Sessions

Beyond the Job Posting: Building Meaningful Connections Through Outreach and the Candidate Experience

Presenters: Erica Fini-Marten, Rachel Simonson, Caitlin Riechers, and Olivia Rose Vamos

This immersive session is designed to deepen understanding of two critical pillars in talent acquisition: the Candidate Experience and Outreach.

In our time together, we will define what candidate experience means and why it matters, as well as identify the touchpoints that shape a candidate’s perception of working at UW-Madison. Additionally, we will explore the role of outreach in building talent communities.

We will share best practices and customizable resources to use in your next search.

Learning Outcomes

• What is the candidate experience, and what makes it good?
• What is outreach, and how do you do it?
• How to create and nurture a Talent community

Training as a Starting Place

Presenter: Christina Stefonek and Jeffrey Thomas

Training is a process. Join us as we compare training models to determine how and when training can be most effective. You’ll reflect on your own experiences with training and discuss various scenarios to better understand the nuances of when and how to use training.

Building a development plan to address a business learning need requires practice and guidance. You will need to ask tough questions, have resources on hand, and be able to envision a pathway forward. It takes time but it is worth the investment! You will engage with a scenario to create a development plan based on an employee’s learning needs.

Training can be a starting place, and it is often not the only option. You’ll consider when training is a potential option, what training can help with, and explore the limitations of training.

Finally, we will guide participants through a learning consultation with OHR’s Learning and Talent Development team. This is intended to provide some limited examples of the questions we will ask to determine the core issue(s) to address (root cause analysis) and how we recommend pathways forward!

Learning Outcomes

• Articulate learning as a process and not a one-time transaction.
• Practice building a development plan for a specific knowledge or skill area that is of high importance in your unit/department.
• Determine if/when “training” is even an appropriate place to begin.
• Share resources and guidance with campus partners about learning consultation/advising services and resources offered by Learning and Talent Development.

Strategic HR in a Capped Environment: Navigating Legislative Agreements and Workforce Planning

Presenters: Lauren Bowers, Natalie Feggestad, Sue Fritts, Lucien Gerondeau, and Jessica Hawkey

In December 2023, the Universities of Wisconsin and state legislative leadership reached a pivotal agreement instituting a cap on hiring for many university positions. This session will unpack the implications of the position cap, explore the categories of exempt roles and approvals needed, and examine how HR professionals can strategically align talent planning with legislative mandates.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand the origins and scope of the position cap agreement, including exemptions and funding criteria and approval processes
• The role of school, college, and division Human Resources in ensuring compliance while supporting institutional priorities
• Best practices for workforce planning under constrained hiring conditions

Leveraging Workday Learning for Employee Professional Development

Presenters: Amy Russell and Tammy Starr

Workday Learning (LMS) is the new platform for registration and tracking of employee learning at UW Madison. In this session, you will learn more about how to use Workday Learning to support the professional development of the employees you support as well as for yourself. We will explore how to find employee learning in Workday, how to request learning events be added to Workday, and how to recommend, assign, and track learning in Workday.

Learning Outcomes

• Find employee learning in Workday
• Request learning events be added to Workday
• Recommend, assign, and track learning in Workday

The Water We Swim In: Exploring and Shaping Team Culture

Presenter: Jen Erickson

Culture isn’t just what we say—it’s the environment we create and experience every day. For HR professionals, understanding and shaping team culture is essential to fostering engagement, improving retention, and driving organizational success.

In this interactive session, we’ll explore the difference between organizational culture and climate, and how each influences employee behavior, satisfaction, and performance. Through hands-on activities and guided reflection, you’ll gain insight into the visible and invisible elements that shape your workplace culture—from values and norms to communication styles and leadership behaviors.

You’ll leave with practical strategies to assess and influence culture within your teams and across your organization—whether you’re supporting leaders, designing development initiatives, or leading change efforts. This session is ideal for HR professionals who want to be intentional culture shapers and strategic partners in building thriving workplaces.

