HR Update Spring 2018 by Great River Media inc.

HR UPDATE

ional camaraderie Your resource for profess and fresh insights.

RCE PROFESSIONALS THE HUMAN RESOU

UPDATE

A CHAPTER PUBLICATION ASSOCIATION OTTAW

NEGATIVE FEEDBACK, POSITIVE OUTCOMES:

ing An HR guide to turn ctive criticism into constru conversations PAGE 7

HR UPDATE Your resource for professional camaraderie and fresh insights.

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VOLUME 21 • ISSUE

15 • MAY 21, 2018

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An HR guide to turning criticism into constructive conversations PAGE 7

OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL

VOLUME 21 • ISSUE 15 • MAY 21, 2018

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THRIVING ON CHANGE DINNER JUNE 4, 2018 5:30 P.M. SALA SAN MARCO (215 PRESTON ST.)

People Analytics: Helping HR Become Data Driven

Welcome

to the spring 2018 issue of HR Update, a joint publication of the Ottawa Business Journal and the HRPA Ottawa Chapter. This publication can also be accessed as a virtual edition at www.obj.ca and www.hrpaottawa.ca. If you have any questions about this publication, please contact us via email at updatemagazine@hrpaottawa.ca.

For individuals interested in contributing, articles must be submitted via email to updatemagazine@hrpaottawa.ca by no later than Sept. 17, 2018 to be considered for the next edition.

HRPA Ottawa Dine and Learn Photos by Mark Holleron

2018-2019 OTTAWA BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIR CHERYL BANKS PAST-CHAIR MELISSA BELLOCCHI-HULL TREASURER/SECRETARY ERIN TAILLEFER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT BRENDA KIRKWOOD MENTORING MACKENZIE SMITH COMMUNICATIONS CAITLIN TRAYNOR STUDENT LIAISON MAURICE LE MAIRE REGULATORY LIAISON ANTHONY LAWLEY CONTACT US HRPA OTTAWA CHAPTER, GENERAL INQUIRIES & ACCOUNTING PHONE: 613-224-6466 E-MAIL: infohr@hrpaottawa.ca WEBSITE: www.hrpa.ca/Ottawa MEMBERSHIP CHANGES 150 Bloor Street West, Suite 200, Toronto, ON, M5S 2X9 PHONE: 416-923-2324 TOLL-FREE: 1-800-387-1311 FAX: 416-923-7264 EMAIL: info@hrpa.ca WEBSITE: www.hrpa.ca/Ottawa Join the HRPA Ottawa Chapter Group on LinkedIn @OttawaHRPA CHAIR: ANGELA ZIMMER EDITORIAL COMMITTEE: BRIGITTE LALONDE ERENDIRA PEREZ LARISSA VOLINETS SCHIEVEN PUBLICATION SUBMISSIONS: updatemagazine@hrpaottawa.ca SALES WENDY BAILY VICTORIA STEWART

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Contributors wanted! For individuals interested in contributing, articles must be submitted via email to updatemagazine@ hrpaottawa.ca by no later than Sept. 17, 2018.

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11 ways a professional association can boost your career BECOMING A MEMBER OF HRPA HAS A LONG LIST OF BENEFITS – AND THEY’LL HAVE A FAST, TANGIBLE IMPACT ON YOUR CAREER GROWTH

ultivating a career in HR means that you are in the business of people. You probably care a great deal about those around you, and you’ve probably worked very hard to grow your career to this point. But if there’s one point of commonality among HR professionals, it’s this: you are always striving to grow and improve, to create the very best workplace and culture you possibly can. If that sounds like you, there is one small step that can have massive returns for your career, your development and your workplace, regardless of the profession you choose: joining a professional association such as HRPA. The benefits of becoming a member has a direct and measurable impact on your career growth, and you don’t have to take our word for it. Here are some of the most significant benefits of being a member. Professional designations: Our tiered designation model means you can get the designations employers want faster, and our thorough but accessible competency framework means you will have the knowledge you need to meet emerging business challenges. Earn the Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP), the

Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) or Certified Human Resources Executive (CHRE) designation as you move up in your career! Exclusive job board access: Through Hire Authority, the No. 1 HR job board in Canada, you will have members-only access to thousands of high-level HR job postings at top organizations. And for employers, this means your job postings will give you access to the top HR talent in Canada. Higher pay, faster promotions: According to just-released PayScale research, professionals with an HRPA designation earn significantly more and receive faster promotions than HR practitioners without one. Mentoring programs: Meet your match, and watch your career and personal development blossom with our specialized mentorship programs. Skills self-assessment tools: All members have access to free tools that pinpoint and prioritize competency areas for further development. We even have tools for HR departments to assess their capability to drive organizational effectiveness. Professional development programming: Our extensive PD programming provides courses for every

area of HR, designed in close partnership with business leaders, top executives and world-class thought leaders. Gain the knowledge and skills to climb the career ladder, and watch your investment pay dividends. Highly targeted networking opportunities: Meet leaders in your field and your industry, build reciprocal partnerships, and watch how far you can go when you’re surrounded by the best people. Extensive member savings: We are pleased to offer exclusive savings with more than 1,500 vendors, including fitness memberships, travel discounts, insurance, wellness organizations and consumer products. Personalized access to HR research and reference librarians: Our research and whitepapers provides thought leadership for the most topical HR challenges – and our reference librarians can conduct personalized research just for you! Access to our HR hotline: Have a burning HR question that you’d like some advice on? There’s an app for that … well, actually, a hotline! Exclusive volunteer opportunities: Want the chance to work behind the scenes with high-profile speakers such as Hillary Clinton, Margaret Trudeau, Chris Hadfield and Clara Hughes? Our volunteers have. Want to get a board appointment under your belt, or gain not-for-profit experience? Check our ivolunteer platform for amazing opportunities! To read more about our extensive member benefits, please visit https://www. hrpa.ca/membership/member-benefits.

