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GENERATION People Cut-throat Mediocre HARNESS THE POWER OF A MULTI-GENERATIONAL WORKPLACE

• GET EACH GENERATION PLAYING TO ITS STRENGTHS

• RETAIN GEN X STARS AND READY THEM FOR LEADERSHIP

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HRM

JOBS CENTRE

Canada’s #1 website for HR news source and information has launched the HRM Jobs Centre – Canada’s newest online job board where you can find the most qualified HR professionals committed to HR news, opinion and analysisand the best HR jobs. •

Get insider information on the latest HR job openings across Canada

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Expose your job posting to over 40,000 high caliber HR professionals

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Browse through uploaded resumes and find the right HR professional for your organization

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09/01/201412:36:59 2:38:46 26/07/2014 AMPM

CONTENTS

NEWS/ANALYSIS 4 | Generational facts and figures 6 | News/Appointments 8 | HR Q&A with Canadian Tire’s Doug Nathanson 12 | Legal insight: When should you keep an investigation internal and when should you bring in the experts? HRM investigates

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GENERATION Pushy People Money Good Cut-throat

14 2.4 issue

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COVER STORY Generation gap With three generations in the workplace conflict can seem inevitable. HRD finds out how HR leaders can address generational issues to build a more collaborative, efficient and successful organization

FEATURES: 20 | Succession planning Leadership gaps are a major concern for many Canadian companies. What best practices can you introduce to ensure your organization will have the future leadership skills they need? 24 | Drug and alcohol testing HRD takes a comprehensive look at the different sides of the random testing debate in Canada, with insight from U.S. organizations already using randomized testing

30 | Disability management Short and long term disability leave is a growing cost area for HR. By introducing better management practices, and return to work programs, HR can significantly reduce these costs 34 | Lessons from Google office design Google offices are famous for their impressive perks and features, but those “little extras” take a lot of planning. Google Canada facilities manager Andrea Janus talks about the art and science behind the company’s office design

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EDITOR’S LETTER

COPY & FEATURES SENIOR EDITOR Vernon Clement Jones EDITOR Iain Hopkins SENIOR WRITER Caitlin Nobes CONTRIBUTORS Jill Gregorie, Liz Scott, Anna Sharratt, Connie Hanson, Gary Taylor COPY EDITOR Mark David

TALKIN’ ‘BOUT MY GENERATION

ART & PRODUCTION GRAPHIC DESIGNER Joenel Salvador

SALES & MARKETING BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Sarah J. Fretz NATIONAL ACCOUNTS MANAGER Andrew Cowan GENERAL MANAGER SALES John MacKenzie ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Trevor Biggs MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS Claudine Ting PROJECT COORDINATOR Jessica Duce

If a workplace can be like a family, the different generations are siblings who don’t always see eye to eye. As the eldest children baby boomers are independent and competent, but can be inflexible. Youngest-child millennials want more attention, more responsibility and more options. And generation X (the neglected middle child?) is keeping the peace and giving their discretionary effort – but they’re increasingly resentful for the lack of perceived recognition. On page 14, HRD looks at how HR leaders can guide their organizations to a more collaborative, efficient and satisfied workforce. A large part of that involves balancing competing workplace needs. It is a pivotal question for Canadian businesses and HR players navigating this period of transition. The long-term consequences of current conflicts won’t be known for many years, but organizations that better manage these critical issues now are likely to see better results in the long term. Our feature, we hope, will help guild you.

CORPORATE PRESIDENT & CEO Tim Duce OFFICE/TRAFFIC MANAGER Marni Parker EVENTS AND CONFERENCE MANAGER Chris Davis

Editorial enquiries caitlin.nobes@kmimedia.ca tel: 416 644 8740 Ext: 234 Advertising enquiries sarah.fretz@kmimedia.ca tel: 416 644 8740 Ext: 241 Subscriptions tel: 416 644 8740 • fax: 416 203 8940 subscriptions@kmimedia.ca KMI Publishing 312 Adelaide Street West, Suite 800 Toronto, Ontario M5V 1R2 wealthprofessional.ca Copyright is reserved throughout. No part of this publication can be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the editor. Contributions are invited, but copies of work should be kept, as IB magazine can accept no responsibility for loss.

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Regards, Vernon Clement Jones Senior Editor

CONNECT

Contact the editorial team: Clarification: Michele Milan, who appeared in HRD2.3, leads the Rotman School of Business Executive Programs.

vernon.jones@kmimedia.ca

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USE HRD JULY_Layout 1 14-07-07 3:15 PM Page 1

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28/07/2014 11:04:06 PM

INFOGRAPHIC / GENERATIONS AT WORK

PROPORTION OF WORKERS AGED 55 YEARS AND OVER:

Canada

18.7%

FOUR GENERATIONS IN THE WORKPLACE

United States

20.7%

Veterans, boomers, gen X, millennials – Canada’s workforce is changing quickly, but inter-generational differences can create headaches for HR leaders. As demographics remain in flux, good communication and preparation is key GEN Y VS. BABY BOOMERS: A STUDY IN CONTRASTS

68%

of millennials would sacrifice a friendship with a colleague for a promotion

58% 31%

78%

28%

of millennials say socializing with coworkers makes their working environment better

Baby boomers

39%

of baby boomers would never even consider it

51%

of millennials would discuss their salary with a colleague

Mature

of baby boomers would discuss their salary with a colleague

WORKPLACE DEMOGRAPHICS IN 2012

Generation Y

23%

of baby boomers agree

Generation X

32%

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Russia

United Kingdom

17.4%

12.6%

Germany

17.9% Italy

France

13.7%

14.1% Japan

27.1%

Mature

FOCUS ON gEN X: One in three gen Xers work more than 60 hours a week

1% Baby boomers

22%

Generation X

20%

41% feel unsatisfied with their rate of advancement

49% feel stalled in their careers

81%

Generation 2020

PREDICTED DEMOGRAPHICS IN 2020

want more control over their jobs

42% of executives have “very high” concerns about retaining gen X

Generation Y

50%

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NEWS / APPOINTMENTS

Obesity as disability? HR INSIGHTS

European court decision could affect Canadian law A court advisor’s report in Europe argues that obesity may well count as a disability. And it could have ramifications for the Canadian workplace. Danish childcare worker Karsten Kaltoft claims he was fired for being fat, and the European Court of Justice is still considering whether existing EU law prevents discrimination on the grounds of obesity. Advocate-General Niilo Jaaskinen, who advises the court, found that the existing law does not specifically prohibit discrimination on the grounds of obesity, but said extreme obesity, defined as having a body mass index of more than 40, could be considered a disability. “If obesity has reached such a degree that it plainly hinders participation in professional life, then this can be a disability,” he said. Jaaskinen’s opinion is non-binding, but recommendations from advocates general are usually followed by the court. International court decisions are often considered when no Canadian precedent exists. While Canadian

HR ON THE MOVE APPOINTMENTS

Transporation titan Groupe Morneau appointed François-Nicolas Carrier as director of human resources for this month. Carrier will contribute to developing the organization’s HR structure, participate in establishing HR function objectives, and support Groupe Morneau’s transition and expansion as it accesses new markets. Carrier started his career as a human resources consultant with Eskimo Express Inc. in 1999. Most recently, he joined the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC), owned by Rio Tinto, where he was the senior advisor, employee relations, and senior business partner, human resources.

CANADIAN WEIGHT DEMOGRAPHICS Overweight

37% Obese

25%

Normal weight

36% Underweight

Source: Statistics Canada 2009 National BMI data

courts have yet to directly address whether obesity counts as a disability, an Ontario case indicates that it could qualify as a “perceived disability” if an employer believed a worker was disabled.

Barrick Gold Corporation announced in July that senior vicepresident of human resources Darian Rich would step into the newly created role of executive vice-president of talent management, focused on retention and development of future employees. Rich joined Barrick in 2012 and was appointed senior vice president, human resources, effective August 26, 2013. He has responsibility for all aspects of global human resources. Rich has more than 25 years of experience in human resources management. He was previously vice president, human resources, for Albemarle Corporation, and held several positions in the U.S. and Asia during his 12 years with The Coca-Cola Company. Prior to that he held senior roles with Magma Copper and General Motors Corporation.

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PROFILE / DOUG NATHANSON

Crafting CANADIAN CULTURE As the head of HR for one of Canada’s biggest retailers, Canadian Tire CHRO Doug Nathanson is working hard to ensure corporate employees are productive, but also happy. He tells HRD about recent company initiatives focused on boosting engagement and internal corporate branding. HRD: Please, tell us about the culture at Canadian Tire Corporation (CTC). Doug Nathanson: We’ve been on a journey for a number of years to become a brand-led organization and, as a result, our employee culture and internal and external brand have never been stronger. We are an exciting, growing, innovative and dynamic company and it’s an incredible time to be a part of the organization. As a family of companies, one of our challenges is to unify our workforce while allowing each business unit to retain its own unique qualities and culture. HR has played an essential role in this process and this has been a pivotal year in terms of getting everyone across our various banners and across the country focused on the same goals. One way we accomplished this has been through our rallying cry – “Life in Canada depends on us” – the premise of which is that it depends on our employees, and everything they do every day, to help our customers create special moments for their families. Another way we have reinvigorated our culture is through our four commitments: customers, innovation, results and communities. Our commitments speak to who we are as a company, what we care about and how we will compete to

grow and win in the long term. They are what we ask our employees to drive forward in order for us all to be successful. While there is still much work to do to maintain an engaged and committed team, we are very proud of what we have achieved in the past 18 months.

HRD: In 2013, Canadian Tire became an official sponsor of the Canadian Olympic Committee. How did you take advantage of that opportunity and bring that to life for employees? DN: Our partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee has been a tremendous boost to employee pride and engagement and has allowed us to implement a number of programs tied directly to the Games. A few tactical examples include dedicated “viewing areas” on every floor of our home offices to encourage employees to stay connected to the events in Sochi; large-scale viewing parties where hundreds gathered to watch the medal rounds; Olympic Fridays, which are themed weekly participation events that create a true buzz for employees and allow teams to work collaboratively

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“As our external brand has evolved and strengthened, it was important to mirror that perception internally to remain aligned across the company” on entertaining projects; and sending four employees to Sochi to act as ‘reporters’ on the ground. The Power of Sport has been an extremely effective way to unify the family of companies across our banners and has enabled us to demonstrate our commitment to athletes at all levels. From an HR perspective, as our external brand has evolved and strengthened, it was important to mirror that perception internally to remain aligned across the company. The Olympic partnership has been a great opportunity to connect with employees and to help drive a renewed passion and excitement for the company and the Canadian Tire brand.

HRD: How does Canadian Tire’s community involvement relate to employee engagement at your home office? DN: In addition to over 490 Canadian Tire stores across the country, we also have Mark’s, Sport Chek, Sports Experts and Pro Hockey Life, among others, putting us in the unique position of being able to contribute in a meaningful way to the communities in which we work and play. Our employees live in these communities and continually demonstrate our culture of giving and participating, just as our corporate stores, franchisees and Canadian Tire Dealers are also incredibly involved in the communities in which they operate. Much of that work is done through Jumpstart, our national charity, which removes the financial barriers keeping many kids from participating in sports and physical activity, and has so far helped more than 700,000 children get in the game. ‘Community’ is one of our four commitments and our employees take that to heart. In 2013 alone, CTC employees donated more than 55,000 hours of their own time to Jumpstart, in addition to contributing remarkably generous funds through JULY 2014 | 9

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PROFILE / DOUG NATHANSON

HR BRAGGING RIGHTS • Nearly 1,700 retail locations across Canada, including Canadian Tire, Mark’s, Sport Chek, Sports Experts, Atmosphere, National Sports and Pro Hockey Life. • Over $36 million invested in communities in 2013 • Earned more than 40 awards in 2013-14, including being named one of Deloitte’s Top 50 Best Managed Companies, Top Employer for Young People, one of Canada’s 50 Most Socially Responsible Corporations by Maclean’s and Marketer of the Year by Marketing Magazine. • Over 90 sport partnerships at national and community-levels.

our annual Employee Giving Campaign and numerous other fundraising initiatives throughout the year.

HRD: How do you build career paths with employees so they feel they can have successful careers at Canadian Tire? DN: Careers today look very different than they did a decade or two ago. Employees have unique circumstances and aspirations and it’s our responsibility to provide our people with the tools and resources they need to make informed decisions that allow them to explore their own interests and see the full range of options available to them at CTC. We devote significant resources to retaining our talent through ongoing development, which includes opportunities to explore other areas of our vast business enterprise. To this end, our soon-to-belaunched online career portal will enable employees to conduct self-assessments, learn about alternative paths and profile various employees to let them share how they have achieved success.

