Learn about the future of HR + L&D at the Innovation & Tech Fest Sydney this September
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HR + L&D professionals like you have experienced a significant amount of change over the last few years.
With the continued advent of new HR technologies and the rapidly evolving needs of both new and existing talent, this sector has become vastly different from what it was just a few short years ago.
It has never been more important to ensure you’re always staying
up to date with the latest trends and insights in HR + L&D.
Falling behind on the latest industry updates could have a substantial impact on your career or organisation – particularly at a time when your talent has more options than ever before.
To help, we’ve put together this comprehensive article to explore the latest HR L&D trends and what’s most popular in the HR + L&D industry right now so you can remain at the forefront for years to come.
What’s hot in the HR + L&D industry right now
First and foremost, it’s crucial to recognise that the key to staying at the forefront of the HR + L&D industry is making sure you’re embracing new technologies as they emerge.
Of course, this is made much easier with each edition of the HR + L&D Innovation & Tech Fest held in Sydney each year.
This celebration of all things HR + L&D is uniquely designed to help professionals like you keep across everything that’s going on in
the sector and show you exactly how you can improve the way you
work with the help of new technologies and innovations.
This year, there are several key topics that the event will be focusing on.
These “hot topics” have been specifically curated to provide the solutions you need to the latest challenges you or your organisation may be facing.
These six topics are:
- Developing Leaders & Managers
- Talent Acquisition & Retention: Curating Opportunities for Different Generations of Employees
- Generative AI for HR + L&D
- Diversity, Equality, Inclusion & Belonging
- Future Workforce Skills
- The Evolving Role of Technology in HR + L&D
Let’s break down each one of these topics in more detail to help provide you with a clear overview of what you can expect to hear about and learn at this year’s HR + L&D Innovation & Tech Fest.
Let’s get started.
For more information, check out the 2024 Agenda or the list of speakers at this year’s event on our website.
Topic 1: Developing Leaders & Managers
Every business needs leaders.
More than that, though, the most successful businesses are led by those who know how to inspire their people well and truly get the most out of their teams.
Of course, the success of these leaders all comes down to how
they are taught and trained to lead throughout their careers.
This makes learning and development a key part of every business looking to grow the leaders of tomorrow and dominate their industry. Nowadays, leading and managing is about taking a people-centric approach, focused on effective communication, engagement, empathy and wellbeing.
At this year’s HD + L&D Innovation & Tech Fest, we’re going to hear from Paul Swain, Principal Consultant at Ultimate People, who will be running a Workshop session titled “What HR Professionals Need to Know About Leadership & Development”.
We’ll also hear from Clare Pellegrini, Program Lead – Lead@ANZ at ANZ, who will go into detail about the Lead@ANZ program and how they are developing ANZ’s people leaders across the globe, virtually and at scale.
Topic 2: Talent Acquisition & Retention: Curating Opportunities for Different Generations of Employees
Talent acquisition and retention are a huge part of your role as an HR professional.
Not only is it about finding the right people for each role, but it’s also about making sure that the talent you recruit continues to feel satisfied in their role over time as well.
This means that, as an HR or L&D professional, it’s
important to be able to find and provide great opportunities
for a wide variety of people across different generations.
Modern-day workforces, particularly in sectors such as hospitality, can often span up to six generations – with varying degrees of experience.
This is why it’s so crucial to ensure that you understand the needs of all your people, from the young and eager to learn, all the way up to the older, wiser, more experienced types.
For more on this, check out the Interactive Panel titled “Cross-Generational Workforces, Multi-Generational Inclusion and People Experience” with key experts, Andrea Tham, Gabbi Baus, Sandra Irving and Stuart Mackay.
Likewise, you can also catch Professor Paula Brough, Director of the Centre for Work, Organisation & Wellbeing at Griffith University as she discusses her “Insights to Better Manage Workers of Different Generations” at this year’s HR + L&D Innovation & Tech Fest.
Topic 3: Generative AI for HR + L&D
It’s no secret that Artificial Intelligence is taking over the way we live and work more and more each day – and the HR + L&D sector is no stranger to this new tech.
In particular, Generative AI (GenAI), a subset of AI
technology that refers to systems capable of
autonomously creating new content, has been
taking the HR + L&D industry by storm.
Every day, we’re finding more use cases for this amazing technology in our field, and more organisations are jumping aboard the AI train everywhere we look.
AI and GenAI are now being utilised in every area of HR + L&D, from things as simple as assisting with payroll and data migration to situations as complex as team decision-making to improve performance.
It will come as no surprise, then, that AI, and GenAI in particular, will feature heavily at the HR + L&D Innovation & Tech Fest in Sydney this September.
On day one, you’ll get the opportunity to check out an Interactive Panel session, led by Jemma Hirst, Andrew Komoder, Jay Patel, Penny Beecham and Brendan Hill, discussing “Generative AI Use Cases for L&D Professionals”.