Ottawa’s Go-to Training Provider for over 35 Years We help clients improve organizational, team and individual effectiveness every day of the year through practical, results-oriented business skills training. Choose from:

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MENTORING COMMITTEE UPDATE The Ottawa chapter of HRPA has successfully run a mentoring program over the past few years under the committee matching format. This program is a great opportunity for HRPA members to participate as either a mentor or a mentee. The Ottawa Chapter has joined with the Algoma, North Bay, Northwestern Ontario, Northumberland, Timmins and Sudbury chapters to form one mentoring community. By joining together, we are able to strengthen our connections and open our networks to different geographical locations. MENTORCITY The HRPA has partnered with MentorCity, a Canadian company that has developed an online mentoring platform that makes it easy to connect mentors and mentees in meaningful mentoring relationships. MentorCity: Allows mentors and mentees to find their own matches;

• Provides mentors and mentees with access to a resource centre filled with materials to support successful mentoring relationships; • Includes a discussion room for mentors and mentees to share experiences, ideas and resources with other mentors and mentees; and, Is easy to use and is PIPEDA-compliant. MENTOR-MENTEE MATCHES Matches are suggested through MentorCity based on information collected through a brief survey that is completed by each participant. The paired matches can discuss goals and complete an agreement including (but not limited to) the term commitment depending on each relationship. MENTORING RELATIONSHIP The mentoring relationship is a partnership between a mentor and mentee where the goal is to support the professional development of human resources professionals and nurture growth. The mentoring relationship is driven by specific goals set by the mentee. The mentee’s professional development will be enriched through the guidance, knowledge

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and experience of the mentor and also through any networking activities or group discussions that take place. It is also an opportunity for the mentor to learn something new, hone or develop new skills and build a relationship with an interesting human resources professional who is eager to learn from you. The mentoring relationship is flexible and unique to its members. Each mentor and mentee can agree on the frequency of meetings and location. There is no minimum time commitment requirement. Each relationship will agree on its goals and objectives within the timeframe that will work for both parties. Both mentors and mentees who engage in a formal mentoring relationship (who complete a mentoring agreement) are eligible to earn certified professional development (CPD) hours toward CHRP recertification. We deeply thank our past participants for their valued contribution year after year towards the success of the program. Ready to become a mentor, mentee or have any questions? Please reach us at Ottawamentoring@hrpa.ca.

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hrpaottawa on the go @OttawaHRPA

HRPA, Ottawa Chapter

How to make a positive first impression GOOD INITIAL PERCEPTIONS CAN OPEN THE DOOR TO BUILDING STRONGER AND MORE SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIPS

t only takes five seconds to make a first impression. The people we meet quickly determine through their perception of us whether they like us, trust us and want to do business with us. Implementing the following 10 tips in business situations when you are meeting someone for the first time will help you to make a positive first impression:

MANAGE YOUR IMAGE Communication experts believe that 55 per cent of the total message presented by a person during a first meeting consists of

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BE AWARE OF YOUR POSTURE Good posture instantly creates an impression of confidence.

SMILE The best way to make others comfortable and at ease when you first meet them is by giving them a genuine smile. It helps to create a friendly environment that encourages conversation.

INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO OTHERS Never wait to be introduced. Take the initiative. It is how you make your presence known and demonstrate to others that you are engaging and personable.

6 their personal appearance. How we dress does have an impact on people’s perception of us. People respond and give more respect to those who are dressed professionally.

PROJECT A STRONG PROFESSIONAL PRESENCE Professional presence is a necessary life, business and leadership skill. It broadcasts who you are and determines how you are seen, heard and respected by others. It affects other first impressions of you and opens the door to allow others to discover and appreciate your innate skills.

MASTER YOUR HANDSHAKE A handshake is the physical greeting that goes with our words. When you introduce yourself to another person or are responding to an introduction, have a firm but friendly handshake. Firm handshakes are a sign of confidence, credibility and professionalism.

MAKE DIRECT EYE CONTACT Direct eye contact is very important in the business arena because it tells the other person that you are listening to them and can actually make you a better listener. In addition, it makes the person with whom you are speaking feel that they are important, valued and heard.

LET YOUR PEOPLE SKILLS SHINE THROUGH Let the other person be the centre of

attention. Ask them questions about themselves. By doing so, you will demonstrate that you are interested in others and what they have to say. Once the conversation has finished, they will leave thinking that you were very attentive, gracious and a good conversationalist.

ALWAYS CLOSE A CONVERSATION Never end a conversation without saying “thank you” or “it was a pleasure to meet you.” Ending a conversation graciously and professionally with another person will leave a positive impression.

FOLLOW UP Honour any promises you made to a new contact during a conversation, such as connecting with them for coffee to learn more about their business, or promising to send a great article via email. If someone has taken you out for a business lunch or provided a random act of kindness, send them a thank-you email along with a handwritten thank-you card. By doing so, you will enhance your credibility and opportunity to continue to build upon that professional relationship. Implementing these 10 tips in business situations when you are meeting someone for the first time will help you to always leave a positive first – and lasting – impression, all of which will open the door to building stronger and more successful relationships. Erin Crotty is the founder and director of BloomStra Consulting.

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For more information contact Andrina Rockwell 613-738-4856

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ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING MAY 24, 2018 5:30 P.M. AQUATOPIA WATER GARDEN CONSERVATORY (2710 MARCH RD.)

