SUCCESSFUL CHANGE MANAGEMENT Four qualities leaders must have to be effective at managing change
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ISSUE 7.03
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CONTENTS
@HRD_Canada facebook.com/HRDCanada
Canadian HR Awards finalists revealed, p30
UPFRONT 02 Editorial
Why your employer brand is more important than ever
26
04 Statistics
The social enterprise concept is gaining traction – but what does it take to transform an organization into one?
FEATURES
LEADING CHANGE
14
What qualities does a leader need to have in order to successfully manage change?
GLOBAL HR LEADER
Emma Hunt, head of talent at Looksa, outlines how the rules of recruiting have changed in recent years
10
08 Technology update
The key to cultural adaptability The idea of culture fit isn’t at odds with diverse hiring – it’s just misunderstood
CEOs ON LEADERSHIP
PEOPLE
Is it time to ditch the performance review?
13 Opinion
SPECIAL REPORT
HRDC spoke to five visionary CEOs to pick their brains on what HR leaders can do to guide their organizations through a time of unprecedented change
06 Head to head
FEATURES
28
HAPPY EMPLOYEES, GREAT BUSINESS Eleven reasons why it’s important to keep employees happy
FEATURES 38 The solution to recruitment challenges
How High Road Human Capital goes beyond the traditional recruitment firm
42 Transform your culture in three steps
Actions you can take today to build a more supportive work environment
44 Are you drowning in meetings? If so, consider these five strategies your life raft
PEOPLE 47 Career path
40 FEATURES
FROM DISSONANCE TO RESONANCE
Is your engagement strategy out of sync with what your employees actually want?
From the early days of the internet to the advent of social media, Maggie Fox has long been on the front lines of tech
48 Other life
On the air with HR professional and radio host Pallavi Jain
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UPFRONT
EDITORIAL
An important lesson in branding
I
n July, Amazon celebrated its much-anticipated Prime Day, when a wide selection of special deals were on offer. And while this delighted bargainhungry customers, it was a different story for stressed-out warehouse workers. Activist employees, union organizers and tech workers came together to voice their opposition to the two-day sales event, which raked in US$6.2 billion for the online retailer. Speaking to the press, Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, explained that these protesters were sending a “powerful message to Jeff Bezos” that it was time to “stop putting profits ahead of people.” The day served up a lesson for HR: Employer branding is everything. Employees now serve as brand ambassadors to the world – how they act when they leave the office will reflect on your organization. With social media seeping into all facets of our daily lives, one wrong move can derail a business.
The idea that how you deal with problems on the inside will seep through to the general public is a monumental change to the status quo According to TalentNow, 84% of job candidates say the reputation of a company is essential when making an employment decision. Furthermore, 50% of candidates say they would never work for a company with a bad reputation. This focus on outward appearances has marked another shift in HR’s role. It can no longer just be inwardly focused, dealing with employees and corporate initiatives – now, HR directors have to ensure they maintain outward branding. A report by LinkedIn highlighted that candidates trust an organization’s employees three times more than they trust the organization to provide a true and accurate representation of what it’s like to work there. The idea that how you deal with problems on the inside will seep through to the general public is a monumental change to the status quo. While HR might never have been comfortable brushing internal problems under the carpet, now any wrong move can – and likely will – play out in the media to millions. How can HR survive in this new era of glass walls and instant updates? The mantra that should be chanted is “Authenticity, authenticity, authenticity.” The team at Human Resources Director Canada
www.hrmonline.ca FALL 2019 EDITORIAL
SALES & MARKETING
Managing Editor Emily Douglas
National Sales Executive Samantha Hickey
Writers John Hilton Libby MacDonald Joe Rosengarten Nurhuda Syed Rachel Ranosa
Director, Client Strategy Dane Taylor
Copy Editor Clare Alexander
CONTRIBUTORS Kyle Brykman Kate Sikerbol Anna O’Dea Brian de Haaff
ART & PRODUCTION Designer Marla Morelos Production Manager Alicia Chin
National Account Manager Andrew Cowan Vice President, Sales John MacKenzie Global Head of Communications Lisa Narroway Project Coordinator Jessica Duce
CORPORATE President & CEO Tim Duce Office/Traffic Manager Marni Parker Events and Conference Manager Chris Davis
Advertising Coordinator Ella Dayandante
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UPFRONT
STATISTICS
A more human enterprise
BUSINESSES LACK READINESS IN KEY AREAS So where should businesses direct their efforts when attempting to reinvent themselves as a social enterprise? Deloitte highlighted 10 human capital trends – from changing the way people learn to putting meaning back into work – that organizations should prioritize in order to make a meaningful impact. Yet while a majority of businesses believe that most of these trends are important, less than half of those surveyed consider themselves ready to tackle them.
Social enterprises have seen accelerated growth – but are organizations up to the task of reinventing themselves? DEFINED AS an organization that combines the traditional priorities of growing revenue and making a profit with support for its stakeholders and environment, the social enterprise continues to grow in popularity as businesses grapple with trends such as the rise of AI, wage stagnation, employee disengagement and the gig economy. According to Deloitte’s annual Global Human Capital Trends survey, nearly half of organizations say reinventing them-
84%
86%
of businesses say they need to rethink their workplace experience to boost productivity
of business leaders say they need to reinvent their ability to learn
selves as a social enterprise is more important today than it was three years ago. However, leaders continue to struggle with the task of transforming their organizations. According to Deloitte, turning a company into a social enterprise requires a fundamental shift that goes beyond practicing corporate social responsibility to encompass a drive to improve the lives of employees, customers and the wider community.
50%+
of businesses think it’s easier for employees to find a new employer than to be promoted
80%
of businesses believe they need to develop leaders differently
Source: Leading the Social Enterprise: Reinvent with a Human Focus, 2019 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends
SUCCESS DEFINED BY SOCIETAL IMPACT
MATURE SOCIAL ENTERPRISES SHOW FASTEST GROWTH
When asked about the top factors they use to measure the success of their business, more than a third of CEOs ranked societal impact as the most important one. Ranked first Ranked second
Ranked third Ranked fourth
16%
16%
GROWTH IN BUSINESS RELATIVE TO MATURITY AS SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
Ranked fifth
We’re an industry leader
Societal impact (e.g. diversity, equality, environment)
34%
More established social enterprises have shown greater revenue growth; 32% of those that consider themselves industry leaders have experienced growth of more than 10% over the past year.
16%
18%
21%
20%
18%
21%
21%
20%
19%
20%
23%
22%
We’re catching up
We’re in line with our peers
It’s not a priority
Greater than 10% growth compared to 2018 Between 1% and 10% growth compared to 2018 Similar growth compared to 2018 Between -1% and -10% growth compared to 2018 Less than -10% growth compared to 2018 No response
Customer satisfaction
18%
21%
Employee satisfaction/retention
17%
21%
Financial performance (e.g. revenue, profit)
17%
22%
22%
Regulatory adherence
14%
20%
21%
Source: Leading the Social Enterprise: Reinvent with a Human Focus, 2019 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends
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We’re behind
Source: Leading the Social Enterprise: Reinvent with a Human Focus, 2019 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends
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Changing the way employees learn
86%
46%
Putting meaning back into workÂ
84%
43%
Developing leaders for the 21st century
80%
41%
Ensuring mobility for all talent
76%
40%
Exploring new HR tech
74%
41%
Finding new ways to access talent
70%
37%
Aligning rewards with goals and expectations
69%
33%
Preparing for the jobs of the future
66%
39%
Shifting from hierarchies to teams
65%
33%
Adapting to the gig economy
28%
Businesses that think this is important or very important
41%
Businesses that feel ready or very ready to tackle this Source: Leading the Social Enterprise: Reinvent with a Human Focus, 2019 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends
BENCHMARKS FOR REINVENTION Deloitte laid out five human principles that can help guide organizations in reinventing themselves as a social enterprise. Measuring each business decision against these benchmarks gives organizations a human focus for their transformation. PRINCIPLE
WHAT IT MEANS
Purpose and meaning
Giving organizations and individuals a sense of purpose at work; moving beyond profit to a focus on doing good things for individuals, customers and society
Ethics and fairness
Using data, technology, and systems in an ethical, fair, and trusted way; creating jobs and roles to train systems and monitor decisions to make sure they are fair
Growth and passion
Designing jobs, work and organizational missions to nurture passion and a sense of personal growth; affording people the opportunity to create and add a personal touch
Collaboration and personal relationships
Building and developing teams, focusing on personal relationships and moving beyond digital to build human connections at work
Transparency and openness
Sharing information openly, discussing challenges and mistakes, and leading and managing with a growth mindset
SOCIAL VALUES RISING
The social enterprise concept is becoming more important to organizations over time; more than half of respondents to Deloitte’s survey expect that three years from now, social enterprises will have even more significance than they do today. HOW IMPORTANT ARE SOCIAL ENTERPRISES? Same level of importance Less important More important Today compared to three years ago
Source: Leading the Social Enterprise: Reinvent with a Human Focus, 2019 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends
7%
40%
44%
Three years from now compared to today
4%
40%
56%
Source: Leading the Social Enterprise: Reinvent with a Human Focus, 2019 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends
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UPFRONT
HEAD TO HEAD
Are performance reviews a waste of time? Do formal evaluations actually improve performance, or are they doing more harm than good?
Kristen MacLellan
Jarik E. Conrad
Matt Burns
Director, talent Best Buy Canada
Senior director, human capital management innovation Ultimate Software
Founder Global HR Collective
“Absolutely not! But to be fair, the word ‘review’ often represents a traditional process that has forced many of us into infrequent and unnatural conversation about our strengths and weaknesses. Add in ratings, and without question, it’s likely the cause of more bad conversations than good. But this hasn’t turned anyone away – employees are simply asking that it be relevant, transparent and in real time. They want to understand how they can contribute, the effectiveness of their skills and where to develop. To me, it’s sound rationale for why intentional discussions framed this way should feel like the best use of everyone’s time.”
“Performance reviews are terrific – other than managers, employees and HR teams responsible for managing the process disliking them, and the fact that performance reviews rarely result in improved performance. Otherwise, they’re great! We must shift our thinking from goals to impact. Impact is really a byproduct of employees being healthy, happy and optimistic about their futures. Maximizing an employee’s impact requires knowing who they are, who they want to be and how to get them there. All of this must happen on an ongoing basis, rather than with annual or quarterly reviews. We have to better equip managers for this.”
“Traditional annual performance reviews must be mercifully ended. They’re administratively cumbersome, waste resources and deliver little tangible benefit. A 2013 research study revealed that negative feedback can discourage the most motivated employees. However, a 2016 CEB Gartner study found that removing performance ratings led to a 14% reduction in manager conversation quality and a 6% engagement dip. HR should consider decoupling performance discussions from compensation decisions; holding performance discussions that are timely, frequent, and forward-looking; and incorporating peer and project team feedback.”
HELPFUL OR HARMFUL? A growing body of evidence suggests that performance reviews are producing the opposite of their intended effect. A study by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 9 out of 10 performance reviews are unsuccessful. Further, an extensive meta-analysis by psychologists Avraham Kluger and Angelo DeNisi found that at least 30% of performance evaluations resulted in a lowering of the employee’s performance. In his book Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths and Total Nonsense, Stanford University professor Bob Sutton equates performance reviews to blood-letting, describing them as “a bad practice that does more harm than good in all or nearly all cases.”
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Remember your first job? Help Waterloo co-op students find theirs. Leah spent three co-op work terms at a cancer clinic. Her groundbreaking research on post-surgery radiotherapy for cancer that’s spread to the bone was published in the Radiotherapy and Oncology medical journal. None of this would have been possible without the skills she learned during her first work term. Launch a student’s career – hire a co-op student today.
