Berkshire State of Work Summit 2025

• 8 – 9 a.m.: Registration, networking, light breakfast
• 9 – 9:45 a.m.: Welcome, keynote

JD Chesloff, Executive Director, Massachusetts Business Roundtable

• 9:45 – 10 a.m.: Break
• 10 – 10:45 a.m.: Session Block #1

Track: Recruiting and Retention
Session: Overlooked Sources of Workers (A)

Discover untapped talent pools and innovative hiring strategies in the Berkshires. This session explores nontraditional candidates, alternative pipelines, and creative approaches to expand your recruitment efforts.

Track: Communication and Workplace Culture
Session: Hear From Employees About Their Needs (A)

Gain valuable insights directly from employees about what's most important to them about taking a job and what keeps them in a job. Hear their perspectives on how to improve the hiring process, flexible work arrangements and what makes them feel more engaged with their work.

Track: Work Readiness
Session: On-the-job Work Readiness Skill Development

Learn about the most crucial workforce readiness skills for your new hires and discover various ways to equip them with the soft skills they need to succeed. This session explores effective strategies for improving professionalism, boosting confidence, and enhancing long-term retention.

• 10:45 – 11 a.m.: Break
• 11 – 11:45 a.m.: Session Block #2

Track: Recruiting and Retention
Session: Maximize Existing Hiring Resources

Did you know that local hiring and economic development organizations not only support employees, but also employers? Learn about programs and resources to optimize your recruiting efforts, streamline your hiring processes and supplemental employee training to prepare them for the workforce.

Track: Communication and Workplace Culture
Session: Creating a Thriving Work Culture

When someone takes a job, they are buying into your work culture. Do you have a work culture that makes your employees thrive and want to recruit others to work for you? Discover how to build a workplace where employees feel valued, motivated, included, and engaged, helping you retain your best employees longer.

Track: Workforce Readiness
Session: Strategies for Improving Employee Tech Literacy

Explore practical approaches to teaching your employees the basic tech they need to thrive in their role. Learn about training resources and how to build their confidence to embrace the technology required to perform their job.

• 11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Lunch, panel discussion

Topic: How Inclusion Builds a Stronger Workforce

Hear from local employers why embracing a more inclusive workplace culture, not only made their employees thrive, but was also good for their bottom line by attracting new customers and talent.

• 1:15 – 2 p.m.: Session Block #3

Track: Recruiting and Retention
Session: Strategies for Retaining New Hires

Hear about local case studies from employers who have implemented innovative approaches for increasing employee retention and reducing their recruiting costs.

Track: Communication and Workplace Culture
Session: How to Give and Receive Feedback

Dysfunctional communication is one of the primary reasons people leave their jobs. In this session, explore various methods for giving and receiving feedback to your employees, from formal review systems to everyday interactions. Improving your internal feedback loops can have a powerful impact on your brand, recruiting efforts and revenue.

Track: Workforce Readiness
Session: Build Self-Sufficient Teams: From Problem Solving to Conflict Resolution

Learn how to motivate and inspire your employees to manage themselves. This session delves into strategies for fostering critical thinking, collaboration, and resilience, helping employees tackle obstacles and resolve conflicts with confidence.

• 2 – 2:15 p.m.: Break
• 2:15 – 3 p.m.: Session Block #4

Track: Recruiting and Retention
Session: Overlooked Sources of Workers (B)

Discover untapped talent pools and innovative hiring strategies in the Berkshires. This session explores nontraditional candidates, alternative pipelines, and creative approaches to expand your recruitment efforts.

Track: Communication and Workplace Culture
Session: Productive Uses of Digital Communications

Employers are still grappling with the pros and cons of email, texting, social media, remote work, project management software like Asana and now AI. Access to our phones is crucial for work, but also an enormous source of distraction. In this session, there will no doubt be a lively discussion about when digital communication makes employees more productive and when it doesn't.

Track: Communication and Workplace Culture
Session: Hear From Employees About Their Needs (B)

Gain valuable insights directly from employees about what's most important to them about taking a job and what keeps them in a job. Hear their perspectives on how to improve the hiring process, flexible work arrangements and what makes them feel more engaged with their work.

• 3 – 3:15 p.m.: Break
• 3:15 – 4 p.m.: Closing keynote panel discussion

Topic: Navigating Change - How to Manage Transformation

The world of work has been turned upside down as a result of digital communications, the pandemic, flexible work arrangements and AI. Employers are experiencing an unprecedented amount and pace of change that they have never seen before. We'll explore ways to manage change, as well as how you can to start implementing changes inside your organization to create a thriving workplace culture.