Navigating Modern Day Realities: Stress & Adaptability

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BUILDING YOUR TEAM IN A GROWTH ENVIRONMENT A case study into the transformation of a 28-year-old Ottawa ‘startup’

et me share our story about how we have been transforming our company. Human Resource Systems Group (HRSG) is a 28-year-old Ottawa company. We like to call ourselves a 28-year-old startup because we are transforming ourselves from a professional services company to a software company with the goal of doubledigit revenue growth. We specialize in talent management, using competencies as the key ingredient to assess and develop talent. To achieve our goals, we have been implementing a three-step plan. FIND A DISRUPTOR TO CREATE CHANGE For HRSG, this consisted of an individual with an impressive track record of building successful software companies. He brought fresh and ambitious ideas as well as a critical eye of our strengths and weaknesses. His first two tasks were to determine if we had the talent to achieve our goals and to create a product vision and strategy. DEVELOP AN HR PLAN Given the product vision, we created HR plans for all departments. We had major gaps to address in order to achieve our vision and growth goals. Each department needed to build an organization structure to support growth. This meant significant staff increases in our product development, sales and marketing groups implemented gradually over two years as revenue increased. Defining these jobs in terms of key competencies was critical.

BUILD LEADERSHIP ACCOUNTABILITY Putting leaders in place was an important step that paid off immediately. Several individuals from within HRSG were promoted to leadership positions. Their jobs were to build great products, create processes that scaled to our growth targets, find and implement tools to support these processes, and build our talent through hiring and development. We were encouraged to look outward for best practices and new ideas. Conferences, new partnerships, certification programs and conducting research became the new norm.

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HOW ARE WE DOING AFTER OUR FIRST YEAR? It isn’t yet over, but we’re making progress. We have released new software, steadily increased revenue, implemented many of the processes and tools to support our growth, and doubled our staff complement to 64. From an HR professional’s point of view, the biggest impact (apart from our disruptor), has been promoting people and building accountability. Giving our talent, the opportunity to improve the organization and create a foundation built on best practices has resulted in increased motivation, productivity and innovation as well as a collegial leadership team. Are we anxious about achieving our growth targets? Yes. But challenge brings determination, energy and new thinking. Lorraine McKay is the co-founder and chief marketing officer at Human Resource Systems Group.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Human Resource Management in Public and Not-for-Profit Sectors Certificate Public sector organizations and not-for-profits experience HRM issues and problems that are quite different from the public sector. Yet, many training and education programs focus only on HRM in the private sector, mainly targeted at large firms. This program is different. Here we focus on issues that are important for the public and not-for-profit sectors, including legislation, compensation, performance management, labour relations, and talent management. Visit www.hrpa.ca/Ottawa for more information.

communication. Never assume they are going to read through a long email.

TELL MORE STORIES It’s common for staff to listen to their leadership team share a new strategic plan or mission statement, only to leave the meeting unsure of how the new changes affect their role as an employee. Why not lead with how new changes will impact staff and then share the detail about the changes? Give your team a reason to pay attention (and not be bored!). Another tip in Medina’s book is that you lose an audience after 10 minutes. Tell a story, share an anecdote and do something to hit the reset button that will help the brain pay attention again.

The dos and don’ts of communicating change TIPS TO MAKING YOUR MESSAGES MORE ENGAGING

magine you received two emails at the same time. Which of the following subject lines would you click on and open first? All staff in the Manulife Pension Plan... If you can’t win Lotto 6/49… Communicating change, or any information, is best absorbed by employees

if it has a “hook” that piques their curiosity. According to John Medina, author of Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home and School, the mind is not capable of paying attention to things that are boring. Here are three tips to help you keep your team engaged in what you have to say.

ASK YOURSELF, “WOULD I READ THIS IF I DIDN’T WORK IN HR?” Challenge yourself to tweak your written communications and make them more interesting. Little additions, such as including a picture, can make a big difference. Offer a summary of what you want employees to take away from the

ASK – DON’T TELL How many times have you asked managers to pass on information to their staff only to find out it didn’t happen? Try engaging your managers in a conversation and ask what approach they’re going to take. Let’s say the request is for employees to fill out an online form that normally takes weeks to be completed. Spice things up and offer a prize to the first manager who gets three employees to complete the task. Enlist the help of managers. It will make it easier the next time you ask. Janet Hueglin Hartwick is the president of Soilleirich Communications Group. This article is an abridged version of the Conversations At Work presentation given at the HRPA Ottawa Dine & Learn event on March 22.

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How Hydro Ottawa unlocks the full value of its millennial workforce Local utility named one of Canada’s 2018 Top Employers for Young People for fifth consecutive year

or decades, it was widely assumed by most organizations that the process of onboarding new, younger hires largely involved a one-way transfer of knowledge: Junior staff would learn from an organization’s more senior staff. What that model overlooks, however, is the potential for long-term employees to learn from newer hires. Hydro Ottawa is one such organization that sees the full value of what younger employees can bring to the utility. As part of its Diversity and Inclusion Plan, the utility is committed to hiring from a broad cross section of society – including its younger generations. “Once we’ve got youth within our organization, we want them to contribute to meaningful work,” says Cindy Newell, Hydro Ottawa’s Director of Organizational Development.