Learning Outcomes

• Differentiate between organizational culture and climate: Participants will be able to clearly distinguish between culture and climate, and understand how each influences employee engagement, satisfaction, and performance.
• Identify visible and invisible cultural artifacts within their teams: Participants will learn to recognize the formal and informal elements that shape team culture—including values, behaviors, rituals, and communication patterns—and assess their impact on the workplace.
• Apply practical strategies to positively influence team culture: Participants will leave with actionable tools and approaches to intentionally shape team culture, whether through leadership behaviors, team norms, or HR-driven initiatives.

Alphabet Soup of Immigration

Presenters: Jennifer Taylor and Victoria Thompson

We will provide a general overview of commonly seen immigration statuses at the UW.

Learning Outcomes

• Attendees will learn about the most common immigration statuses at the UW.
• They will learn about sponsorship of these statuses.
• They will learn about what is permitted and prohibited about working at the UW with each status.

Empowering Early Career Employees at UW: Tools for Success from Day One

Presenters: Emily Hickey, Paul Vogt, and Carolyn Wilson

This session supports the successful onboarding and career growth of early career employees at UW–Madison through the 70-20-10 model of professional development. Participants will explore tools and strategies from the Job Rotation Program, with a focus on Finance, HR, and IT, that foster connection, confidence, and contribution from day one.

Hear directly from site supervisors about how collaboration with the JRP has enhanced and enriched their onboarding practices.

Through practical takeaways and collaborative discussion, attendees will leave with a clear roadmap for cultivating team integration, encouraging ownership, and activating learning in everyday work.

Learning Outcomes

• On-the-job learning:
  • SMART Goals Learn how to set actionable goals and leverage experiential, social, and formal learning to accelerate development.
  • Portfolios & Ownership in 1:1s Use shared agendas and personal portfolios to give new hires ownership in their development and feedback conversations.
  • Presentation Skills Discover low-stakes opportunities for new employees to practice and build confidence in presenting.
• Social learning:
  • Networking & Reverse Mentorship Explore ways to build meaningful connections across campus and empower new employees through mutual learning.
  • Building Community Beyond Work Strategies for creating inclusive, non-work-focused spaces that support a sense of belonging and thriving on campus.
• Formal learning:
  • Turning Learning Into Action Explore how professional development resources can be actively applied in day-to-day work to enhance impact, effectiveness and growth on the job.

The 5 C’s of Strategic HR Partnership

Presenter: Lynn Freeman

In the evolving landscape of higher education, HR professionals play a pivotal role in fostering organizational effectiveness. This session explores the 5 C’s—collaboration, communication, cooperation, consultation, and coordination—as essential competencies for driving strategic alignment and cultivating inclusive, high-performing campus cultures. Through a brief presentation and interactive dialogue, participants will deepen their understanding of how they can use these elements to support their division’s goals.

Learning Outcomes

• Identify and apply the 5 C’s to enhance cross-functional partnerships.
• Develop strategies to improve consultation and coordination in your work.
• Strengthen your practices that support transparency and trust.

Faculty Appointment Lifecycle and Academic Appointments in Workday

Presenter: Heather Daniels

In this session, learn the basics of the faculty appointment lifecycle and how academic appointments in Workday fit in. This session will cover topics like tenure clocks and probationary periods including tenure clock extensions, contract lengths, non-renewals, appeals of non-renewals, and post tenure reviews. While HR professionals may only touch certain points in the faculty appointment life cycle, having a general understanding of how faculty appointments operate will help HR professionals see how the work they contribute fits into the overall picture of faculty appointments.

Participants will learn how to calculate tenure clocks, how to complete tenure information in Workday, and the way faculty contracts prior to tenure work.