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UPFRONT
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
Cultural connoisseurship: appreciating people like a fine wine One HR expert explains why the process of adapting to a new culture – whether in a new country or a new workplace – requires a nuanced approach It’s said that a nation’s culture resides in the hearts and the soul of its people – but immersing yourself in an entirely new culture can be uncomfortable. When it comes to understanding intercultural sensitivity, Dr. Jarik Conrad is a certified expert. The senior director of human capital management innovation at Ultimate Software, Dr. Conrad will be a keynote speaker at the upcoming HR Leaders Summit Toronto. “The common theme in my life revolves around using science to understand people,” he says. “There’s a tool called the IDI [the Intercultural Development Inventory], which was developed to help employees working abroad, essentially to predict how effectively an individual would be able to immerse themselves in another culture. It measures one’s openness to understanding cultural nuances, both overseas and at home.” The tool looks at how readily employees can adapt to another culture – how open
NEWS BRIEFS
Sun Life pilots virtual mental healthcare
A three-month pilot program by Sun Life aims to eliminate the delay patients face when seeking mental health advice by helping them access care through a virtual platform. Designed to more easily connect patients – especially those in rural locations – with experts across Canada, the platform arranges an online session with a psychiatrist, psychologist or neuropsychologist, depending on the person’s mental health requirements. The patient can receive care within 30 days of being referred to healthcare management specialist Equinoxe LifeCare, which partnered with SunLife for the project.
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Can bad technology cause top talent to flee?
The idea of employees quitting over terrible office software might sound extreme, but 24% of workers have thought about leaving their post if the technology they’re given doesn’t match up to the demands of their job, according to a recent report from software review site G2 Crowd. The site estimated that organizations spend a staggering US$1.4 trillion per year on enterprise tech products and services, which makes bad software a huge loss. “We’ve reached a point where chaos within software purchasing has surpassed some of the benefits that employees receive from it,” said G2 Crowd CEO Godard Abel.
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they are to change and immersion. This openness to change is a key part of understanding not only a foreign culture, but also the workplace cultures that change and evolve from office to office. A report from Robert Walter found that 61% of employees conduct thorough research on a company’s culture before accepting a role, while 73% of professionals have a left a job because of a poor cultural fit. Given that culture is a known indicator of profitability, productivity and good morale, how should employers and employees alike be approaching cultural sensitivity? According to Dr. Conrad, you should try thinking about it in terms of “cultural connoisseurship.” “Let’s look at this in terms of wine,” he says. “My wife, she doesn’t drink alcohol at all. And so her categories are ‘alcohol’ and ‘no alcohol’ – there’s nothing in between. But, as you know, when you start to dabble in different varieties of wine, you realize that there are whites, reds, rosés. And then, when you go further still, there are pinots and chardonnays and sauvignon blanc and champagne.” Dr. Conrad explains that it’s somewhat the same with culture – the more you explore,
Robots at work will give rise to ‘super jobs’
In the digital age, traditional jobs will transform into tech-powered, data-driven ‘super jobs,’ according to Deloitte’s 2019 Global Human Capital Trends report. Analysts predict that emerging technologies will broaden and redefine roles so they’re less focused on routine tasks. “This will create new roles that we call ‘super jobs’: jobs that combine parts of different traditional jobs into integrated roles that leverage the significant productivity and efficiency gains that can arise when people work with technology,” said David Brown, lead partner for Deloitte Human Capital.
the more you realize the subtle differences and the more you appreciate them. “And it doesn’t necessarily follow that these experiences will be good ones,” he adds. “Sometimes you get a really bad bottle of red wine – but you’re not suddenly going to say, ‘That’s it! I’m never tasting wine again!’ No. It was a bad experience, but you shouldn’t judge all wines the same. It’s the same way with people; you come across one person from a different culture, and you can’t label whether they’re good or bad. You can’t label everything based on one experience.” The key, according to Dr. Conrad, is to really immerse yourself in a culture, to the point where you can recognize its distinct traits – and to remain open to change. Much like with a fine wine, you often don’t find the best-fitting culture on the first try. “It’s about having the palate to perceive these differences,” he says. “You can only really develop that through experience – after all, you can’t become a wine expert just by reading a book. You’ve got to taste the wine.” Dr. Conrad will be speaking further on this topic and others at the upcoming HR Leaders Summit in Toronto on November 12 and 13.
Robotic recruiter to eliminate interview bias
Swedish researchers have developed an AI-powered robot said to be capable of carrying out job interviews without bias. Scientists at Stockholm-based Furhat Robotics spent four years developing Tengai, a female robot specifically designed to interview job candidates. Tengai can talk and make subtle facial expressions, which the company says “feels much less scary or strange compared to a more traditional robot.” In October, Furhat Robotics teamed up with recruitment firm TNG to conduct job interviews free of the prejudice that often biases hiring managers and recruiters when screening candidates.
“You come across one person from a different culture, and you can’t label whether they’re good or bad. You can’t label everything based on one experience”
The Internet of Things could take over the office
The Internet of Things [IoT] is poised to be worth $US520 billion by 2021, according to research from Bain, and developers of interconnected, voice-activated devices now have their sights set on the enterprise market, says international IoT security expert Forescout. “Tools like Alexa and Google Home are incredibly useful and convenient,” said Steve Hunter, Forescout’s senior director of systems engineering for Asia Pacific and Japan. “People are used to having them at home, and they will want to bring the same level of convenience into the office with them.”
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PEOPLE
GLOBAL HR LEADER
THE HUNT FOR TALENT The war for talent is an ongoing and frustrating challenge for HR leaders trying to find candidates with the skills they need to keep ahead of the competition. HRDC sat down with Emma Hunt, head of talent at Looka, who offered some compelling advice for ambitious HR professionals
HRDC: How did you start your career in HR? Emma Hunt: Accidentally! I started off in recruitment after a recruitment agent friend found out I was working a sales job on 100% commission six days a week and thought I’d be great working with clients. Then, seven years later, I started at a company in talent acquisition and accidentally became HR. I had to adapt and learn quickly – but now I can step into both worlds very easily.
HRDC: Are there any challenges that stand out from your time in HR? EH: There are so many. I’ve been fortunate enough to be presented with many challenges in my roles over the years. A more recent one involved having to oversee the whole spectrum of talent and bring that in from scratch. This has included everything from benefits to learning and development, policies, performance reviews, employee relations, recruitment, and the rest in between. I’m not from Canada, so I had to accelerate my knowledge of Canadian law and policies very quickly. Thankfully, publications like HRDC, HRdownloads, Slack groups, going to HR events and the trusty Ministry of Labour site equipped me to do so.
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HRDC: What’s your role at Looka? EH: I’m the head of talent, so I’m basically responsible for all of the above. I brought in an HR and recruitment function from scratch in our early days in a co-working space. Now we have 45 employees in a beautiful two-storey office to ourselves. A main focus over the past two years has been recruitment. We’re a funded startup, and
their teams, and in the talent function we’re solving any people issues and taking feedback to the founders to help support any changes that need to be made. We’ve also worked very hard to foster an inclusive and diverse environment and team.
HRDC: What’s the secret to a killer recruitment strategy?
“Social media is great for resourcing. I’m a massive advocate for it ... I think in the digital age, when you’ve got everything at your fingertips, there’s no excuse for not having an online presence” growth in the tech space is competitive, so we have an in-house sourcing and headhunting function. The rest of my time is split across everything in the HR and culture spectrum.
HRDC: How do you keep such a high retention rate at Looka? EH: We pay attention to our people. Our managers are at the forefront of checking in on
EH: Having a strong direct sourcing strategy and knowing where to go to find potential candidates is essential. Whether you’re recruiting developers or designers, you need to enter those communities in order to find the best talent. That could be via entering Facebook groups or Twitter forums – just really utilizing the internet in a niche way to find these people. I’d also highly recommend
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PROFILE Name: Emma Hunt Company: Looka Role: Head of talent HR experience: 10 years Previous roles: »»Senior recruiter, Huge Toronto, Canada »»Recruitment manager, Radley Yeldar London, UK »»Freelance recruiter, Saffron Digital London, UK »»In-house recruiter, EMEA and APAC Epsilon, London, UK »»In-house recruiter, Win Technologies London, UK
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PEOPLE
GLOBAL HR LEADER
getting yourself to industry events. Social media is great for resourcing. I’m a massive advocate for it, having utilized it a lot over the years. I think in the digital age, when you’ve got everything at your fingertips, there’s no excuse for not having an online presence. Recruiting in this age, you really have to protect your brand. When you think about sites such as Glassdoor, you should never just ignore negative reviews – you should address them. If your company is giving candidates a bad experience during the recruitment process, people are more likely to talk about that online.
example, platforms that deliver training that doesn’t require a trainer to be there in person and is delivered through interactive video. At Looka, we recently tried this format; we connected to the training with our phones, as it required answers/audience participation. Additionally, gamification has been around for a while, but there are more learning products coming up in that space. Recently I tried out one for learning how to source hires and another for technical recruiters to learn about development frameworks. People learn in different ways, and HR tech in that area is recognizing that.
“Advocate for your people. You’re in a unique role in which you can actively help make change. This means equal salaries, creating a safe space, moving along progression ... That’s what will make you stand out in the HR space” HRDC: What HR trends do you see coming to fruition in 2020? EH: As AI continues to be a hot topic in HR tech, I’m sure there will be companies that will be coming out of stealth mode with machine learning or bot solutions across hiring, policies, onboarding and diversity/ inclusion/belonging. We’re starting to see some startups now throw in the words AI for their HR tech products; however, not many are truly doing AI, particularly in the deep learning space. As an understanding of AI and deep learning progresses – particularly since last year, we’ve seen a lot of investment in AI products – I think we’re going to see some interesting new HR tech solutions pop up in 2020. The other trend I see is the rise of learning and development platforms that are providing more diverse ways of learning; for
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I’m also seeing, particularly in tech, that more and more people we’re approaching are looking for remote work only. This is often discussed as the future of work, and I do think companies will have to adapt. We’re seeing more collaboration tools being launched to make remote work easier for the company and employees. As remote work becomes more popular, we’ll see tech coming out to assist in managing remote employees and having them still contribute to teams and culture.
HRDC: What’s your advice for someone looking to be a leader in HR? EH: Advocate for your people. You’re in a unique role in which you can actively help make change. This means equal salaries, creating a safe space, moving along progression, etc. That’s what will make you stand out in the HR space.
