The landscape for talent, culture and employee engagement has shifted quickly, but the goals haven’t changed.

Employers are still focused on attracting and retaining great people, building strong cultures, and creating workplaces where employees can contribute, feel connected and thrive. What has become more complicated is the environment surrounding that work.

Evolving legal guidance, changing enforcement priorities, shifting organizational approaches to inclusion and belonging, and a broader sense of caution have left many professionals asking the same questions: What has actually changed? What hasn’t? Where is the real risk? And how do we keep moving this work forward thoughtfully and effectively?

This roundtable will bring together HR, talent, culture and employee engagement professionals from across the Milwaukee region for a candid, practical conversation about what employers are navigating now, what they are learning, and where there is value in working through challenges together.

What We’ll Explore

• What has actually changed in the legal and workplace landscape, and what has not?
• Where are employers exercising greater caution, and why?
• What are organizations doing now to strengthen culture, belonging and employee engagement?
• What questions are talent and HR leaders still wrestling with?
• Where could stronger peer connection, shared learning or collaboration help?
• What role should Region of Choice 2.0 play in supporting this work going forward?

Employment attorneys Christina Katt and Lauren Burand of Buelow Vetter will help level-set the current legal landscape, including areas of heightened scrutiny, what employers should understand about the current environment, and practical considerations for moving forward.

The conversation will include real-world examples and time for questions, followed by an opportunity to hear how employers across the region are responding, what they need now, and how MMAC can support this work going forward.

8:30 a.m. | Registration, Coffee & Connection
8:45 a.m. | Welcome + The People & Culture Landscape Today
9:00 a.m. | Workplace Inclusion in a Changing Legal Landscape
10:00 a.m. | Employer Roundtable: What Do We Need Now?
10:30 a.m. | Adjourn

This is intended to be a working conversation, not a morning of presentations. Come ready to learn, share what you’re seeing inside your organization, hear from peers, and help us think about what would be most useful going forward.