CUES® RealTalk! delivers actionable insights and takeaways to an inaugural audience of 270
MADISON, WI (November 11, 2021) — CUES RealTalk!, an online panel discussion covering the theme Women in the Workforce: Because $0.82 is NOT Enough, launched yesterday to an audience of 270 industry professionals.
“I was thoroughly impressed with the caliber of our discussions of the current state of the workforce, and the takeaways our panelists provided,” said Laurie J. Maddalena, MBA, CSP, CPCC, CEO of Envision Excellence and CUES RealTalk! moderator. “I’m thrilled to be part of an effort to help empower women to navigate challenges in the workforce, inspiring them to be their best.”
CUES RealTalk! features an accomplished panel of female professionals, and participants were treated to a lively discussion of issues women face in the workplace. Attendees were able to submit questions, and engage and connect with each other through the chat feature.
Discussions centered around many topics, including an exploration of why women in particular have been negatively impacted by the pandemic and the ensuing Great Resignation, how to create strong work cultures even while working remotely, and how to fix the fact that much of the progress women made in the workforce ahead of the pandemic has been halted or is even regressing.
A key component of RealTalk is to provide participants with actionable takeaways that can be used immediately, some of which included:
- Organizations would do well to practice extreme flexibility in recruiting, hiring and retention. Doing so can open your talent pool from local to global.
- Workplaces and leaders need to be very intentional when it comes to creating inclusivity—it’s not just going to happen on its own. If you don’t intentionally include, you unintentionally exclude.
- Instead of thinking of our current state as The Great Resignation, turn the phrase on its head and think of it as The Great Awakening—this can be a positive disruptor instead of a negative one.
- Organizations would do well to take a holistic approach to employee well-being, and it’s in their own best interest to do so—if they ignore this, they may well be on the losing end of the labor shortage.
“It’s exciting to have such a great turnout for these important discussions. The energy from participants was palpable, and that led to great engagement levels across all the discussions,” said Dawn Abely, CUES’ SVP/Chief Sales & Member Relations Officer. “We’re looking forward to the next session in this series.”
Participants agreed. Discussions in the chat room were ongoing and lively, and included these comments from the audience:
- “I am sitting at my workstation listening to all of this discussion and it is SO POWERFUL and such important discussions. I appreciate this platform for us to come together to collaborate and discuss to create this movement.”
- “I applaud the effort as leaders that you are bringing these topics to conversation. I believe many organizations push these down, and try to keep them in the background.”
- “These conversations are so important and I love that my feelings are being put into words by such inspirational women.”
- “The panelists are “Ladies that Rock!” Wonderful, insightful, enlightening, honest, discussion and so happy to have this as part of my day.”
The groundbreaking online discussion series was made possible in part by Currency, who served as an Engagement Sponsor. RealTalk! sessions will continue next year with:
· Session 2: The Gender Pay Gap, March 16, 2022
· Session 3: The Confidence Gap, June 22, 2022
· Session 4: The Double Bind, September 21, 2022
Because the topics CUES RealTalk! covers are so important, this event is being offered at no charge, and all industry professionals are encouraged to attend.
You can learn more at cues.org/realtalk.
About CUES
CUES is the leading talent development solutions provider for credit unions in North America. We educate, develop and support credit union CEOs, executives, directors, and emerging leaders through partnerships with premier business schools, live and online events, digital learning, networking, and premium content. With nearly 50,000 members and growing, we measure success one leader at a time.
Connect with CUES at CUES.org and on LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and Instagram. For daily insights on issues impacting credit unions visit CUmanagement.com.
