it in at night, say goodnight to it and then get into your own bed lol.
And remember, life is a dance between making it happen and letting it happen.
Steve Browne is always so wonderful. I attended his session on Monday. Steve always speaks the truth – we are all burned out. There are more people now leaving HR than coming into the HR profession… because they want to get away from working with people. It can be really draining for sure. Every day people ask us in HR for directions and input. There is usually not one clear path because we are all different. This got me thinking about how in HR, what we can do best is care for our people. Ask how they’re doing, ask how we can help, ask if there’s anything they want to talk through. Bringing empathy and compassion to each conversation helps us keep moving forward. And let’s do this for each other HR… because we are all fighting fatigue, burn out, and lack of direction.
Other special moments:
Meeting Daniel Horgan in person! Daniel is such an amazing speaker and facilitator, and he presented some amazing material on mentoring during his Monday session, Mentorship Matters. I’m grateful he included me to share my experiences for a few minutes during the session. I’ve really enjoyed being a mentor in the SHRM Foundation’s mentoring program cohorts so far in 2022. (If you’re interested in being a mentor or mentee, check out more info here!)
I tweeted throughout the conference using my hashtag #ClaireShares – check out my Tweets with my session take-a-ways here!
So many fun meet-ups and selfies took place – thank you to everyone who joined in the fun with me! Visit my #SHRM22 photo album here.
If you have any questions about attending the annual conference, why you should go, how to prepare and get the most out of it, or anything else, please reach out to me! I’ll see you at #SHRM23 back in Las Vegas, June 11th-14th. This will be my third annual conference in Vegas and I’m PUMPED! It’s been my favorite place to have it so far!
Claire Stroh Petrie, MBA, PHR, SHRM-CP, is an HR Practitioner in Buffalo, NY. She has used LinkedIn, Twitter, and networking to build her personal brand and uncover new opportunities for herself and the companies she’s worked for. She’s passionate about helping other professionals do the same! Claire has many years of successively diverse human resources management experience with privately-owned and publicly-traded global leaders. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in HR from the University at Buffalo and an MBA from Niagara University. She is an active member and blogger for SHRM, and also a member of SHRM’s Young Professional Advisory Council (YPAC). She serves as the Professional Development Director on the Buffalo Niagara Human Resources Association (BNHRA) Board of Directors, a Board Member and Camp Counselor for Empower Camp, and is an Organizer for DisruptHR Buffalo.
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