Another year, another SHRM Annual Conference – this time in Chicago. We had a ton of fun in the Windy City and wanted to thank everyone who stopped by the Nexxt booth! Here are a just a few highlights from this year’s event.
T-shirts
We continued with our spotter program and gave out 1,800 t-shirts this year. That’s a whole lotta t-shirts. If you grabbed a shirt and wore it around, you had the chance to win $100. Not too shabby! We’re happy to say we had 13 lucky HR pros. Not only did they get an awesome t-shirt, but they also got a little extra cash. Not bad for a few days in Chi-Town. We have to admit, picking the winner is always fun, too.
Here are a few of our winners!
Energy Drinks & Charging Station
In addition to t-shirts, we also passed out Nexxt energy drinks. Cans donned labels that said either Hire Smarter, Hire Bolder, or Hire Faster. Drinks provided an extra kick of energy most attendees (and our CEO) needed by midday Monday.
Our charging station not only charged phones faster than the average charger, but it also doubled as a photo booth. We had a lot of SHRM18 selfies taken throughout the show.
Hire Smarter, Hire Faster, Hire Bolder
We had many great conversations with HR and recruitment professionals (and dogs!) about the various ways we can help them hire. You can learn more about the tactics we use on our Hire Smarter Resource Center. We also gave out a Hire Smarter Checklist with quick tips on improving the hiring process. We discussed Text2Hire as a way to hire faster, citing the impressive 97% open rate and 15% response rate in the first hour. For bolder, we talked about retargeting ads and how they’re an effective tap on the shoulder to remind candidates of an employer brand.
We also handed out our latest infographic on the mobile landscape, Hot as Cell! Ready 4 Mobile Domination? We surveyed over 3,800 job seekers and HR pros to get their take on the effect mobile phone usage is having on the recruitment process. The infographic depicts the changes that are happening in the recruitment landscape. You can check it out here.
Speakers
Oscar Munoz: Munoz, CEO of United, spoke about how the rough year United had made him realize that HR is a first stop, not a last resort – especially in such a people-oriented business.
“We let rules, policies and procedures get in the way of doing the right thing for our customer,” said Munoz. He went on to say the company put “caring” on the list of company priorities, only second to safety.
Munoz said during his years, he’s learned to appreciate the individuals who make up a company as much as profit.
“How we treat one another is absolutely fundamental to how we treat our customers.”
Sheryl Sandberg: Facebook’s COO tackled parental leave, bereavement leave, and gender issues during her closing discussion at SHRM18.
“We are the only developed nation in the world that does not offer paid maternity leave,” Sandberg pointed out.
Others mentioned that millennial parents are starting to place a heavier emphasis on child-related benefits, and they realize they’re not alone with their obligations.
Sandberg then went on to discuss bereavement leave, and how she pushed to improve the Facebook bereavement policy after the sudden death of her husband in 2015. Their former policy was 10 days off for the death of an immediate family member, now it is 20 days. She pointed out that offering a longer bereavement period doesn’t cost an employer much money, since it is a benefit only used under certain circumstances.
“It’s not going to cost a lot because people won’t use it unless they need it, and no one wants to use it.”
Overall, it was another great year at SHRM. We gave out tons of t-shirts, energy drinks, and money. We met a lot of interesting people and even pet some dogs along the way. And, of course, we learned a lot about the evolutions HR is experiencing and going to experience in the coming year. Until next time!
Nexxt is a recruitment media company that uses today’s most effective marketing tactics to reach the full spectrum of talent – from active to passive, and everything in between. Learn more about hiring with Nexxt.