6 HR UPDATE SPRING 2018

INVESTING IN THE NEXT GENERATION Jeff Bradford, 30, is one of Hydro Ottawa’s youngest leaders. As the supervisor of distribution operations, a position he has held for that last year, he oversees a team of journeypersons who install underground electrical infrastructure around the city. Bradford’s team is typically tasked with ensuring that new developments, including the incoming light-rail line, are connected to the power grid. The job is critical to the utility’s operations, and the lives of Bradford’s nine team members rest in his hands when they’re out in the field. “The approach used to be to promote people based on service,” says Bradford. “Now, it’s based on your work ethic, your experience and what you bring to the table.” Having recently celebrated his 10year anniversary with Hydro Ottawa, Bradford attributes his ability to attain

this supervisory role to the mentorship he has received through his employer. He was selected as part of an internal advancement program, which sees promising young employees groomed to move into leadership roles. YOUTH VALIDATION Hydro Ottawa has a Youth Council, composed of millennial employees that helps ensure the organization’s youngest voices are heard. The Council meets quarterly, with President and CEO Bryce Conrad as executive sponsor, and creates extensive opportunities for younger employees to network, both within and outside of Hydro Ottawa. Younger employees are also encouraged to have a voice in other areas of Hydro Ottawa’s operations. Youth make up 17 per cent of members across the utility’s working groups.

These measures ensure decisions that affect the entire Hydro Ottawa workforce aren’t only being made from the top-down. They also serve as an example of how the organization invests in the development of its younger employees. To keep new talent flowing into the company, Hydro Ottawa also offers five apprenticeship programs. At present 21 per cent of the company’s trades workforce is composed of apprentices. And the efforts to employ more youth are paying off for Hydro Ottawa. The utility was recently announced as one of Canada’s 2018 Top Employers for Young People for the fifth consecutive year. The award is presented each year by the Canada’s Top 100 Employers project and recognizes organizations that serve as leaders in attracting and retaining younger employees.

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HRPA Ottawa Photo Gallery Check out additional photos from our recent events. www.hrpa.ca/ottawa

It’s true that we have limited direct control of the behaviour of others. But we do have control over your own feelings, what we say and how we say it. often report losing their confidence when faced with conflicting information. Documenting the relevant facts/evidence and rehearsing the various scenarios in advance will help keep you anchored.

POSITIVE OUTCOMES TO DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS Constructive behaviour change is possible if dialogue is managed correctly

t’s the conversation that virtually all HR professionals dread. Whether it’s talking to an employee about poor performance or addressing complaints about hygiene or unprofessional behaviour, people rarely react well to negative feedback. Even if you have never been on the receiving end of one of these “difficult conversations,” we all intuitively understand how we might react when confronted with criticism of our behaviour or performance at work. Based on research from cognitive psychology, evolutionary psychology and neuroscience, we now have a better understanding of the underlying factors that lead people to react the way they do. In short, it’s a survival response. For all of us, our jobs are critical to our survival. We depend on the income we earn to provide the necessities (and luxuries!) of life. It’s that simple. Any threat to our income sparks the exact same fight-or-flight

survival response as physical threats did to our hunter-gatherer ancestors, such as the approach of a predator. What all difficult conversations have in common is that they involve telling the individual that some of their behaviours are unacceptable in the workplace. The natural reaction for the employee is to think that their job is at risk. This is interpreted by our brains as a threat to our survival and generates either a fight or a flight response. As a result, some employees will shut down emotionally – a psychological version of fleeing from the situation. Others may physically storm out of the room. In other cases, individuals may have a fight reaction that can involve simple disagreement or, in more extreme cases, outright hostility. Neither the flight nor the fight response is constructive for change and can often make a situation worse. Assuming the decision has not been taken to dismiss the employee, the objective

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of a difficult conversation should be positive behaviour change. That involves helping the employee continue to feel like a valued and productive member of the team. To do that, we must approach difficult conversations in a way that avoids making the person feel any more defensive than they already are. It’s true that we have limited direct control of the behaviour of others. But we do have control over your own feelings, what we say and how we say it. That is the key to success. Here are some simple insights to help you on your way to achieving more positive outcomes: BE PREPARED The anxiety of having a difficult conversation leads many people to avoid them until the last minute. “Winging it” is a surefire way to a bad result. These conversations always twist and turn when faced with denials or as new information is shared from the employee. HR managers

FOCUS ON THE FACTS TO KEEP IT IMPERSONAL Changing your behaviour is one thing. Changing who you are as a person is much harder. We all know this. So, if you frame the problem in personal terms, unsurprisingly, people take it personally and get defensive. Always talk about the behaviour – not the individual. When discussing problematic behaviour, descriptions should be factual and specific to avoid doubt and confusion. Explain in simple, clear and objective terms what the impact of their behaviour has been. MANAGE YOUR OWN FEELINGS THROUGH EMPATHY A guaranteed way to have a difficult conversation go off the rails is for you to react to the employee’s negative emotions with your own. Managing your emotions and keeping the conversation positive is critical. Being empathetic will make it easier for you to be less reactive and it will demonstrate you are there to help. Remember that it’s always much worse to be on the receiving end and that the goal is to help the employee succeed. THINK ABOUT YOUR DELIVERY How you deliver information is almost as important as what you say. A soft tone will have a much better impact than an aggressive tone. Using non-judgmental language keeps the conversation impersonal and reduces the risk of triggering defensiveness. Demonstrating active listening will also help signal your concern for their perspective. Finally, using supportive, open and non-confrontational gestures such as nodding and slightly leaning towards the speaker will reinforce the message that you are focused on helping the employee be successful. Gareth Doherty is the founder of Think/able Solutions. SPRING 2018 HR UPDATE 7

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The program takes place over three days.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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HOW TO SUCK AT HIRING Simple steps to becoming even worse at recruiting top talent

iring awesome people is hard. There is no shortage of quick and dirty tips and tricks floating around online that provide HR pros with guidance on how they can revolutionize their hiring, and suddenly have droves of “A players” show up at the door. The core problem, however, is that change is hard, maintaining the status-quo is comfortable and being average is safe. Since it’s easier to relax in a land of mediocrity and pay ridiculously high agency fees as opposed to taking different strategies into account and learning new skills that will actually make your business better, here is a shot in your arm that will hopefully make you think. 8 HR UPDATE SPRING 2018

