By Lauren Slattery

Editor’s Note: Lauren Slattery, a BCIT student, was the recipient of a conference scholarship in the Greater Vancouver region. 

I had the privilege of attending the second day of the 2014 HRMA Conference + Tradeshow and, unlike many well-intentioned events, this experience has stuck with me.  I feel reaffirmed in my chosen career path and wide-eyed with the potential HR holds in so many different industries.   I was impressed with all aspects of the conference, in particular the quality of the breakout sessions I attended and, of course, Chris Hadfield’s exhilarating talk.

I was nervous to attend the morning session, “Shift & Share: Spread Value and Make Connections”, as I was going alone and I did not know if I could contribute my limited knowledge to the conversation.  It turns out that BCIT has prepared my peers and I well, as I was able to contribute to the conversations and ask worthwhile questions.  I was thrilled to hear some of BC’s prominent HR professionals share real-life examples of concepts we are learning in the classroom, such as organic work structures, triple bottom lines, and innovative methods of retaining employees.  However, I see room for growth in our ability to quantify and communicate the monetary value gained or saved from such implementations.  After discussing this topic with several conference delegates, a frequent message emerged: knowledge on how to do measure and quantify these topics is ambiguous at best.  As an emerging HR professional interested in strategic HR, realizing this critical need early in my career will influence areas of HR I specialize in.

I attended the afternoon session, “Human Rights – What You Need to Know”, with my mentor, Tracy Rogers of the McLean Group of Companies, and young professional Larissa Pepper of Thompson Rivers University. In hearing about several cases brought to the Human Rights Tribunal and / or the courts, it was easy to quickly criticize companies as not proactively preventing such difficulties.  However, previous experience working for a large Canadian company removed any naivety I had left after university about the complexities and rapid pace of business.   I would doubt any of the organizations presented in these cases foresaw such allegations and resulting turmoil.  Therefore, I will acknowledge both the obvious (vigilance to hopefully prevent such situations), and not-so-obvious (contingency plans, an intelligent plan B in place to promptly deal with any unexpected allegations). 

On a side note, most of my personal, career, and educational success has occurred when I remove myself from my comfort zone.   Not surprisingly, I met the most people during parts of the conference when I was alone, even arranging an upcoming office tour of one of my ‘dream companies’.  Shyness persists in all ages, and I cannot recommend enough to anyone reading this to gift themselves the opportunity to get out of their comfort zones.  It strengthens character, accelerates career opportunities, and reminds us that we are responsible for our own career paths.

Thank you, BC HRMA, for arranging such an inspiring, educational, and truly beautiful conference.  Among the immense talent BC has in HR, I am proud to be an emerging HR professional.

Lauren Slattery is a BCIT HR management student and president of the BCIT Human Resources Association.