2023 Conference Sessions Day Two- Sacramento Area Human Resource Association

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a booming industry, which is now offering assistance to employers by automating decisions such as hiring, performance management and even disciplinary actions. Much of this comes as welcome aid for many employers, but does not come without risk. This presentation will explore the use of artificial intelligence in employment decisions, including an examination of: (1) the legal framework surrounding the use of AI in the employment context; (2) the potential risks employers utilizing AI must be aware of; and (3) suggested steps employers can take to reduce any liability.

Lukas Clary is a shareholder and member of the Labor & Employment and Litigation practice groups of Weintraub Tobin. Lukas has experience representing clients in all aspects of Employment Litigation. He regularly handles claims involving allegations of workplace discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, unpaid overtime and wages, missed meal and rest periods, and class actions. Lukas also regularly counsels employers on compliance and litigation avoidance strategies, including leave management and the interactive process associated with accommodating employees with disabilities. He also helps his clients craft employee handbooks and employment policies. In addition to his Employment Law practice, Lukas has successfully litigated real estate and business disputes, copyright and trademark claims, and consumer claims. He has successfully prosecuted and defended cases in state and federal courts, before administrative agencies, and through alternative dispute resolution.

Meagan Bainbridge is a shareholder and member of the Labor & Employment and Litigation practice groups of Weintraub Tobin. She exclusively practices employment law and related litigation in state and federal courts and before various administrative agencies. Meagan regularly assists employers in all aspects of their employment relationship with their employees, including on such matters as recruiting and hiring; employment agreements and compensation plans; protection of trade secrets; wage and hour laws; independent contractor status; performance standards and disciplinary actions; privacy; leaves of absence and reasonable accommodations; preventing discrimination, harassment, and retaliation; preventing and responding to theft and embezzlement; reductions in force, terminations, and layoffs; and compliance with other state and federal employment laws. Meagan is a member of the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI) provides impartial workplace investigations.

Independent teams not only achieve their goals more efficiently and effectively, but they also empower managers and leaders to think bigger, be more strategic, innovative, and reduce stress. However, the question remains - how can you transform your teams into being self-motivated and independent?

Lauren Hinds is the founder of What.If.Why, a performance coaching service for individuals and teams who aspire to achieve their goals and lead with a purpose. As a Certified Coach and MBA graduate, Lauren inspires incremental progress through action. She takes a direct, fun, and open approach to coaching, focusing on strengths and energizing tasks to engage her clients. Lauren believes in the potential for long-term fulfilling success in nearly every individual and company, and her analytics prowess stems from her ability to identify the better questions to ask and the likely impact of viable options. She identifies areas for improvement, develops performance-enhancing strategies, provides ongoing support to navigate the daily grind, and realistically evaluates progress to keep clients on track or identify when it's time to pivot. Ready to find out what's possible?

Providing Employees with an engaging Financial Wellness program to improve their financial well-being can have a significant benefits for both their personal lives and their productivity at work! Coming out of COVID, Employees are struggling financially more than ever and it is impacting their mental health. With inflation and uncertainty in the economy, they need support to make better financial decisions that will reduce their stress level and boost their happiness!

As Senior Vice President, Mark leads a team of specialists committed to guiding clients with their financial needs. He is passionate about helping clients successfully plan and prepare for a secure retirement outcome.
Mark loves the financial services and retirement plan industry because of the impact he is able to have through educating clients and the community on financial literacy and overall financial wellness.

He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from California State University, Chico. He has the following designations -Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA), Certified 401(k) Professional (C(k)P®) and the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®).

Workplace wellness continues to evolve, and has become a key component for any company to incorporate into their overall culture and community. But...it can also become a full time job for HR professionals. In this session, we will discuss what is the role of the employer, and how to begin a manageable wellness program that supports the overall culture of your organization. Join us as we give practical tips on how to begin, and how to message and communicate wellness year round. You may even find some ideas to start taking care of yourself too!

Tess-Teresa Perez is currently an HR Generalist at Weintraub Tobin. She has a BA in English and a Master's degree in Creative Writing; both from Sacramento State University. Tess has been working in HR for over ten years. She handles many aspects of HR such as recruitment, on-boarding, and training (to name a few), but is slowly shifting more of her focus to benefits and wellness. This is an area that she pays attention to in her personal life as a certified yoga teacher and practicing herbalist and it is a focus that brings all her skills together. She believes that balance is key to everything in life and that we must be good to ourselves first before we can give to others.

Emily--Emily Santanelli is an employee benefits consultant. Additionally, her degree and background are in wellness and she works with her clients on wellness initiatives. Her passion is helping support organizations in their goals around benefits and organizational culture. She currently serves on the board for SAHRA and volunteers with United Way.

Unleashing the Power of Pay Transparency: Experiencing the Untapped Potential of an Underutilized Pay Dynamic

Pay transparency has received a tremendous amount of attention due to recent legislation requiring the listing of salary ranges on all job postings. Traditionally these conversations have been painfully limiting, focused on issues of compliance and pay equity, with little to no attention to the extraordinary upside pay transparency can play in energizing a pay program by empowering the workforce.