HRD: What do you consider to be your biggest career achievement at CTC? DN: It has been amazing to work at CTC during a time of tremendous growth, change and success. I’m very proud of the work we did in securing our partnership with the 400-series highways to see Canadian Tire Gas+ installed at service centres across southern Ontario. As well, I was very fortunate to play a lead role in the acquisitions of FGL Sports

(formerly Forzani Group) and Pro Hockey Life. These projects required a true team effort across every facet of our organization and allowed people to expand their horizons on new and exciting initiatives that will help shape the future of our enterprise. For me personally, it was also very gratifying that in each case I was able to contribute not just to the transactions themselves, but to the work that followed to ensure that the projects were implemented and integrated successfully.

HRD: Let’s switch directions a bit here. What initially drew you to an HR role? DN: I very much liked the idea of a role that impacts culture and experience while simultaneously having a seat at the executive table. I enjoy shaping the direction of the company and clearly people play a critical role in the company’s success; all of our strategies and plans depend greatly on having the talent to execute. This involves talent acquisition, development and retention, which are all key factors that help ensure our continued success in the years to come.

HRD: What does the future hold for HR professions? DN: HR has come a long way in the last 20 years. No longer simply a support function, HR now is viewed as a valuable business partner that is actively involved in the overall results of the company. Companies now recognize that people are the primary differentiator and that has meant looking at the ‘people perspective’

Canadian Tire staff with three-time Olympic gold medal hockey player Jennifer Botterill

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when it comes to making strategic decisions and providing an environment for employees to learn and interact in relevant ways in this social and digital world. HR needs to be responsive to the issues faced by our business partners and our employees, address their needs in practical and effective ways and provide an environment for employees to interact and contribute in a changing corporate and retail environment. At CTC, HR has worked hard to attain a privileged spot at the management table and maintaining this will be key for us to successfully deliver on our mandate.

HRD: What do you think it takes to succeed in HR? DN: Aside from the proper education and skills, it requires a true and deep understanding of the key business strategies at play in your organization. You need to have the ability to work with various partners across the company, translate business needs into action, respond with innovative solutions and,

Canadian Tire employee event

perhaps most importantly, anticipate needs to demonstrate the value HR brings to the business. I’m in the unique position of overseeing both HR and Corporate Strategy and that enables me to ensure that the programs we implement, from engagement to compensation and rewards, are tied directly back to Canadian Tire’s business objectives and long-term vision. In my opinion, the only means to bring our strategy to life is through our people.

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LEGAL INSIGHT / INVESTIGATIONS

External or internal investigation:

SOLVING THE PUZZLE

Sometimes the first step is the most important in getting a workplace investigation right, and the decision on whether to manage the process internally or bring in external advisors can challenge even seasoned HR directors. Janice Rubin, with employment specialist Rubin Thomlinson, examines the key issues informing those decisions

The call on whether a workplace investigation should be conducted by someone internal to the investigation or by an external third party often belongs to those who occupy a senior human resources role within the employerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s organization. Second only to what to do with the parties after the investigation is completed, how the investigation gets done is often the most difficult aspect of the process to resolve. We are often part of these deliberations, either as employment counsel to employers or as that third party an organization is thinking of using. In our view, there are many investigations that should be conducted internally, and there are many internal investigators who are able to deliver a fair and thorough process. However, there are times when an organization is best served by using the services of an experienced workplace investigator. This is usually when there is an aspect to the case that is particularly challenging. Consider the following factors:

COMPLEXITY OF THE INVESTIGATION A simple investigation involving a single complainant, respondent and fairly

straightforward allegations may be something the organization can handle thoroughly and quickly. By contrast, an investigation with five complainants and multiple allegations spanning several years against three respondents may simply be too time-consuming for someone inside the organization to take on. In addition, there may not be anyone within the organization who is skilled at managing an investigation with multiple moving parts.

BIAS

What we mean here is actual bias, or the perception of bias. This is an obstacle in every internal investigation as the employee investigator is certainly not a stranger to the organization and may have difficulties being seen to be neutral. That being said, there are many cases where internal investigators do a superb job and the obstacle is

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COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS

It is one thing to ask an HR manager to investigate a peer in another department, it is quite another to ask that same person to investigate the CEO against whom sexual harassment allegations have been made. The gap between positions may be too large to allow the investigator to investigate with confidence and authority. That person must have the freedom to ask difficult questions, interview witnesses and reach conclusions without fearing for their job. In addition, the employment relationship of both respondent and investigator may continue. If the investigator is internal, he or she may feel awkward dealing with the respondent going forward. The relationship may become irreparably strained as a result of the investigation. If this dynamic is present, an external investigator is often the best choice.

5 Janice Rubin is co-founding partner of the Toronto-based employment law firm Rubin Thomlinson LLP.

overcome. However, there are many circumstances where no matter how skilful the internal investigator is, if he or she proceeds, the process will look biased. As an example, if the complaint is against someone in human resources , it is often something that should be investigated externally.

AVAILABILITY OF A SKILLED INVESTIGATOR

It is a workplace paradox that on the one hand legal decision makers are subjecting workplace investigations to increasing scrutiny and criticizing employer’s processes while on the other hand, many HR professionals have never been trained to conduct investigations. This skill set is not intuitive and must be learned and practiced. If at the time a complaint is made, there is no one in the organization who is able to effectively conduct an investigation, it is time introduce a third party who can.

LEGAL ISSUES

If the employer expects the investigation or the consequences of the investigation to become legally contentious, using an experienced external investigator, especially one who is a lawyer, may be the best choice. This is because the stakes are higher and you want to ensure that your process looks fair, thorough, and objective. For example, if the employer expects to terminate an employee for just cause, if allegations of assault are true, the report must be rock solid. The findings must be justified and the process must be beyond reproach.

DIFFICULT SUBJECT MATTER

Internal investigators must be honest with themselves and with their organizations in terms of their comfort level dealing with certain types of allegations. For example, consider a complaint where the allegations are that the respondent made racist remarks and frequently swore. The investigator must use this language during the investigation and in the report. If this makes the investigator uncomfortable, he or she should not do it, and an external investigator should be retained. As far as whom to retain, it is important that you find a highly skilled investigator with a proven track record. Ask other senior HR professionals for their recommendations, as well and the employment lawyer you work with. JULY 2014 | 13

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PEOPLE MANAGEMENT / GENERATIONS AT WORK

Talkinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bout these

GENERATIONS With baby boomers postponing retirement and millennials entering the workforce en masse, many Canadian organizations are more multi-generational than ever. HRD explores not only the root causes of the resulting conflict but the strategies industry experts are using to ease them

Miscommunication and friction stemming from generational differences have long been depicted in art and music, from The Catcher in the Rye to Rebel Without a Cause and Freaky Friday. Undoubtedly, it can be difficult for different demographics to understand and relate to each other, especially when they have vastly divergent upbringings and ways of approaching a problem. Friction is almost guaranteed, especially within the confines of a workplace. As with any type of diversity, a multigenerational workforce has the potential to produce new, innovative and unexpected outcomes. By instituting a few strategies to increase cultural awareness and acceptance, HR leaders can help employees to better collaborate and win those results.

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CLASH OF THE AGE GROUPS Dr. Linda Gravett, co-author of the book, Bridging the Generation Gap, and a consultant who conducts research on generational conflict, says there are currently five generations that comprise the North American workforce: Radio Babies, aged 69-84, baby boomers, aged 50-68, generation X, aged 38-49, generation Y, aged 24-37, and millennials, aged 14-23. Gravett feels that many of the issues present in a multigenerational workforce are simply the result of generations failing to learn about each other and therefore failing to find similarities among themselves. “I think there’s a lot of misunderstanding across generations,” Gravett says. “Instead of working toward finding common ground, we focus too much on differences, and there really are not that many differences between generations. “Work styles and communication styles may differ a little bit; however, all five generations have said to me they want respect, they want to be called upon for their expertise and for what they can contribute, and they want to make a difference in the workplace.” Gravett recommends that managers institute a “fusion model” to facilitate a deeper appreciation of the strengths and assets that each generation can bring to the table. This consists of focusing on a common goal or mission, understanding other workers’ perspectives

“Instead of working toward finding common ground, we focus too much on differences, and there really are not that many differences between generations”

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PEOPLE MANAGEMENT / GENERATIONS AT WORK

baby boomers outnumber other generations in the Canadian workforce (2010) 50

CULTURE IN CONTEXT

40 30 20 10

bullet, but the main strategy is being open to saying what you really believe and then listening to the other person about what their influences are and why they approach work the way they do,” says Gravett.

Per cent in Labor Force

6.6%

0 Mature/WW II Generation

40%

32%

23.7%

Percent in labor force baby boomers

generation X

generation Y Millenials

Source: “Millennial Generation Attitudes About Work and the Insurance Industry,” The Institutes and the Griffith Insurance Education Foundation (2012)

“This is good for corporations and businesses because they care about what’s good for the team over the individual” by asking questions such as ‘What led you to that conclusion?’, being specific about wants and needs, being intentional about how one’s personal background can support the organization’s goals, asking open-ended questions that encourage discussion, and avoiding hot-button assumptions such as ‘Oh, you older folks don’t even know how to use a computer.’ “I wish I had something that I could say is a magic

Ann Fishman, founder and president of Generational Targeted Marketing, also stresses the importance of fostering awareness and appreciation about how each generation’s mindset was formed, and how supervisors should lead them given their unique and distinctive traits. “I’m not saying everyone within a generation is exactly alike, but if someone’s formative years were during the Great Depression, they tend to be thrifty,” says Fishman. “If their formative years were during the Vietnam era, they tend to question authority. If they grew up using computers as toys, they are probably more digitally-oriented.” She explains that baby boomers tend to be driven by money and recognition. “They love award nights, they love plaques, they love to get recognized. It’s all about me.” generation X workers, on the other hand, are willing to accept a position with a lower salary if it provides them with more of a work/life balance and caters to their professional interests. “I had one client who said, ‘If I want a baby boomer to read a book on my company, all I have to do is offer them a cash reward for reading the book. But generation Xers are different. I could pay them anything, but they won’t read it if they don’t think it’s of value.” Fishman’s client learned that generation Xers would complete the book if he offered them paid time off in exchange for reading it. This highlights a generation-specific approach that takes advantage of the knowledge of value preferences to optimize results from specific generational groups. Finally, Fishman describes millennials as groupminded workers who are ambitious, but may have short attention spans. “They are team players,” says Fishman. “This is good for corporations and businesses because they

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Characteristics of generation X Enjoy control over time Prefer workplace problems be handled immediately Want to know how the game is played

nobody bothered to teach them. With generation Y, there’s a sense of entitlement and empowerment. They were taught properly, (but) they choose not to use it.” Gravett feels that the earlier businesses can reach out to young people and advise them about proper office decorum, the better. “I have found the best practices seem to be going into schools and being a presence at career fairs, career days, wherever there is an opportunity for business people or manufacturing, and let young folks know what the expectations are in the

Need to do what they love, at least part of the time Internet thinking: “I will judge you by the quality of your idea, not on anything else”

on X g generati

inin s for reta Strategie

T O-D O L

care about what’s good for the team over the individual. “Think about the life of a millennial or a generation Yer. generation Y is sitting in front of their computer or laptop listening to music at the same time as they’re watching television and waiting for someone to text them to figure out what time to meet. They grew up in a 500-channel universe. This makes them great at multitasking, but somewhat grasshopper-minded. If you assign a millennial or a generation Y-er a long project, you better break it up into pieces.” Additionally, she points out that while members of generation X may need some guidance in mastering professional mannerisms, generation Y and millennials need extensive training on what is and what is not appropriate office behavior. “It’s great if you’re Steve Jobs or you’re the head guy who can walk around wearing blue jeans, but other than that, there is a certain code that one expects of professional people in the workforce,” says Fishman. “With generation X, it’s because

IST

Source: Ann Fishman, www.annfishman.com

ssional life l and profe a n o rs e p nce of ise a bala rkplace  Prom ’ in the wo ily m a ‘f f o senior te a sense  Crea , and inform ts n e m e v chie owledge a ines  Ackn ment when Gen X sh ped e being lum g a n ma s not like e o d X n e uality. G ect individ  Resp te up d comple into a gro neurial an re p e tr n e e them to b ction  Allow ents with little instru ts failed, hy projec w assignm in la p x e tips, eetings – provide minent m m ro e p th d r n e to ees to att  Men X employ allow Gen rposes ational pu r for observ y’re new o ven if the e , s a e id ider their  Cons enced y ‘peace , especiall inexperi ts fi e n e b f o ng system ide a stro  Prov d willing enefits is loyal an n of mind’ b o ti a iz n orga that your ve to them ro ment P e c n a  eir adv th in t s e v to in lies o spin, no and tech honest: n e B ter savvy u p m  o c en X’s ntage of G Take adva

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JULY 2014 | 17

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PEOPLE MANAGEMENT / GENERATIONS AT WORK

“With generation X, it’s because nobody bothered to teach them. With generation Y, there’s a sense of entitlement and empowerment. They were taught properly, (but) they choose not to use it” Benefit preferences by generation What each generation wants in the workplace Traditionalists/ Radio Babies

Baby Boomers

Generation X

Generation Y/ Millennials

Birth years

1900-1945

1946-1964

1965-1980

1981-2000

Motivated by:

Job security, respect

Recognition: award nights, plaques, etc

Control over time

Making a difference

Preferred work environment:

Hierarchy, authority issued by age and tenure

Flat organizational structure, democratic

Stress and conflict free

Flexible arrangements facilitated by technology

Core values:

Stability, security, discipline, respect for authority

Personal gratification, work ethic, question authority

Quality of ideas over reputation of person, work/ life balance, office “family”

Diversity, self-confidence, meaningful work

Influenced by:

Great Depression, world wars, emerging corporations

Vietnam war, sexual revolution, pursuit of the American Dream

Divorce, both parents in workplace, energy crises

9/11, digital media, helicopter parents

Attractive fringe benefits:

Personal touches; handwritten notes, etc.