RECRUITMENT IN THE DIGITAL AGE
91%
of organizations use social media to hire today
80%
of employers say social recruiting helps them find passive candidates
70%
of hiring managers have hired successfully using social media
79%
of candidates are using social media to hunt for new opportunities
64%
of job seekers say a poor candidate experience makes them less likely to buy goods from that employer Sources: Betterteam, CareerArc, Glassdoor
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UPFRONT
OPINION
GOT AN OPINION THAT COUNTS? Email editor@hrmonline.ca
The truth about culture fit Culture fit: the enemy of diversity, the path to conformity, the reason you didn’t offer that job. Right? Not so fast, writes Kyle Brykman IT HAS become increasingly popular to demonize ‘culture fit’ and attribute bad recruitment experiences to it. However, most of these criticisms either misunderstand the term or are driven by vain attempts at non-conformity. The truth about culture fit – based on hundreds of studies in academic journals – is that it predicts whether an applicant will accept a job offer, as well as their happiness and success when hired. Culture fit reduces turnover and increases employee and company performance. It has nothing to do with creating a workplace of like-minded people or obstructing diversity. So why have we veered so far from the truth? The push against culture fit is driven by one persistent myth: that culture fit erodes diversity. This logic suggests that hiring for culture fit creates homogeneous workplaces filled with people who have the same personalities, attitudes, backgrounds, demographics and so on. Another criticism is that it obscures discriminatory hiring practices. Whether recruiters get along with candidates has nothing to do with company culture, nor does it predict candidates’ job potential. Nonetheless, such imprecise, discriminatory ‘gut’ hiring practices persist because we have confused ‘fitting in’ with ‘fitting the culture’. Addressing these myths requires an understanding of what culture fit really means. Organizational culture reflects the shared basic assumptions, values and underlying beliefs that describe a workplace and shape
employees’ attitudes and behaviours. It’s taught to newcomers as the proper way to behave and is maintained through rituals, stories and how problems are solved. Cultures aren’t inherently good or bad. Whether you love or hate your company’s culture largely depends on your values and preferences and whether they align with your company’s – that is, whether you are a cultural fit. ‘Culture fit’ describes the match between what employees want and what their company
value openness and encourage employees to speak up about issues; others value discretion and discourage confrontation. Whether new ideas are brought to the table, then, does not depend on whether you’ve hired people who ‘think differently,’ but whether your hires value open dialogue, which subsequently reinforces your culture. That’s why hiring for culture fit works – it strengthens the internal culture. Strong cultures excel by creating shared expectations of how employees should interact and why leadership makes certain decisions. Hiring people who are ‘cultural complements’ only stands to weaken your culture and make organizational life unpredictable. To remove bias and hire for culture fit, follow these simple steps. First, understand your culture. What are your values? How do employees interact? What are some implicit expectations? Solicit different perspectives and stick to behaviours and values that employees actually exhibit, rather than ideals. Second, introduce standardized methods to assess and evaluate culture fit and continu-
“Imprecise, discriminatory ‘gut’ hiring practices persist because we have confused ‘fitting in’ with ‘fitting the culture’” supplies in terms of core values, normative behaviours, fundamental needs and other preferences. For example, employees who value collegiality and autonomy experience greater culture fit in organizations that are highly collaborative and provide substantial independence over work tasks. Culture fit depends on candidates’ risk sensitivity, entrepreneurial spirit, rule orientation and desire for recognition, not whether they drink beer, love art or speak many languages. Culture fit has nothing to do with similarity of interests, personality, age, gender, ethnicity, education or upbringing, or with whether employees bring the same perspectives or ideas to the table. The latter is a cultural element. For instance, some cultures
ally monitor your system for biases. Use straightforward questions and identify ideal response types. Finally, develop metrics, collect data, and benchmark changes on employee happiness, retention, and performance. Ultimately, the benefits of culture fit – increased happiness, commitment and performance – only materialize when we shift our focus from finding applicants who fit in to applicants who fit our culture. Kyle Brykman is co-founder and head of research at TalentFit AI and an assistant professor of management at the Odette School of Business. His research focuses on employee voice, interpersonal team dynamics and organizational culture.
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SPECIAL REPORT
CEOs ON LEADERSHIP
CEOs on leadership HRDC spoke to five company heads to get their insights on culture, diversity, digital disruption and what they’re looking for in an HR director
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THE ROLE of HR is changing. HR practitioners have moved from back-office personnel to strategic business partners and are now leading organizational change from the front. One of the main reasons this evolution has been so successful is the backing, and the support, of chief executive officers. For this special report, HRDC spoke to five presidents and CEOs from a variety of sectors and industries across Canada – from Microsoft Canada’s Kevin Peesker to Pelmorex’s Sam Sebastian – to uncover how HR is perceived in their companies. The result is a deep dive into what leaders really want, need and encourage in their HR partners.
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Building enthusiasm from the top down Microsoft Canada president Kevin Peesker tells HRDC what qualities he values in an HR leader and explained why Microsoft’s ‘Do what you love’ motto is close to his heart KEVIN PEESKER is no stranger to transformational leadership. At the helm of Microsoft Canada since 2017, Peekser’s 28-plus years of technology experience has taken him to more than 70 countries. Formerly the president of Dell EMC Canada, Peesker is an icon in the industry.
HRDC: Microsoft is famous for its collaborative culture – what’s the secret to your success? Kevin Peesker: I joined Microsoft four years into Satya Nadella’s tenure as CEO, and it was clear to me from the start that our company culture started with him and his leadership team but was viewed as coming to life through the ownership of each member of Microsoft globally. From day one, Satya asked every employee at Microsoft to approach their work with a growth mindset. He believed that the only way we could be truly successful is to be a learn-it-all culture instead of a knowit-all culture. By doing so, he freed everyone to be curious and to tackle challenges – whether they’re solving a customer’s problem or solving global challenges like climate and accessibility – by breaking down silos and tapping into the collective wisdom of their peers. When this unleashing of human potential is aligned to a powerful mission – to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more – you have a team galvanized with shared purpose.
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SPECIAL REPORT
CEOs ON LEADERSHIP
I think of enabling culture as being similar to requiring air to breathe. A core piece to the culture puzzle has been providing Microsoft employees with technology that empowers them to create and collaborate, not only across teams but across offices and time zones. At Microsoft, we’re reimagining modern workplace technology to better serve the people in it. We developed Teams as a hub for teamwork that brings together conversations, meetings, files and apps into a single app so everyone on the team has access to the information they need to do their best work wherever and whenever they’re most productive. Before our customers use the latest software releases, we drink our own champagne and push the tech to our people. There is often a pushback on inflicting change in an organization, but in today’s transforming world, change and adaption must be a core muscle of culture. I was at a meeting recently where Satya mentioned, “You don’t get fit by watching other people go to the gym.” When it comes to culture, it is a participation sport!
HRDC: How would you describe your leadership style? KP: It is an absolute honour to lead the incredibly capable and talented team at Microsoft Canada. I grew up in a smaller city in Western Canada in a highly egalitarian environment where every person was recognized for the value they bring to the community. Being respectful of others, truly appreciating their contributions, being humble and confident to take risks – that was my upbringing, which I do consciously endeavour to ingrain in the way I show up. Being in the tech industry for just under 30 years across five continents has shaped a leadership requirement to be agile, resilient, empowering and enthusiastic. When I joined Microsoft, on day one, it was shared with me that an expectation of leaders and team members in the company is to create clarity, generate energy and deliver results. Technology is accelerating at a rate that was once unimaginable. I do feel all leaders, regard-
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less of industry, must be agile and willing to quickly change course to compete. For some, the uncertainty is unnerving, but it also creates tremendous opportunity – not only for Microsoft, but also for our partners and our customers. Our job as leaders is to create clarity. When it comes to generating energy, deep in my core, my energy comes from being grateful – grateful to have been born in a country like Canada, grateful for a great education, for the learning from others, for my family and friends. When it comes to delivering results, I find grounding in our mission to deliver impact in all we do – to make a difference – and I am tenacious in pursuit of our mission. I do hold others to high standards and encourage our Canadian leaders and team members to be similarly tenacious. Going back to the concept
org chart. When accessed, the expectations, knowledge and skills of every employee in an organization create incredible outcomes. Technology is a catalyst and accelerator of collaboration, connection and creativity. The democratization of knowledge has been unleashed by technology; we need to take the next step to access capability within our organizations via modern, empowering tools to accelerate the level of transformation that any organization can achieve. As I travel coast to coast, there’s a growing conversation around the importance of culture in enabling companies to keep pace with the level of transformation they must achieve in order to survive and thrive. In hearing from our partners and customers, and in the experience we’ve had at Microsoft with our own
“There is often a pushback on inflicting change in an organization, but in today’s transforming world, change and adaption must be a core muscle of culture” that culture is a participation sport, so is being a leader. I know I just can’t learn from my partners and customers by sitting behind my desk, so I spend as much time as I can in their offices, plants and in the field, where I can see firsthand the challenges they face and work together to leverage technology to drive enhanced outcomes.
HRDC: As a leader in the technology field, how do you believe technology has changed the way we work today? KP: Digital transformation unlocks new potential for organizations, but digital transformation is about technology, people and leadership. Leaders play a critical role in unlocking the true and complete capability of their organizations. In my view and experience, the sooner the lines of organization hierarchy are obliterated, the faster real innovation will be executed. Great insights are not limited to certain levels in the
cultural transformation, we see a new culture of work emerging, led by the possibilities that technology brings to the table. There is an accelerated shift to more open, collaborative environments and the ability for employees to work anywhere and anytime they choose. This requires tools that improve collaboration, bringing together everything a team needs, including chat, meetings, video conferencing, multi-party online document creation and integration across Office 365 apps. It inspires creative thinking and agility instead of routine process. It rewards dynamic teamwork and data-driven problem solving over command and control. And, when done right, employees feel more connected to each other and to the organization. Companies that have committed to their digital transformation are seeing tremendous payoff in the form of more super-engaged, energized employees; streamlined access to
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As I look at our own experience at Microsoft, the culture that Satya, HR and the leadership team built and continue to foster is one of the key reasons we were able to successfully transform into the organization we are today. While we are almost four years into that journey, we continue to transform every day to ensure we are empowering our customers, partners and all Canadians to achieve more. We have accomplished a great deal, but as Satya discussed with his senior leaders just last month, we are only one-third of the way through our transformation as a culture and as a company. That statement is yet another example of one of the things I love about working at Microsoft.
HRDC: What do you look for in a CHRO? KP: To me, a successful CHRO is one who is
data insights; and a faster pace of innovation. Organizations that fail to use modern solutions simply cannot compete – they will struggle to retain the best talent and to meet the evolving expectations of employees.
HRDC: Microsoft has a motto of ‘Do what you love.’ How do you instill that from the top down? KP: I love my job, but I am more than the president of Microsoft Canada. I am a husband, a father, a coach, a mentor and a sometimes over-the-top proud Canadian. All of those things are important to me, and working at a company that gives me the flexibility to serve every part of my life allows me to be totally focused when I’m at work. When my employees see that in me, they feel empowered to focus on results at work so they can pursue the things that matter to them. When it comes to work, I believe you are most successful when you love what you do. I love to laugh and have fun, so I do my best to inject humour and celebration into our culture. I’ve seen the studies that a happy
workplace is a more productive workplace. This one is simple. Life throws so many challenges at us as it is. I thrive on challenge, as I believe most people do. We feel better in our accomplishments when they require effort. But effort doesn’t have to be a grind – we can have fun and feel energy working on complex challenges.
HRDC: What is the role of HR in digital transformation? KP: Digital disruption is happening across the globe, and the organizations that are most successful not only have a solid business strategy in place, but also an active, evolving culture. HR is a critical business partner to each leader within an organization and an advocate for each employee – never more so than when an organization is transforming. From hiring the right talent to building a solid change management strategy, having regular feedback loops with employees and introducing new workplace programs, HR is critically important to ensuring employees understand and are aligned to where the company is headed.
committed to constantly learning, working with the leadership team to elevate employees to the top of the business strategy and being intentional in setting the agenda of the organization’s people strategy. I do feel each member of the leadership team must walk the walk, get out with customers, with partners, and be active in front-line meetings to understand how the pulse of the organization fluctuates. A great CHRO must deeply understand the business they are in and their industry to add value to strategy, talent acquisition and retention, organization design, and competitive imperatives. To me, the CHRO plays a vital role of advisor and is a truth-teller for the CEO/president and the senior leadership team – an individual who has the trust of the entire team to manage discussions with complete confidence and discretion. It is especially imperative that a CHRO in any organization is intentional about diverse and inclusive hiring – because how can you build products or processes for everyone if how you look on the inside of your company is not representative of your customers and partners in society? It is clear that when people are the focus of the organization – when employees feel included, represented and heard – everything else naturally falls into place.
