The University’s annual Human Resources (HR) Conference will take place on Friday 20 November 2020 as a virtual event.
Sponsored by HR GO (part of the University’s HR Network), this year’s HR Conference will focus on employee engagement and productivity. The event will bring together HR professionals from the University and businesses from the local community to discuss best practice, new ways of engaging with employees and the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Academic experts from the Kent Business School and the Schools of Psychology, Arts and Computing will be guest speakers alongside HR business experts from the industry. These include: John Parkinson (Chief Information Officer at HR GO), Amrit Sandhar (Founder of the Engagement Coach), Wayne Clarke (Co-Founder of the Global Growth Institute), Tony Adams (Operations Director at HR GO) and Scott Maynard (Group People Director at The Go-Ahead Group).
From job satisfaction to the perils of group decision-making and wellbeing in HR, attendees will have the opportunity to gain one-to-one recruitment advice and exchange knowledge. There will be a Q&A with each speaker and breakout sessions for attendees to choose from. Professor Shane Weller, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation at the University, will close the event.
Carole Barron, Director of Knowledge Exchange & Innovation at the University of Kent, said: ‘Our Annual HR Conference is an excellent example of the University’s approach to engaging with businesses of all sizes and sectors. The move to remote working has changed our lives, and how we engage with our community. There is a greater need to understand the impact on working practices, wellbeing and the role of the HR Professional. Our digital event provides a real opportunity for HR professionals to gain insights from our academic experts at the University of Kent, whilst also listening to a diverse group of industry experts. We are grateful to HR GO for sponsoring our event this year.’
John Parkinson, Chief Information Officer at HR GO, added: ‘It is an honour and a pleasure to sponsor the HR Conference. We have established close ties with the University over recent years, collaborating on research and supporting their student Employability Points programme, so it is great to build on this. In 2020 the workforce is understandably facing a lot of challenges with disruption and anxiety caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The theme of the conference, Employee Engagement and Productivity, will have a special resonance as companies seek to adapt their people management to the new environment. We see already that increased use of technology and digital services are key to achieving this in as people-friendly a way as possible.’
The HR Conference 2020 will run from 9.30 until 16.45 on Friday 20 November 2020. The full programme for the HR Conference 2020 can be viewed here. Tickets for the HR Conference 2020 are priced at £49, with a discounted rate for University of Kent Students and Registered Charities. To register for the HR Conference click here.