Your Chamber at Work - March 20, 2023

FROM THE KC CHAMBER'S PRESIDENT AND CEO

Employee retention is a concern for many of our members. A solution from our recent Healthy KC Breakfast: work/life integration. In other words, making sure your employees aren’t working “off the clock.” One of the panelists suggested calling it life/work integration – to put life first.

One panelist said during the height of the pandemic when employees were on Zoom, they banned the phrase “I’m sorry” when kids or pets popped into the Zoom. “There’s no need to apologize. We’re in YOUR house. Your kids and pets live there, we don’t. So there is no need to apologize.”

Another panelist said, when receiving a 9:00 p.m. email from one of their staffers, they questioned whether that employee was flex-working, making up for time missed earlier in the day. If not, they told the employee to take off however many hours they worked off the clock on the following day.

Panelists also talked about going back to the office, and stressed the importance of company culture and that employees want to stay where they are valued, as whole people.

And a HUGE thank you to our sponsors, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City and Lockton. 

Union Station parking update: With preparation for the upcoming NFL Draft underway, parking at Union Station is affected. OK Street parking is unavailable. South Plaza parking closes March 27. Parking is available in the West Yards Parking Garage but a word of warning: it’s pretty busy, especially with spring break.

Meanwhile, to get the full fan experience at the upcoming NFL Draft, download the NFL OnePass. It’s free and will give you access to the Draft, resources, and information about vendors and all the fun activities planned. Mark your calendars for April 27-29.

ACE AWARDS & THE CHAMPION OF DIVERSITY AWARDS

Applications open tomorrow, Tuesday, March 21, for the Champion of Diversity, and nominations open tomorrow for the Ace Awards! These are two of the biggest awards in the region recognizing the importance and impact of DEI efforts in the workplace. The Ace Awards honor up-and-coming senior level managers who are advocating for expansion of their company's DEI and/or supplier diversity efforts. The deadline to nominate is April 21. The Champion of Diversity Award recognizes both a for-profit business and a nonprofit organization that have made an impactful commitment to embrace diversity in their workplace, diversity supplier partnerships, and the community. This Champion of Diversity business will be able to demonstrate their organizational practices are inclusive of all people. This application is due May 12. Award winners will be honored at the POWER of Diversity Breakfast this summer! Special thanks to our Presenting Diversity Sponsor CommunityAmerica Credit Union.

MEMBER STANDUP

It only happens a few times a year! Don’t miss your chance for some members-only networking at our Member Standup – a high-energy, members only networking event that puts you in the spotlight on March 22 at 8 a.m. in our Chamber Board Room. You’ll be able to connect with fellow Chamber members in the middle of the week, then get your chance to shine: every member gets an opportunity to be in the spotlight with our Members at the Mic portion of the program. Get ready to make some great connections at this unique networking experience. Thanks to the KC Chamber's 2023 networking sponsors Delta Dental and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ALLYSHIP SERIES: THE LANGUAGE OF ALLYSHIP

Our allyship series continues with a focus on the language of allyship. Simply put, words matter, and many people are worried they may say the wrong thing. Join the Chamber for We Don’t Say That Anymore: The Language of Allyship, March 23, 9 to 10:30 a.m. in the KC Chamber Board Room on the first floor of Union Station. During this free event, attendees will learn about the reasons for evolving language and how language can help strengthen allyship in the workplace. Please RSVP. Special thanks to our Presenting Diversity Sponsor CommunityAmerica Credit Union, and our Allyship Series Presenting Sponsors Evergy and Hallmark.

IT'S SHOWCASE TIME

Join us for the Small Business Candidates’ Showcase, Tuesday, April 4, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Union Station’s Grand Hall. This is the first public event of the 2023 Small Business Celebration. Candidates will have a display table to showcase their products, services, and company culture. This event is open to the public for $10 admission. Be there for the only event where all of the candidates are together under one roof. You’ll also be able to vote for the KCNSC Fan Favorite Award before the KC Chamber announces the Top 10 Small Businesses just a few weeks later. Click here for registration and parking information. Our Small Business Presenting Sponsor is Evergy. Our Small Business CEO Sponsor is Kansas City National Security Campus, managed by Honeywell FM&T. Our Small Business Superstars Presenting Sponsor is EAG Advertising and Marketing. Our Media Sponsor is Startland News. Our Superstar Sponsors are Strang Chef Collective and FastSigns Overland Park. Our Top 10 Announcement Event Presenting Sponsor is UMB Bank. Our Top 10 Reception Event Presenting Sponsor is Bank Midwest. Our Awards Luncheon Presenting Sponsor is Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Our Executive Sponsors are Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, and CommunityAmerica Credit Union. Our Partner Sponsors are Commerce Bank, and Meta. Our Associate Sponsors are Arvest Bank, Country Club Bank, Enterprise Bank & Trust, H&R Block, Mazuma Credit Union, Menlo, PNC Bank, Southwest Airlines, and US Bank.