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SPECIAL REPORT
CEOs ON LEADERSHIP
The fruits of empowerment Caitlin MacGregor, founder and CEO of Plum, talks to HRDC about empowering people and what it takes to make it to the C suite
AFTER LEADING two startups, Caitlin MacGregor founded Plum, an organization that uses AI to help companies hire, grow and retain talent. Plum won the 2015 Gold Stevie International Business Award for Best New Product or Service of the Year and was selected as one of Springboard Enterprises NYC’s top 10 businesses led by women.
HRDC: How would you describe your leadership style? Caitlin MacGregor: I’m passionate about identifying potential in people, which frames my leadership style. I want to identify people’s potential and facilitate them to realize it. In order to empower people to own their own
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outcomes, I facilitate people to find their own answers and to gain alignment and figure out how their teams can best succeed. Even when it would be easier to dictate a resolution, I very purposefully refrain from providing answers or direction, allowing those I lead to co-work toward a conclusion. This kind of facilitation requires a lot of trust, which is why I also value being incredibly transparent. I believe trust is the outcome of being transparent.
HRDC: What sorts of attributes are you looking for in an HR director? CM: We’re actually preparing to hire a head of people at Plum right now. We’re looking for someone who is relational and who values
fostering a relationship based on trust, understanding and alignment first and checking things off a to-do list second. They know their stakeholder is the employee. Their job is to ensure that the employee can reach their potential and be happy and successful while doing it.
HRDC: How can HR leaders break into the C suite? CM: C suite business leaders understand that they’re going to need to start preparing for unprecedented reskilling and talent management challenges as some jobs become automated and new jobs emerge in the future of work. The success of the business will rely on predictively getting the right people in the right seats. Since HR and talent teams will be facing this massive workforce migration headon, they will be asked to take a seat at the table more and more. HR experts who want to enter into the C suite need to prepare for this by starting to think like business leaders. They need to surface people data and insights that answer some of senior leadership’s most burning questions, such as: How will our massive workforce need to be redeployed or retrained with the emergence of automation and AI? Does our organization ensure diverse candidates see a clear path forward in our organization? What does a competency model of a leader in the future of work look like? Are we providing data-driven learning and development to support non-linear career paths?
HRDC: As a female CEO, how important is diversity to you? CM: Diversity and inclusion is incredibly important to me. There is so much research that shows that diverse teams perform better, and I’ve seen it firsthand on my own team at Plum. With a team of 50% women, you walk into our office and you can definitely see diversity. But beyond that visible diversity, there is a diversity of career paths that make up the Plum team, and it’s a huge reason why we’re so innovative.
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SPECIAL REPORT
CEOs ON LEADERSHIP
An appetite for learning Annette Clayton, president and CEO of Schneider Electric, reveals how she approaches leadership and purpose in a typically male-dominated sector ANNETTE CLAYTON serves as the president and CEO of North American operations for Schneider Electric, where she drives business strategy and execution of the group’s largest operating region, comprised of more than 10,000 employees in four business units and a services division that generated sales of approximately €6.3 billion in 2018.
HRDC: How did your rise to CEO begin – what was your initial career plan? Annette Clayton: I’ve always been curious, and that led me down the path of exploring how things worked. Growing up on a farm in the Midwest, I had an appetite for pulling things apart, understanding the intricacies of how they worked and putting them back together. My passion for learning and exploration eventually led me to pursue a systems engineering degree. The early part of my career at General Motors was focused on process engineering and facilities engineering. Launching new vehicles became my specialty, as it gave me the opportunity to solve problems with technology. I then became a people manager, as well as a student of lean manufacturing, which allowed me to solve problems and look for better, more efficient ways to create value for our customers. I was fortunate enough to grow my career at GM and held increasingly senior roles, from assistant plant manager to regional
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director to eventually being appointed president of Saturn. My last role at GM was corporate vice-president of quality, where I focused on product development and manufacturing quality, before I joined Dell. As Dell’s VP of global supply chain and operations, I led the transformation of its global supply chain and fulfillment model and was responsible for the commercial order management and customer care operations
HRDC: Schneider Electric has been named one of the world’s most attractive employers for engineering and IT students. How did you attain that? What part did HR play? AC: HR plays an important role in how we have become one of the world’s most attractive employers. In Canada, our HR leaders have been instrumental in developing and implementing many progressive and innovative programs that support our people professionally and personally, from learning and development and pay equity to diversity and inclusion. Three years ago, we introduced a leadership rotational program in Canada for new graduates in engineering. They work in different functional areas, building their exposure and experience, while we have the opportunity to foster and train future talent. As a big supporter of women in science, technology, engineering and math, it’s encouraging that two-thirds of the current participants are female. Our Flexibility @ Work policy and our Global Family Leave policy – the first of its kind globally in our industry – foster better work-life integration and provide flexibility for
“We want every employee – no matter what gender, age or background – to feel valued and feel safe at Schneider so they can contribute at the highest level” in 16 countries. The time at Dell taught me about rapid business cycles and how to move at a different speed, which set me up for Schneider Electric. I was drawn to Schneider’s vision of transforming how customers consume and monitor energy to help in the transition to a more sustainable future. The energy industry is very dynamic, and with how Schneider has evolved over its history, being here continues to fascinate me as we aim to ensure we remain the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation.
new parents and those with family responsibilities. We defined ‘leave’ and ‘family’ in an inclusive way when designing this policy, recognizing that the definitions of family, life and work are changing. We want our leaders to respect uniqueness and build a sense of belonging to drive business growth and innovation. This starts with understanding the value of diversity in teams, proactively establishing a culture of inclusion and recognizing the challenges of hidden bias. We have dedicated training on hidden bias as a first step towards building inclusive leaders.
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genuine desire to tackle the energy dilemma. They want to work on solutions. They want to make their contributions for the greater good. Beyond having those meaningful conversations, Schneider also encourages employees to get involved in different ways to achieve our purpose. From our core business functions to our social responsibility initiatives through the Schneider Electric Foundation, employees and leaders throughout the organization are finding new ways to tackle the energy dilemma and ultimately find meaningful purpose in their careers.
HRDC: As a female CEO in a typically male-dominated sector, how important is diversity and inclusion to you? AC: Diversity and inclusion are very
What’s inspiring for me to see is that our people recognize that what makes us unique is what makes us better.
HRDC: How do you foster Schneider Electric’s commitment to meaningful purpose in employees’ careers from the top down? AC: I’m very proud to work for Schneider, and one reason for that is our purpose: We believe that our technologies ensure that ‘life is on’ everywhere, for everyone, at every moment. The work we do is centred on helping our
customers manage their energy in ways that are safe, reliable, efficient and sustainable. Our purpose is the common thread that unites and motivates us at all levels of the organization. Globally, we’re facing an energy dilemma. The way we currently consume and manage energy is unsustainable, as we’re experiencing unprecedented population growth, a dramatic increase in climate events and a shift in how we use technology – all resulting in high energy demands. When I, together with other leaders, meet with our employees, we’re met with their
important, and I believe women work and manage differently than men – it’s that difference that brings new perspectives and a lot of value. Women bring diversity of thought to the discussion from their own unique perspectives, and studies have shown that having women at the table is good for business. What also makes for better business outcomes is to instill a sense of belonging in our culture by having the company be 100% committed to inclusion. We want this feeling of ‘embracing different,’ which is one of our core values, to be woven into the fabric of our culture because we want every employee – no matter what gender, age or background – to feel valued and feel safe at Schneider so they can contribute at the highest level. Our aspirations around diversity and inclusion also extend to attracting and developing great talent. We want anyone in the company to have the same chance of success, irrespective of their nationality, gender or location. Leveraging our uniqueness is a key part of our history and identity, which has served us well in the markets where we do business. I believe it’s critically important that we provide opportunities for women to succeed, and as leaders, we must understand that the ways we support women in advancing their careers may sometimes be different than how we support men.
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SPECIAL REPORT
CEOs ON LEADERSHIP
Leading the revolution Ray Reddy, co-founder and CEO of tech startup Ritual, tells HRDC about the process of building a winning team from scratch
A SELF-DESCRIBED “technology optimist,” Ray Reddy is the co-founder and CEO of Ritual, an app that seeks to simplify workplace lunch orders. A veritable digital whiz, Reddy’s first company, PushLife, was acquired by Google, and he’s currently in the process of revolutionizing local commerce through his work with Ritual.
HRDC: How did you first dream up the idea of Ritual? Ray Reddy: Just before Ritual, when I was starting my last company, PushLife, I was in a pub in London with an old friend, listening to a story from the bartender about the benefits of being a regular. These regulars had mugs with their names inscribed; others had their own reserved barstool. Jokingly, we asked if we could join this regulars club if we came back four times a year – he said we could, but we had to choose a beer and we couldn’t change it. The next time we came back, that same bartender was there, and as we sat down at the bar, he poured pints of our favourite drinks and said: “Welcome back, Ray and Robin – here are your pints!” This made us feel connected with the business and the bartender, and like we had the red carpet rolled out for us.
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This is when I realized how cool this experience could be if a digital platform could connect customers with individual businesses through data, leverage that data to provide a personalized experience for their customers, and develop relationships that went beyond any one employee. It was all about elevating transactions between local businesses and people and making them feel
This has been a core philosophy that we have lived by since day one of hiring the team at Ritual and has carried through as we scale to hundreds of employees globally. As our company grows and we establish ourselves in different cities, countries and languages, having a diverse team will allow us to continue to build a product that resonates with our entire target market.
“It has always been my philosophy that our team has to be a reflection of our user base” like a regular – not just at their favourite hot spots, but new ones as well. This thought stayed with me and eventually became the seed of the idea that my co-founders and I turned into Ritual.
HRDC: As a tech startup, how important is diversity to you in hiring? RR: It has always been my philosophy that our team has to be a reflection of our user base. In order to build a world-class product, you need a diverse team who can understand and be empathetic to users’ needs and wants across different backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, etc.
HRDC: How would you describe your leadership style? RR: My leadership style has evolved as the company has grown, but I’ve always believed that you need to hire the right people and empower them to be successful in their roles. At the early stages of building Ritual, I was in the trenches with the team and was very actively involved in decision-making. Now, as our team grows, my role is to provide our leadership team with context and act as a sounding board but to let them fully make and own their own decisions. We expect our leaders to have good judgment, be pragmatic, act with urgency and
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also be able to think a few steps ahead because of how fast we’re growing.
HRDC: What do you look for in a CHRO? RR: We have core values that we look for in all of our employees, not just our leaders, and we look for these qualities starting in the first stage of any interview process. Our culture fit panel is one of the most crucial steps in hiring. Our simple hiring formula for employees is ‘smart but low ego.’ We also admire people who are passionate about what they do, learn quickly, demonstrate relentlessness, and have the ability to think quickly and analytically, as we are constantly solving problems we’ve never seen before while growing at a rapid pace. Our head of people embodies these values, has high empathy and is able to run people operations effectively across the company.