Business travel

Mentorship

Work/social life integration

Words of encouragement:

I appreciate your experience

You are valued

Do it whichever way you think is best

You will be part of a great team

Approach to work/life balance:

Because of their age, interested in flexible hours and part-time

Approaching retirement, seeking fewer hours

Work to live; prefer balance, but will work long hours occasionally

Work to live; free time is more important than promotions or money

Retirement:

Worked hard, saved money, happily retired

Because of the economy, postponing retirement and working part-time

Saving money, may retire early or pursue different professional avenues

Not thinking about retirement yet, cynical about prospects

Feedback:

Prefer one-on-one conversations with little commotion or fanfare

Enjoy public displays of recognition such as awards, certificates, etc

Appreciate regular feedback and rewards in the form of time off

Want regular feedback and communication, may need structure provided by employer

Source: West Midland Family Center, Ann Fishman

18 | JULY 2014

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HRMONLINE.CA

workplace,” she says. “They should also hire people in high school and college as interns and co-ops, and provide an onboarding process that is specific and detailed with a mentor who is close in age to them, can relate to them, and give them guidance on how to dress, how to speak in meetings, and do so with respect.”

WORKING TOGETHER, WORKING BETTER Once HR leaders use their understanding of each generation to put policies in place that encourage communication and collaboration, they will be able

to harness an incredible combination of thought processes and skillsets. “The one parting message I have is one size doesn’t fit all,” says Gravett. “And the more organizations can tailor training and development, rewards and recognition, and benefits programs, the smarter they will be in appealing to all age groups, because every age group has amazing things to offer and contribute.”

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JULY 2014 | 19

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HR STRATEGY / SUCCESSION PLANNING

SUCCESSION PLANNING FOR SUCCESS

Millions of Canadian baby boomers are expected to retire in the next decade. Here’s how to make sure your organization is prepared for the wave of employees replacing them

Baby boomers are about to exit the Canadian workforce en masse, but despite 71 per cent of business owners indicating that they plan to leave their enterprise in the next five years, only seven per cent have formalized a plan for leadership development and perpetuation. Although many industries are facing a startling talent gap that necessitates better recruitment practices, if executives want their business to continue operating successfully years into the future, they should also be investing time and resources in their next generation of high potentials now.

“They’re playing catch-up, but succession planning should have the attention of every senior business leader. The human resource need is imminent,” says Paul Juniper, director of Queen’s University’s Industrial Relations Centre (IRC). Fortunately, there are a number of options organizations can take to ensure the next generation of leaders and technical specialists can step up to the plate.

THE LATTICE APPROACH Although many businesses are still comprised of a

hierarchical management structure, a flatter organization with opportunities for lateral movement may help to advance skilled workers who may not be interested in a traditional path or can make more proficient contributions outside of management. Like a lattice, career paths can now go in many directions, both sideways and up. This is a boon for all employees, but especially those not enamoured with the

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thought of managing teams and taking on leadership responsibilities. Fortunately, more organizations today recognize and value the contribution of both leadership and non-leadership roles in their talent pool. “In the lattice scenario, individuals may choose – and perform better in – non-management roles, and prefer to develop technical excellence, say in finance, or subject matter excellence, say in engineering,” suggests Sylvia Vorhauser-Smith, senior vice president of global research, PageUp People. “This is sometimes described as technical, functional, strategic, or thought leadership, and does not necessarily involve leading teams of people or business units.”

DUAL CAREER PATHWAYS Employers can also facilitate non-managerial leadership by offering a dual career path to their workers especially for technical specialists. Technical specialists take pride in their professional identity and may relish the opportunity to develop their skills further. They may not want to move into managerial positions, but would like to use their technical knowledge as mentors or trouble-shooters, thereby meeting two important goals: maximizing the use of their knowledge for the business, and keeping them engaged in their work. The dual approach provides opportunities on two different career paths, both of which can lead ultimately to great success. An example can be seen in scientific research. “The dual approach says that you can move up the scientific track and be paid at an equivalent level to a supervisor or manager by being a really excellent scientist and bringing value through innovation, ideas, and scientific leadership,” says Wendy Montague, national practice leader for leadership and talent, Hay Group. “The employee becomes a manager of ideas, technology, or intellectual capital, rather than a manager of people with the administrative activities associated with that.”

SMALL STEPS FORWARD It is worth noting that communication is a prerequisite to any successful perpetuation plan. Although some

Leadership lattice best practice • Proctor & Gamble purposely moves leaders across regions and countries to give them ‘discontinuous’ experiences that accelerate their growth and help them learn to operate in a multi-dimensional business environment. • Thomson Reuters, an information services company, transformed the decentralized finance functions of more than 40 portfolio companies into a more lattice-like, collaborative structure with service bureaus located around the globe. Now employees can move between business units, into a new geography, or in and out of corporate centres and division centres. The restructure has yielded $50 million in annual savings. • Cisco builds versatile leaders by moving high-potential executives around the company; for example, from manufacturing to materials procurement, or from finance to customer service. The practice aims to round out participant’s knowledge of the company’s operations.

companies feel reluctant to inform employees that they have been identified to take over leadership positions, this stance is ill-advised. “This is one of the biggest issues in organizations,” says Juniper. “They often think we won’t tell them, because if we tell them, they will get an inflated sense of self-importance and will stop working hard.” Citing research from UK scholar David Clutterback, Juniper explains that employees who are unaware that managers have a trajectory in place for their professional development frequently feel marginalized and attempt to find fulfillment elsewhere. “If you don’t tell them, a large of number of people who you think are your future will decide that their next job isn’t with your organization because you haven’t talked about their career with you in the long-term.” JULY 2014 | 21

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HR STRATEGY / SUCCESSION PLANNING

might be a candidate for promotion.”

Corporate ladder

Corporate lattice

Traditional, hierarchical structure

Flatter, often matrix structure

Top-down authority; limited information access

Distributed authority; broad information access

Linear, vertical career paths

Multidirectional career paths

Low workforce mobility; loyalty is based on job security

High workforce mobility; loyalty is based on continuing opportunity

Work is a place you go to

Work is what you do

Individual contributor-driven

Team and community-driven

Separation of career and life

Integration of career and life

Tasks define the job

Competencies define the job

Many workers are similar to each other

Many workers are different from each other

“Succession planning should have the attention of every senior business leader. The human resource need is imminent” Conversely, he advises that employees who are not meeting or exceeding expectations should be confronted as well, but in a constructive and optimistic manner. “I think what you do is sit that person down, and say, I want to have a conversation with you,” says Juniper. “It’s not a full performance review, but I want to talk to you about your future with the organization. Right now, if I was making a decision about promotions, I don’t think we could promote you, and here’s why. This is what you need to do and what we can work together on, so in the future you

TECHNOLOGY AND THE WAY FORWARD In addition, emerging technology and analytical tools can be tremendously useful in identifying employees qualified for senior management positions. “It’s easier to do now that there’s so much data about people’s performance,” says Pat Galagan, executive editor of the Association for Talent Development. “We used to only rely on discussions, word of mouth, and annual performance reviews, but now that those performance reviews are ongoing, it’s easier to have a couple of people in the pipeline for critical positions.” She also suggests that baby boomers who are not ready to fully retire but wish to stay active in the workplace can provide guidance and mentorship to the next batch of younger business leaders. “Another thing we sometimes see, starting with IBM over 10 years ago, is companies who use retired workers as coaches. They bring them back on a needs basis to help people who are transitioning into leadership positions.” One of the most fruitful succession plans that Juniper witnessed involved a multinational organization that realized it lacked the talent required for long-term, sustainable global expansion. This firm employed such tactics as rotating executives between countries to learn different management styles and working with non-competitive organizations to establish a corporate university where executives could learn from each other. While these initiatives are quite wide and expansive in scale, Juniper feels that most companies can tackle the issue in a more attainable manner. “Start out fairly small,” he says. “Ask the questions: what positions are we going to consider succession planning positions? Why? What are the critical positions that if somebody left, it would put the organization in danger? How are we going to communicate this?” Once organizations start to answer these questions, “…they will have the opportunity to gain a competitive advantage over everyone else.”

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26/07/2014 12:26:08 AM 18/03/2014 11:15:03 PM

FEATURE / DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTING

TESTING CANADIAN VALUES Is random drug and alcohol testing a necessary safety step, or a gross invasion of employee privacy? Liz Brown weighs the opinions of HRDs and looks south of the border to see how legal random drug and alcohol testing is reshaping U.S. workplaces In March, Alberta oilsands employer Suncor lost its fight to implement random drug and alcohol testing for thousands of unionized workers in safety sensitive roles in Northern Alberta. It was the latest blow in a battle that has pitted large Canadian companies concerned about workplace safety against labour unions that oppose random drug and alcohol testing on the grounds that it is an affront to worker dignity and privacy. In the U.S., drug and alcohol testing is more commonplace, with private employers often having the right to test for a wide variety of substances. As part of his War on Drugs, U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed the Drug-Free Workplace Act (DFWA) into effect in 1988. This act demands that employees of any federal contractor or grantee are prohibited from engaging in the possession, distribution, manufacture or dispensing of any controlled substance. But the legal path for employer drug testing in Canada has not been as clear cut. While south of

the border Reagan was putting into action the DFWA, north of the 49th parallel prime minister Pierre Trudeau was shaping a vastly different landscape with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the early 1980s. “That was a direct landmark in the Canadian legal framework in which we were taking a step back from intervention in people’s private lives,” says Toronto employment lawyer Jonquille Pak. “That was a stark contrast to the way the U.S. was going in this specific area. I would suggest if the Canadian government had tried to pass similar legislation it would not have passed charter scrutiny.” Without legislation to work from, Canada has had to take a piecework approach to the issue of drug and alcohol testing in the workplace, according to Pat Atkins, director of Alberta’s Drug and Alcohol Risk Reduction Pilot Project (DARRPP). “What happens is an organization does what they think is appropriate and then somebody challenges it, so

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“Employers are between a rock and a hard place in so far as they have to essentially wait for an incident to happen before they can engage in testing” Jonquille Pak

it’s sort of case-by-case bits and pieces through the arbitration and law system, versus legislation,” she says.

THE STORY CONTINUES… The most recent case is the Suncor versus Unifor grievance arbitration ruling, which upheld the rights of worker privacy. Suncor had proposed randomly testing 50 per cent of its workforce annually, meaning that employees could expect to be tested once every two years. This would have included urinalysis for drugs. “The 2012 policy is proposed without any time limits to review its effectiveness, is not targeted as narrowly as possible, does not use the least intrusive or most accurate testing measures available and does not contain provisions for communicating with employees around false-positive results,” said the report, which also noted the Supreme Court of Canada has described the taking of bodily samples as “highly intrusive.” In 2003, Suncor implemented post-incident testing in the workplace, following an accident where alcohol or drugs are suspected to be a factor. In another battle over random testing last year, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the onus JULY 2014 | 25

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FEATURE / DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTING

is on the employer to prove that there is justification for random testing and that random testing will only be permitted where there is “evidence of enhanced safety risks, such as evidence of a general problem with substance abuse in the workplace.” The case involved New Brunswick’s Irving Pulp and Paper Ltd., which tried to implement random testing but was met with opposition by labour unions. Suncor believes that they did provide evidence of a general problem with substance abuse in the workplace. In the evidence submitted, Suncor noted that since 2007, there have been three deaths at its workplace directly related to the use of alcohol and drugs. Witnesses also testified that between 2004 and 2013, there had been over 2,200 security incidents involving alcohol and drugs at Suncor camps, bunkhouses and lodges. This includes findings of devices used to defeat urine drug tests and evidence of drug trafficking including weigh scales. “I think there was quite compelling evidence of issues relating to drug and alcohol use in the work environment,” says Pak. “In my view, it’s really gone in this direction that employers are between a rock and a hard place in so far as they have to essentially wait for an incident to happen before

they can engage in testing. They can engage in reasonable cause testing, in which there was already an accident or near miss in the workplace, but why should an employer have to wait for that kind of accident to happen?” “We can improve on safety, there’s no question, but there’s a lot of other work to be done before we’d ever consider random alcohol and drug testing would give us any kind of improvement,” says Unifor Local 707A president Roland LeFort. “For example, how many people may not report things that are happening out of fear they’ll be sent for a drug test?” However, DARRPP has put forth evidence that random testing can help reduce drug and alcohol use in the workplace, citing a U.S. Department of Transportation statistic that after implementing random testing in 1995, positive tests for alcohol declined by 60 per cent, while positive tests for drugs fell by 47 per cent. “The purpose of random testing is to not have people come to work under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” says Atkins.

