Event Details

Welcoming Employees Back to the Workplace - A Panel Discussion

The COVID-19 pandemic has likely changed the way we will approach work in 2021 and beyond. Organizations are in various stages of welcoming employees back to the workplace. Some essential industries have remained fully staffed or close to it for the duration of the pandemic. However, the vast majority of employers remain fully or partially remote.

As employers make plans to ramp up headcount back in the office there are many factors to consider such as testing, vaccinations, office layout, and compliance regulations to name a few. Our panel of experts will give their perspectives on the current state of affairs followed by a Q&A session with our members.

Learning Objectives

• Attendees will hear from our panel of experts - Labor Attorney, HR Leader, and Population Health Expert - regarding the topic of Welcoming Employees Back to the Workplace
• Attendees will learn about real world examples and best practices as it relates to the topic
• Q&A session to dig deeper into specific questions or issues

About the Panel:

Beth van Burk, SHRM-SCP, SPHR

Beth van Burk is a Human Resources leader with more than 25 years working in various roles and industries.  She has managed teams in the areas of recruiting, HRIS, change management, workforce planning and talent management.  She is recognized for leading small teams, organizing, facilitating, and communicating with others to successful completion of projects.  Beth is known for managing multiple perspectives while interacting with others.  She has been in different roles on the Dulles SHRM Board, including Registration, Secretary, Programs Chair, President, and Director-at-Large. 

Currently Beth works with British Standards Institution (BSI), a UK-based organization developing commonly used management systems standards globally.  BSI is the business improvement company that enables organizations to turn standards of best practice into habits of excellence. For over a century BSI has championed what good looks like and driven best practice in organizations around the world. Working with 84,000 clients across 195 countries, it is a truly international business with skills and experience across a number of sectors including aerospace, automotive, built environment, food, and healthcare. Through its expertise in Standards Development and Knowledge Solutions, Assurance, Regulatory Services and Consulting Services, BSI improves business performance to help clients grow sustainably, manage risk and ultimately be more resilient and trusted.

Zach Papalia, PhD, MPH, CSCS

Zack Papalia serves as a Population Health Management Consultant for the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Prior to joining USI, Zack was a member of the Department of Kinesiology at Penn State University.  Zack first started at Penn State in January of 2014, where he taught multiple courses within Kinesiology, with a focus on public health, strength and conditioning, and nutrition. Along with teaching, he oversaw the Department’s on-campus health assessment and education clinic, and their public health outreach and promotion campaign, Exercise is Medicine On Campus. During that time, he also began his doctoral studies, with a focus on optimizing worksite health programming. Beyond his work at Penn State, Zack  has also worked independently as a worksite health consultant in Pittsburgh and State College, PA.

Zack earned his PhD from Penn State University in 2019, with a research focus on optimizing employee health programs. In 2012, Zack earned his Master’s of Pubic Health from the University of Pittsburgh’s school of Health Policy and Management.  Prior to beginning his Master’s, Zack completed his B.S. in Kinesiology from Penn State University, University Park. Along with his formal degrees, Zack is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and an Exercise is Medicine Specialist with the American College of Sports Medicine [ACSM].

Zack serves on the Board of Directors for the American College of Sports Medicine’s Exercise is Medicine On Campus program. He is also the sitting President on Penn State Kinesiology’s Alumni Programming Group, and serves on their Industry Advisory Board. Previously, from 2013 – 2016, Zack was a member of ACSM’s Strategic Health Initiative – Behavioral Health Committee.