My Way or the Highway? The Impact: Designing Flexible and Future-Ready RTO Policies That Work

Includes a Live Web Event on 03/26/2025 at 2:00 PM (EDT)

Overview
Speaker(s)

Experience Level: Any level of experience

The engineering profession has seen many changes in the past 5 years and has adapted business practices to continue to provide the best engineering services to all stakeholders. The profession has increased its awareness to include stakeholders that may have been overlooked in the past recognizing the value and the improvements to engineering solutions by fostering inclusivity of life experiences. Part of that adaptation included recognizing productivity in a remote environment, eliminating long commutes and enabling a better balance between work and personal commitments. By leveraging technology to bring people together virtually, even while they are physically located around the globe, new possibilities have been unlocked for collaboration and productivity. While in-person interactions offer undeniable benefits, these advancements have opened up opportunities for engineers to work effectively in flexible environments. While not all employees have the same experiences, those that do may not be able to return to we think of as business as usual.

• This webinar will explore the importance of creating accessible and inclusive work environments that allow all engineers, regardless of physical challenges, to contribute their expertise.
• What happens if a colleague with mobility challenges is working on a higher floor in an emergency evacuation scenario?
• When your office spaces consist of cubicles and outlets are located under desks, how do you ensure accessibility for everyone?
• When meeting in a small conference room, how do you ensure that all participants have enough space to contribute comfortably?
• When retrofitting spaces to ensure accessibility, how do you address issues like building entry, parking access, and ensuring that all team members can participate in office outings or events?

Join us on March 26 for insights into the changing dynamics of the workforce and strategies for balancing business needs with workforce well-being.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Identify the primary challenges and opportunities of Return to Office (RTO) mandates for younger professionals and those requiring accommodation in the engineering field.

2. Illustrate how flexible work arrangements have supported productivity, innovation, and retention among diverse engineering teams over the past four years.

3. Discuss the impact of generational preferences, caregiving responsibilities, and accessibility needs on RTO policy design and implementation.

4. Present management approaches that can foster a positive and adaptable work environment, thus driving long-term success and workforce satisfaction.

1 PDH

Pricing:

NSPE Members: FREE

Non-members: $75.00 (Join NSPE today and save on this purchase.)

To register, add this webinar to your shopping cart and check-out in the NSPE e-store.

Richard B. Easley

President

E-Squared Consulting Corporation

Richard Easley is the President of E-Squared Consulting Corporation, a 26-year-old small firm specializing in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). He has 38 years of experience in providing transportation technology consulting services in 34 states and 25 countries. Mr. Easley serves on the Boards of ITS Canada and the International Parking and Mobility Institute (IPMI) and serves(d) as Chair of technical committees within the Institute of Transportation Engineers, Intelligent Transportation Society of America, IPMI, ITS Maryland, etc. In addition, Mr. Easley is the Chair of the NSPE DEI Advisory Committee, the ITS Canada DEI Committee, member of the ITS United Kingdom DEI Committee and provides technical services/guidance to the USDOT and state DOT organizations.

Nykisha Marie Kimble

Owner

US Army/Department of Defense

Nykisha M. Kimble McMorris is a Chief Engineer working within the DEVCOM Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) – Combined Joint Systems Integration Lab (CJSIL), where she leads and oversees the evaluation of new technologies as lab based risk reduction events are planned and executed, within replicated operational environments. Mrs. Kimble McMorris has accomplished a myriad of things throughout her 18 year career with the Department of Defense/US Army, to include most notably working with the COVID Task Force out of the Pentagon, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aurea L Rivera, PE, PMP, PMI-ACP

Founder and CEO

IMAREAN CORP

Aurea L. Rivera is adistinguished professional with extensive experience in engineering, projectmanagement, and intelligence. She is a certified Project ManagementProfessional (PMP), an Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), and a licensedProfessional Engineer in both Ohio and Florida, holding an Ohio EngineeringCertificate of Authorization.

Over her 34-year career as a civilian in the U.S. Air Force, Aurea rose to the position of Defense Intelligence Senior Leader (DISL)—one of the highest executive ranks in the federal government—and established herself as a recognized national expert in Measurementand Signature Intelligence (MASINT), Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT), Foreign Avionics, andForeign Material Exploitation. Prior to her sabbatical, Aurea served as Chief Scientist at Epsilon Command, Control, Communications, Computers, CombatSystems, Intelligence (C5I) in Dayton.

Aurea is the founder of IMAREANCorp, an organization dedicated to the advancement of STEM disciplines and served as the State of Ohio Chairperson for the MATHCOUNTS competition from 2019 to 2024.

Aarne Stefanon, PE, CFM

Water Resources Engineer and Small Business Entrepreneur

HDR Inc.

Aarne, 45 was disabledin June 2002 after a diving accident in Ocean City, MD and was diagnosed as aC5-6 quadriplegic. After extensive rehab he returned to college in 2004 at PennState. In 2008 he began engineering in his hometown and moved across town toHDR Inc. in February of 2022.

A 16-year professionalworking as a Water Resources Engineer, Aarne has been involved with more than100 H&H studies, stream rehabilitations, emergency slide repairs and bridgereplacements. Aarne enjoys most, the 2D hydrologic modeling of precipitationover watersheds on various transportation, resource and planning projects.