HOW UNIONS ARE SHAPING THE POLICIES The union representing Suncor employees remains unconvinced that random testing is the right way to deter people from coming to work under the

PROPORTION OF CANADIANS USING DRUGS IN THE PAST YEAR: 10%

CANNABIS PSYCHOACTIVE PHARMACEUTICALS*

24.1% 74.8%

ALCOHOL ILLICIT DRUGS EXCLUDING CANNABIS

2% 0

100

*Includes opioid pain relievers, stimulants, or sedatives such as Oxycontin, Ritalin and Valium Source: Canadian Alcohol and Drug Use Monitoring Survey 2012

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influence and instead promotes educating supervisors and workers to look for impairment in the workplace. “In one of those deaths (involving alcohol) Suncor refers to, 45 minutes prior to the accident the employee was in contact with his supervisor face to face and nothing was done about it,” says LeFort. “It would have been a very lucky day for that person if random testing had picked him out and identified that he shouldn’t have been at work that day.” Indeed, union attitudes towards workplace drug and alcohol testing are helping to shape the legal

“There’s a lot of other work to be done before we’d ever consider random alcohol and drug testing” landscape in Canada, where it seems that management must negotiate drug testing terms with careful consideration paid to worker rights and privacy. “In the U.S., not only do you have lower

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JULY 2014 | 27

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FEATURE / DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTING

32%

union workplaces too, if such cases are brought to the courts.

WORKING TOGETHER?

HRM ONLINE READERS ARE DIVIDED ON WHETHER AN EMPLOYEE’S RECREATIONAL DRUG USE IS A WORKPLACE ISSUE

YES

31%

MAYBE

36%

unionization rates in Canada, but in the U.S. there are fewer protections for employees generally,” says Pak. “I think our policy keeps being shaped within a union framework where very powerful unions are taking these drug and alcohol testing policies on. These decisions are being rendered in the context of a collective agreement where there are limits on management rights.” These rulings will inevitably influence non-

Unifor proposes that management must take more responsibility in detecting employees who are not fit for work, instead of relying on invasive tests and the collection of bodily fluids. “Impairment can be identified in other ways than testing,” LeFort says, noting that “there can be evidence of some minute amounts of illicit drugs that have no relation to impairment or the ability for people to do their work safely, yet they are treated in the same fashion as people with real issues.” However, Atkins disagrees, noting that if a worker does test positive for a substance, he or she must have an assessment by a healthcare professional to determine if there is a dependency issue and only then is the person sent away for treatment. “DARRPP has outlined best practices; organizations must comply with certain best practices,” she says, adding that an employee cannot lose their job because they are alcohol or drug dependent, because it is treated as a medical condition. Instead, that employee is offered rehabilitation services and then allowed to return to work upon completion of a program. Still, there is the issue of privacy and the fact

“There’s a tremendous focus on human rights and privacy combined with the need for safety in the workplace. The current alcohol and drug programs are just not sufficient to keep people safe at work” 28 | JULY 2014

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“Random drug testing does not deal with the issue, it’s a cop out” that trace amounts of a substance consumed during a worker’s off-hours can now be identified by the employer. “It’s a tough one,” admits Atkins, though she adds that worker privacy is of utmost importance in the testing program. “There’s a tremendous focus on human rights and privacy combined with the need for safety in the workplace. The current alcohol and drug programs are just not sufficient to keep people safe at work.” LeFort says that a random drug and alcohol testing program reduces trust between employer and employees and does not improve the workplace environment. “This is about getting people the assistance they need,” he says. “People making a decision to come to work impaired have a problem and we need to deal with the problem and not rely on tests.” LeFort points to a program called Courage to Care that Unifor and Suncor were jointly involved with until 2003, when Suncor introduced postincident drug testing. The program was a peerbased initiative that encouraged workers to intervene and report incidents when they recognized drug or alcohol problems in their coworkers. “The union’s position is ‘we can do this together,’” he says. “Random drug testing does not deal with the issue, it’s a cop out. You let the program manage your people instead of us all working towards making the workplace better.”

NEXT STEPS Suncor is appealing the March ruling of the arbitration panel. Depending on the court schedule, the case will go before a single judge at the Alberta Court of Queen’s bench. “In our view, based on the evidence we presented, this is an unreasonable

outcome,” Sneh Seetal, spokesperson for Suncor, says in reference to the March ruling. “In fact, one arbitrator, David Laird, expressed that he had never seen stronger evidence in support of random drug and alcohol testing.” Seetal says that Suncor encourages employees to seek help for alcohol and drug addiction issues and that the push for random testing is to make the workplace safer. “Suncor pays for treatment for employees with substance addiction issues,” she says. “The employee is also paid while off work.” “Suncor seems to think all they need to do is say that they want random testing and eventually somebody will hear it their way,” says LeFort. “But we don’t understand why they just don’t come to the union and say ‘look, maybe we can find other ways of dealing with the issue.’” Pak says that the duty of the courts and labour arbitrators is to balance the competing interests between privacy and equality rights and workplace health and safety rights. “They are trying to weigh those competing interests and reach what’s fair in the circumstances.” Given the past rulings, Pak says that it appears employers will have a tough road to travel if they want to pursue random testing in Canadian workplaces. “I don’t think the case law completely prohibits random testing,” she says. “But certainly, the threshold is very high and employers would have to prove there is a demonstrated problem with drug or alcohol use in the workplace.”

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HR STRATEGY / DISABILITY MANAGEMENT

Dealing with the

D WORD

For employers facing increased rates of absenteeism, burned out staff and spiralling STD and LTD claims, disability management is a wise investment. But despite the scary figures, employers are still moving slowly when it comes to managing costs. Anna Sharratt explains Disability is no longer a dirty little secret. That’s because many Canadian employers are waking up to the fact that all those sick days and both the short- and long-term leaves of absence workers are logging are costing the Canadian economy as much as $16.6 billion a year. That’s a whopping sum that, according to the Conference Board of Canada, doesn’t even touch the real figure, when you factor in the indirect costs of absenteeism. Talk to disability management providers, and you’ll get the sense that many companies are beginning to realize that, yes, they too have a problem and that something needs to be done. “There is some momentum,” says Dr. Raymond Rupert, founder and medical director of Rupert Case Management, a disability-management provider based in Toronto. But he concedes there’s room for more. “There is inertia. Lots of inertia.” He’s not alone in his assessment.

“I think we’ve made a lot of progress,” says Martine Oliveira, director of operations at Acclaim Ability Management, also a disability management provider. “It’s one step forward, one step back.” So what’s keeping firms from taking the plunge? Some still, in fact, fail to do something as basic as review their own health claims in an effort to get an accurate snapshot of what employee absences are costing them. According to Rupert Case Management, only 40 per cent of organizations track absenteeism rates and just 15 per cent track the direct costs of absenteeism to payroll. “For the most part, employers are pretty com-

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Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), as well as provincial legislation that governs the collection of personal information. “It’s harder to ask for intrusive info when there’s a shorter absence, says Oliveira. “It’s making for a challenging time in disability management.” Combined, these elements place employers in a difficult position – yet action must be taken. Mental illness claims are skyrocketing, a result of downsizing, a post-recession workplace, and demographic changes, such as the increasing number of employees classified as the “sandwich generation,” who are managing their own families as well as the care of their elderly parents. And work and family pressures mean less time spent on the job. According to the Conference Board of Canada, workers who reported a high degree of stress balancing their work and family life missed 7.2 days of work each year.

TREADING CAREFULLY

placent,” says Sheikh Azaad, president of Atworkcanada. “A very small percentage track disability costs.” Plus there is new privacy legislation that has muddied the intervention process, preventing employers from asking the types of medical questions that would yield a clearer picture of an employee’s disability and start a medical intervention faster. This includes the federal Personal Information and Protection of Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and Freedom of Information and

To get around these new challenges facing employers, disability management providers are getting increasingly creative, whether it’s how the questions are asked, establishing a rapport between the adjudicator and employee or providing new software that essentially walks an HR manager through the intervention process. One example is E-claims Manager, a tool offered by Acclaim that guides adjudication staff on how to handle simple and moderately complex claims. Most agree that tackling a claim as soon as possible is paramount. According to Rupert Case Management, with early intervention in depression cases, 47 per cent more claimants return to work during the STD stage, saving the employer an average of $3,500 per employee claim. That means a call has to be made – usually within the first four weeks after an employee departure – to ascertain the state of the employee,

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HR STRATEGY / DISABILITY MANAGEMENT

Disability comes at a steep price for not just employees, but employers. Here are the top five hidden disability costs many organizations are unaware they’re paying: ABSENTEEISM.

In 2011, an estimated 8.1 per cent of full-time employees missed some work each week: 5.9 per cent for illness or disability, and 2.2 per cent for personal or family responsibilities, according to Statistics Canada’s 2011 figures. These absences cost Canadian firms an average of 2.4 per cent of gross payroll and Canada’s economy approximately $16.6 billion in 2012, according to the Conference Board of Canada. And that’s not even factoring in the indirect costs of absenteeism. PRESENTEEISM.

Those employees may be physically present at their desks, but if they’re burned out, stressed out and barely executing their roles, they’re not really focusing on their work. The costs to an employer can be great: companies lose $12 billion every year in health claims, lost productivity and absenteeism, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association. SHORT-TERM DISABILITY.

In 2008, nine per cent of full-time employees were on short-term disability (STD), according to the Conference Board of Canada 2010. The average cost per claim was $4,336 for unionized employees and $4,528 for nonunionized employees. LONG-TERM DISABILITY.

With long-term disability (LTD) claims, the numbers go up further. The Conference Board has found that 2.5% of full-time employees go on LTD, and the average claim cost is $5,472 for unionized employees and $5,716 for non-unionized employees. MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES.

Conditions like depression are a major concern for employers. According to the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, mental illness is responsible for 79 per cent of all long-term disability claims and costs the Canadian economy $33 billion a year.

“For the most part, employers are pretty complacent, a very small percentage track disability costs” the degree of their disability, what they are capable (and not capable) of doing, and what medical treatment they will receive (the proposed course of treatment, tests, etc.). That call has to be highly tailored, says Oliveira, to ensure the patient’s privacy isn’t compromised, to determine the legitimacy of the claim and to ensure all parties – the doctor, employee and employer – are all on the same page when it comes to treatment. “We don’t ask standard questions,” she says, adding there’s an opportunity for the person who’s mediating to challenge a course of treatment. “Have qualified people who know how to speak to those who are vulnerable,” she says. For example, Rupert Case Management personnel are versed in asking precise questions and scoring the claimant using the Bradford formula, an HR tool that helps predict the duration of worker’s absence. Oliveira says that it’s often during that conversation that a workplace conflict may come to light as the real reason behind the employee’s absence. It provides an opportunity for that conflict to be discussed, addressed and handled effectively, enabling that staff member to return to work as soon as possible. Getting buy-in from the employee’s family is also critical in shortening an STD or LTD claim. “Integrate the family into what the treatment plan will be,” says Dr. Rupert.

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THE TREATMENT PLAN Once a treatment plan has been hammered out with a doctor, patient, family, occupational therapist and the employer, quick access to health experts who can help rehabilitate the employee is invaluable, says Rupert. “We have over 2,500 experts in Canada and the U.S. We’re working as part of a team.” Clarity at this stage is critical, and employers need to get their claims adjudicators checking in to see how things are going, especially if a monkey wrench has been thrown into the process. For example, Oliveira says that some employees might opt for increasingly popular unconventional therapies such as naturopathy or osteopathy. “While these things are great to complement treatment plans, to what extent is the employer responsible to cover the costs of filling these positions when people are choosing to go a route that may be a more prolonged recovery, and not necessarily sanctioned by the mainstream medical system?” she says. But she cautions that adjudicators need to tread carefully with such claims. “To what extent can you be intrusive and tell someone what treatment they should be taking?” And before an employee returns, their needs must be accommodated in the workplace, to ease the transition back. This back-to-work phase requires a careful evaluation of the employee’s requirements. Allowances may have to be made for a reduced work schedule, new duties assigned, or a manager retrained.

PREVENTION: THE BEST APPROACH Of course, if employers invested heavily in creating offices where employees have shorter hours, more flex time and ergonomic work stations, a lot of disability claims could be prevented in the first place, says Oliveira. She says the process should begin with the hiring of an employee, to ensure they’re a good fit for the company and suitable for the role they’ve

been hired to do. This can include lengthening the probationary period to six months instead of the standard three to allow for a greater assessment period for both parties. Next, employees should not just be pushed into roles abandoned by others. Oliveira says that’s often when issues arise. “Maybe somebody can’t cope. They can’t put in that extra time. Maybe this exceeds their ability.”

