CHICAGO — HR is a necessary part of every industry and events are no exception.
The latest webinar from the Exhibition Services & Contractors Association Rising Leaders Committee looked at four major HR challenges with Jason Eisenhut, Vice President of HR at EMPLOYCO USA, and Griffen Wilson, Vice President at EMPLOYCO USA.
“The HR landscape has dramatically changed over the last few years, especially in our industry,” Wilson said. “These pressures are hitting organizations of every size … and they’re only going to be accelerating as we head into 2026.”
Trade Show Executive’s Young Professionals Corner put together takeaways from this impactful learning opportunity.
1. Retention
Two noteworthy Gallup statistics shared by Eisenhut relate to job satisfaction; only 19% of employees are extremely satisfied with their company as a place to work and 52% are actively looking for a new job.
According to Eisenhut, employees are attracted to a greater work-life balance, personal wellbeing, improved income and benefits, and other factors.
Ways to improve employee retention include:
- Maintain open communications
- Provide learning, development and growth opportunities
- Ensure competitive total compensation package
- Recognize achievements
When recruiting new talent, Eisenhut had this advice:
- On-Site: Focus on company branding and culture, and promote your ability to accommodate employee needs
- Remote: Look for common skills found in successful remote workers and examine the aspects of your company that appeal to remote workers
Eisenhut also advised employers to consider looking for retirees, focusing on skills instead of education and using employee referral bonuses to bring in great candidates.
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2. Compliance
According to Eisenhut, these are the top legal compliance issues that should be on your radar:
- Independent Contractor vs W2 Employee: The Department of Labor is reconsidering a rule from March 2024
- Pay Transparency: Specific states require employers to disclose compensation information to job applicants and existing employees
- Form I-9: A new form was released in April 2025. Section one should be completed by the employee no later than the first day of employment and section two should be completed by the employer within three business days after the employee’s first day
- Harassment Training: A number of states require employers to provide sexual harassment training
- Non-Compete Agreements: States have increased restrictions on employers who want to block former employees from working for a competing employer
3. Benefits
“The biggest challenge we’re seeing companies across the country face is within the medical plan souring premiums,” Eisenhut said. “Unfortunately, we’re seeing a lot of data across the country for nationwide premium increases that are higher than it’s been in many years.”
Factors driving health care cost increases include:
- GLP-1 drugs
- Specialty medications
- Chronic health conditions
- Aging populations
- Cancer care
- Healthcare labor costs
4. AI
Finally, Eisenhut shared the advantages and disadvantages of AI in the workplace.
- Advantages: AI is an excellent method to analyze data and provide recommendations and potential improvements to customer support, sales, marketing, recruitment and software development
- Disadvantages: Analysis and recommendations may not be accurate or secure, and analysis and recommendations may be discriminatory
Eisenhut shared three AI best practices:
- Review company-sponsored use of AI systems and software to ensure legal compliance
- Create a company policy related to employee use of AI
- Train employees on the company policy and processes
“Griffen and I love to help so feel free to reach out to us,” Eisenhut said. “We’d love to hear from you if you have any questions.”
Reach Eisenhut at jeisenhut@employco.com and reach Wilson at gwilson@employco.com