HRDC: As a tech CEO, what trends do you see coming to our offices in 2020? RR: In addition to a continued focus on diversity, I think we will see more companies prioritizing organizational changes that help with employee retention and workplace culture – for example, more flexible working conditions and better tools to facilitate effective communication across teams. We’re also seeing more data and software emerge relating to culture and employee engagement, as companies are taking a much more data-driven approach to retention and workplace culture. Leaders are seeing the significant impact company culture has on the business – the more engaged and fulfilled employees are, the more impact they have on the business. These tools help you gain clear, actionable insights to advise the team on focus areas and where to prioritize effort in order to have the biggest impact. Workplace wellness is also a growing priority for organizations. Having the necessary resources and programs to motivate and support employees at every stage of both their career and personal life is essential for building a healthy work environment.
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SPECIAL REPORT
CEOs ON LEADERSHIP
Practicing what you preach Pelmorex president and CEO Sam Sebastian discusses the importance of leading from the front and why an interactive approach to office culture means leaving the corner office SAM SEBASTIAN is the president and CEO of Pelmorex Corporation, the parent company of Canada’s Weather Network. Before joining Pelmorex two years ago, Sebastian was responsible for all of Google’s operations in Canada as the VP and managing director of Google Canada from 2013 to 2017. He is a member of the Business Council of Canada and a director on several boards, including Tennis Canada and Bridgit, a Kitchener-Waterloo internet startup in the construction industry.
HRDC: How would you describe your leadership style? Sam Sebastian: I think it’s closer to a typical servant-leadership-style approach than anything else. My goal in any team that I get the opportunity to work with is to provide some form of a vision and then support those around me to reach it. So it’s not about a command and control style. I certainly don’t have all the answers. Even in coming up with the vision, I think it’s a shared approach with the senior management team and the broader team around me. My goal after that is simply to over-communicate the vision, to make sure everyone knows at all times where we spend and where we’re going, and then just lift up as many people along the way as possible to ensure that together, we get to where we’re going. I think communication, transparency and authenticity would be three words I
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would use to describe kind of my style. I picked that up through various jobs in the past and by watching lots of leaders.
HRDC: What do you do on a daily basis to facilitate change that’s not all about going authentic and transparent? SS: I mostly just try to lead from the front and practice what I preach. When I first started at Pelmorex, I was given a big office with the founder. But I just got very uncomfortable in that office after three or four months, and I decided I wanted to be closer to the team to make sure that I was listening to and hearing from all different parts of the company. So I moved out of my office and sat in a different cube in a different part of the office for the next six months. I just moved around the organization to meet people to make sure that I was listening to the day-to-day conversations so that they could see that we’re in the process of creating more of an open office environment, moving folks out of their offices into open collaboration spaces. The casual collusion that you get a chance to participate in when you’re out with everyone is amazing. I did that for six months, moved back into my office and then, again, began to feel a little bit disconnected, so I permanently created kind of a cube out on the first floor and the second floor. I just alternate every couple of weeks – again, just to both practice what I preach and also to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable giving me feedback and talking to me about the company, and where I feel more comfortable connecting with folks. The years before I started, we would do a town hall type meeting once a year, and that was it. From the very beginning, my closest senior management member has been the head of people operations, Anna [Petosa], because if we’re going to continue to evolve and transform the culture that we need to survive and thrive in a digital and technical environment, then we need to create a type of environment that will attract and retain young engineers and data scientists. Anna and I have basically been partners in crime since I started.
She’s one of my closest advisors because she’s just so in tune with the things that are needed.
HRDC: That idea of movable collaboration spaces – is that something you picked up from your time at Google? SS: I’m an introvert. If left to my own devices, I would sit in my office all day, and as a CEO, everyone tends to come to you. I found that in the first six months I was here – I was in this corner office on the second floor. We’ve got a pretty large headquarters office of about 350 people, and no one would ever come back into the corner to see me because they were either intimidated or they didn’t even know I was back there. Or if I had meetings, everyone would come to me into this conference room right next to my office. I could just sit with my computer and do meetings from my office, but I totally lost touch.
on my second week at the company – I stressed that I wanted to be closer to people operations than probably any other part of the organization. When I connected with them, I wanted to know through them what was going on at the company. And so we have HR business partners that I hold up as probably one of the most important functions of the company. We have an HR business partner for sales and data, for our video and editorial team, and those HR business partners’ responsibility, as I see it, is to know that function inside and out, to know every individual on those teams, to know what they want from their career, to know from the business lead what the people issues are, what the morale issues are, the structure, the opportunities for change, the challenges for each of the managers, their strengths, their weaknesses, where they need to develop. If we do
“The casual collusion that you get a chance to participate in when you’re out with everyone is amazing” So I had to force myself out of my own comfort zone and get out into the organization. And it was not my natural state because it just gives me a whole lot of anxiety, meeting everyone and so many new faces – almost like the first day of high school. It’s mostly just me forcing myself into an environment where I knew I needed to develop that rapport with the team, but it wasn’t my natural condition. By moving out into a cube, I would force myself to be connected.
HRDC: From your perspective, what is the future of the HR function? SS: It’s basically a move from a transactional administrative function to a much more strategic function. It’s the more progressive companies and people operations functions that I think are already doing that. And I’ve seen it here. When I sit with Anna and the people operations team – I sat with them first
that well across all of our functions, we will be set up for success. I think that’s by far the most important part of an HR people operations function – to really understand at a root level how each function is operating, what the capabilities of the management team are and to coach them. It’s one thing to take all that information, and it’s another to challenge those functional leaders to do better or to challenge their own team or to lead from the front. That’s the approach Anna had before I got here, but I think she got a real champion in me in leaning and pushing that direction. The present and the future major role of HR is to really lead the people development. The true magic is when your HR business partners can advise their business leaders and their functional leaders on how to continue to lead and develop the type of team and culture that we need to be successful going forward.
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LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT INSIGHT
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Leading change Kate Sikerbol, change management facilitator at Queen’s IRC, explains the mechanics of managing change and reveals four character traits every modern leader must embody
THE WORLD of work is changing. Today’s leaders are responsible for overseeing various concurrent change initiatives. The ability to initiate, plan and implement change successfully is increasingly recognized as a core leadership competency. Modern HR leaders have a pivotal role to play in transforming their organizations and readying them to adapt to rapidly changing conditions. Leaders set the tone; they create the conditions and context for others to work toward a shared vision and goals. Successful leaders have a combination of two things: character and competence. To become competent at leading change, leaders need to understand the process of change. They need skills and tools, templates and processes. They need to develop a deep appreciation of the people side of change and understand how to deploy resources and project management skills appropriately. The human dimension of organizational life – and change – is not the exclusive purview of HR. It is a fundamental responsibility of leaders across the organization to create a culture that fosters creativity, innovation, accountability and change. HR plays an important role in supporting leaders across the organization to develop their leadership and change skills. True change, however, happens through the day-to-day efforts of leaders and line managers across the organization, who train, coach and supervise the people who are directly involved in the nitty-gritty of change implementation.
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Leaders need to move beyond increasing people’s individual capability for change and begin to focus on developing organizational capability for change. They need to consider the foundational beliefs, values and norms that may impede success: Does the organizational culture maintain the status quo or drive innovation and change?
and effective change leaders need the ability to build swift trust.’ Courage Understanding their values enables leaders to take a stand when those values are in danger of being compromised. It allows them to stand in integrity and to take the risk
Successful change is dependent on the involvement and coordination of hundreds of people, not a single heroic change leader Leadership character There are four qualities that are important when it comes to character: authenticity, courage, humility and presence. Authenticity Being authentic means knowing your motives, feelings and values and being aware of your own unique talents. Leaders who encourage people to bring their whole selves to work, and who value the unique strengths of people, facilitate an environment where creativity, risk-taking, learning and change thrive. Leaders who are comfortable in their own skin, comfortable with being vulnerable, and who are honest and trustworthy, will build the trust that is so important in change. It’s much easier for people to embrace and adapt to change in workplaces with high trust levels,
to speak up about inconvenient truths. Demonstrating courage means creating psychological safety for others. When people feel safe to take risks and know that they won’t be punished or made to feel embarrassed for asking a question, offering a suggestion or admitting a mistake, it’s easier to tap into the energy for change. Humility Leaders who demonstrate humility engender greater commitment. The ability to say “I was wrong,” “I’m sorry” or “I need help” is a simple but powerful way for leaders to demonstrate that they are open to learning and being coached. Presence In this case, ‘presence’ doesn’t mean
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executive presence, but rather being accessible and approachable, being real and deeply human, and appreciating the humanity of others. It includes the capacity to be empathetic with others. This doesn’t mean agreeing with others all the time; it simply means having a profound appreciation for the experience someone else might be having. We tend to think of resistance to change as a negative and forget that people just might be right when they tell us there may be problems. Sometimes change means a sense of dislocation and loss; people are being asked to give something up, often something that is important to them. As leaders, we need to listen, appreciate and understand their experience.
Change competence Successful change is dependent on the involvement and coordination of hundreds of people, not a single heroic change leader. This raises an interesting question: Why would anyone want to be led by you? It’s a question worth reflecting on. Do you have a directive leadership style or an empowering one? Leaders who empower others take time to reflect on their own strengths and weaknesses as leaders and change champions and examine the underlying assumptions that guide their behaviour. Building capability for change is difficult if a leader’s fundamental orientation
is to squelch talent, diminish others and limit opportunities, rather than encourage people to grow and flourish. The evidence is clear that controlling and dominating approaches to change have a negative impact on change implementation. A focus on short-term results can cause change leaders to lose sight of the goal of creating an organization that is more effective at dealing with change. Instead, effective change leaders must focus on building bridges to get better results and use ‘smart power’ to do so. Effective change leaders cross organiza-
tional boundaries, bust silos and bring together disparate parts of the organization to work collaboratively. Understanding who the organization’s informal and formal influencers are allows change leaders to tap into an organizational network that can enable the communication, connectivity and commitment that contribute to change. Evidence shows that when leaders define the change but no one manages the change process, there is a very low likelihood of success. The odds improve (to about a 20% success rate) when leaders define the change and manage the process. The real secret lies in engaging others to both define the change and manage the process. If done effectively, the odds of a change being successful increase to 80% or 90%. Being successful at change requires skilled change champions and transformational leadership. Change is an opportunity to build better leaders across the organization and, in doing so, develop the organization’s capacity to be ready for the next change around the corner. Kate Sikerbol will lead the upcoming Queen’s IRC change management course, Change Management: Building Support for Successful Change Projects Using a Time-Tested Framework, in Toronto on October 1-3 and in Victoria on November 5-7.
ABOUT QUEEN’S IRC The Queen’s University Industrial Relations Centre [IRC], a professional development unit within the Faculty of Arts & Science, delivers programs in labour relations, human resources and organizational development, based on 80 years of experience and research. Our programs are led by industry leaders and designed for busy practitioners who want to directly apply their knowledge to their work environment. Human resources: Learn how to build and engage teams in multi-disciplinary environments, manage change, and transform key HR data into business strategy. Labour relations: Develop the skills to effectively handle disputes and negotiations, build trust, and manage unionized environments. Organizational development: Diagnose organizational challenges, explore design issues and develop robust solutions. Choose from twoto five-day open enrolment programs delivered across Canada or customized on-site training solutions that address your organization’s specific needs. We also offer certificate programs in advanced human resources, organizational development, labour relations and advanced labour relations for professionals who want to continue to develop their skills and contribute to their organization’s success. Why Queen’s IRC? • Opportunities to network with high-level colleagues from across the country • Coaching from internationally renowned facilitators with real-world experience • Experiential programming to test theories and ideas • Skills and strategies that directly apply to work environments • Mentoring beyond classroom sessions Learn more at irc.queensu.ca
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SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
ENGAGEMENT
Happy employees, great business Venngo sheds light on 11 benefits of keeping employees happy
videos or snacks and drinks. The study concluded that these methods not only made the subjects happier but also increased their productivity by 12% compared to a control group that received nothing.