Chicken catcher. Any questions about what that job entails? Didn’t think so. They could have called this job a “Poultry Logistics Specialist” or “Avian Transportation Guru,” but nope. Chicken catcher. As a celebration of ridiculousness, I magicians online these days … or clowns. Bravo Moonfleet, bravo. present to you the following five tips that will Anyway, if you assume that your target Are you being direct with your target guarantee that you not only don’t improve at audience has already drunk your internal audience? hiring, but actually get worse at it. Kool-aid and understands your organization’s Nah, me neither. I’d rather tell an inside lingo, you’re dead wrong. joke that no one laughed at. HOW TO SUCK AT HIRING TIP #1: Here’s a great example of an awesome job Use ridiculous job titles that you think are title that is crystal clear and leaves nothing HOW TO SUCK AT HIRING TIP #2: cool, but no one outside of your organization to the imagination, courtesy of Moonfleet Make your job postings read like a “Here’s actually understands. Poultry. the 137 reasons we won’t hire you” checklist. I used to call myself a “recruitment and You know what I find people really enjoy? talent branding magician.” Being evaluated against ridiculous criteria Guess what? that have no bearing on potential success I used to be an idiot! AND feeling like an easily replaceable human I thought it was funny and did it to battery during the whole selection process as make myself stand out as someone that opposed to a human being. was approachable, but surprisingly enough, I’m still pissed that the Pittsburgh peeps aren’t super comfortable approaching Penguins drafted Sidney Crosby over Marek

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ottawa

media social @OTTAWAHRPA

chapter

keeping you connected www.hrpa.ca/ottawa

Zagrapan in the 2005 NHL entry draft. Who? Marek Zagrapan, what’s wrong with you? Zagrapan was a tough, 6-foot, 190-pound centre with a left-hand shot, and could play the penalty kill like a mofo. He matched the job description for a centre perfectly! Crosby, on the other hand, was and still is undersized, AND he’s made of glass. Sure, Crosby has led the Penguins to three Stanley Cups, but those were random wins and had nothing to do with his performance. Right? Then again, maybe the Penguins were on to something and understood that there may be more to success as a centre on their team than what was listed on the job description. Nah, that sounds like crazy talk. Are you evaluating talent for their potential success at your organization, or against nonsense tangibles like years of experience doing X with no regard for performance? I know lots of people with many years of experience who happen to suck at their job. Do you? HOW TO SUCK AT HIRING TIP #3: Have and enforce an archaic social media policy. There is no better way to let the world know that you don’t trust your employees than not giving them access to their social media while at the office or having a social media policy that includes an “opinions expressed are mine and not necessarily those of my employer” bullet point.

It’s really too bad that you can’t police what your people are saying offline so it makes total sense that you should try to make up for it by doing everything you can to control what they are saying online. I love seeing multiple people from the same organization sharing and tweeting the exact same cold marketing-approved messages that were crafted with love by some out-of-touch PR person with absolutely no faith in others to engage their personal connections in real life. I suppose a better course of action could be to inspire, educate and empower our employees about social media and how their day-to-day actions can affect the success of our businesses – especially as it relates to hiring – and then trust them to act like adults. After all, the sum of our employees’ social media following is easily a factor of 100 times larger than our organizations’, and our employees have something within their networks that no organization or recruiter on the planet has within their network: credibility. Nah… It’s easier to live in a fantasy world where we think we can control everything people say and do. HOW TO SUCK AT HIRING TIP #4: Have a completely chaotic, disorganized and time-consuming selection process that only a NASA engineer could actually understand and implement within a calendar year. The more complicated the better – that’s what I always say! Sure there’s a “war for talent” and all,

but from my experience, people love to play hurry up, fake a dentist appointment for an interview on short notice and then wait for weeks at a time for feedback … and then do it all over again when you’re ready to get off your hump and have your potential new hire meet with someone else to ask them the exact same questions all over again. I don’t know about you, but I sleep much better at night when I know that I have completely wasted a stranger’s time and added mountains of stress to their home life while I got to enjoy playing puppet master because my mom didn’t hug me enough as a child. Alternatively, I suppose you could map out and share with your potential new hires a simple, efficient and repeatable selection process where all parties knew what, when and with whom to expect so everyone could make good use of his or her time to discuss what success at your organization looks like. Which brings me to how to suck at hiring tip No. 5... HOW TO SUCK AT HIRING TIP #5: Have absolutely no clue what a successful hire looks like, and how to identify potential in another human being. One of my favourite pasttimes is putting a blindfold on, resting my forehead on the nub of a baseball bat, putting the head of the bat on the ground, spinning around as many times as it takes to disorient myself to the point of falling over, and then throwing a dart at a moving dartboard in an attempt to hit a bullseye. That’s how typical hiring decisions should

be made, right? What’s so wrong with interviewing 10 or 12 people just to figure out what I am – and am not – looking for? Nothing, that’s normal! Then again, I suppose it may be of value to me, everyone on my team as well as the people that I am meeting to actually put some thought towards what success looks like in my next hire, and what I will be measuring everyone against prior to wasting a dozen people’s time and sick days. Hmm. Nah, that sounds too smart. Phew! See, that wasn’t so bad. Although the bar for sucking at hiring is set pretty low, if you follow these five tips, I guarantee your agency spend will increase this year, as will your time to fill. It’s a good thing that peeps are lining up at your door begging you to hire them, especially at 95 cents on the dollar, right? No worries, don’t lose too much sleep. Lots of your competitors suck at hiring too, so your inability to hire the people you need to make your business successful is a common problem. In the event that you’d prefer to not suck at hiring, I hear you. Challenging the status-quo of suckiness, though scary, can be an exhilarating experience. You may even find out that hiring doesn’t have to be so hard. John Fleischauer is the chief operating officer at Pivot and Edge.

