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May 6-8, 2009 -- InterContinental -- Miami, FL

2009 Conference Agenda

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Wednesday, May 06, 2009

08:30 AM - 02:00 PM

PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS

1. Foundations of a Great Place to Work®

This introductory seminar provides an overview of two essential frameworks for understanding the best companies to work for. This workshop is a perfect introduction to the Great Place to Work® Model and methodology including our Trust Index® and Culture Audit© and is ideal for participants wanting to start by developing this core knowledge base. Also, this seminar will examine the motivation and business rationale for investing in creating a great place to work. The workshop includes both individual and group learning experiences designed to help you explore how you can create a great place to work and spotlights the ways other companies have built great workplaces.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the five dimensions of a Great Place to Work® based on the employee experience
  • Deepen your understanding of the nine management practice areas for creating a great workplace
  • Learn several best practices of the Best Companies and those of your peers, and discuss how to apply them to your organization's unique culture
  • Identify opportunities for change in your organization

    Focus Level: Presentation/Interactive - 50%/50%
  • Holly Petroff , Consultant, Great Place to Work® Institute, Inc.

2. Best Practices of the Best Companies - Ideas and Action Plans for your Business from Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work for®

This Workshop will introduce you to Best Practices at FORTUNE's 100 Best Companies to Work for® and the 50 "Best Small & Medium Companies to Work for in America" and teach you not only about the incredible practices and programs they offer to keep employee satisfaction at an all-time high (and turnover at an all-time low!), but how and why these practices work. Our consultants and guest speakers will walk you through exercises and group discussions that will help you uncover which practices can help you create a great place to work at your organization.

Learning Objectives:

  • Review the frameworks for understanding the best companies to work for
  • Learn about a variety of practices and programs at distinguished workplaces
  • Understand how and why those practices work
  • Deepen your understanding of your company's unique culture
  • Improve your existing practices to make them more relevant and rewarding for your employees

    Focus Level: Presentation/Interactive - 25%/75%
  • Marcus Erb , Consultant, Great Place to Work® Institute, Inc.
  • Laurel Smylie , Associate Consultant, Great Place to Work® Institute, Inc.

3. Pre-Conference Workshop: Enabling Managers to create a Great Place to Work®
In your role in  your organization, you may shoulder some of the responsibility for creating a Great Place to Work®.  For better or for worse, you can't do it alone.  A great workplace involves trusting relationships, meaningful work, and a warm and welcoming work environment - much of which must be established, maintained, or reinforced by managers and supervisors.  Join us for an interactive simulation meant to illustrate the role a manager must take in building trust, and the victories and challenges encountered along the way.  You will leave with a clear perspective on how to coach and train managers in this critical role.  And, we will provide you the tools and materials to take the simulation back to your workplace to help your managers understand their role more deeply. 

 

Focus Level: Presentation/Interactive - 20%/80%

  • Jennifer Robin , Consultant, Great Place to Work® Institute, Inc.
  • Lindsay Nelson , Associate Consultant, Great Place to Work® Institute, Inc.

03:00 PM - 03:45 PM

About the Great Place to Work® Trust Model©
Great Place to Work® Institute has been analyzing workplaces for over 25 years. Our time-tested assessment tool is used by thousands of organizations each year to analyze and assess their workplace cultures. Join us to learn how we define and measure great workplaces, what the key drivers of great workplaces are, and the basic business benefits of creating great workplaces. In addition, we will provide some specific data points and best practice examples from our research and assessment of best companies for FORTUNE and SHRM. This session will provide a brief overview of our research and Trust Model©.

Speed Networking
Make connections with other conference attendees in this lively networking session led by Great Place to Work® facilitators. This event will give you a chance to get to know other leaders in your interest group or industry before the official start of the conference.

