We Disrupt-ed HR and We’re Shook.
Disrupt HR is a national event held in many US cities for the sole purpose of shaking things up in the HR world. Because it is intended to get people to think differently about HR, it was a great for us to sponsor since we want companies to think differently about promotional products! The event featured 11 speakers who each got 5 minutes to present their slides, which rotate every 5 seconds. It’s obviously a challenge to get your point across in 5 minutes, but we all thought the topics & speakers that did a great job in keeping it interesting. Plus, Matt even got up and spoke about how honored we were to be a part of such a motivational event. Then he “disrupted” the crowd with a few flying creatures. [gallery link="none" size="medium" columns="4" ids="2452,2458,2457,2459" orderby="rand"] Read what each member of the PS team took away from the event below!
Alesha-
Attending Disrupt HR was quite the experience. I felt as though this event was extremely beneficial not only those in the HR world, but to those working in any professional field. We were able to hear from these local professionals as they talked about their strategies regarding improving their work environment. This event brought forth a ton of topics including time management, distractions, improving morale in the workplace, and the future generation of employees. I found this event to be a positive learning experience having the chance to hear what worked and what didn't within different companies. Learning how much research goes into determining what strategies work best for office workflow helped me to understand how important it really is. I would highly recommend this event to anyone interested in how to make your workplace a happier, more efficient environment.
Shannon-
When I first heard that we were attending and sponsoring the 2nd Annual Disrupt HR event here in Fargo, I was a little wary. After all, there is nothing in life that terrifies me more than a room full of HR people (kind of an exaggeration, because, clowns). Promotional Solutions had the pleasure of putting together the giveaway product for the event, and with a small pile of guidance from the rest of us, Shelby crushed it! TEAM PS packed up all the boxes with a little in office help from Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly (I laughed so hard I fell off my dinosaur). For those not familiar with the reference, we watched Step Brothers. In the office. With the volume turned up. So totally HR approved….All the above being said, we got to the event and low and behold, it wasn’t scary at all. It turns out that HR people know how to laugh, joke around, and just generally be wonderful! The overall message was great. A room full of HR people were embracing the stereotypes of their industry, and helping their peers find a way to disrupt those opinions. The speakers were in 5 minute blocks, which I really enjoyed because it forced people to get a quick, concise message out and didn’t involve filler - just straight up content! Highlights for me were Ethan the 8th grader schooling us on hip lingo and how to appeal to the next generation, Adam from F5 talking about not judging a book by its cover, and Neal with his high kick. Also, the tiny s’more bites. Mmmmm.As an HR outsider, I must say that my views were definitely altered. Although I will still probably never cheer out loud about anything to do with HSA accounts, my eyes have definitely been opened to the importance of an HR team and all the pieces they juggle. Can’t wait until next year!
Matt-
This was my second year attending DisruptHR and our second year of sponsoring the event with some event swag. Like I mentioned in my introduction at the event, we're very thankful to be able to be apart something like this. Personally, I'm very interested in what lies ahead for the "Rebellious Future of HR." I believe we have only seen the beginning of how important company culture and employee engagement is. As these things continue to evolve, it will be up to the leaders in HR to stay ahead of the curve, and it's very entertaining to watch those leaders speak about what they know as disruptors.
Shelby-
Since I got to attend the Disrupt HR event last year, I already had a pretty good idea of what was in store as far as the speeches and presentations. What I didn’t expect was how much the overall message would resonate with everything PS has come to stand for in the last year! Only recently have my eyes been opened to the important role of HR in a successful company in terms of recruitment, culture and retention. Which is why we totally want to work with these departments! With my background in marketing, I always thought of HR people as the big meanies in charge of hiring and firing. Until this event, I never realized just how personable this department must be. In marketing, it’s easy to hide behind flashy billboards and logos, but in HR, you just generally need to be awesome to get people excited about their jobs. Events like this are truly eye opening to be able to see the energy and “disruption” that’s really going on in the HR departments! With messages like Ethan’s about appealing to the younger crowd to F5’s employment of past criminals, you can really see just how much gravity there is in reaching people from all walks. Overall, I think the event is bringing forth many great ideas and practices for any company that doesn’t know how to add excitement. Plus, to be honest, the marketer in me liked sitting back & watching while hiding behind my flashy swag boxes!Shoutout to Morgan at M.Schleif Photography for stopping by and snapping these beautiful event photos for us!