Michael Kim, Head of HR for the JAPAC & SAMEA regions at Spotify, will also be taking the time to answer the question: “How is HR Preparing for the AI Revolution?”
We got the chance to sit down with Michael and ask him more about his thoughts on AI in HR.
First and foremost, Michael told us he’s very excited about the upcoming HR + L&D Innovation & Tech Fest.
“What I love about this conference is that, regardless of what industry or company you work for, we’re all HR, so we’re all connected in that way. To be able to hear all my HR colleagues and peers talk about their insights and what worked and what didn’t, for me, it’s a learning experience.”
Michael says he’ll be discussing the very hot topic of AI in HR. However, rather than showcasing AI tech, he’ll be talking about how HR practitioners can prepare themselves for the AI revolution in a practical manner.
“I talk about it in a way that it’s applicable, regardless of what type of company you work for. You don’t have to be a multi-million-dollar tech company to do what we’ve done. I’ll really talk about the bread and butter of HR and how we align our HR best practices that we’ve always been doing and tweak them to the world of AI.”
He explains that one of the key messages is about letting go of the fear around it and embracing AI to stay ahead of the curve. Whether your AI journey consists of large leaps or small baby steps, moving forward is better than not moving at all.
“The other key message is, as HR leaders, how do we ironically use computer and robotic technology to enable us to be more human? Because what we need more than ever right now is for people to be more human.”
As for his advice on how you can stay ahead of industry trends and remain innovative in HR + L&D with AI?
“To stay innovative is to stay connected, and going to conferences like this and learning from other great minds is a great way to keep ahead of the curve.
But most importantly for me, it’s about taking big and bold bets. Don’t be afraid to fail. The only way we’re going to innovate in HR is if we do things that we’ve never done before.”
Topic 4: Diversity, Equality, Inclusion & Belonging
Never has it been more important than right now to focus on Diversity, Equality, Inclusion (DEI) and Belonging in the workplace.
So much so that the industry now has dedicated
specialists who campaign and push for better policies
to be implemented around DEI across all organisations.
Not only is this issue extremely important from the standpoint that all workers deserve to be treated fairly and inclusively in their workplace, but failure to do so can now easily result in high rates of attrition and difficulty replacing those people as well.
This goes to show just how important DEI is to the public nowadays. No longer are most people willing to “put up with it”. With so many opportunities out there right now, many will simply choose to move on.
To help provide you with a clearer understanding of DEI
and how to implement – and enforce – better workplace policies,
the HR + L&D Innovation & Tech Fest will be hosting
several key discussions and presentations on the topic.
In particular, you’ll hear from Mark Nielsen on “Confronting Unpleasant Truths About Diversity: Unpacking Your Privilege”.
You’ll also get the opportunity to attend an Interactive Panel session on “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion” with Jebowa La Rosa, Chris Matkaris and Sharon Gray.
To help get you excited, we spoke with Sharon to hear more about the panel and the importance of diversity and inclusion in Australia.
As a panellist, Sharon says her focus will be on the conversation around intersectionality, as well as how people can be their authentic selves at work, whether that’s to do with their cultural background, the community they belong to, how they identify or something else.
“Australia is a very multicultural country. I’m a First Nations person myself, working within this space and driving this within sight of my company, so sharing that is quite important.”
“There’s also the social value of what diversity and inclusion brings within this discussion as well.”
When it comes to the relevance of diversity in HR, Sharon says it’s important to be open, receptive, welcoming and respectful to others.
By opening our minds to a wider group of societies and communities, we’re actually finding great talent, and this melting pot of ideas is where innovation occurs.
She gave us an example in her own company:
“Looking at our pipeline of female talent that comes through, we have a partnership with a programme called Career Seekers that supports migrants and refugees within sight of this country to get Australian industry work experience.
So that pipeline of talent, that’s where I’m finding female engineers.”
Ultimately, she says this allows us to look at the world through a different lens.
So, how does Sharon think HR professionals can stay up to date with diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging?
“I’m going to be cheeky… attend this conference to begin with. You’re in a room full of practitioners and that’s where it all begins, with a conversation.”
“Have a yarn, meet some people, listen to their stories. Through that, you become part of a network where ongoing conversations can be had.”
Her advice for attendees is to work out what it is you want to learn and understand, then make that the top priority as you plan your day at the HR + L&D Innovation & Tech Fest.
“Look at the conversations that are being had and just get involved.”
Topic 5: Future Workforce Skills
Let’s face it – the skills required for employees to successfully fulfil their role in the workplace are going to change dramatically over time, especially with the emergence of new technologies and innovations that continue to evolve the way we work.
For those of you in learning and development, this is going to require a significant perspective shift in the sense that you’re now going to need to focus on how humans and technology can work together to complete critical tasks and drive the business forward.
When discussing future workplace skills, it’s important to ensure that your people have a clear understanding of what will be expected of them and how these new skills are going to help them perform their role to help achieve better buy-in.