Charles Sterling is a Senior Consultant with Gallagher's Human Resources & Compensation Consulting practice where he manages client engagements and provides consulting expertise in all areas of compensation including labor economics, global total compensation management and administration, competitive labor market analysis, salary structure design and administration, compensation program communications and annual salary increase administration. He has a particularly deep skill set in interpreting salary survey data and an extensive knowledge base as to how regional pay differences translate to geographic differential policy. His background as an academic, consultant and practitioner ensures that his professional counsel is not only evidence-based but also pragmatic, understandable and implementable.

Elisa Camacho is a Senior Consultant with Gallagher's Human Resources & Compensation Consulting practice. Ms. Camacho's area of expertise includes project management, broad-base and incentive plan development, executive compensation analyses, performance management and salary administration reviews. She is a California labor market data expert, as well as experienced in the application of geographic differentials. She excels at assisting clients in implementing and executing their cash compensation plans, as well as consulting with on a multitude of HR needs. She had served clients across industries, in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors.

The presentation will cover the major concepts from this thought-provoking book. Relevant concepts of people leadership such as the changing nature of work, the changing nature of the employment contract, managing human resources in the 'Gig' economy, managing the remote worker, green human resource management, managing rewards in the digital age, employees as owners, the human cloud, obsolete labor laws, corporate culture in the digital age and people analytics. And finally the Human Asset Life-Cycle Model.

Dr. Bob Biswas, Professor William Garrison & Dr. Bob Ramirez

Dr. Bashker “Bob” Biswas is an author of three books on Human Resources specializing in the Human Asset Lifecycle Model and Compensation in The New World of Work, a lifetime achievement award winner from the American Compensation Association, a professor of Business, HR, Finance, Economics, & Accounting at DeVry University and its Keller Graduate School of Management, and has been selected to be a candidate for the Fulbright Specialists Roster.

Professor William Garrison is an author of The New World of Work and Business Professor at DeVry University specializing in Marketing and Strategic Management. He is a co-host of “The New World of Work Podcast” and a Social Media Influencer on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok focusing on inspiring People Leadership in The Digital Age. He is currently pursuing a TedTalk on the role of People Leadership during the emergence of Chat GPT and AI.

Dr. Robert “Bob” Ramirez is an author of The New World of Work and his newly published book Achieving Financial Freedom. He’s also an award-winning Professor of International Business and Faculty Chair at DeVry University and its Keller Graduate School of Business. Dr. Ramirez is a public speaker and thought leader in Cultural Intelligence and Diversity with over four decades of experience in Education, Leadership, and Technology. He co-hosts “The New World of Work Podcast” on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

KEYNOTE SESSION - 1:15 PM

Inclusivity | Transgender and Non-Binary Employees in the Workplace

Life is full of the unexpected, the difficult, the overwhelming, the uncomfortable... shouldn’t we, as HR professionals, pave the way for employees to be their authentic selves? We are the voice of those unable to speak, the confidant to lighten the load, and the professional to hold people accountable when their bias and judgement get in the way of respect in our workplaces.

This session will give you the courage to remove those biases and see how they impact the inclusivity you are striving to create.

And you’ll learn about the why... why this is important to your organization, to your employees, and to your community.

Dawn Kelley

Dawn Kelley is the Human Resources Manager for City of Modesto. Dawn has a reputation for being an insightful, empathetic leader and with 25+ years of experience is highly skilled in human resources management, employee relations, and leadership development.

She has volunteered for the Society for Human Resources Management including creating test questions for the SHRM-CP exam, serving as a judge in the college games and spent several years serving on the Executive Board for Central Valley Human Resources Management Association.

She is a sought-after speaker and spoke at SHRM22 in New Orleans on Inclusivity in the Workplace, CALPELRA 2022 in Monterey, and at SHRM 2021 in Las Vegas, brought forward a thoughtful introduction into transgender in the workplace, “Coming of Gender.”

Most recently she provided sidebar insights on transgenderism in Chapter 11 Diversity and Inclusion for the SHRM Complete Study Guide authored by Sandra M. Reed and was a featured TEDx speaker in the Central Valley presenting on Parental Resiliency.

She was a guest on PCTY Talks podcast- https://pctytalks.podbean.com/e/championing-gender-equity-with-dawn-kelley/ with Shari Simpson and appeared on two (2) episodes of the Therapists Uncut Podcast in 2020.

With a determination to meet people where they are, to help people be heard and to celebrate their accomplishments, she uses her power of persuasion to teach leaders that every voice matters. Seeing that light bulb go off, that realization in their eyes…means the world.

“We are the voice of those unable to speak, the confidant to lighten the load and the professional to hold people accountable when their bias and judgement get in the way of respect in our workplaces.”