Monday was Spring Forward HR 2026. It was an amazing success and you can mark your calendar for Spring Forward HR 2027. (Monday, March 15!)
I want to thank every single person who spoke, came, commented, or just listened with half an ear while solving other people’s problems. Here’s just a quick recap of the event.
Justin Bariso
“Does this need to be said?”
“Does this need to be said now?”
”Does this need to be said by me?”
Ashley Herd
“I realized a lot of what I do is solve, solve, solve, and I’m here, I’m happy to solve… but I also want to help build people and capability and help you feel more confident in situations.”
“So how do we move forward? Well, we get away from one-size-fits-all training that is updated periodically, and we move into individualized training that’s done in real time, kind of in the flow of work.”
“And the reality is, we’re all neurodivergent. We’re different in the way that our brains work. For some people, they’re … not considered in the normal range, and so the world isn’t built for them, and it can create wind in their face… But if we just take a step back and say, why wouldn’t we want to create a world where we all understand we’re all diverse in the way that our brains think?”
“5% of employees cause 95% of the problems.”
“Whoever ends the interactive process loses.”
“No employer has ever regretted settling a claim.”
“Psychological safety has to be a business priority—not just something that sounds nice in HR.”
Marie Lobbezoo – SPHR 🐧
“Even when someone is yelling and angry, dignity and respect matter. Staying calm shows them you’re listening.”
Mel Mosier, SPHRi, SHRM-SCP
“Positive, negative, it does drain you. And then when you don’t have your psychological safety needs met, you’re wondering why you’re burnt out or at capacity.”
Stacie Racho-Ortiz
“Sometimes in some organizations, even human resource professionals also may not feel like they have the buy-in or psychological safety from whom they report to.”
Deb Muller (who shared stories)
“No creative writer could ever come up with these.”
Stacey Dennis, SHRM-SCP
“I’ve lately been trying to ask myself, what are people experiencing when they experience you?”
Colleen Schwartz (who helped with the games and provided prizes from Snappy)
And our producer, Shaun Hunter, who probably said, “Suzanne, please click here. No HERE. See my arrow? Click there!”