“Have qualified people who know how to speak to those who are vulnerable” Then there are the ergonomic assessments of work stations, which a disability management provider can provide quick access to. Employers should also lean heavily on Employee Assistance Providers which can be utilized at the first sign of an issue. And of course, there’s the tracking of claims by front-line managers as well as HR. This allows for early identification of problems and interventions with employees before issues become too entrenched, particularly in mental health cases. “Unless you track it, you don’t have a foundation for understanding what the true drivers are,” says Azaad. But there is some good news: even if things do progress to the claim stage, a quick intervention and active management of a claim can hasten an employee’s successful return to work. “Most people go back,” says Rupert.

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OFFICE INSIGHT / GOOGLE

Montreal

The art and science behind

GOOGLE OFFICE DESIGN Every week brings a new story somewhere about the cool facilities at a Google office. From music rooms and mini-golf to free meals, the Internet giant is a leader in office structuring. So what planning goes into each space and what can HR leaders learn from the approach?

Nap chairs, slides, giant hammocks and more – Google is well known for its interesting and extravagant offices. But there’s more method to their designs than just adding fun to a space. Each room is carefully designed to suit the people using it, encouraging productivity. “Whenever we commence any design project we start with the users first,” Google Canada facilities manager Andrea Janus tells HRD. “We’re trying to design a space that allows them to be healthy, productive and have meaningful interactions with their

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colleagues. We really get to know who’s going to use the space.” Google has specific standards around how many meeting rooms a space has, and has strict policies on using healthy and sustainable materials in its interior design. But each office’s special features are driven by those who work there. For example, acoustics were vital in the Toronto office because it mostly houses sales representatives who are constantly on the phone. The workers also get a say about the design, helping to establish the look and feel of the office. “We have a lot of visioning sessions with the architects where we invite all the Googlers in the office and talk about different aspects such as workspace, collaboration, community involvement and really gather feedback from everyone,” Janus says. “If you start with the user first and create a space that they like to work in, then it becomes a successful project.” In Toronto, the Googlers were keen to create an office that showed off Toronto and Canada. All the meeting rooms are named after Toronto landmarks – Eaton Centre, High Park. In Montreal, they are really passionate about music and rock climbing, so the company built a climbing wall and a soundproof music room where they can “jam.” Each office ends up reflecting the people who work there, and the place where they live.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE Health and wellness is another focus for Google, from providing adjustable sit/stand desks for those who need them to having exercise facilities on site, as well as initiatives like office bikes that employees can borrow. “Health and well-being are such a big part of our

LET THERE BE LIGHT With Toronto struggling with a seemingly endless winter this year, Google managers worried that their teams would suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a common form of depression related to the change in seasons and lack of sunlight. Their solution? Bring in sun lamps and position them in the office lounges so workers can bask in their glow for a while, boosting their vitamin D and their mood. “It was in inexpensive way to provide some happiness and comfort,” Janus says. “Sometimes those simple solutions can have a huge impact.”

Waterloo

“Whenever we commence any design project we start with the users first” Andrea Janus lives and you want to have a healthy workforce,” Janus says. “Food at Google plays a huge part, we promote health and wellness through the food program we offer, and we educate Googlers on nutrition so they’re not just healthy now but healthy 20 years from now as well.” After-hours emails are rare, Janus says, because the focus is to finish work during office hours to enable employees to meet other personal goals as well. “We’ve seen that people are able to turn off when they get home because they’ve been productive while at work. They have a lot of opportunities to spend time with other teams and we find a lot of good ideas are generated just by having people meet at different locations in the office.”

CLEVER IDEAS FOR ALL Not every company has the resources that Google has, but some core principles can be applied without JULY 2014 | 35

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OFFICE INSIGHT / GOOGLE

TOP TIPS FROM GOOGLE

Focus on the end user Not all employees or teams have the same needs or wants. By focusing on their individuality, you can create a specific environment to suit each.

Enable work-life balance Helping employees to complete personal goals or tasks in or near the office means they don’t have to worry about when they’ll fit that into their day, so they can be more focused when they’re at their desk.

Find the fun Creative, fun spaces can encourage people to meet informally with co-workers from all parts of the organization, which drives collaboration and a feeling of community.

Provide healthy choices for the individual and the organization Healthy employees are more productive, take fewer sick days and are less likely to need disability support. By supporting exercise and nutrition, employers can ensure their employees improve and maintain their own health and well-being.

Be flexible You won’t get it right every time. If something isn’t working, talk to employees about why they are not using a space and what might improve it so you can adjust accordingly. Toronto

a huge budget. “Building collaboration areas doesn’t need to be expensive, it just needs to be comfortable,” Janus says. “It’s just paying attention to what’s working and what’s not and reacting to that. You don’t always get it 100 per cent right; you need to figure it out as you go. Once people are using the space you can make some inexpensive changes that helps people use the space better.” One tip Janus offers is using what is already available, but rearranging it to be more effective. If you have multiple offices, what works in one might not work in another, so exchanging furniture between two sites could improve both. “We had this really cool tent in Toronto that people could crawl into and work by themselves, but people in the sales office weren’t using it because they wanted to collaborate with co-workers,” Janus says. “We swapped furniture with Waterloo and put a more comfortable sofa there. Right away, people were using that a lot more, whereas in Waterloo the engineers really like to go hide and work by themselves in a quieter area and they’re using the tent all the time.” More generally, for employers who really focus on getting to know who their employees are and what they enjoy doing – in addition to how they enjoy working – the benefits would immense. “We’re designing spaces that allow them to be creative and happy and productive,” Janus says.

Waterloo

Toronto

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HR LEADERS SUMMIT / SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT

Ownership and accountability at every level Customer service and call centres are on the front lines for so many organizations and their clients, but these employees are often the last to receive the training and attention needed to yield top results. Rogers SVP Fadel Chbihna tells HRD how the telecommunications giant turned that trend around It’s an increasingly recognized truth: Customers judge any brand based on their experience with that organization’s front line. “They are the brand when they are talking to the customer, and you can’t empower people if they don’t have ownership,” says Fadel Chbihna, SVP of customer relations and operations at Rogers. “It’s a really critical moment because that’s what the customer will talk about to their friends and on social media rather than the brand overall.” “You need your front line to understand they are the brand when they’re talking to the customer. It’s not Fadel talking to the customer, it’s Rogers.” Focusing on the front line employees at Rogers has meant effecting change in more than 7,000 people across the country. Chbihna and his team focused on one “unit of change” – the 200 first-level managers and their direct reports – as the target for coaching. The goal was to implement training that would trickle down to the

front line. “The first thing we did was to define the behaviours that support the brand promise,” Chbihna says. “Every culture is built on behaviours, and when we defined those behaviours we could develop coaching based on those behaviours.” These front line managers were established as the change agents and trained as coaches so they could encourage the necessary behaviours in their teams. One of the biggest measures of success for the program was in an improvement in employee attrition, which was beyond anything Chbihna expected. “If the employee feels they are treated well, they understand where they are going, they believe in the values and they are the ambassador for the brand, I believe, that makes for a positive work environment and they will stay,” he says. “The attrition was one of the key elements for measuring success.” Customer complaints also decreased as Chbihna’s team studied where the sore

points were so they could specifically target behavioural changes to improve those problem areas. The team also saw sales more than double over a year as its new methods were rolled out. A cross-functional, integrated approach was key to the program’s success. “We embedded HR in every meeting so they understood when they are looking to target specific programs they can develop them based on what the group is trying to achieve,” Chbihna says. “When we talk about coaching, it’s not about how many people are coached; it’s about the effectiveness of the coaching and the result. We can link the sales or savings to that coaching model by comparing the people who did not take part in the coaching.” HRD is pleased to announce Chbihna as a speaker for the November HRD Leaders Summit. The industry veteran outlines his team’s two-year efforts to decrease employee attrition and improve customer satisfaction by empowering 7,000 front-line workers. For more information, visit hrleaders.ca.

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More than just talk: engaging employees with better communication Internal communication is a major challenge for HR at any large organization, especially when your employees are mobile and spread across time zones. Canadian Tire’s Jackie Goldman explains how the organization overcame those obstacles to reap the rewards of an engaged, passionate workforce Better internal communication is one of the top two ways to improve employee engagement, according to a 2013 Towers Watson study. But it’s not easy when you have different roles and business lines using differing forms of communication. That was the challenge Canadian Tire faced when it implemented a new employee engagement program in 2013. “We came to the conclusion that we needed to re-spark employees’ love of the Canadian Tire brand,” says the HR programs vice president, Jackie Goldman. “We really wanted employees to understand the purpose of our organization and their role in it.” The campaign centred on the phrase “Life in Canada depends on us” and Goldman and her team wanted to reach everyone from corporate and call centre employees, to distribution and field staff. The diverse roles and locations meant Canadian Tire had to be creative with how it conveyed the message. Not everyone had easy access to computers, and in some areas there were also language barriers. The first wave was the company’s “Anthem Video,” released last year. It showcases real employees holding a board with images of Canadians using Canadian Tire products, whether it’s a family canoeing

or a father and daughter baking. “We wanted to bring that saying to life and show employees, through emotional and touching images, the impact we have on Canadians,” Goldman says. The video was followed up by a series of posters using the same template as the video, which continues to be an important element of the campaign. A distribution worker might hold a picture of a family skating, with the statement “I make sure customers’ products get into the stores on time and in good shape, so father and son can skate on the pond.” “Whatever the (employee’s) role is, we all exist for the same purpose,” says Goldman, adding that there were things they could have recognized at the start which might have improved the initiative’s roll-out. “Each different business unit has its own distinct culture and way of communicating,” she says. “For corporate communications to resonate it has to hit the mark and we got better at that as we went along. At first there was a bit of resistance to some of the tactics because this is one of the first initiatives that was done across the corporation and touching all of our business units so we had to make sure our tactics spoke to them and that we were respectful.”

Forward planning was key to Canadian Tire’s successful program and communication strategy. “You can have the best initiative in the world and if it’s not communicated well it can fall flat,” Goldman says. “We use the ‘Know Feel Do’ approach: what do you want people to know, how do you want them to feel, what do you want them to do? You have to take the time to really think through the answers to those questions.” Jackie Goldman will be speaking at HRD’s Leaders Summit in November, outlining Canadian Tire’s employee engagement program and the positive outcomes it offers not only the corporation but others looking to adopt similar strategies. For more information, visit hrleaders.ca.

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FEATURE / FRONTLINE LEADERSHIP

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE

The low-down on frontline development

While there is general consensus that frontline managers are a linchpin of organizational success, a recent report indicates that only 40% of those managers receive sufficient tools and support to succeed. What’s going on, and how can the situation be improved?

Middle managers play a crucial role in delivering results, supervising and engaging the bulk of the workforce, yet this integral management group also experiences excessive stress, disengagement and a high degree of attrition as a result. A recent study has revealed that they are also not being given the leadership tools they need to succeed. The Harvard Business Review Analytic Services report,* conducted with Halogen Software, suggests that managers on the frontline are critical to sustaining quality service, innovation, and financial performance. One example demonstrates their impact. Most HR leaders would recognize that one of the most expensive and controllable costs a business can have is staff turnover. In 2003, despite the nearly eight per cent unemployment rate, the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that more than two million Americans quit their jobs each month. Studies have consistently shown that having a bad manager or a poor relationship with one’s manager are top reasons why an employee quits.

RESPONSIBILITY VS EFFECTIVENESS Seventy-eight per cent of survey respondents cited ‘achieving a high level of customer satisfaction’ as the number one business priority achieved by having effective frontline managers. Seventy-seven per cent cited their help in achieving organizational goals, and 76% suggested their impact on productivity. Yet while there was general agreement that frontline managers were ‘mission critical’ to a successful business, the results showed a chasm between frontline manager responsibility and effectiveness. The survey provided mixed reviews on some of the most critical aspects of frontline managers’ jobs. In particular, the survey showed clear room for improvement in vital leadership competencies such as strategic and innovative thinking, developing talent, and inspirational leadership. How would you rate your frontline managers on the following leadership competencies? Business-based decision-making

33%

Organizational savvy/judgment

27%

Strategic thinking

21%

Innovative thinking

21%

Developing talent

20%

Inspirational leadership

19%

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“What was particularly striking about these findings is that a full 79 per cent of respondents believed that the lack of frontline leadership tools, training, and development negatively impact their firm’s performance ‘moderately’ or ‘substantially’,” says Donna Ronayne, VP of marketing and business development, Halogen Software. In addition, 90 per cent of respondents believed frontline managers’ lack of leadership development negatively impacted on employee engagement results.

WHY DOES IT MATTER? With fewer hierarchical layers in many companies, more frontline managers have become the glue that connects the strategic (top management’s business priorities) with the tactical (specific responsibilities employees are given to accomplish those goals). “Spans of control are bigger – each manager supervises a lot more people – and we also expect those frontline workers to do more, to be more responsive to customers, to cross-sell, to solve problems. These managers make that happen and monitor it to make sure it continues,” says Peter Cappelli, George W. Taylor professor of management, and director, Center for Human Resources at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. There is no question that a lot is expected of frontline managers. They need to have the technical knowledge and expertise in the areas they supervise. They also need to master ‘people’ skills like leadership, communication, problem-solving and teamwork (both as leader and participant). Managers need to demonstrate customer-centric behaviour themselves, be it with internal or external customers. This means responsiveness, respect, and a focus on meeting customers’ needs. Managers need to cultivate this kind of behaviour in their employees by providing feedback on when employees have demonstrated it effectively, and when they haven’t. If that’s not enough, it must also be remembered that this is a critical group of leaders who oversee the performance and development of more than 70% of the workforce.

