Helping Humans Flourish in a Sea of Tech

June, 2024

Our New Jersey team recently attended BIONJ’s 11th Annual HR Conference

Last month, Senior Recruiters Laura Gruber and Suzanne Solleder took front row seats at BioNJ’s 11th Annual HR Conference at Kean University. The one-day conference is part of a series of events hosted by BioNJ that focus on professionals working in life sciences. This year’s theme was “Flourishing at Work: Tools, Tips, and Trends,” and the conference featured panels and discussions on the future of AI in HR, DEI, employment law, and compensation and workforce trends. We caught up with Laura and Suzanne to hear some of their takeaways.

Laura (left), and Suzanne snap a selfie at BioNJ

The HR industry has been at the forefront of recognizing the potential of AI to build more efficient processes, and boost productivity – but not without its share of questions. “The panel advised the HR leaders in the audience not to overestimate the near-term effect of AI, it is NOT a disruptor,” noted Solleder. “Utilizing AI will be a step-by-step process: use it like an intern, bring it to the table, brainstorm ideas, and add it to the process. But they warned not to underestimate the long-term effect, which can potentially have a huge impact on humans. When done right, the panels shared, AI, is a tool that HR professionals can use to develop long term strategies. “AI is an opportunity to create synergy between HR and the employees and the business,” said Gruber. “Today, HR teams are becoming more exposed to AI, creating templates, and a strong data governance approach to ensure accurate data feeds into the technology.”

Nevertheless, businesses in 2024 are run day-in and day-out by humans, and the conference shared people-centric perspectives about generational differences in work styles, and how diversity of thought, experiences, and age, can fuel a company’s DEI drive “One thing that gave me a lot of thought during the conference was a panel where we discussed how diversity goes beyond race and gender,” Gruber explained. “Companies thrive when there is a diversity of perspectives and personalities, and that’s something I’m going to remember moving forward in conversations with our clients.”

In sticking with the event’s theme of ‘flourishing’, discussions about employee wellbeing made a huge impression on Gruber and Solleder. “This conference has encouraged me to focus more on employee wellness during the recruitment process,” Gruber said. “I’ll make sure to mention to our client companies about the potential of employee wellness programs beyond salary and compensation.”

As laws and public policy continue to catch up to technology, employment law has become increasingly important to HR professionals in all industries. Speakers highlighted pay equity and transparency, and the changing laws around non-compete agreements for HR executives. “Understanding the European Union is a bellwether for many employment practices we adopt in the US, the rapidly growing number of states legislating transparency in pay as well as promotion activities is no surprise,” said Solleder. “We walked away with some good questions and things to think about regarding pay transparency and pay equity that will be very helpful as we work on a search with our clients,” added Gruber.

While the BioNJ HR Conference only lasted one day, it provided our team with lasting insights on what the future of the HR industry could look like, and how that future continues to arrive in our inbox every day. We’re so glad that BES was present during the event, and we can’t wait to attend again next year!