To help with this, we’ve put together several discussions and
presentations as part of the HR + L&D Innovation & Tech Fest
that revolve around future workforce skills.
Meanwhile, day two will see Fiona Anson, Director of Enterprise Learning Strategy at UTS, deliver a powerful presentation on “Developing a Culture of Continuous Learning”.
We recently spoke with Fiona about her upcoming presentation.
She began by explaining how continuous learning is a daily focus in her role at UTS.
“This is my area of expertise at the university. I look after what we call ‘Enterprise Learning’, or the corporate training arm of UTS.
Corporate training is all about looking at the skills for the future and looking at what organisations need, so my job is to keep my finger on the pulse so we can make sure we’re creating the content and education that organisations need to rapidly upskill their people.”
We asked Fiona to share a preview of what she’ll be discussing at the event.
“I’m going to be talking about how organisations can create a culture of learning.
When you’ve got this rapidly changing environment and people are really busy, how do you make sure that you’ve got continuous learning threaded through their daily work?
Even things like micro-learning, how do we inject those pieces of constant upskilling into an organisation?”
She goes on to tell us that reskilling is just as important as upskilling, especially in a world where technology is rendering more and more jobs obsolete. The ability to reskill is vital for career mobility and agility.
To help attendees get the most out of her presentation, Fiona believes in providing practical information that they can take away to work with.
“I think it’s really important from a speaker’s perspective that we give people practical information. We can’t just keep it high level and point out what’s happening, we need to deliver.
I like to show what a client or organisation did to actually embed continuous learning into their daily operation so that attendees can come away with a plan.”
As for what she believes is the best part about the HR + L&D Innovation & Tech Fest?
“I think it’s really imperative that people in organisations, and not just HR people, but anyone in an organisation, gathers with their peers to understand what other people are doing, because we can all learn from each other.”
“Sometimes the best ideas happen over a coffee at the morning tea stand.”
Topic 6: The Evolving Role of Technology in HR + L&D
From helping you better perform your role to protecting your organisation from the threat of cyber-attacks while operating online, the role of technology in HR + L&D has changed significantly in recent years – and this is only set to continue in the years to come.
For example, in many organisations, we’re already seeing roles that were typically always performed by a human now easily covered by AI technology.
However, it’s important to realise that this isn’t something to be afraid of, rather we need to embrace technology and use it to our advantage.
That’s why, at the HR + L&D Innovation & Tech Fest, you’ll find sessions such as “Unleash the Human Potential of Your Organisation to Ride the Coming Wave of Change”, with Liz Bradford, Managing Director, Wholesale Banking, HSBC.
In this session, Liz will discuss how GenAI is driving the biggest
wave of change we will see in our lifetimes, rendering 30-60%
of jobs redundant and creating 2-3x more jobs that we’re yet
to even conceive – but only if people are willing to embrace this change.
You’ll also get the opportunity to attend an interactive panel with Aman Kaur-Shaik and Silvia Cohen on “Generative AI Use Cases for HR Professionals”.
We caught up with Aman to learn more about what she’ll be discussing in their panel session.
Aman starts by saying she is super excited for the upcoming HR + L&D Innovation & Tech Fest.
“I’m so glad these events are happening, so that we can actually hear from the community. It’s a real experience and a real insight into what we are facing right now.”
“HR and L&D professionals hardly ever come together. That’s why this is my favourite conference.”
She says she’ll be a panel member for AI in HR, which is her favourite topic.
“I’m like a kid in a candy store when it comes to AI – especially GenAI. It has humanised our experience with AI.
It’s not like AI is new, it was always here, but HR and L&D professionals didn’t connect with AI much because it was always geared towards the IT space. But with GenAI, it’s exciting because it’s talking our language and creating content for us.
I’ll be talking about how we shouldn’t fear AI and how we can utilise AI for our space in HR and L&D to help stay relevant and competitive.”
Aman believes that GenAI is akin to Uber, Google or Facebook in its disruption – except in this case, it’s disrupted every sector, not just IT. That’s why it’s so important to embrace AI in HR and L&D.
And how do we do that?
“We have to have a learning mindset. If we are lifelong learners, then we will always be ahead, because we will always be curious about what’s going on in our space and how we can innovate more and incorporate AI into our daily lives.”
As for her advice to attendees to get the most out of the event?
“My advice is to network, share opinions and share experiences.”
“There are still a lot of questions, which means there are still a lot of conversations to be had.”
For more information, check out the 2024 Agenda or the list of speakers at this year’s event on our website.
Get your tickets to the Sydney HR + L&D Innovation & Tech Fest today!
We hope this has got you excited about attending the HR + L&D Innovation & Tech Fest in Sydney on 25-26 September.
Remember, this is the event that is working to drive the industry forward and helping you stay ahead of the game.
So, don’t wait! Get your tickets today!
For more information, visit our website or check out the 2024 HR + L&D Innovation & Tech Fest agenda.
We cannot wait to see you there!