WHAT’S CURRENTLY ON OFFER? When training is provided, respondents cited onthe-job training (67%) as the most frequently used

WHAT’S GOING ON?

77%

33%

77% of respondents said frontline managers were important in helping their organization reach its business goals

33% of respondents said their organization’s frontline managers were competent in business-based decision-making

12% 12% of respondents said their organization currently invested sufficiently in the development of frontline managers

Please rate the importance of frontline managers to your organization in helping achieve the following business priorities Achieving a high level of customer satisfaction

78%

Helping your organization reach its business goals

77%

Achieving a high level of productivity

76%

Achieving a high level of employee engagement

73%

Contributing to effective communications

70%

Continuous quality improvement

63%

Improving employee retention rates

58%

Fostering alignment of goals across the organization

51%

Providing a pipeline for executive leadership

45%

Your organization’s ability to innovate

42%

tool. The next most popular development methods were classroom training (61 per cent), personality and leadership assessments (43 per cent), online learning (43 per cent), 360-degree feedback (42 per cent), coaching (42 per cent) and mentoring (41 per cent). Other methods mentioned included providing reading materials/abstracts and webinars, and offering cross-functional assignments and job rotations. Respondents were asked to describe the training and development tools offered to frontline managers at their companies. Their replies showed that JULY 2014 | 41

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FEATURE / FRONTLINE LEADERSHIP

development is largely ineffective both in how it is administered and in its frequency: “It goes in spurts; at times we get high-quality training. But the ongoing growth is an issue,” wrote one respondent. “Two years ago they did a one-time extensive leadership program, but there’s only been occasional training since then,” wrote another. Another respondent explained that training was more incentive-based, a way for upper management to show appreciation, but noted that these offerings didn’t help with day-to-day operations. And yet another respondent made this pertinent point: “Only negative feedback [is given] when failures happen. Punishment in the form of bad performance reviews, notices of corrective action, and terminations are the rewards for failure.”

WHY IS IT SO? Surprisingly, while a significant 40 per cent of respondents believed that their frontline managers didn’t receive sufficient tools and training to develop into highly effective leaders, there was no clear reason offered as to why. Respondents, the majority of whom were senior leaders themselves, denied suggestions that ‘senior

“Only negative feedback [is given] when failures happen. Punishment in the form of bad performance reviews, notices of corrective action, and terminations are the rewards for failure”

management does not believe we need to invest more in developing frontline managers’ or that it is ‘too expensive to invest further in the development of frontline managers’. Most also did not believe the gap was due to their companies being in a fastgrowth cycle. In the report, Cappelli shared his opinion on why this might be happening. He said: “Organizations are failing to offer enough leadership and training to all their managers. To the extent to which they do offer training, it seems to follow a trickle-down model: The most for the top executives, the least to the first-line supervisors.”

FRONTLINE MANAGERS AND... GOAL ALIGNMENT Halogen Software’s Donna Ronayne responds: “Effective goal management is critical because it aligns individual employees to the overarching goals of the organization. Without strong goal alignment, employees can achieve their individual goals without necessarily contributing to success of the organization as a whole.” “Goal management is about more than just the annual assigning of goals and reviewing of employee performance. And yet, the challenge here is that many organizations don’t make this process systemic.” “Managers aren’t given the tools and training to have that necessary continuous dialogue with their employees, which includes feedback, coaching and development, and a review of priorities. This ongoing dialogue helps ensure individual and organizational performance stays on track, and allows everyone to adjust their goals as needed to keep pace with evolving business and market requirements.”

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It is also conceivable that by focusing unrelentingly on profitability over these past several years, most organizations have failed to invest enough in the longer-term development of their talent. “Taken as a whole, it seems that respondents have seen the crack in the armour and may be willing to advocate for further investment in frontline manager leadership development,” says Ronayne.

DOING IT BETTER What is the way forward? How can organizations provide the right leadership skills to frontline managers? Although the most important leadership competencies differ somewhat from organization to organization, there are core skills for leaders at all levels that need cultivating. For example, strategic and innovative thinking, developing talent, and inspirational leadership are all important because of their impact on organizational performance and employee engagement (more than 90% of respondents believe frontline managers’ lack of leadership development negatively impacts on engagement results). “What employees need to tap is discretionary effort, which is what employee engagement tries to measure,” Cappelli says. “We expect frontline workers to do lots of complicated things as well as

FRONTLINE MANAGERS AND... ORG STRUCTURE Halogen Software’s Donna Ronayne : “No matter how flat or hierarchical an organization’s structure, there are still going to be leaders or team members who are responsible for ensuring teams are achieving the goals set for them. It doesn’t really matter how your organization is structured, you still need leaders who have the skills and training to coach and provide feedback in a way that drives engagement and performance.”

“Spans of control are bigger – each manager supervises a lot more people – and we also expect those frontline workers to do more” work hard for the employer, typically in contexts where we cannot easily monitor their performance. If we undervalue and underinvest in those areas, we pay a price. If our internal accounting systems aren’t very good, it may be hard to see the connection between employee effort and business outcomes, but it is there.” Ronayne suggests eliminating barriers to success by providing the training and tools they need to develop effective performance management skills, including: • how to set clear goals and expectations • training in leadership competencies important to your organization • how to give formal and informal feedback on a regular basis • how to support employee development and success • 360 leadership assessments to base leadership development plans on • support for leadership talent pools and emerging leader programs • tools to conduct productive one-on-one meetings between managers and employees • personality assessments, such as Myers-Briggs, for improved self-awareness and communication “They also need to be given coaching and guidance – a bit of extra care in their development,” suggests Ronayne. “They need to be mentored by seasoned leaders, and missteps or failures on stretch assignments – within reason – should be used as learning opportunities versus something to be harshly criticized.” *Frontline Managers: Are They Given the Leadership Tools to Succeed? by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services

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PEOPLE MANAGEMENT / MINDFULNESS

The art and science of

MINDFULNESS

Most HR professionals are aware of the importance of emotional intelligence – but mindfulness is perhaps the ultimate in brain training for better personal and professional outcomes neuroscience. Detailed brain scans show that the practice of mindfulness changes both the physical structure and activity of regions of the brain associated with emotional regulation, memory, learning and decisionmaking. In addition, mindfulness practice reduces reactivity, giving us a bit of space to choose our responses rather than reacting automatically. These capabilities are critical for effective leadership and, with mindfulness training, they can be enhanced, regardless of where you’re starting from. “Mindfulness practice is essentially attention training combined with attitudes which promote awareness and self-control,” says Eric Winters, trainer and coach, Chocks Away Mind Skills Consulting. “The result of mindfulness is greater awareness – of self, others and context – and less reactivity. These mindfulness skills are foundational to greater emotional intelligence.” We’ve all done it. In a fit of fury or just plain annoyance, we’ve hastily typed a snarky email to a colleague and hit ‘Send’, without first thinking of the repercussions. It’s known as action addiction: often when things happen we want to fix it immediately. There’s even a neurological incentive to do so: we get a hit of dopamine from feeling like we’ve taken quick, decisive action. It’s human nature to act before thinking, right? It is, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be. The concept of mindfulness is not new; in fact, as a concept it is over 2,500 years old. However, its relevance to the corporate world is increasingly being recognised thanks to recent developments in

TEAM BENEFITS For HR professionals, being aware of your own state, your intuitions and strengths, and having a greater ability to manage your emotions and behaviour, supports the notion of authentic leadership – that is, being able to more consistently walk the talk. “Teams respond well to people they experience as genuine,” says Winters. “Relationships with teams improve as people sense they are truly being listened to rather than neglected or taken for granted.” Mindfulness also develops empathy for others, a vital trait for sustaining productive working relationships. And noticing how others respond to

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your leadership is valuable feedback in recognizing what’s effective and what is less helpful leadership behaviour.

STRESS BUSTER, INNOVATION BOOSTER Life is stressful and so is work. An acronym helps to sum up what we all face: PAID – that is, Pressure, Always on, Information overload, Distracted. “These pressures impact our productivity, creativity and even our wellbeing,” says Gillian Coutts, senior trainer, The Potential Project. “The pace of change externally now is constant and organizations need to adapt, so this idea that we’ll be able to control and get all the ducks lined up in a row and then life will be great is not the reality. We can’t use the methods we’ve used in the past to grapple with the issues we currently face.” For all employees, the enemy of innovation and creativity is stress. When we’re stressed our minds narrow to focus on the threat at hand, and our thinking is habitual. Mindfulness can help diminish stress and nurture the broad, open and flexible thinking required for innovation. Indeed, Winters notes that one of the most important aspects of mindfulness is that it helps us to step out of autopilot, when we behave and think in routine ways, and instead step into more flexible thinking and behaviour required for innovation.

DISPELLING MYTHS Despite being picked up and utilised in companies like Sony, Microsoft, GE and Amex, there is naturally scepticism from many when anything to do with changing the way the brain functions is proposed, and mindfulness is no different. Yet neuroscience provides a rigorous scientific evidence base for the effects of mindfulness practice. Winters welcomes skepticism and says there is wisdom in not believing everything we’re told. He feels it’s better to check the evidence, to have your own experience of mindfulness and make your own mind up as to whether it’s helpful or not. There are, naturally, some misconceptions that need to be cleared up. Mindfulness is not, for example, an approach to empty the mind. It’s not an approach to make you feel better. It doesn’t require any odd sitting postures or chants. “The objective is not to reach some sort of enlightened state,” says Winters. “It’s not something

“The result of mindfulness is greater awareness – of self, others and context – and less reactivity” Eric Winters you have or do not have. Mindfulness is a skill, a capacity we all have to some degree. Mindfulness practice allows us to develop that skill to improve our ability to make better choices and live and work more effectively.”

MINDFULNESS TRAINING Mindfulness can be learnt either in groups with a mindfulness teacher guiding its practice, or by listening to a recording guiding your attention. The ideal approach involves a combination of the two. Group practice with a teacher is particularly effective because questions can be addressed regarding optimal practice and students learn a great deal about the human mind from listening to each other’s experiences. Group training sessions are typically held weekly with daily home practice. The Potential Project, for example, advocates an eight-week program, in which a group of people meet for an hour each week to cover the concepts and undertake training. Coutts says people are keen to learn how to sharpen their ability to focus, but she is often asked at these sessions what this means in the workplace. For example, what does it look like if you place that focus and awareness in a boardroom meeting? What does it mean if you’re managing change? “It’s taking that capacity you’re building neurologically and placing that within the workplace setting, so you then end up with both an individual impact, and at the same time there starts to be an organizational cultural shift where you start to move towards these enhanced behaviours. It helps to move it away from the airy-fairy,” she says. Like most things in life, mindfulness can be sustained, but it requires the discipline of regular daily practice. The Project Group recommends daily 10-minute practice, which can be done at home or in the office. “It’s like a muscle-building or physical exercise – once you stop training you lose the benefits after a while,” says Coutts.

TOP TIPS »» Don’t feel that you need to fill up all your time with doing. Take some time to simply be. When your mind wanders to thinking, gently bring it back to the flow of your breath. »» Recognize that thoughts are simply thoughts; you don’t need to believe them or react to them. »» Notice where you tend to zone out (eg driving, emailing or texting, web surfing, feeding the dog, doing dishes, etc.). Practise bringing more awareness to that activity.

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INTERNATIONAL PROFILE / JOHN HOFMEISTER

RIDING THE PEAKS – AND THE TROUGHS From natural disaster to financial scandal, Shell Oil’s John Hofmeister has seen it all. He shares his rich HR experience with Jill Gregorie John Hofmeister has a long history of leadership experiences, from being president of an oil company during two devastating hurricanes to persuading top US federal and state policymakers of the pressing need for sustainable energy practices. He has served as president of Shell Oil, held executive leadership positions at AlliedSignal, Northern Telecom Inc. and General Electric, and currently heads the influential non-profit organization Citizens for Affordable Energy. He attributes these many successes to the skills and strategies he developed in HR, and the people-oriented approach that has driven his entire business career.

STARTING EARLY This approach took form while he was an under graduate at Kansas State University. There, he studied political science, a field to which he would later return when pursuing an advanced degree. Upon graduating in 1973, he entered GE’s HR Management Program, an apprenticeship program that combined actual job assignments with coursework and projects to prepare trainees for a career in GE-centered business management. Even in the early stages of his career, Hofmeister knew that the key to success was rooted in cooperation and placement of the group over the individual.

