This October, I had the privilege of attending—and speaking at—the 2025 Wisconsin Society of HR Managers (SHRM) Conference, where HR leaders from across the state gathered to explore the future of workplace communication, compliance, and team performance. What stood out more than anything else was this: the best HR professionals aren’t just rule followers—they’re bridge builders.
From understanding personality dynamics to uncovering overlooked compliance risks, this year’s conference provided rich and timely takeaways that I’m excited to share. Here’s what resonated!
Decoding What Drives Us: Why Communication Starts with Values
One of the most energizing moments came during the keynote by Sherry Tree, who introduced the B.A.N.K. personality coding system. Rather than categorizing people based on arbitrary traits, the B.A.N.K. method organizes us by what we value most: structure, relationships, logic, or action.
The four codes—Planner (Blue), Nurturer (Yellow), Knowledge (Green), and Action (Red)—provide a simple framework to understand how our coworkers think, behave, and engage.
As someone who identifies as a Planner-Nurturer-Knowledge-Action (in that order), I could see immediately how this aligned with my day-to-day work. Like many HR professionals in the room, I wasn’t surprised to see “Nurturer” dominate the audience. Our profession often attracts those who lead with empathy—and that’s a strength worth protecting, especially in emotionally charged environments.
The real value here wasn’t just theory—it was in application. Whether you’re trying to resolve conflict, motivate your team, or roll out new training protocols, knowing someone’s communication code helps you connect faster, with less friction. It’s a reminder that empathy without strategy isn’t scalable—but strategy without empathy isn’t human.
The Quiet Crisis: Medicare & COBRA Gaps That Can Leave Employees Uncovered
Over lunch, I happened to sit with a group that attended Melanie Cahill’s Medicare/Medicaid session, and the discussion caught my attention for all the right—and wrong—reasons.
In the rush of retirement transitions, employees often assume COBRA will keep them covered until their Medicare enrollment is finalized. But here’s the catch: COBRA typically lasts up to six months, while Medicare’s special enrollment window for retirees is only 90 days from retirement. Otherwise, they will have to wait until the general open enrollment period and those COBRA benefits might not last that long.
That could leave an at-risk window multiple months long , where a retiree (employee) could find themselves completely uninsured—simply because of a miscommunication.
What’s worse, many HR teams aren’t even aware of this gap. Government guidelines on Medicare enrollment are inconsistent and difficult to interpret. It’s no wonder well-meaning employers end up misinforming their teams.
This isn’t just a paperwork problem—it’s a compliance risk and a potential legal liability.
In response, we’re working on a blog post that will break down these Medicare/Cobra timelines and provide resources and guidelines for both employers and employees.
Whether you’re approaching retirement or helping aging parents navigate their benefits, this will be a crucial resource—especially with open enrollment season fast approaching.
Lessons From the Stage: Engagement, Imperfection & What I’ll Do Differently
I also had the opportunity to speak at the conference, and although the message was well-received, I took away a few key notes for improvement.
A rogue AV cart partially blocked my view of the audience, and sound bounced around in a way that made audience feedback difficult to hear.
Still, the conversation was valuable. I focused on low-cost, high-impact behavior change strategies—such as rewarding the desired behavior by using small incentives to improve workplace safety compliance. These types of ideas are easy to implement, effective, and often overlooked. Instead of nagging an employee to wear their earplugs, consider offering a vending machine voucher to the employee who is wearing them.
It was rewarding to see participants nodding and taking notes—proof that big change doesn’t always require big budgets.
More than anything, this conference confirmed that what makes HR leaders effective isn’t just policy knowledge—it’s the ability to simplify complexity, anticipate risk, and lead with compassion.
Let’s keep leading from the inside out!
