Dear HR Colleagues, 

What a whirlwind of a year so far. Although January can sometimes feel like it lasts 30 years, somehow, we are already in the middle of February.

I have been back in the office just a couple of weeks following a short, but amazing trip to Savannah for ASHHRA’s first ever Benefits Symposium. It was so good to connect with subject matter experts from across the country and find out how they are all tackling very similar challenges.

We covered a wide variety of topics: trends in benefit offerings; employee financial wellness; combating burnout and compassion fatigue among our frontline staff; and how to engage employees in benefit offerings to improve experiences, reduce costs and drive better outcomes. It was incredibly exciting to see this partnership between ASHHRA and the sponsors come together to provide an opportunity for HR benefit professionals to come together, share ideas and network. 

I heard repeatedly from participants that this is one of the best — if not the best — event they have been to with a focus solely on benefits. So often they attend conferences and are lucky to have one session devoted to their specialty. They were thrilled that ASHHRA and our sponsors were able to create an event that was dedicated completely to them, and there were talks that this will definitely be an annual event going forward. 

What an exciting time to be an ASHHRA member. Whether you are a department of one, part of a large health system or somewhere on the continuum between, our educational offerings and networking opportunities put solutions right at your fingertips. With ASHHRA membership, there really is something for everyone!

See you in Fort Worth this April for ASHHRA24!

Tracy Clarke, MBA, PHR, SHRM-CP
2024 ASHHRA Board President

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