Integrating Employer Value Proposition (EVP) into Your HR Strategy

Presenters: Stephen Colleton and Gautam Jayanthi

How can employers compete for top talent and retain their workforce in an increasingly competitive labor market? What strategies can employers take to “sell” their Total Rewards package? This presentation will explore how Employer Value Proposition (EVP) – as part of a broader Total Rewards strategy – can be effective at attracting talent and retaining employees.

We’ll begin by defining EVP: the unique benefits, rewards and other perquisites the employer has to offer employees in exchange for their skill, talent, engagement, time and commitment. A well-crafted EVP can not only help with employee retention and talent attraction, it also promotes employee engagement. There is greater performance and profitability for employers with a strong EVP and often see better overall business results because of improved employee satisfaction and retention.

Then we will explore how EVP can be used within their own organization. Through small-group discussions, attendees will share current practices, uncover new ideas, and brainstorm ways to integrate EVP across the employee lifecycle—from job postings and onboarding to performance reviews and exit interviews.

By the end of this session, participants will be equipped not only with a deeper understanding of EVP, but also with actionable strategies to elevate their Total Rewards messaging to attract and retain top talent.

Learning Outcomes

• The participant can define and understand the Employer Value Proposition (EVP) model and its key components.
• The participant can identify actionable steps to integrate the EVP model into their processes across the employee lifecycle.
• The participant can utilize the provided tools and resources effectively and can communicate their companies’ total rewards to employees and hiring managers.

Elevate HR in your Strategic and Operational Planning

Presenter: Andrea Luke

HR is not simply a function of administration – it is a driving force for organizational success. This interactive session is for HR professionals who want to be a strategic partner in developing and executing your unit’s mission and goals. We will explore the connection between strategic plans and workforce strategies, provide a roadmap for how you can contribute to, and even lead, your unit’s strategic initiatives.

Learning Outcomes

• Translate strategic goals into HR priorities: learn how to pull out key human capital initiatives required to meet your organization’s goals.
• Lead strategic workforce planning initiatives: through a practical “gap” exercise, forecast future talent needs, identify skill gaps, and develop a plan that bridges the two.
• Interest in playing a bigger role? Learn key strategic planning foundations and leadership skills to not only influence the direction of your unit, but lead the planning process.

Preparing for Retirement: Can we Talk? Sharing Resources and Wisdom – Better Together

Presenters: Carol Hulland, Mary Czynszek-Lyne, Tonya Messer, and Brian Shore

The UW Retirement Issues Committee (RIC) has developed a rich set of resources for planning financially, mentally and emotionally for big transitions – like retirement. This session begins with an introduction to the resources and provides time for discussion – asking questions and sharing experiences. Panelists include UW retirees as well as current employees/members of RIC. Our goal is to encourage participants to set up conversations within their own work units, advocating for and preparing for life transitions, encouraging small steps over time that support well being and resilience.

Learning Outcomes

• Become comfortable with thinking of retirement and beyond as another step in the work/life cycle;
• Provide resources for and model a discussion that can be set up within a small work unit to discuss preparation for retirement – inclusive of employees from early to late stage career
• Identify individual steps to support personal development and preparation for retirement – taking small steps that contribute to wellness and resilience

The Human Side of Separation: Communicating Care, Support, and Resources During Job Loss

Presenters: Joshua Schiffman, Megan Dzyuba, Kaylie Anderson, and April McHugh

Job loss is one of the most difficult experiences one can go through behind the loss of a loved one, a relationship, or health. The Employee Assistance Office (EAO) will discuss how to have these difficult conversations keeping in mind the employee and the impact of job loss. Then, EAO, Workforce Relations, Referral Priority, and the Employee Career Counseling Program will host a panel session to share the various resources to support employees during job loss. Not only are these supports available to those losing their positions, they also assist those who have to deliver the news. Come with your questions, concerns, and ideas as there will be ample time for discussion.

Learning Outcomes

• Participants will leave with best practices for communicating job loss with employees
• Participants will learn of critical employee services available to support those experiencing job loss
• Participants will learn about resources to support the HR practitioners who are involved with layoffs