Marijuana in the Workplace — Are you Ready?

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SPRING 2018 HR UPDATE 9

HRPA OTTAWA CHAPTER EVENT UPDATES NOW COME DIRECTLY FROM HRPA Please watch for them on Tuesdays in “Your HRPA Daily Newsletter” and add reply@membermail.hrpa.ca to your safe senders list so you don’t miss out! You can also visit www.hrpa.ca/ ottawa and click on “Chapter Events.” Looking to get on the list? Send an email to infohr@hrpaottawa.ca.

the form in the order in which they are asked. When creating an outline, identify the allegations, and make sure you have the information and documents needed to respond to each one. If there’s something missing, circle back to the documents you’ve gathered and your witnesses to fill the gap.

INTS

PLA COM

COMPLETE ‘FORM 2’ You can download the form from the HRTO’s website. Most of the questions are fairly self-explanatory. For any section that asks you to explain what happened, write “see attached Schedule A” rather than trying to squeeze everything into the form. WRITE UP YOUR SCHEDULE A A good response is one that is easy for the reader to understand and follow. You want to tell your story, not just respond to the applicant’s version. Organize your information in a way that makes sense and is relevant to your defence, whether or not it was directly raised by the application. Generally, it is helpful to go through the events chronologically, using dates and headings to separate themes and ideas. You should include blanket statements denying all of the allegations and that the organization or individual violated the Human Rights Code, in case you forget to address a specific ground or allegation. Keep in mind that the HRTO does not have the power to deal with claims of unfairness between parties, unless related to a ground under the Human Rights Code. The HRTO can only address applications that allege a violation of the Human Rights Code. If the application makes allegations of unfairness that aren’t connected to a protected ground, clearly identify this.

How to respond to human rights complaints STEPS TO ANSWERING – AND DEFENDING YOURSELF AGAINST – ALLEGATIONS

s an employer, or as someone who works in human resources, you might find a letter from the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal (the “HRTO”) sitting on your desk. Applications to the HRTO have been increasing in popularity as we see more and more media attention on discrimination and harassment allegations. If you receive an application, it is important to respond to the allegations, or you run the risk that the HRTO will deem you to have accepted the allegations and will deal with the application without keeping you informed. This list is designed to be a tool for responding to an HRTO application.

Make note of the deadline to respond. After you receive a Notice of Application letter from the HRTO, you have 35 days to respond. The deadline for responding should be clearly marked on the letter. If you cannot meet that deadline, you can ask for an extension but the request for an extension must be made before the deadline.

TALK TO ANY POTENTIAL WITNESSES You should talk to anyone who is named in the complaint, whether as an individual respondent or as a witness. In addition, talk to anyone you can think of who may have knowledge of the allegations. You will have to provide names of possible witnesses along with your response, as well as a brief READ THE APPLICATION IN DETAIL explanation as to why they are important. It is crucial that you review the entire You may find it useful to provide all of application and pay close attention to detail. these potential witnesses with a summary of Often, applicants at the HRTO are selfthe allegations and ask them to respond in represented so they may not fully understand GATHER ALL RELEVANT DOCUMENTS writing. You can then use these statements the form, or what information needs to go You will be required to identify any relevant while you prepare your Schedule A to make where. If you only read their description of documents in your response, but (with the sure you cover all your bases. events, you may miss critical information, exception of a few specific documents identified such as the remedies they are asking for and in Form 2) you do not have to disclose them OUTLINE YOUR RESPONSES the grounds they are basing their claim on. at this point. Before preparing your response, Ensure that you respond to all of the Read through the application once to get an find any documents that may be helpful while allegations contained in the application, idea of its contents, then go through it again you draft your version of events. These may without responding line by line. It is not to identify what you need to respond to. include the employee’s contract, any relevant necessary to answer the questions from 10 HR UPDATE SPRING 2018

REVIEW THE RESPONDENT’S GUIDE If this is your first HRTO response, the Social Justice Tribunals of Ontario website has a respondent’s guide, which is an excellent resource. The guide will walk you through the response process and outlines who to contact if you have any questions. If you feel like you need more guidance once you’ve reviewed the respondent’s guide, or you’re not comfortable responding on your own, now would be a good time to seek legal advice.

policies (including a collective agreement if the employee is unionized), any internal complaints and their responses, the employee’s personnel file, and any documents that relate to discipline, including the letter of termination, if applicable. Make sure you have these, as well as any other documents referenced in the application, on hand as you draft your response.

SEND EVERYTHING TO THE REGISTRAR Once you have completed Form 2 and your Schedule A, along with any of the documents required by the HRTO, send everything to the Registrar as, indicated on the application. The Registrar will redact what it deems necessary before sending your response to the applicant or their lawyer. Any communications beyond the response have to be addressed to the Registrar, with the applicant copied, and accompanied by a completed Form 23: Statement of Delivery. WAIT FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTION If the HRTO considers your response incomplete, they will return it to you. At that point, you will have 20 days to resubmit the completed response. Otherwise, the HRTO will send the applicant and any other named person(s) a copy of your response. The applicant may have an opportunity to reply if your response raised any new matters. If both parties agree to attempt mediation, the HRTO will schedule a time with a HRTO mediator for the parties to try and reach settlement. If there’s no mediation, or if mediation proves unsuccessful, the HRTO will schedule a hearing. The HRTO will provide you, or your representative, with information and timelines for next steps. Erica Bennett is an associate at Emond Harnden. Lauren Jamieson is a student-at-law at the firm.

