HR Advice Blog

Reconciliation is foundational piece of inclusion and workplace belonging – certainly in Canada. It’s also something that you should have heard, particularly with what has come to light with recent Residential School findings. So what is Reconciliation and what does it mean for individuals and organizations? 

Engaging employees during uncertainty feels tricky. But it might not be as hard as you think. It takes emotional intelligence, communication and the application of the basics of engagement like recognition and setting goals. But the thing is, you may have to be more intentional about it. I spoke with Rob Catalano of WorkTango. It’s a platform to help you listen to employees better and create more engagement. So he has learned a thing or two about engagement and is in a position to share.

Leadership is a journey.  So in this video you will get practical insight and tips from someone who is studying leadership and you might just FEEL better about how you are doing it. Ryan Rex has been an HR Director and is doing a doctorate in leadership. He says we all have characteristics that aren’t ideal in every leadership situation – it’s important to be self-aware and manage yourself.

Where do you start with people analytics? A lot of HR folks aren’t that numerically gifted to begin with and this can seem daunting. In this video, Allen Hornung suggests you should start where you are and dedicate someone at least part-time because it isn’t something you can do off the side of your desk.  You may need to do a creative business case to get the support in developing your people analytics capacity.  And it will be important to pick the right problems to get going.

Recognition at work is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to improve the workplace! There is more to it than a simple ‘thank you’ although that is a good place to start. Good recognition is personal, specific and timely. It’s also a cheap way to improve your culture, build positive relationships, retain employees. Sarah McVanel is the founder of Greatness Magnified. She’s a ‘recognition expert, professional speaker, coach, author, recovering perfectionist, and movement maker of F.R.O.G. (Forever Recognize Others’ Greatness)’.

Organizations implement elaborate OH&S policies to avoid injuries and then, when someone is injured we do things to respond. But we should also be PREPARED for workplace injuries so that we can act quickly to mitigate the financial impact to the organization. Preparation includes things like having reporting processes in place, a plan to support employees, and modified work ready. This episode was particularly interesting for the compelling insight into WHY you should do all of this.

Leadership theories abound. How do we apply those theories about leadership to HRM? In this video we talk about transformational leadership theory, which is (as I learned) the most common leadership theory. Knowing more about leadership in our organizations may help us become leaders, but it can also change how we deliver HR service and support. Ryan Rex has been an HR leader and director. He is currently in the midst of his doctorate studying transformational leadership and makes sense of it for us.

What is typical for employee benefits Canada? Benefits are confusing – even for people in HR. Like, what services are covered? What percentage of those services? What is a paramedical anyhow? And benefits are COSTLY so it is to the employer’s advantage to make sure that employees know what’s covered, are using the services, and appreciate the value. This video explains the typical aspects of benefits packages that are offered to employees in Canada. Shannon Hughes is a benefits broker and helps her clients get complete benefits packages that meet their needs.

Typically, people are promoted because they were great as individuals – but then they have to lead. This is as true in HR as anywhere and that first leadership role is often that of HR Manager. So what does an HR Manager do versus a business partner and how can someone be successful in that role?  Furthermore, how can an individual overcome some of the typical challenges? This episode answers both of these questions and more. Todd Bassett is a VP of HR and and has transitioned through the various positions so he knows what it is like and shares some of his insights.

Privacy in the workplace is a matter of legislation, common law, and policy. Some aspects of privacy in the Canadian context are set out in legislation – and it can be a wide variety of legislation. BC, Alberta, Quebec and federally regulated businesses are subject to specific privacy legislation, but the rest of the provinces and territories rely on common law. Then there is employee privacy expectations which can be greatly impacted by employer policy. How do you make sense of it? Gayle Wadden was this week’s guest. She is a lawyer, the cofounder of Compliance Works, and a privacy expert.