4. They aren’t afraid to take risks and make mistakes Happier employees are more likely to take the calculated risks an organization needs to leap forward. Because they worry less about making mistakes, they end up making fewer mistakes. The occasional mistake won’t rattle them. They will recover, take responsibility for their actions, learn from the experience and find solutions to fix it.
5. They make good decisions Even during crisis and disaster, engaged and happy employees can stay calm and focus on what’s important, enabling them to make informed decisions.
6. They don’t complain HAPPY EMPLOYEES are a valuable business asset. They are the real ambassadors, the champions of a company’s mission and the internal influencers who bring true value to their organizations. Their happiness is crucial to the success of any business. When employees are treated with care and respect, they are happy, engaged and productive. Organizational leaders the world over realize the numerous benefits of making employees happy and are continually striving to foster happy, fun and inspiring cultures.
1. They learn faster Happy employees are much more open to learning new things on the job, thereby raising their overall effectiveness and value. They are also curious about the challenges they and the business face, which is essential in a modern setting where continuous learning fosters business growth.
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2. They are productive and creative Happy workers find it easier to concentrate on their tasks for longer periods and are more likely to come upon the creative ideas that help an organization hit targets and break new ground. According to a 2011 study published in the Harvard Business Review, happy employees are 31% more productive and three times more creative than their less satisfied counterparts.
3. They perform at a higher level Happy employees are more likely to succeed in their everyday work assignments and deliver beyond expectations. In a study by the Social Market Foundation and the University of Warwick’s Centre on Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy, participants were given “happiness shocks” in the form of 10-minute comedy
Even if they run into problems – however big those problems may be – they will simply fix them, keeping the workflow moving instead of delaying the entire process by complaining.
7. They get sick less often Unlike unhappy employees, they are not as susceptible to stressrelated illnesses and work-related fatigue, stress and burnout.
8. They help and ask for help Happy employees are more eager to help their colleagues and participate in collective projects. If they need help or clarification, they will not hesitate to ask for it.
9. Their happiness is contagious Happy employees spread their joy
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Happy workers are more likely to come upon the creative ideas that help an organization hit targets and break new ground throughout the organization. As they take delight in their work, they can serve as excellent role models for their colleagues and inspire them to enjoy their work, too.
10. They attract talent and customers Happy employees are more likely to cooperate to achieve shared goals, foster company loyalty and encourage effective team bonding, which can help improve the employer brand and make it a magnet for top
talent. Happy employees also attract customers. Multiple studies have found that customer loyalty increases when employees are happy and engaged.
11. They bring more growth to the business A 2017 study by three researchers at Norwich Business School at the University of East Anglia found that a portfolio of companies with high employee satisfaction ratings on Glassdoor significantly outper-
formed the overall stock market, earning 1.35% higher returns. The benefits of employee happiness are clear – so how can organizations create, foster and support it? One way that leading organizations are catering to employee happiness is by introducing a benefit program that extends the employee experience beyond the workplace. A benefit program that supports employees’ lifestyle helps them feel fulfilled both inside and outside the office, thus contributing to their overall happiness. It is not only expedient but also advantageous for businesses of all sizes to integrate a benefit program as part of their company culture to promote workplace happiness and contribute to the organization’s overall success.
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It was another year of stellar nominations for the Canadian HR Awards – the industry standard for recognizing excellence in the HR profession and celebrating those at the forefront of best practice and leadership. Now there’s another top-notch selection of finalists waiting to see who wins in 24 prestigious categories. They represent the teams, leaders and rising stars who stood head and shoulders above the rest with their dedication and hard work over the past year. With competition fiercer than ever, simply making the list of finalists is a massive achievement in itself.
The winners will be revealed at the biggest-ever Canadian HR Awards gala at the Beanfield Centre in Toronto on September 12, where MC Jessi Cruickshank (The Goods, Canada’s Smartest Person) will return as host, alongside great live music from Devah Quartet and Ascension Groove Band. Along with our publisher, Key Media, HRDC would like to thank all those who submitted nominations this year, as well as our sponsors, who have made the Canadian HR Awards the leading independent awards event for the HR profession.
For table bookings and event details, visit hrawards.ca or email us at events@keymedia.com
#HRAwardsCA
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PLATINUM SPONSOR
THE ULTIMATE SOFTWARE AWARD FOR BEST WORKPLACE CULTURE
THE MERCER AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
THE TALENTEGG AWARD FOR BEST EMPLOYER BRANDING
THE ACCOMPASS AWARD FOR CANADIAN HR TEAM OF THE YEAR (500 EMPLOYEES OR MORE)
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ActiveCo Technology Management
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Accenture
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CGI Canada
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Aecon Group
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Capgemini Canada
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KPMG in Canada
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Bird Construction
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Axonify
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Left
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BlueCat
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Loblaw Companies
Canopy Growth Corporation
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FDM Group Canada
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D2L Corporation
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Fiix Software
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IBM Canada
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Microsoft Canada
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Excel Society
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Fuller Landau
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Jazz Aviation
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Geotab
Kinaxis
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McGill SCS
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MacDon Industries
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MD Financial Management
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Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan
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OPIN Software
SaskGaming (Casinos Regina and Moose Jaw)
The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA)
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Pethealth
Toronto Transit Commission
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PointClickCare
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WE
AWARD SPONSOR
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Royal Bank of Canada
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Sobeys
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Sodexo Canada
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Sonova
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Symcor
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Wealthsimple
AWARD SPONSOR
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Uberflip
AWARD SPONSOR
AWARD SPONSOR
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2019
THE KPMG IN CANADA AWARD FOR CANADIAN HR CHAMPION (CEO)
THE LEADERSHIP AGENCY AWARD FOR CANADIAN HR LEADER OF THE YEAR
THE ADP CANADA AWARD FOR CANADIAN HR RISING STAR OF THE YEAR
THE HRPA AWARD FOR WOMAN OF DISTINCTION
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Cathie Brow
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Ashley Osmun
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Jason Fleming
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Jenn Rooney
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Jennifer Melanson
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Jenna Wood
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Jomana Elwenni
Andrew Graham Borrowell
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Bruce Poon Tip
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David Ossip
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• • • • • •
G Adventures
Ceridian
Lynn Oldfield AIG Canada
Noah Waisberg Kira Systems
Rick Watkin Kubra
Yves Guillemot Ubisoft
Fairmont Banff Spring Hotel
Lisa Gravelle
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Melanie Forsberg
• •
Sean Smith Pethealth
DriveABLE
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Ron Mock
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan
Revera
Shoppers Drug Mart Statistics Canada
Petra Bergner
Government of New Brunswick
Richard Rudderham
BMO FInancial Group
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Sandy Bernier
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Thierry Miras
Liberty Mutual Canada Schneider Electric Canada
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AWARD SPONSOR
Stackpole International Aecon Group
Orangetheory Fitness Canada
Cheryl Kerrigan BlueCat
Gillian Hynes
Royal Dutch Shell
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Gloria Pakravan
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Izzie Egan
Toronto Police Service Blankslate Partners
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Kristin Mueller
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Kim Tabac
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Larissa Calderon
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Laurie Murdoch
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Megan Paterson
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Nathalie Kachulis
VueReal
Investment Management Corporation of Ontario
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Laura Salvatore
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Natalie Mohammed
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Ravi Sidhu
• •
AWARD SPONSOR
Burrard Group
Centurion Asset Management
Prodigy Ventures
League
Sony Pictures Canada Kinaxis
Canada Revenue Agency
CWT Group
Reena Bali
Cogent Industrial Technologies
Tia Parekh
Plenary Group
AWARD SPONSOR
AWARD SPONSOR
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PLATINUM SPONSOR
THE DENTSU AEGIS NETWORK AWARD FOR BEST HR COMMUNICATION STRATEGY
THE MAXSYS STAFFING & CONSULTING AWARD FOR MOST EFFECTIVE RECRUITMENT STRATEGY
THE SENECA AWARD FOR BEST LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
THE UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO AWARD FOR BEST NEXTGENERATION EMPLOYMENT INNOVATION
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Ceratec
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D2L Corporation
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Axonify
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Dynacare
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Geotab
CAA Club Group of Companies
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BFL Canada
Gibson Energy
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Carfax Canada
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Enercon Canada Flynn Group of Companies
Fidelity Investments Canada
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IBM Canada
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Harris
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Moneris
Mint Health + Drugs
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Niagara Casinos
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OPIN Software
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O2E Brands
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Prospera Credit Union
Royal Bank of Canada
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Purolator
Tata Consultancy Services Canada
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Sienna Senior Living
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WilsonHCG
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Hydro Ottawa
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Ingram Micro
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MCAP
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Mattamy Homes
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Sollio Agriculture
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Niagara Casinos
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TD Bank Group
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Rexall Pharmacy Group
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The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA)
AWARD SPONSOR
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Wave Financial
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WestJet Airlines
AWARD SPONSOR
AWARD SPONSOR
AWARD SPONSOR
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2019
THE VENNGO AWARD OF EXCELLENCE FOR FINANCIAL PHYSICAL & MENTAL WELLNESS
THE WORKHUMAN AWARD FOR BEST REWARD & RECOGNITION STRATEGY
THE HRDC READERS’ CHOICE AWARD FOR BEST SERVICE PROVIDER (100 EMPLOYEES OR MORE)
THE HRDC READERS’ CHOICE AWARD FOR BEST SERVICE PROVIDER (FEWER THAN 100 EMPLOYEES)
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Allegis Global Solutions
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AstraZeneca Canada
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BambooHR
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7Geese
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League
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Cisco Systems Canada
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Canterbury Foundation
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Randstad Canada
Applauz Recognition
D2L Corporation
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Doctors of BC
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Ultimate Software
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• •
Dejero
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Workhuman
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Blu Ivy Group
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Digital Extremes
Mitel Networks Corporation
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Blankslate Partners
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CareerJoy
Ericsson Canada
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OMERS
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Kudos
Ingram Micro
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Plasman Group
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Mindful Snacks
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KPMG in Canada
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PostBeyond
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Metro Vancouver Regional District
Tata Consultancy Services Canada
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Teranet
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The Leadership Agency
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Servus Credit Union
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Stikeman Elliott
• •
AWARD SPONSOR
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AWARD SPONSOR
AWARD SPONSOR
AWARD SPONSOR
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PLATINUM SPONSOR
CANADIAN HR TEAM OF THE YEAR (FEWER THAN 500 EMPLOYEES)
CANADIAN HR TEAM OF THE YEAR (FINANCE OR INSURANCE)
CANADIAN HR TEAM OF THE YEAR (RETAIL OR HOSPITALITY)
BEST CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY STRATEGY
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Carfax Canada
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HomeEquity Bank
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Accent Inns
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Accor
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COTA Health
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Best Buy Canada
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CIBC Mellon
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ecobee
HSBC Bank Canada
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MD Financial Management
Brookstreet Hotel and Marshes Golf Club
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Cisco Systems Canada
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Paysafe Group
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Earls Kitchen + Bar
Cogent Industrial Technologies
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PSP Investments
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Giant Tiger Stores
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Swiss Reinsurance Company, Canadian Branch
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Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament
Fidelity Investments Canada
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TD Bank Group
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Meridian Credit Union
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Fiix Software
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Financeit
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Hyundai Auto Canada Corp.
