2020 Winter Forum Recap

Covid19- Career Impacts was the topic of our winter forum in December. Yes, usually it is a Fall Forum, but we have made some pivots throughout the past year and were able to coordinate an event with a different, nonetheless hopeful feel as usual.

I will say that this was the best attendance for any of our events in a BLIZZARD… We had no idea that we would be getting buried under over a foot of snow and still be able to pull this off!

Over 20 folks were able to attend our panel presentation with Zoe Brassard, HR Business Partner at Mass General Brigham/McLean Hospital; Kaylee Davis, Business Operations at Edge Health at Humana; and Joanel Key, Contract Recruiter with Shields Health Solutions. These women presented impacts the pandemic has had on hiring in a new world, their own personal experiences during the past several months, qualities to be on the lookout for in our new “state of the state”, and what we need to acknowledge going forward.

It was truly fascinating to hear how employment changes when demographic location is not a true definition of the job itself, in our new remote world, we have the opportunity to look at a far larger pool of candidates for remote working.

The messaging was clear as to what we as leaders can work on, and look for in our new applicants:

  • Flexibility
  • Emotional Intelligence and Soft Skills
  • Communication

It was so clear that this change has been dramatic for us all, not just inside our new home lives of remote working, home schooling and remote learning for children, unemployment, and looking for new opportunities. These women touched on all of these, and were able to tie it back to another defining part of us, our work…

While I am the first to say “this is not our forever, it is our hold over” until numbers drop, population health increases and we identify ways to gather that will be safe- there were clear ideas that are not going away any time soon:

  • Remote patient care
  • Working from home
  • Addressing Diversity and Inclusion
  • The growth of virtual and tech
  • Tele-resources
  • Innovation

A huge thank you to our presenters, our forum planning committee and our leadership for putting on such a great event! We look forward to having more offerings available in the New Year.

Be safe, healthy and mindful throughout this holiday season, I am missing you all!

-Jennifer Pendleton, WHCM Board Chair