04:00 PM - 04:45 PM

Welcome and Awards Presentation
Each year, several companies are presented with the Great Place to Work® Award for best practices that contribute to building a great place to work. The Awards ceremony will introduce you to these Best Companies and their Award-winning people practices; Leaders from these companies will host breakout sessions throughout the conference on the best practices they have been recognized for.

04:45 PM - 05:50 PM

Opening Keynote

05:50 PM - 07:00 PM

Welcome Reception
Join leaders from other best companies for a celebratory networking reception to kick off your conference experience.

Thursday, May 07, 2009

08:30 AM - 09:15 AM

Keynote: From Broke to Best Company
In just 3 years, Shared Technologies emerged from bankruptcy not only profitably, but becoming recognized as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in the country. Anthony Parella will share the both inspiring and practical steps the company took to dramatically improve both profit and workplace culture in a very short time period.

09:30 AM - 10:30 AM

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Sustainable Approaches to Rewards and Recognition
Sincere appreciation and recognition for people's hard work and successes become increasingly important during periods of uncertainty, when it is critical that people across the organization are committed to vision and goals. Join a panel of leaders from JM Family to hear how the company's approach to Total Rewards has helped employees to feel continually appreciated for their efforts.
  • Ken Yerves , President of JM Service Center LLC (JMSC), JM Family
  • Carmen Johnson , Vice President of Human Resources (HR) and Total Rewards for JM Family Enterprises, Inc., JM Family
  • Sandra Porceng , Vice President of Total Rewards for JM Family Enterprises, Inc., JM Family
  • Kim Bentley , Assistant Vice President of Corporate Communications for JM Family Enterprises, Inc., JM Family

Rethinking the Career Ladder: Employee Career Architecture at KPMG
Leaders at KPMG have identified high performers in the organization as those who drive their own career progression and are constantly looking for new opportunities to learn and grow. At KPMG, employees can plan out their future careers with the company through a web-based program that offers comprehensive information about both upward and lateral career progression. The tool outlines the types of skills, experiences and capabilities people need to move to the next step and beyond. Join Joe Maiorano and Sylvia Brandes to learn how this access to information and learning opportunities has helped employees at KPMG to grow their careers in meaningful ways.
  • Joe Maiorano , Executive Director, Human Resources/Workplace Solutions, KPMG LLP
  • Sylvia Brandes , National Director Compensation, KPMG

Preparing for Innovation: Creating a Culture Where Ideas Rise to the Top

Successful innovation in all industries is the result of a complex process that allows for experimentation, collaboration and learning from both failure and success. At the Best Companies to Work For, innovation results from a collaborative cultural foundation and practices that deliberately prepare the organization for innovation. Learn how your organization can successfully prepare for innovation in this session based on research conducted with the 100 Best Companies to Work For.

  • Amy Lyman , Co-founder and Director, Corporate Research, Great Place to Work® Institute, Inc.

Best Practice Showcase
Join one of this year's Great Place to Work© Award Winner companies for a workshop-style session highlighting an outstanding best practice.

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Workplace Culture session
Take a break and experience the workplace culture of one of our Best Company sponsors.

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Lessons from the #1 Small and Medium Companies
An annual favorite, this session will feature leaders from the #1 Small and Medium Companies to Work For in America. Learn what sets these companies apart - and why a a very strong majority of their employees believe that, taking everything into consideration, their employers are great companies to work for.

Milestones and Measurements along the Journey to the "100 Best"
In 2008, Scripps Healthcare was named one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® for the first time. This recognition marked an important milestone in Scripps' journey, and recognition for years of thorough dedication to improving the workplace culture. Join leaders from Scripps to learn how this system of hospitals has made measurable improvements over several years in both trust and patient satisfaction.
  • Victor Buzachero , Corporate Senior Vice President, Scripps Healthcare System
  • Pam Teufel , Administrative HR Director, Scripps Healthcare System

Best Practice Showcase

Join one of this year's Great Place to Work© Award Winner companies for a workshop-style session highlighting an outstanding best practice.