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Index Exchange
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INLIV
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Kellogg Canada
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Kira Systems
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Randstad Canada
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Resolver
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Sage
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The Body Shop
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The Travel Corporation
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Sobeys
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2019
BEST TALENT MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
MOST INNOVATIVE USE OF HR TECHNOLOGY
LABOUR & EMPLOYMENT LAW BOUTIQUE OF THE YEAR
BEST LABOUR & EMPLOYMENT LAWYER (WITHIN A PRACTICE)
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Accenture
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Best Buy Canada
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Benjamin A. Kranc
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Day & Ross
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Gateway Casinos & Entertainment
CAA Club Group of Companies
Dutton Employment Law
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Harris & Company
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Christian Paquette
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Dentsu Aegis Network
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McLennan Ross
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Minken Employment Lawyers
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Dolores M. Barbini
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Laurie Jessome
Monkhouse Law •
Lindsay A. Mullen
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Lorenzo Lisi
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Marylee A. Davies
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Nicole K. Skuggedal Lawson Lundell
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Tim Lawson
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Intelex
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LoyaltyOne
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Mint Health + Drugs
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Hydro Ottawa
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Purolator
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Intelex
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Revera
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Schneider Electric Canada
Jefferson Elora Corporation
Rodney Employment Law
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Roper Greyell
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Rubin Thomlinson
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Wave Financial
MEC Mountain Equipment Coop
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Sultan Lawyers
Royal Bank of Canada
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Whitten & Lublin
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Williams HR Law Professional Corporation
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Government of Alberta
Tim Hortons Foundation Camps
Kranc Associates
Fasken Martineau
Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie Cassels Brock & Blackwell
Norton Rose Fulbright Canada Aird & Berlis
Farris Vaughan Wills & Murphy
McCarthy Tetrault
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PLATINUM SPONSOR
The winners of the 2019 Canadian HR Awards will be selected by our esteemed panel of judges:
Stephen Brown
Cathy Gallagher-Louisy
Waheeda Rahman
Director, talent acquisition HR Service Delivery Division, Ontario Shared Services, Ministry of Government & Consumer Services
Senior director, consulting and partnerships Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
Director, equity, diversity and human rights City of Toronto
Peter Elmar Bordo
Nan Oldroyd
Colin Druhan
Alissa Barton
Business instructor, Canadian Tourism College Coordinator, Job Placement Success Centre, Academy of Learning Career College, Vancouver
Chief, people AGO
Executive director Pride at Work Canada
Director, human capital planning Infrastructure Ontario
Christian Cook Maryse Gingras Regional director, Quebec and Atlantic Canada Futurpreneur Canada
Associate professor of management and human resources Bissett School of Business, Mount Royal University
Bill Dennis President and CEO Cultural & Generational Training
PLATINUM SPONSOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATION
SPONSORS
ORGANIZER
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SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
RECRUITMENT
The solution to recruitment challenges HRDC sat down with Jesse Ryan, the founder of High Road Human Capital, to find out how a “cataclysmic disaster” led to the creation of his now-thriving business
THE USE of third-party staffing solutions, such as staffing agencies and RPO providers, has become common practice for businesses that face recruitment challenges on a regular basis but can’t justify a full-time dedicated resource. However, one solution provider in
HR management for small, mid-sized and large organizations. Although it has only been in existence for two years, the firm grew by 560% from December 2017 to December 2018 and has grown by an additional 8% to 12% per month over the last five months.
“We extend reciprocity to our clients, we do it well and with integrity, with good value, and we get a strong return on investment over time on that reciprocity” Jesse Ryan, High Road Human Capital the market has expanded beyond recruitment solutions to offer other HR-related services, such as HR consulting and career transition services. Founded in 2017, High Road Human Capital is a boutique management consulting firm that specializes in talent acquisition and
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“It’s been humbling, and I feel a lot of gratitude,” says Jesse Ryan, High Road Human Capital’s founder. Ryan has spent more than 20 years working in recruitment, but success didn’t come easy for him. Four years ago, the first company he co-founded, Banter, became a
“three-year cataclysmic disaster” that ended in significant financial loss. After Banter, Ryan joined AugmentHR. In his last year there, he told his COO that he wanted to focus on account management and growth for existing clients rather than on new business development, but the COO didn’t like that strategy. Instead, Ryan implemented his “anti-sales strategy” when he founded High Road. As a result, new businesses came in (largely by referral), client retention quadrupled, and existing client accounts grew exponentially. Although High Road is a small firm, it has some big clients, including Canada Bread, Teranet, Hyundai Capital Canada, Mazda Canada and McCarthy Tetrault. “We played a very long game; we’re not in it for a quick buck or to show who we are and
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what we can do,” Ryan says. “Reciprocity is my single favourite word in the world – I literally have it tattooed on my shoulder – and we extend reciprocity to our clients, we do it well and with integrity, with good value, and we get a strong return on investment over time on that reciprocity.” High Road is far from the only recruitment solutions provider in the market, but there are two things that differentiate it from other players. One is its activity-based pricing model, which Ryan created because he never liked the feeling of having to defend the firm’s work when billing clients on an hourly basis. “When we have activity-based pricing, the client knows exactly where their money is going and how, rolled up in terms of time to the minute, so there is no ambiguity to our billing and invoicing, and it creates a very
level playing field where everybody is happy,” he explains. “It also allows us to create an ironclad cost per hire, days per hire and hours per hire, and I don’t think there’s anybody in recruitment that can accurately put hours per hire on a role.” The other thing that makes High Road stand out is its procurement marketplace. The firm has channelled partnerships with third-party services such as ATS, payroll, employment law, reference checks and background checks. For example, for reference checking, High Road uses Xref and Sterling because their clients might want both. So the firm gets preferred pricing with both and passes that on to clients. “Yes, the clients loved the discounts, but what we found out, organically and by accident, is they absolutely loved the administra-
tion over those third-party vendors on their behalf even more,” Ryan says. “It creates real stickiness. I’ve got clients that I’m billing seven or eight different third-party vendors, and they’re getting it on one invoice. We carry the cash load for them, all of the administration, and it makes it very neat and tidy.” If High Road receives acquisition interest in the future, Ryan says he’d be open to discussing it – he says he’s seen what too much money can do and doesn’t want that to happen to High Road. “I’ve never thought we’d be where we are right now, at least by this point, so who knows what the future holds,” he says. “We’re having a lot of fun, collectively 15 or 16 of us, and that number continues to grow. We’re all very grateful and recently being well rewarded, so maybe we’ll keep the train going.”
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SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
From dissonance to resonance Many modern organizations still fall flat on employee engagement and struggle with poor retention rates. HRDC spoke to Ultimate Software’s Cecile Alper-Leroux to find out what companies need to do differently
MOST COMPANIES today have submitted to the tech revolution and have invested heavily in their software and digital capabilities – but have they done the same with their people strategy? Organizational leaders need to understand that employee expectations have changed significantly over the past decade; those that fail to grasp this face the impending reality of having a disengaged, disenfranchised workforce. According to Cecile Alper-Leroux, vice-president of human capital management innovation at Ultimate Software, one mistake many organizations still make today is surveying employees only once a year or every two years. Another mistake is not taking stock of how much younger generations have influenced every aspect of the modern workplace. “I’m a gen x-er and my husband is barely a baby boomer, but now we want the same benefits, perks and workplace options as millennials, and we want them because we see them at work,” Alper-Leroux says. “Just because I didn’t ask for those things when I was growing up doesn’t mean I’m not interested in them today.” Organizations are out of sync with the expectations and desires of the 21st-century workforce in several ways, Alper-Leroux says.
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One is the way they define leadership. The traditional view is that leadership lies in a person’s presence or appearance. However, more modern thinking suggests that true leadership lies in motivating people to come together to meet shared objectives; a leader in 2019 needs more than presence to engender trust and loyalty among workers. Organizations are also out of sync in terms of having women in leadership positions. A
autism spectrum, being in a meeting might also be a stressful scenario. But having a different preference doesn’t mean they aren’t valuable team members. When developing an engagement plan, Alper-Leroux says, organizational leaders should always take into account their employees’ differences. These examples are the manifestations of what she describes as dissonance in the workplace, something she explores in great detail
“Resonance in the workplace … comes from being able to be yourself, being able to speak and be heard” Cecile Alper-Leroux, Ultimate Software recent study found that women tend to possess 17 out of 20 modern leadership qualities, but only 20% of leaders in most organizations today are women. Another way some organizations are out of sync is through their one-size-fits-all approach to employee engagement. Hosting a team karaoke event, for instance, could alienate introverts, who may find the experience a total nightmare. For individuals on the
in her recently published book, From Dissonance to Resonance: Bringing Your People and Organization into Sync. The book is based on Alper-Leroux’s conversations with HR professionals, employees, people attending presentations and even her children about how things are changing. “The answers I got in the conversations – I felt it was something that others would probably benefit from,” she says. “That’s why I felt
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like I needed to turn these conversations into a narrative, and then eventually it pushed my thinking into coming up with possible solutions also.” Ambitious leaders shouldn’t allow the slow flow of dissonance to prevail in their companies, but instead should implement practices that support employee resonance. When there is resonance in the workplace, people feel they can be themselves and speak without any repercussions. “You know when you had a good meeting or conversation with someone? It just feels comfortable, you’re motivated, you want to be able to do more, and you can innovate without fear,” Alper-Leroux explains. “Resonance in the workplace manifests itself that way, and it comes from being able to be yourself, being able to speak and be heard. The result is greater than the sum of what an individual could do and an organization could produce.”
When employees feel a sense of resonance with their work and their employers, they will also experience safety and security. Employees’ top priority is to be able to control their destiny in the workplace, Alper-Leroux says, but few people feel they can achieve that. Aside from a feeling of safety, resonance will also make employees feel that they’re supported in preparing for the future of work. “There’s a lot of fear because of automation taking over their job, but if an organization is resonant, then the organization is working collaboratively with employees to prepare them for the future of work,” Alper-Leroux says. Having true resonance in the workplace is not only beneficial to employees; the organization will also benefit. They will have more loyal customers (because employees are taking care of them) and happier employees, which creates an environment that attracts top talent.
To create the building blocks of resonance, the first thing organizational leaders need to do is listen to their employees. “Listening to employees means not just asking them a question and getting a response that they think you want; there has to be a level of ‘there won’t be repercussions; we’re going to listen and take action,’” Alper-Leroux explains. The next step is to build transparency into the organization’s communication strategy. Alper-Leroux stresses that organizations need to be transparent, realistic and authentic about what they are willing to do. She says it doesn’t have to involve “boiling the ocean” or take the entire organization; rather, “a few champions” can help create a movement within the organization. Cecile Alper-Leroux’s book, From Dissonance to Resonance: Bringing Your People and Organization into Sync, is available now.
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FEATURES
CULTURE
Transform your culture in three steps Anna O’Dea offers three ways to make your workplace a more supportive environment
CLIENTS OFTEN ask me how they can introduce initiatives in their workplace to make it a more supportive environment for their team. Being in the business of marketing, advertising and digital, I know that written content helps to develop relationships and build trust. In fact, I spent $50,000 on content to learn about what issues were really important to people at work in a bid to help develop that trust. But developing a culture that champions and rewards transparency is not as easy as writing a few blog posts on diversity. It’s about the actions you take as a business and putting your money where your mouth is in terms of reflecting how your team feels. Genuine connection comes down to how vulnerable we are willing to be with others. It is the act of sharing stories, vulnerabilities and even fears that helps bring us together. When you reveal something about yourself that is not widely known to others, you’re showing that person or audience who you really are. You’re demonstrating that you trust them. This, supported by consistent behaviour
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that demonstrates integrity, builds trust. So many impressive leaders in my network have faced adversity in different forms and balanced this with growing a business and, more often than not, significant personal challenges going on behind the scenes: sickness, loss of a loved one, trauma, and financial and emotional setbacks. These experiences, which have shaped who they are as individuals, have gone on to influence the type of leaders they are and the team they attract. I believe any business can be transformed by listening and leading by example. Here are the lessons I’ve learned since spending $50,000 to find out what’s important to my community and team.
