In This Section:

Keynote Speaker

Introducing Nora Burns

Founder & Chief Curiosity Officer
The Leadership Experts

Biography

Nora’s insights on workplace culture aren’t strictly from her time as an executive or her leadership experience over a 30-year career, but also from her unique research, The Undercover Project™. She has been on over 250 job interviews as The Undercover Candidate™. She also worked for five well-known brands on the front lines…undercover.

Her interest on generational variances developed naturally and early. She is one of nine children that spanned three generations. One cannot help but be curious about generational differences when your siblings are in a different generation than you.

In the years she has invested analyzing workplace culture trends and patterns, Nora has uncovered truly remarkable data trends and stories. Information your team needs to prepare for the next twists and turns in the employment experience for first and second tier organizational chart roles that directly interact with your customs, clients, and guests.

Keynote Sessions

Stories From The Breakroom: What Employees Tell Each Other But They Don’t Tell You

In this insightful keynote, Nora Burns, known as The Undercover Employee™ shares a firsthand account of workplace realities from the front lines. Nora invested 15 months behind the scenes at prominent organizations. She traded her HR executive role for a polyester uniform to stock shelves, ring up orders, and clean bathrooms. More importantly, she listened closely to employees as they discussed the unfiltered truths about their work environment, leadership, and organizational culture. Through data from her proprietary research, Nora reveals the candid insights often exchanged in breakrooms but rarely brought to management’s attention.

Key Objectives:

Gain Frontline Insights: Understand what employees genuinely think about leadership, working conditions, and the overall company culture—insights often shared only among themselves.
Identify Key Cultural Gaps: Recognize areas where leadership’s vision may differ from the actual employee experience, allowing for a more authentic alignment of values and practices.
Implement Practical Action Steps: Discover actionable strategies that management can use to bridge the gap between employee perceptions and organizational goals, ultimately enhancing culture and performance.

Nora’s experiences bring invaluable lessons that go beyond traditional surveys, offering a powerful, reality-based perspective on cultivating a thriving workplace culture.

Next-Gen Talent Blueprint: Unlocking the Secrets to Attract, Inspire, and Keep Young People Engaged

This interactive workshop dives into the insights and strategies needed to successfully recruit and retain younger talent in today’s competitive job market. Led by Nora Burns, founder of The Undercover Project™, this program leverages proprietary research conducted as both The Undercover Candidate™ and The Undercover Employee™. Backed by authentic, on-the-ground experiences, as well as survey data from young employees, the workshop explores what our youngest workers truly value in their workplaces and leadership.

Attendees will gain a clear understanding of:

The key motivators and decision drivers for young job seekers when choosing employers
Missteps companies often make in recruitment that turn away young talent
How to cultivate a workplace culture that attracts and retains younger employees
Practical, tested strategies for creating roles and work environments that align with young professionals' values, priorities, and career aspirations