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Contributors wanted! For individuals interested in contributing, articles must be submitted via email to updatemagazine@ hrpaottawa.ca by no later than Sept. 17, 2018.

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Headshots

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MANAGING DEPARTURES: HOW TO HANDLE EMPLOYMENT TERMINATIONS

Word Count

3 Please ensure your article is no greater in length than 800 words

reconsideration. All other discussions are best managed at a later date. Planning is the most important investment you can make. Consider all of your logistics and plan for the worst to happen and prepare for the best. This conversation is completely about supporting the individual and creating an exit strategy as they absorb the news. ‘SURVIVORS’ Next should be consideration for the team members who are not exiting, often referred to as the “survivors.” Good preparation and communication is just as important with this group. These individuals will be conflicted with feelings of relief that they still have a role in the organization, and confusion or grief for members of their team exiting. It is essential to have a well-crafted communication plan that is timely, provides inspiration going forward as well as discretion and dignity to those departing individuals. This group will require ongoing communication as part of your change management strategy in order to “re-recruit” them to your future team.

anaging departures as a result of a business transformation requires vision beyond the departure decision. Good planning for a compassionate and dignified experience for everyone involved is critical to the success of the transformation. HR leaders are often faced with the task of coordinating and planning these departures discreetly and independently. THE AFFECTED EMPLOYEE First consideration must go to the departing employee. Preserving the dignity of the employee is critical. It is important to prepare your message well and to not deviate from your script. Avoid providing any explanation at this stage. It is unlikely one can soften this message in the moment, and it can’t appear to be a topic that is still open for

3 JPEG format & 300 DPI, CMYK 3 Measuring no smaller than 2” x 3” 3 No cropping of the head area

OPERATIONAL STAFF The third group that is often missing from even the most comprehensive plan is the operational staff. These are IT personnel who are tasked with disabling access and collecting equipment, the office services team members who may have to handle clearing out desks, lockers or mailboxes, the reception staff who are responsible to field calls and any other members of your logistics team. These individuals are in the unfortunate position of knowing that these departure conversations are imminent and must continue functioning business as usual while protecting this sensitive information. Maintaining the confidentiality of this information is a difficult burden to carry that can cause fatigue and disengagement. Genuine compassion and support combined with discreet gratitude for this group should be an important part of your plan. Departures as a result of business changes are challenging and often necessary components of transformations. Critical success factors include compassion, discretion, good planning and clear messaging. While we tend to focus on the departing employee, it is equally important to include other team members in your strategy: those who are staying on and need to engage in the future, as well as those who are enabling and supporting the change. – By Jessica Ferguson

Talent & Leadership Development • Career Solutions • Executive Search & Recruitment Lee Hecht Harrison Knightsbridge helps companies simplify the complexity associated with transforming their leadership and workforce so they can accelerate results, with less risk.

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SPRING 2018 HR UPDATE 11

HIRING GREATNESS Ottawa recruiter David Perry shares insights from his latest book on how to tap into the value of modern knowledge workers

icking a person is the most important business decision you will make. What is an employee worth? Not compensation! But value? As an extreme example, entertainer David Bowie floated a personal bond issue a few years ago. He offered investors a portion of his future royalties from previously recorded material and receipts from future concerts. The “Bowie Bonds” were gone within an hour of the offer, for more than $50 million. In an even more striking case, when Dreamworks SKG went public, investors immediately drove the value of its bonds to $2 billion. Dreamworks was a film studio without a studio, a film or even a star. All it had was the intangible value of its founders: Coreyn Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Getten. The intangible value of being – that’s what the new knowledge economy is all about. Veteran information age guru Stan Davis confirms some insights into the increasing value of people in today’s economy. A person’s “value” is just a measure of how much someone is willing to pay to obtain something from them. 12 HR UPDATE SPRING 2018

EMPLOYEES AS FREE AGENTS In their business strategy book Blur, Davis and co-author Christopher Meyer argue that the boundaries between your work life and your home life are disappearing. In fact, today the rate of change and the depth of connectivity is so fast that every person, product, service and company are blurring together. Instead of resources or land, “capital” today means human capital. It doesn’t take a shoe factory to go into the shoe business these days. Nor do you need raw materials or fleets of trucks. Nike became a shoe industry leader by concentrating on the value-producing capacity of its employees for design, marketing and distribution knowhow. The real capital is intangible: the person’s knowledge level, combined with an aptitude for application and execution. Knowledge workers are the value-adders. Today, employees – especially in the high-technology world – tend to think of themselves as a “free agent.” Like a professional athlete who is always in training, knowledge workers are continuously investing in the next set of skills and

training, driving up their personal “stock price.” This puts knowledge value in the driver’s seat. VALUE = / SALARY In this world, “value” is NOT salary – not for the employer, not for the employee. Your search for a star candidate should be value-focused, not salary-driven. Employers will try ever harder to retain smart, boldly entrepreneurial overachievers. Google used stock options to attract exactly this kind of person, and has created thousands of employee millionaires. Apple employees who contributed the maximum to Apple’s employee stock purchase plan have seen their shares grow in value to approximately $1,112,189 over the seven years – that’s 636 per cent. By and large the whole industry is playing by the same rules and, occasionally, someone does something interesting. It seems the following incentives are the price of admission for companies looking for new hires: signing bonuses, multiple annual raises, options, a great work environment and a courtship process that would woo the coyest lover.