Never make assumptions about people’s lives I’ve learned from tech entrepreneurs that one of the most common mistakes is investing in a solution without asking customers what they want. For example, when we started the #LeadingLadies series, instead of dictating the content we thought would be relevant, we asked interviewees to share their
own stories that they hadn’t had a chance to share before. We told them they had access to a blank canvas and nothing was off limits. The floodgates opened. We discovered that issues such as bullying in the workplace, racism, homophobia, sexism, parental leave and negotiating a pay raise were affecting many workplaces, and these brave individuals wanted a platform to address them. I realized that perhaps many workplaces still create initiatives without actually asking their team what’s important to them. It’s tricky for many employees to verbalize what they need without fear of consequence. I think the bravest question any leader can ask themselves is, “Have you asked your team what they need, or are you making assumptions based on your own point of view in a position of privilege?” Does your team feel they can tell you what they need, or are
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changing people’s perceptions of themselves. It made me realize that perhaps we could all do a better job of showing our team that it’s OK to be human at work. That it’s possible to be yourself, open, honest, and transparent and still be liked, respected, and rewarded. Workplaces with greater diversity deliver higher returns. Could you do a better job of more accurately reflecting the diverse range of opinions and influences that no doubt exist in your business? Are decisions reflective of what’s important to the wider team or just a select few?
When it gets uncomfortable, think of what others will learn from you
Perhaps we could all do a better job of showing our team that it’s OK to be human at work. That it’s possible to be yourself, open, honest, and transparent and still be liked, respected, and rewarded there opportunities to create an anonymous feedback loop so you can better learn how to support them?
Realize that people can’t be what they can’t see After months of research, writing, profiling senior women in leadership positions, transcribing interviews, commissioning countless photo shoots and developing content, some interesting things started to happen.
I started to receive emails from people, saying our stories had helped to shine a light on an issue that was pertinent to them. I received phone calls from people in tears, saying they’d faced similar adversity and for the first time they didn’t feel alone. People told me they felt heard and that the series showed them what was possible. I realized countless men and women, from junior professionals to executives, were seeing themselves in these stories, and that was
When I told people I was going to invest so heavily in content, not everyone loved the idea. I was told I was nuts. It wouldn’t generate ROI. Interestingly, and perhaps more reflective of my industry, I was also told to be careful about what I had to say. When you do something new, you bend, you grow and sometimes you fall over. You might even fail. But if you don’t do that new, scary thing, you’ll be exactly what other people expect of you and no further away from those doing the same things. If you really want to be competitive and attract and keep the best talent, ask yourself this: Are we communicating our initiatives internally and externally to let people know there are great workplaces like ours out there? And if we aren’t, is there a reason for that? A recruitment expert and the founder and director of Agency Iceberg, Anna O’Dea has placed thousands of employees in the best workplaces. O’Dea is also the founder of #LeadingLadies, an award-winning interview series featuring C-suite professionals’ career journeys. Follow her on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/ in/annaodea.
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FEATURES
MEETINGS
Are you drowning in meetings? If meetings are taking up most of your day and preventing you from doing your real work, Brian de Haaff explains how to regain control
YOU VERSUS your calendar: You’re fighting for time to get your real work done. Nervously eyeing the clock. Each day is a relentless sprint from meeting to meeting, but the calendar always wins. It goes something like this: 8 a.m.: Start work 8:15 – 12 p.m.: Booked with meetings 12:15 – 12:30 p.m.: Lunch (while catching up on email) 12:30 – 5 p.m.: Booked with meetings You wearily plead with your boss for help, but he’s just as busy with his own meeting schedule. Eventually, you resign yourself to the fact that you won’t begin your actual work until the end of the day, when the meeting reminders mercifully cease (at least
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until the morning). You surrender your workdays to an endless loop of meetings. There’s a reason these meetings all seem the same. The organizer has no agenda, no clear goals, no questions or action items for attendees. The meeting drags on and on, wasting valuable time for everyone involved. These meetings are stealing something valuable from you – the time to think deeply and be productive. Now, I’m not suggesting we say goodbye to meetings overall. On the contrary, I think it’s important for teams to connect often – sometimes even daily. The problem arises when meetings are consuming more time than the actual work. I recently faced this problem myself. My calendar was filling up fast. I expect this as the CEO of Aha!, even though we spend as little time in meetings as possible. I enjoy checking in with the team, customers and
potential job candidates. But I had less and less time to think through the big issues that affect the team and the company. So I blocked off Wednesdays as meeting-free on my calendar. I call it Wonder Wednesday. It’s my time to work and think deeply about the business. I realize that not everyone is able to block off a full day on their calendar. But here are five things you can do to lighten the load when you’re drowning in meetings.
Block off time You might not be able to block off an entire day each week, but I bet you have a few hours here and there. It’s reasonable to carve out chunks of time to do your work (or even to take a lunch). This doesn’t mean being inflexible if a teammate needs you during one of these chunks. It’s simply ensuring that you have enough time to get work done or take a needed break.
Hit pause Before you automatically hit ‘accept’ on an invite, take a moment to think about why you’re needed. If this isn’t totally clear, ask the organizer why they included you: “What is the purpose of this meeting? How can I help specifically?” You might find that your attendance is not actually necessary to move the work forward. For example, the organizer might need information that you could easily share via a document or report. Or perhaps they’re looping you into a project that you’ll only have peripheral involvement in. In this case, ask for meeting notes instead.
Set parameters Even if you’re not the organizer, you can help keep things productive by
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you have one of these on your calendar, think about what you could do to improve it. Maybe it’s automating a report for a weekly status meeting or emailing ahead with prepared talking points to help encourage others to stay on track. Also, consider asking the organizer if you’re still needed at these meetings. Perhaps there’s a recurring meeting that no longer requires your attendance or only needs you for a few minutes at the beginning or end.
Talk to your boss
Before you automatically hit ‘accept’ on an invite, take a moment to think about why you’re needed. You might find that your attendance is not actually necessary to move the work forward setting parameters — show up on time, stay on topic and follow up with any tasks that come out of the conversation. Also, consider asking the organizer for an agenda beforehand. Even if it’s not a formal document, simply having some bullet points about the topics of discussion and desired goals for the meeting can help move things
along. Don’t be afraid to kindly redirect the conversation back to the agenda when it takes a turn.
Evaluate regularly Everyone has experienced the ‘standing meeting’ that starts off as necessary and grows ineffective over time. If
If you’re truly drowning in meetings each day, talk it over with your manager. Have an honest conversation about how these meetings are impacting your schedule and explain that you need more time to get work done. Who knows – maybe your manager is struggling with the same issue. The epidemic in your workplace may be symptomatic of larger organizational issues, and your honest assessment could help prompt action. You may not be able to overhaul a meetingheavy culture, but you can protect your own corner of it. Do what you can to ensure you’re getting to the work that really matters. It’s worth it to take steps to protect your time and work. Is attending that meeting the only way you can learn something critical? Are you crucial to decisions that need to be made in that meeting? If not, don’t go. The calendar may be a mighty force, but it doesn’t always have to win. Brian de Haaff is the co-founder and CEO of Aha! and the author of Lovability. His two previous companies were acquired by well-known public corporations. De Haaff writes and speaks about product and company growth and the adventure of living a meaningful life. For more information, visit aha.io. Author photo by Chris Yeh
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PEOPLE
CAREER PATH
THE CUTTING EDGE Whether in broadcasting, social media or marketing, Maggie Fox has always been ahead of the curve Fox planned to enrol in an advertising program at university, but she found her attention diverted by the enthusiasm and encouragement of instructors in the broadcasting program “The most important takeaway was, without question, the ability to understand what an audience wants. I’m fixated on what people care about.”
1990
CHOOSES TV
1999
PIVOTS TO THE INTERNET
Laid off from her news producer job, Fox turned her attention to a brand-new university multi-media program called Internet Studies, which was focused on the emerging technology. “At that time, there was a lot of buzz about the ‘information superhighway,’ and I remember thinking that it looked pretty interesting and I’d like to find out more. That course set me up to begin my career in digital marketing. It was a pivot point.”
2006
HAS A LIGHTBULB MOMENT While working freelance, Fox was sitting in a client meeting with advertising legend Morris Saffer, who said he was interested in how companies were using blogs to talk to their customers. That lightbulb moment led Fox to establish Social Media Group, the world’s first pure-play social media agency.
“We were early – almost too early. The domain name was available because no one else wanted it. That’s when I knew we were in at right the moment” 2018
JOINS WORKHUMAN When she took on the role of chief marketing officer for Workhuman, Fox was charged with getting the team ready to meet some ambitious goals in support of aggressive growth. “I have never worked with such an engaged group of people, ever – and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s because we live what we sell.”
1993
GETS INSPIRED A marketing internship at Toronto’s Citytv helped Fox land her first job; by the time she was 27, she was producing network news, further honing her editorial sense. “Constantly making decisions about quality every day made me really good at getting people’s attention. Also, the head of department showed me what a great boss looked like: She was a straight-shooter, and that kind of clarity, direction and honesty was wonderful to witness.”
2004
MOVES INTO SOCIAL MEDIA Fox became deeply interested in social media when she noticed that platforms like Blogger were making online content publishing more accessible. “I spent several years using every emerging platform I could get my hands on. I was intrigued. I’d been a bit late to the internet initially … and I vowed not to miss the next disruptive wave.”
2013
GOES IN-HOUSE Burnt out on agency life, Fox seized the opportunity to take a full-time position with SAP. “Having my own agency was a lot of pressure. At one point, we had 24 people, and I remember looking around the room and thinking to myself, ‘I’m paying a lot of mortgages.’ It was time for a change. When SAP came calling and asked me to join the company as global SVP of digital marketing, that sounded pretty interesting, so I made the leap to the enterprise.”
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PEOPLE
OTHER LIFE
TELL US ABOUT YOUR OTHER LIFE Email editor@hrmonline.ca
Last su mmer marked a new opportu nity for Jain when she was offered a two-hour morning drive-time radio slot on CMR 101. 3 F M. “The excite ment of that ma ny people listening to me was the best experience of my life,” she says.
INSPIRED BY STORIES HR professional Pallavi Jain puts her listening skills to good use as a radio host RADIO WAS part of family life for Pallavi Jain when she was growing up in India; she fondly recalls her family tradition of gathering to listen to inspiring stories. So when Jain, the head of HR and talent acquisition at CPQi Group, was offered an on-air slot on Radio Regent in Toronto in 2017, she says it felt like a dream come true. The title of her show – Stories with Pal – was selected not just because of her nickname but as an indication of the friendly nature of her approach. The live show features Jain interviewing such local luminaries as city councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam and Angela Draskovic, the CEO of Toronto’s Yonge Street Mission. “Every single person has their own story; they just need someone to listen,” Jain says. “There’s a hunger to be heard; I want to bring those stories to the world.” The show has also been part of her own “journey of self-improvement,” she adds. “I have inter viewed inspiring and accomplished people on my show; I always learn something.”
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2
5
600,000
Weeks it took Jain to learn to work the radio board
Hours of production required for one hour of Jain’s radio show
Number of people who tune in to CMR 101.3 FM
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