Building a Great Workplace at Ernst & Young
Join leaders at Ernst & Young, a Manhattan-based firm that has been featured on the "100 Best" list ten times in the US and also on Best Companies lists in several countries in South America, Europe and Asia, to learn from the distinctive characteristics that make this company one of the best.
  • Speaker TBA , TBA, Ernst & Young

12:15 PM - 01:00 PM

Keynote: People and Winning Culture as a Key Competitive Advantage
Sergio Nacach, currently the Director of the Andean Region of Kimberly Clark (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela), served as CEO of Kimberly Clark Peru when it was named the #1 Company to Work For in Peru in 2007. Mr. Nacach's group strives to improve not only the experience of employees within the company, but by being a great workplace to improve the overall health of the communities in which it serves. Learn what sets this organization apart.
  • Sergio Nacach , Vice President Andean Region and KCP Latin American Operations at Kimberly-Clark, Kimberly Clark

01:00 PM - 02:00 PM

Networking Lunch

02:15 PM - 03:00 PM

Keynote: Reflections on 25 years of the "100 Best"
  • Robert Levering , Co-founder, Great Place to Work® Institute, Inc.
  • Milton Moskowitz , Co-author, Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work for, Great Place to Work® Institute

03:15 PM - 04:15 PM

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

How Communication and Human Resources Professionals Can Work Together

Transparency and open, two-way communication are at the heart of workplaces that are built on trust. In many cases, simply improving communication can have a dramatic effect on the level to which employees trust that management is competent, ethical, fair and respectful. Yet HR and Communications professionals don't always work together in a seamless manner, often resulting in mixed or incomplete messages. In this session, Dennis Berger and Gary Ross will share the ways in which they work together to ensure timely, open communication with employees. 

  • Dennis Berger , Senior Vice President of Coworker Services and Executive Committee Member, CDW
  • Gary Ross , General Manager, Corporate Communications, CDW

Building a Great Workplace at Baptist Health South Florida
Leaders from Baptist Health South Florida, which has been named to the "100 Best" list eight times, welcome attendees to Miami and share why employees consider the organization to be a great workplace, year after year.
  • Speaker TBA , TBA, Baptist Health South Florida

Leading People Through These Challenging Times
Across industries, economic trouble means organizations face increased challenges in providing inspiring leadership that people can trust and rally behind. This session features leaders from Navy Federal Credit Union and McWhinney, two Best Companies that are navigating the challenges of leadership in an uncertain economy.
  • Dave Morante , Vice President of People Services, McWhinney
  • Louise Foreman , Executive Vice President, Human Resources, Navy Federal Credit Union

Best Practice Showcase

Join one of this year's Great Place to Work© Award Winner companies for a workshop-style session highlighting an outstanding best practice.


04:15 PM - 04:45 PM

Workplace Culture Session

04:45 PM - 05:30 PM

Keynote: Umpqua Bank
  • Ray Davis , President & Chief Executive Officer, Umpqua Holdings Corporation

08:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Poolside Networking Reception
Network and learn from other leaders who are passionate about driving success through sustainable, trust-filled workplace cultures. This year's conference location in Miami promises a beautiful poolside location for this event!

Friday, May 08, 2009

08:30 AM - 09:15 AM

Keynote: Bingham McCutchen

09:30 AM - 10:00 AM

Workplace Culture Session
Take a break and experience the workplace culture of one of our Best Company sponsors.

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

How to Communicate Bad News to Employees

Getting communication "right" is difficult enough when it involves good news. Communicating bad news presents a complex set of challenges that many leaders find hard to face. In this session, Sharon Douglas will share lessons learned in maintaining trust when sharing messages people don't want to hear.

  • Sharon Douglas , Chief People Officer, Aflac

Breakout Session TBA

Best Practices Showcase
Join one of this year's Great Place to Work© Award Winner companies for a workshop-style session highlighting an outstanding best practice.

11:15 AM - 12:00 PM

Closing Event