5 Things We Learned at Elevate

Our 12th annual Paylocity Elevate Conference looked a bit different this year, as it was our first entirely virtual event – but that didn’t stop us or our clients across the country from getting together to share best practices and exciting product updates. In fact, because of the connectivity a virtual event allows, more clients were able to attend than ever before! This year’s conference was packed with learning sessions, networking, and engagement opportunities with our leadership and support teams. Check out our five key takeaways below for a glimpse of Elevate 2020:

1. The Year of HR

At last year’s Elevate Conference, we focused our sessions around the theme of “Getting Ready for Next.” This year, “next” came quicker than anyone could have ever imagined.

There’s no question that 2020 has thrown all of us for a loop. Between a global pandemic, social unrest, and an economic crisis, it’s no stretch to call 2020 the “Year of HR.” And this year’s conference focused around the issues that made it just that. Human resources professionals have become increasingly important to keeping businesses operating and employees working. Many navigated new territory, like having to adapt to remote workforces, apply new safety protocols, manage state and federal regulations, and so much more. Cheryl Johnson, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Jay Shetty, our keynote speaker this year, both touched on the critical role HR leaders play during these times of uncertainty – and we’ve seen it first hand with our clients. This case study from FNB Bank, for example, focuses on their transition to using mobile and remote-friendly solutions throughout this challenging year.

That sentiment was felt across the board. For our attendees, rethinking the workplace following COVID-19 was very much a top-line priority. With our virtual platform, we were able to host Q&A sessions between our team and our clients. Participants received an added bonus of live and off-the-cuff case studies, where they heard directly from other attendees (and us!) about how they’ve been handling similar issues in regards to the pandemic, and how they’ve been using our solutions in the process.

2. #Trending

What’s on the horizon for HR? Our sessions for Elevate 2020 were focused around five key macro trends that we see impacting the industry: The "New" Modern Workplace, Employer and Employee Engagement, Regulatory Compliance, Agile HR, and Machine Learning and AI. HR and payroll professionals are already encountering these trends daily, but our sessions were designed to dive deep into the most critical issues, like breaking silos in the workplace, safety and health management, driving decisions based on data, and maintaining compliance. In fact, Joanne Furer and Scott Hansen both had popular sessions covering two of these very topics, highlighting the need for continued conversations.

And just because we were virtual did not mean our sessions weren’t interactive! Held in our Networking Lounge, our “Meet the Speaker” chats allowed guests access to discuss top questions regarding employee retention, improving company culture, diversity, and more.

3. New Premium Video Launch

Elevate attendees were privy to our newest product launch: Premium Video! With employees working complicated schedules, remotely, or across time zones, engaging a distributed workforce can often be a challenge – that’s where Premium Video comes in.

Premium Video helps keep teams on the same page and creates meaningful connections with candidates, new hires, and long-time employees. Clients that attended Elevate received a free trial of this new solution and are already recording custom messages within the Paylocity platform to their employees! If you couldn’t attend – don’t fret. Contact your account manager or request a demo for more information on how to implement this solution into your organization today.

4. Creating Connections

At Paylocity, one of our favorite parts of the job – and the Elevate Conference – is learning from and working with you to uncover products that meet your needs. For our popular “Ask the Expert” sessions, our virtual capabilities allowed us to capture client questions in advance – further expanding our clients as co-creators philosophy and giving broader-based availability to tap into our roadmap for what’s to come.

The cameras were on in our Connection Zone via Zoom, allowing for screen sharing and personal

connections. An ongoing Microsoft Teams chat opened the dialogue even further for group chats, centralized training, and working documents. In fact, 2020 was the first year that our PCTY Advocates were able to speak directly to one another in a more fluid and conversational environment, sharing their learnings and how they utilize Paylocity products.

5. Now Open Later

By far, our biggest perk of going virtual this year was the ability to offer our clients access to all the great content from Elevate 2020 for 30 days after the show ended. One of the challenging tasks when we plan Elevate every year is trying to fit all of our sessions, networking opportunities, and time for you to ask your questions into a few short days so you can get back to the important work you’re doing.

With our virtual platform, we were able to host our content for clients up to a month after the show ended – so they didn’t have to worry about missing anything or being double booked. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with one of our clients reaching out with the following:

“I have been so impressed with the virtual conference format. I attended in Chicago last year, which was great, but I actually feel I have gotten more out of this conference because I’ve been able to try out more sessions and watch sessions I didn’t attend “live.” Great job, Paylocity. You took a tough situation and really made it work.”

Thanks to everyone who attended Elevate Conference this year! If you missed out or want to take a look back, check out our wrap-up video. Keep your eyes peeled for news and registration details for our 2021 conference!