TalentNext 2018 Keynote: Women, Workplace Relationships, and a Brave New Future (Wendy Walsh)

Silence breaker Wendy Walsh, a Time Magazine Person of the Year, relationship expert, and psychology professor, brings her insightful story and draws from it lessons on how to create safe, humanistic work environments. In this technological age, the superpower that business leaders, HR professionals, and employees need is an understanding of old-fashioned relationship skills. Research shows that the most productive teams have interpersonal rapport that goes deeper than formal workplace protocol. But when do those relationships cross a line that could be interpreted as harassment? This session will explore how to foster teams that are safe and inclusive yet based on authentic human connections. In 2017, Wendy became the unlikely face of the national story that exposed systemic workplace sexual harassment at Fox News, along with a corporate culture that demeaned women and minorities. As a human behavior expert, she tells the story that paved the way for the #MeToo movement, interjecting lessons about prevention that every business professional can learn from. In this session, you will be asked to challenge your assumptions about the shape of workplaces and envision a new way based on the needs of a more diverse workforce.