While that may be the regular price everyone has to offer to get new employees, it’s not enough to attract the best executive talent. Every company that promotes itself effectively must make both a logical and emotional connection with the consumer. The needs of the recruit must be reflected at both an emotional and logical level, and must not present the image of a company that is boring, staid or traditional, but present an emotionally based image of dynamism, youth and forward movement. The emotional appeal of a company that offers individual meaning, status and project glory can upset the conventional offers of conventional players. Our audience is smart, educated, motivated and in possession of an inordinate amount of business savvy that their predecessors lacked. They represent the elite of the workforce. Every company in every country wants them. So recruiting executive talent today requires the ability to micro-target the competition’s employees where they live – not where they work – and the occasion to treat each potential “candidate” as an individual, providing a customized response tailored to their needs. That’s how you hire greatness and increase your value. David Perry is an executive recruiter and managing partner at Perry-Martel International Inc. He’s the co-author with Mark Haluska of Hiring Greatness: How to Recruit Your Dream Team and Crush the Competition.

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“Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude.” — RALPH MARSTON

Motivating change in life and at work ABILITIES, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ENVIRONMENT ARE ALL CRITICAL TO ACHIEVING GOALS

common narrative in change management is that if you give somebody a compelling reason to change – what’s in it for them – they will then be much more likely to adopt the change. What can be a more compelling reason to change than your life depending on it? Let’s consider the example of patients in health care who have very poor lifestyles resulting in heart diseases leading to these patients needing coronary artery bypasses. These patients need to change their lifestyle. Otherwise, they would die from their heart condition. Dr. Edward Miller, the former CEO of John Hopkins Medicine, found that 90 per cent of the people who go through a coronary artery bypass go back to their old lifestyle within two years of their surgery. So how could a reason be more compelling than your life depending on it? Because a good and compelling reason alone is not enough to create or sustain change. Change is much more complex and sometimes the motivation or the reason alone is not enough to sustain it. How we

A good and compelling reason alone is not enough to create or sustain change.

behave is a function of both who we are and the environment in which we exist. I may be motivated to have a healthy lifestyle, but do I have the knowledge,

abilities and skills to sustain such a lifestyle? Do I have the willpower to initiate a change and then sustain it through the day, week, months and years?

To create lasting change, focus on the person within the environment that he or she is acting. From the person perspective, willpower does not last. And motivation needs a daily boost, just like the brushing that has to happen every single day. Focusing on the motivational aspects alone is a weak strategy when designing and facilitating change. Consider also the abilities, knowledge and skills needed to adopt and implement that change. If that is a gap, no matter how motivated you are, you are not going to be able to create the change. And last, consider the environment in which you’re functioning. Is the environment congruent with the changes you wish to make? If the goal is to adopt a healthy lifestyle, do you have junk food in the environment? Do you live or hang out with people who don’t work out, or have friends who are constantly asking you to go out for unhealthy meals? Assess the environmental conditions that are leading to your current behaviour and make the necessary changes to your environment to align it with your change goals. As a leader who is trying to create change in an organization, when you’re devising a strategy for change, acknowledge both the person and the environment. It’s only when the two come together that you can have a hope for lasting change. Now that is a compelling strategy to make change happen. Sandeep Aujla is a principal consultant and founder of Multilevel Leadership Consulting.

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sfhgroup.com SPRING 2018 HR UPDATE 13

“A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. They inspire the power and energy to get it done.” — RALPH LAUREN

Gender identity and expression: Educating your complainants and respecting the employee GUIDELINES AND BEST PRACTICES FOR SUPPORTING TRANS PEOPLE IN THE WORKPLACE

ive years have passed since gender expression and gender identity were added to the Ontario Human Rights Code. Over the same time period, we have heard stories in the mainstream media of celebrities who have changed their sex, transgender athletes gaining permission to compete in the Olympics without a surgical sex change and changes to government identification. For employers, gender identity and gender expression are hot and timely topics. The learning curve is high, the timelines are short and expectations are significant. While the law in this area is highly dynamic, there are guidelines and best practices for understanding its unique aspects, supporting trans people in the workplace, and ensuring compliance with the Code. UNDERSTANDING GENDER IDENTITY AND EXPRESSION While the Code does not define “gender identity” or “gender expression,” the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario has

held that these grounds are intended for the protection of transgender and gender non-conforming persons. The Ontario Human Rights Commission has provided the following guidance in its Policy on preventing discrimination because of gender identity and gender expression: • Sex is the anatomical classification of people as male, female or intersex, usually assigned at birth. • Gender identity is each person’s internal and individual experience of gender. It is their sense of being a woman, a man, both, neither or anywhere along the gender spectrum. A person’s gender identity may be the same as or different from their birthassigned sex. Gender identity is fundamentally different from a person’s sexual orientation. • Gender expression is how a person publicly presents their gender. This can include behaviour and outward

appearance such as dress, hair, make-up, body language and voice. A person’s chosen name and pronoun are also common ways of expressing gender. Employers will want to carefully assess current operating procedures and practices to ensure compliance with their obligations under human rights legislation. Gender identity and gender expression will create different challenges for employers and service providers. Employers can take steps now to create inclusive workplaces or prepare for accommodations. At its core, the obligations require employers to make sure trans people and other gender nonconforming individuals are treated with dignity and respect, and enjoy equal rights and freedom from discrimination.

Best practices •

Review your organization’s policies to ensure they include gender identity and gender expression

•

Review human resources forms and documents

•

Use an individual’s chosen name and pronoun

•

Provide suitable accommodation

•

Review dress codes

•

Protect privacy

Siobhan O’Brien is an Ottawa labour, employment and human resource lawyer at Hicks Morley.