Change, and how employers respond to it, is a constant in today’s world. Wednesday’s Grow Workforce Summit hosted by Great Bend Economic Development Inc. at the Great Bend Events Center was a chance for area employers to learn how to respond to a changing workforce environment.
More than 30 area employers attended the first-time event.
“We want to give employers the opportunity to see these trends that are sweeping the nation and work forces now, so that we can be ahead of the curve,” GBED Director Sara Hayden said.
The sessions were an opportunity to help local employers remain on the cutting edge in an increasingly competitive job market in a time when nearly all employers are looking to fill open positions.
“We want to give them the opportunity to be competitive,” Hayden said. “I think and hope that we put the right presenters together to be able to do that.”
All of the day’s presenters were chosen for their expertise in adapting to the rapidly changing business culture.
In the spirit of that adaptation, the morning’s facilitator, Jacquelyn Carpenter of Twin Cities RISE presented her program remotely due to travel issues that prevented her from attending in person as originally planned.
Even so, Hayden was happy to have Twin Cities RISE as part of the event. “They really are on the cutting edge of kind of this culture shift in the world, and we’ve just had so many great recommendations for them.”
The morning session, “Navigating Change,” sought to help employers respond more effectively to the emotional and psychological needs of their employees.
“Our mission as a nonprofit (is to) represent underrepresented individuals,” Carpenter said. “Our workforce development focuses on 21st century skills, and then personal empowerment, which is emotional intelligence.”
In the day’s keynote address, local veterinarian, speaker and author Dr. Nels Lindberg addressed hiring, and retaining, good employees.
Lindberg, owner of Animal Medical Center in Great Bend since 2005, said many of the lessons he sought to teach other employers came from many years of learning through his own failures. He focused on how the interview and hiring process builds and sustains what he called, “a contagious culture,” that helps draw and retain the best employees.
Lindberg and others joined an afternoon panel discussion on recruiting and retaining great employees, and what steps employers can take after the hiring process is complete. Other panel members included WorkforceONE Business Services Director Tucky Allen, Hayden, Great Bend Chamber of Commerce Director Megan Barfield, and Regional Director for Kansas Manufacturing Solutions Jeff Glimpse.
Though the panel discussion was a last-minute addition to the day’s agenda, Hayden was pleased with the discussion and the conversation it generated.
“There were a lot of great questions about identifying your core values as a company, and how to stick to those. I was really impressed with it,” Hayden said.
Despite some minor hiccups, Hayden was pleased with the overall success of the first-year event, one she hopes to build and expand on next year.
“I had some great feedback. It generated some wonderful conversations. And honestly, it’s allowed us to help some employers that we weren’t (helping) before.”
The two part-event now moves into a Job Fair from 1-6 p.m. next Wednesday, April 27. The Job Fair will allow both employers and job seekers to put their best foot forward and connect the right person to the right job.
Based on the success of the first day, Hayden expects that momentum to continue next week.
“I am really hoping that this generates some conversations back at the employers’ camp as they talk about, ‘How do we want to recruit employees differently? How do we look at our culture as a whole?’” Hayden said. “I think that we’ll find that next week we’ll have maybe some different approaches.”
A more in-depth look at the keynote presentation by Dr. Nels Lindberg will appear in the business section of the Sunday, April 24 Great Bend Tribune.
