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2026 Annual Summer Social
Join us from 4 - 7pm for a 1-hour educational session followed by networking, appetizers, and drinks!
Critical Connections: Creating Workplace Community, Connections, and Belonging
We are in a crisis of loneliness with declining social skills, community and wellbeing. But HR has a terrific opportunity to lead and influence toward organizations that nurture people and rebuild relationships. In this session we’ll discuss what belonging (really) means and how to create community within the work experience. We’ll talk about the ways that strong connections drive not only the best for people, but measurable results for organizations. From friendship to identity and from talent to performance, we’ll discuss the factors that make work the perfect place for rewarding relationships.
In this session you will:
-Understand the critical nature of connections, community and belonging.
-Build awareness of the business and people returns on belonging.
Meet the Speaker!
Dr. Tracy Brower is a PhD sociologist studying work-life fulfillment and happiness. She is the author of a new book, The Secrets to Happiness at Work as well as her previous book, Bring Work to Life. She is Vice President of Workplace Insights at Steelcase and a contributor to Forbes.com and Fast Company. Tracy is an award-winning speaker and has over 25 years of experience working with global clients to achieve business results. Tracy is an executive advisor to Like|Minded, Coda Societies and to the MSU Master Industrial Mathematics Program. She is a council member with CoDesign Collaborative and a committee member for her local United Way. Tracy’s work has been translated into 13 languages and it has been featured in TEDx, The Wall Street Journal, Work-Life Balance in the 21st Century (book), Globe and Mail (Canada), InsideHR (Australia), HR Director (UK), T3N (Germany), Real Estate Review Journal, Fortune.com, Inc. Magazine, HBR (France) and more. Tracy holds a PhD in Sociology, a Master of Management in Organizational Culture, and a Master of Corporate Real Estate with a workplace specialization.
Thank you to our Host!
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