“I’ve found throughout my career that with the politics of decision-making, the politics of priority setting, the politics of what it takes to execute a business plan, nothing is straightforward,” Hofmeister says. “The whole idea of command authority in business is largely overrated, overdescribed, and is more the product of media attention than it is a description of the reality of how business operates.” He refers to the principle of working together towards a common goal as “share to gain”. “You share authority, you share resources, you share objectives, and everybody gains as a consequence of that.” He points to Jack Welch as an example of a leader who was often perceived as a domineering, obstinate leader, but who actually had a history of cohesiveness and working as part of a team. “When Jack Welch was running GE, he had a reputation in the media as being a very powerful CEO. And he definitely was. But he was powerful because he earned it. And he earned it because he would listen, debate and argue; he would stand ready to be convinced otherwise, and he participated in the sort of ‘wear

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them down, drag them out’ discussions that were necessary to get to the better objectives. “It wasn’t just ‘how does Jack Welch win?’ It was ‘how does GE win?’ ”

LEADING THROUGH NATURAL DISASTER After 15 years of working in various roles at GE, Hofmeister went on to work in several executive HR leadership positions, which led him to the position of group HR director of the Royal Dutch Shell Group in The Hague, Netherlands, in 1997. In this position, he used the “share to gain” principle to support other senior executives by optimising his own performance in HR. As a result, he retained control of his title despite multiple changes in senior leadership. “During my Shell years, I was group HR director for four CEOs, so I had to adjust and adapt and work with each individual and his priorities,” Hofmeister says. “Many times the CEO replaces the HR person or the finance person, but I found myself working with each of the four CEOs.” He says his ability to recognize and properly allocate talent is what made him exceptional in his HR responsibilities. “The credibility here is knowing your talent, having the capacity to assess and understand talent, and how best to deploy talent – that’s where the senior HR executive earns the right to exist. It is the talent management expertise that the CEO is looking for.” Eventually, Hofmeister became president of Shell Oil, which he describes as a role in which he used the same skill set and strategies he did as an HR director, but “it was just a matter of adjusting to different stakeholders”. It was during his time as president that Hurricane Katrina hit the US Gulf Coast in 2005, flooding entire cities in the region and displacing nearly 400,000 residents. This storm, the costliest in American history, severely damaged many of Shell’s facilities in the area, and had devastating effects for countless employees and their families. Hofmeister found that his imperative was to address

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INTERNATIONAL PROFILE / JOHN HOFMEISTER

the needs of every other part of the country, and continue operations as stably and functionally as possible, while simultaneously addressing the critical needs of those affected by the storm. “Everything has to be business as usual all over the country because the assets in California and the people there or in New England could care less about a Gulf Coast hurricane. “At the same time, you have a crisis on your hands in which you not only have internal staff to be worried about and take care of, and facilities that can be very seriously damaged, but you’ve also got your external stakeholders that are depending on you, for example the first responders. First responders can’t function if they don’t have gasoline or diesel.

“Everything has to be business as usual all over the country because the assets in California and the people there or in New England could care less about a Gulf Coast hurricane” “So it became about balancing those two major objectives: running a company like everything was normal, and dealing with the crisis at hand, and having the capacity not to get overwhelmed by either.” Hofmeister notes that he had to stay on task and resist becoming caught up in distracting side projects. When he was notified by Shell lawyers that the company had received 48 letters from state attorneys general accusing the company of gouging the public by increasing fuel prices in the aftermath of the hurricane, he dismissed their concerns. “I said to general counsel, I understand their concern, but they have to wait. Our refineries are shut down. Prices have nothing to do with us; it’s a result of the hurricane. Maybe they can sue nature, but they won’t get much in return.” Hofmeister also adds that his top priority always remained with his employees and their

families, both for the obvious reasons involving their safety and welfare and also because he knew that the dedication of his staff would get the company up and running again. “In my last phone call with senior managers before the hurricane struck, I told them: we’ve done everything we can to prepare; we don’t know what the storm will bring, but the one thing we do know is that, whatever damage is done, we will bring ourselves back because our employees will help us.”

LEADING THROUGH FINANCIAL SCANDAL Before Hofmeister took over as president at Shell Oil in 2005, the parent company, Royal Dutch Shell, was embroiled in an accounting scandal that resulted from the overcalculation of ‘proven’ oil reserves. Hofmeister had to work with other senior leaders to regain credibility and re-establish the integrity of company leadership among the media, the general public, and employees. “As a group HR manager, I really had to think long and hard about the impact of this accounting debacle on the leadership of the company, externally as well as internally. To what extent did the debacle impact on the credibility and integrity of the company’s leadership to handle its aftermath and set things right? “We knew we would need to deal with the British and Dutch financial authorities, as well as the US SEC and the corresponding media coverage. We also had to deal with it internally with our workforce. “What you don’t want is even more disruption in terms of dealing with the crisis and fixing information systems and processes. At the same time, you have another crisis in terms of lack of confidence and

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leadership.” As it happened, the legal assessments as well as Hofmeister’s findings regarding the credibility of current leaders led the board of directors to make tough decisions. “It became clear in January 2004 from an internal and external standpoint that we were not going to be able to make it through the crisis with the current leadership – it behooved me to address the issue with the board because something had to change.” Within a month, replacements were appointed. “The good news was this was all done in a planned way because of robust succession planning; the sad news was we had to let several good people go. Unfortunately, the requirements of the situation overrode the needs of individuals and we had to do what was good for the company and its businesses overall, even though it meant separating some very talented people. “My role was to be the conscience of the organization, and also the talent manager who could give the advice that the board needed to reach the decision the board needed to make.”

LESSONS FROM A SEASONED LEADER Hofmeister doesn’t just consider his time in business as a life lesson in management, but says he’s been observing leadership traits for over 50 years, “going back to my days as a Boy Scout”. “I’ve found that leadership really defines an organization, sets the parameters, sets the priorities, sets the mood, and sets the tone, so I’ve always been a student of leadership.” He’s found that leadership consists of three critical

areas: core, learned, and contemporary. “I think there are some core aspects of leadership, like values, behaviours, and beliefs, and then there are some attributed or learned skills – communications, judgments, critical or analytical thinking. And then there are some contemporary requirements you have to be prepared for.” Hofmeister defines contemporary leadership as “understanding what leadership means in the current age”, and he adds that the three facets of leadership should always be embodied simultaneously, because when one is deficient, a person will not be capable of handling the multitude of challenges inherent in running an organisation. “One of the best examples we could perhaps point to is the debacle at the top of the Los Angeles Clippers professional basketball team, which is a contemporary leadership issue right now. [Clippers owner Donald Sterling has made repeated racist comments about players]. You have an owner there whose core values are rooted in the pre-Civil Rights era,” he says. “Suddenly, whatever other great qualities that person may have had doesn’t matter – we find out he’s got an unacceptable set of core values.” When building a personal brand, Hofmeister recommends perpetually building on one’s core with continuous learning and self-improvement. “Start with your core. If somewhere down the line you forsake your core, if somewhere you forget what you learned or for heaven’s sake you fail to keep learning, you’re quickly out of the game. Lifelong learning never stops. You never know enough.” JULY 2014 | 49

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LEADERSHIP / NEUROSCIENCE

BRAIN POWER

UNLEASHED

Connie Hanson outlines 10 ways HR directors can benefit from knowing how the human brain works Recent findings in neuroscience can enable leaders to overcome the most common roadblocks to adaptation to change, and to facilitate stronger business performance and higher wellbeing for employees. ‘BrainWise’ business leaders actively cultivate organizational environments that enable individuals and the business to thrive. Creating a BrainWise organization requires attention to key aspects of organizational life, such as safety, cognitive stimulation, and relationships. Knowing how the human brain works and knowing how to make the best use of our highly social/relational brain can provide a critical edge to business. Neuroscience illuminates practical methods that HR directors can use to create a BrainWise business and enable organizations to execute effectively in the following key areas.

FIND AND KEEP GREAT TALENT

Creating policies, practices and processes that engage rather than attempt to control employees is fundamental to getting and keeping great team members. To get sustainable results, leaders need to help people become absorbed in work that is consistent with their own values. An overall focus on developing people, rather than just using human resources, triggers parts of the brain related to intrinsic motivation and fundamentally changes the whole dynamic of a workplace. People want to stretch and grow in their own ways. BrainWise HR directors build systems that help team members find ways to weave individual goals for personal development with commercial goals for the business.

COLLABORATE ACROSS DISTANCE AND DIFFERENCE

Globalization, changes in technology, as well as the continued convergence of industries, has increased the need for collaboration with highly diverse and often dispersed teams. HR systems that facilitate relationships and collaboration versus instigating competition between teams and individual employees provide a platform for tapping into the ‘social brain’. Humans are social beings and our brains were built to connect. HR directors can build on that natural tendency by ensuring that HR and other systems encourage and support collaboration efforts such as: Exploring the impact of ideas across different departments, geographic/time zone regions or even different age groups Using iterative and inclusive approaches to problem solving Rewarding inclusion of broad stakeholder engagement versus narrowly scoped solutions.

STRENGTHEN STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING

HR directors are well positioned to help executive leadership teams build capability to work with, and even encourage, healthy conflict to enhance effective decision-making. Executive teams that reject the dichotomy of ‘win at all costs’, or ‘avoid disagreements’, build the cognitive flexibility to simultaneously hold, analyse and at times synthesise conflicting perceptions. The ability to ‘think together’ is an acquired brain skill that too few executive teams develop. Strategic selection of executive team members to ensure sufficient diversity of thought is an initial step that is heavily influenced by search and hiring practices.

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Once a diverse team is in place, HR directors are well placed to help cultivate a team culture that rewards sharing and building on contrary and difficult-to-hear perspectives, as well as challenges to the status quo, and actively generates mutually exclusive scenarios and alternative solutions. This culture provides executives with a broad platform on which to base strategic decisions.

HELP EMPLOYEES BE THEIR BEST

Our brains can and do change throughout our lives. The environment, including organizational culture, plays an important role in shaping the brains of employees. HR policies and leadership practices that ensure safe and respectful workplaces also create the conditions for enhanced brain functioning. When there is incivility, unfairness or, even worse, bullying, the priority for every employee’s brain will be protection, ie the detection and avoidance of or mitigation of threat. This leaves only limited brain power for complex problem solving and even less for innovation. Conversely, high levels of respect, trust and transparency calm the areas of the brain devoted to ‘protection’ and facilitate more fluid and creative thinking as well as help activate the parts of the brain needed for dealing with complexity.

work environment. BrainWise HR directors make use of recent findings in social neuroscience by implementing highly social learning methods such as on-the-job mentoring from more senior leaders; peer coaching; and practically focused facilitated group inter ventions. Social learning methods capitalize on the brain’s built-in proclivity to learn from others, enabling people leaders to immediately apply new learning, while simultaneously reinforcing a culture of continuous learning and growth.

INSPIRE HIGH PERFORMANCE

Neuroscience research has demonstrated that old-school ‘carrot and stick’ approaches may ‘keep people in line’ for the short term but are less effective in motivating high performance in dynamic environments. Most employees are trying to do their best and deliver a good outcome. When this goes off the rails, punishment (blaming, critiquing, or worse) does not help. Human brains are designed to work best in safe environments.

PREDICT AND RESOLVE PEOPLE-RELATED ROADBLOCKS

HR directors know the most common roadblocks to achieving results faced by people leaders are not technical. In one way or another, many obstacles have a social component, such as dealing with conflict, thwarted collaboration or failure to influence. People leaders who understand how the human brain responds to externally imposed change, conflict, authority, or even dealing with diverse colleagues, are positioned to predict and either prevent or mitigate many of the people-related obstacles to achieving results. Using what science is showing us about brain functioning as a foundation, people leaders are well placed to integrate evidence-based approaches in their day-to-day work with their teams. There are a range of brain-based development experiences to help leaders learn and integrate leadership practices to effectively address the multitude of people issues that are inherent in any JULY 2014 | 51

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LEADERSHIP / NEUROSCIENCE

“Humans are social beings and our brains were built to connect” Connie Hanson Likewise, people want to make a valued contribution – being seen as a valued member of the group meets a basic human need and is associated with more confidence and greater ability to learn and perform. Brain-based performance enhancement systems incorporate values alignment and collaborative goalsetting, and focus on development, including selfmonitoring, broad-based feedback and personalised coaching/mentoring.

INCORPORATE SOCIAL DATA FOR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

In business we tend to emphasise the ‘analytical’ approach to challenges. While there is nothing wrong with analytics, recent neuroscience research shows there is an entirely separate system in our brains devoted to the ‘people’ side of things. And the analytical and social systems seem to inhibit each other – when one system is active the other is not. Encouraging executive leadership teams to include social/emotional thinking early in the strategic planning process affords that organization the opportunity to develop more robust business plans that anticipate a diversity of stakeholder perspective and reaction.

Connie Hanson is director of Learning Quest and author of BrainWise Leadership: Practical Neuroscience to Thrive and Survive at Work. Connect with Connie at learningquest.com.au or on Twitter @LearningQuest

PROMOTE BRAIN FITNESS AND SUBSEQUENT ADAPTATION TO CHANGE

Health and safety and even general wellbeing have made their way into everyday business vernacular. However, it is rarer to see organizational efforts to encourage brain fitness. While computerised brain games are becoming popular apps, they are not practical or even appropriate for on-the-job development. HR directors are positioned to shape the work environment such that leaders’ and employees’ jobs have a mix of stimulating and more routine cognitive challenges needed to build brain

fitness. While some positions, especially senior leadership roles, naturally lend themselves to having varied stimulating thinking challenges, other roles may benefit from engineering to introduce some novelty within the context of an overall supportive environment. Jobs with the right combination of novelty and comfort help to stimulate neuroplasticity, enabling better long-term learning and ability to adapt when larger changes are required.

PROMOTE SELF-REGULATION AND ABILITY TO REACH LONG-TERM GOALS

Self-awareness and self-regulation are components of brain fitness that HR directors can impact on for the benefit of the organization as well as the overall health of individuals. Organizations that provide basic education related to brain function, such as reactions to change, brain-based techniques for mitigating chronic work-related stress, as well as methods for emotional regulation, equip employees to thrive in work environments that are constantly changing even as the demands for output are increasing. Empowering people with knowledge about themselves enhances their sense of control, self-esteem and confidence. Ultimately, employees who feel in control are better able to regulate their own behaviour in order to attain long-term goals that are aligned with the organization’s requirements.

BROADEN PERCEPTION AND FLEXIBLE THINKING

Recent neuroscience research has revealed that emotions, previously ‘banned’ in many organizations, are not only essential for motivation but are in fact a rich source of important data essential for complex decision-making. Actively seeking emotional information enables HR directors to illuminate aspects of business challenges that are not available through any other method. Everything from deciphering public opinion, to predicting competitor reactions, to understanding the actions of lawmakers is enhanced by accurately picking up on emotion. HR directors can fine-tune their own emotional perception as well as encourage the development of brain skills such as perspectivetaking, empathy and influence for other senior leaders involved in strategic planning or complex problem solving.

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QUICK FIX / GAMIFICATION

Games vs gamification How to truly drive employee engagement and motivation Sometimes employee engagement comes down to incentives and having fun. The new trend towards gamification presses both those buttons The word ‘games’ often gets one of two reactions from HR professionals: a. Games are a problem because they distract your employees in the workplace and you wish mobile devices were never invented, or b. Your mind instantly jumps to ‘gamification’ and you start mulling over how to implement this to boost employee engagement and motivation. Perhaps the biggest buzzword of 2013, gamification is abundant in today’s HR strategies. Employees receive points for referring new business or customers, and earn badges for their accomplishments. Leader-board systems give staff extra incentives to meet KPIs. However, in this explosion of gamification, many companies overlook another powerful tool in the workplace that can help attract and retain talent, drive employee engagement and understanding, and truly change staff behaviour. The missing tool? Educational games. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ definition/english/gamification 2 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ j.1744-6570.2011.01190.x/abstract 3 http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/ id/1844115 4 http://www.slideshare.net/wandameloni/ gamification-in-2012-trends-inconsumer-and-enterprisemarkets-13453048 1

AREN’T THESE THE SAME THING? Contrary to how it sounds, an educational game is not the same as gamification. Although there is some overlap between the two, they serve different purposes and provide different outcomes in the HR industry.

Gamification: The application of typical elements of game playing (eg point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity 1 Educational games: Games designed for education purposes, either as a primary goal or a by-product of playing

HOW EDUCATIONAL GAMES CAN BENEFIT YOUR HR STRATEGY At its core, gamification simply makes content fun for employees and can be used to make goals and outcomes feel more enticing. Educational games, however, deliver information in a way that is not only fun but also fosters a deeper understanding of and engagement with the subject matter, as well as changing employee behaviour. Often used for compliance and building skill sets, educational games give employees a powerful experience through active learning, which delivers true understanding and alters beliefs and behaviours. Research conducted in 2011 by Dr Traci Sitzmann2 showed that employees who used video games during training had a 14% higher skill-based knowledge level and an 11% higher factual knowledge level than those who didn’t use games. Employee self-motivation and belief was also 20% higher, and their retention rate was 9% higher. Simply put: educational games can make staff more knowledgeable and motivated, assist in keeping great employees, and ultimately make your job easier.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE OF WORKPLACE LEARNING It is expected that by the end of 2014 more than 70% of the world’s largest companies will have implemented a gamified application,3 and the overall market for gamification apps, services and tools is expected to reach $5.5bn by 2018.4 Companies and boards are becoming more accepting of games as a tool in the workforce, and you can use this to your advantage in a different way. Gamification most certainly has its place in motivating employees, but HR professionals should also take advantage of this increased company spend and push for educational games in the workplace as well. In the end, training and learning build employee connections with employers, and that’s what truly motivates, engages and retains staff.

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LAST WORD / JOB TITLES

THE LAST WORD

John Doe Embarrassing and/or Ambiguous job title

What’s in a name?

Why does the HR profession have such a fixation on titles? Not only does the profession constantly rebrand itself, the practitioners are also guilty of the crime, as Gary Taylor outlines “What’s in a name?” apparently implies that labels or titles aren’t supposed to be important. Well, those of us who have been in HR long enough know just how important titles are for people and their departments. Let’s start with the ideal name for the HR Department. Only great-grandpa was around for the Hawthorne studies of 1924–1932, but that was perhaps the start of our HR profession. Of course, it was called “Welfare” back then, which was probably appropriate to the thinking, and the Taylorism which followed. The Personnel Department label stayed for a long time, before evolving into Human Resources, still the brand of choice for the established employer, but deemed passe by the new generation practitioner.

NEW ERA, NEW NAMES “Human Capital” has mounted the most serious challenge, only to be diluted by even more millennial sounding departments, such as People & Performance and a range of other Love ‘n’ Harmony phrases designed by Hallmark, but with a hint of the Orwellian 1984. Without exception, these titles are self-awarded, commonly by a newly-appointed HR director straight after the strategic retreat. Confused colleagues wonder why the same people in the same place doing the same job for the same company want a new picture frame. New intentions, is the answer. Perhaps that’s OK – especially if you believe the Hawthorne findings that almost any change makes

people feel better. One word of caution: All HR heads obsess over the strategic partner status for HR and the seat at the board table. Just think about how many accountants and engineers are likely to support having a Director of Zen & Empowerment sitting on the top floor (in a power suit, driving the right car, of course!)

OLD EMPEROR, NEW CLOTHES? Moral of the saga – perhaps the name is the last thing that matters, and re-packaging the old goods probably does little to shift perception if HR’s actions have not already made the difference in the eyes of our clients. How come Finance and IT always get taken seriously, without having transformed into Liquidity Capital and Synaptic Interface departments?

DEFINED BY A TITLE Department titles aside, the titles for people and their jobs is a far more nuanced issue, and certainly one which impacts HR. Generally, we in HR get to decide on titles in the company, because we police the grading system, which gives us the power to say that it’s against the rules, and no one wants to publicly challenge our glib rationale of consistency and equity. Some line managers wonder why we reclassify our old HR clerk as a consultant or business partner, but mostly they are trying to figure out how to up-title their own departments, just to keep up with the Ulrichcreep within the HR titles.

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HRMONLINE.CA

IT’S NOT JUST HR... One of the biggest printers of business cards in the US, moo.com, has claimed young and trendy companies are moving away from traditional ‘name-rank-and-serial-number’ business cards that fit the typical HR matrix. Instead of ‘Managing Director’, for example, the card might declare the beholder Head Cheese. How about Sales Ninja for a leading sales rep, or Web Kahuna for your SEO guru? To prove that HR are not alone in their job title fixation, here are some ‘classic’ 21st-century job titles for other roles. »» New Media Guru »» Word Herder »» Linux Geek »» Social Media Trailblazer »» Corporate Magician »» Master Handshaker »» Communications Ambassador »» Happiness Advocate »» Copy Cruncher »» Marketing Rockstar »» Problem Wrangler

The most pressure we are likely to encounter is actually near the top, when managers want to differentiate themselves. Somehow, it doesn’t feel right when one manager has to supervise another manager, so we call him a senior manager. Then, when he takes on that extra responsibility, it’s time for another title, and HR often gets asked to think up a nice label which is not too grand, but just elevates one person even more, and so we are into the title game. Sure, if you work for a company run by Ricardo Semler, you have only three levels in the entire organization, and everyone is happy for a while. But, face an acquisition, and the titles battle becomes all-out war. Us-and-them factors add spice to the debates, and the desire to accommodate these pressures has HR diving into the Titles Thesaurus again. So, why does it matter so much?

can see. Should HR pander to the titles game or take a tough stance? Tom Peters told the story of a CEO who allowed an assembly-line employee to print up a business card reading “Supreme Commander” just because he wanted to illustrate a point. It might sound like a silly issue, but attracting and retaining talent clearly involves extrinsic motivators, such as a director title. And so we have deputy directors, associate directors, divisional directors and even real directors. Then you have the self-effacing executive, such as the managing director of global giant Lever Brothers, who simply called himself Chief Soap Maker – just to introduce perspective. Despite my own cynicism, I fully understand the need to concede a title, if that’s what it takes to keep a star with an ego and another job offer in his hand. Even if you know it will come back to bite you, expediency is very persuasive when having to find solutions in a hurry. Sensitive or ambitious egos don’t like our HR line about flat organizations and lateral development. Be honest: when you get handed a business card, what do you look at? The person handing it to you knows that too! Just look at the titles some people award themselves on LinkedIn……. “visionary, trouble-shooter, thought-leader-at-large….” The sober HR practitioner remains unmoved at this point. You will want to have the grading system uncorrupted by inflated titles which send the wrong signal. You will want to avoid having fake directors complain that their salary is lower than the job advert they saw in the newspaper carrying their title. You will want to put an end to the endless cycle of titlemania. And, logically, you will be right. However, I remember once holding the line against an attempt to re-title a hugely promising actuary facing a head-hunting offer which seduced his young ego. His experienced line manager knew the elevated title was premature, but thought it a pragmatic compromise necessary to keep an extraordinary mind. I wouldn’t compromise, and we lost him. I thought I had served the employer well by denying the aspirational job title. Now, I’m not so sure. All in a day’s learning in the HR Department.

CALL ME SUPREME COMMANDER Well, we are human, and love affirmation. What is reflected on my business card tells something about me, to my family, my mates and even my enemies. Ask someone “what do you do?” and they answer with their title first. Military organizations go as far as to put your rank on your shoulders, just so that everyone

Gary Taylor

Gary Taylor Author Extraordinaire!

Gary Taylor has over 25 years’ experience in the HR profession and currently works with the South African Board of People Practice. He has worked in multinational organizations on two continents, and has contributed articles to publications in Australia, South Africa and the UK

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THE LIGHTER SIDE

IT’S, LIKE, NOT A PROBLEM TO SAY ‘LIKE’ ALL THE TIME The overuse of the word “like” is a pet peeve of many people, and it’s more often associated with ditzy teenagers than effective communicators. However, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Language and Social Psychology, research findings suggest that saying “like” could be a sign of conscientiousness. “When having conversations with listeners, conscientious people use discourse markers, such as ‘I mean’ and ‘you know,’ to imply their desire to share or rephrase opinions to recipients,” the researchers said. “Thus it is expected that the use of discourse markers may be used to measure the degree to which people have thoughts to express.” The word is used as filler, but unlike “um” it indicates interest in what other people think, and a willingness to be flexible in their opinions. That could be a good thing for HR, especially if you’re looking for adaptable team players who aren’t going to be a cause of conflict in the workplace.

FOUR ODD – NO WEIRD – REASONS TO FIRE SOMEONE Usually a termination is a difficult decision that could be based on a range of factors, from financial to disciplinary, but occasionally it seems employers are taking that step just for the heck of it. Fired for stopping a carjacking Fort Lauderdale waiter Juan Canales noticed a commotion outside his workplace and saw a woman was being carjacked by a man with a knife. Canales rushed outside and wrestled the carjacker to the ground, then waited for the police to arrive. He was promptly fired by his employer, who apparently didn’t appreciate the publicity. Fired for wearing orange to work Staff at a Florida law firm have a tradition of going out for drinks on payday, and wearing orange as a sign of solidarity. In 2012, the law firm fired 14 people who had been following the tradition for months because new management felt that the orange-

wearing was some form of protest. Fired for TYPING IN ALL CAPS The inability to find the caps lock button is admittedly annoying, as is coloured font, but Vicki Walker unsurprisingly won her wrongful termination suit. Her employer claimed she typed consistently in all caps and red font but was only able to produce one email example during the court proceedings. Fired for a 50-year-old minor crime Wells Fargo employee Richard Eggers, 68, was fired from his job at a Wells Fargo bank because he had committed a crime – 50 years earlier. In 1963 Eggers had used a cardboard cutout of a dime to operate a laundromat washing machine when he was a teenager. Banking regulations forbid employing anyone convicted of a crime involving “dishonesty, breach of trust or money laundering,” but Egger’s offense probably wasn’t quite what the regulators meant.

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