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HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR WWW.HRMONLINE.CA ISSUE 4.4

HR’s next generation SURE-FIRE RETENTION WINNERS Innovative strategies to keep today’s employees engaged

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ISSUE 4.04

CONNECT WITH US Got a story or suggestion, or just want to find out some more information?

CONTENTS

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UPFRONT 02 Editorial

M&As provide essential learning opportunities for HR

04 Head to head

40 FEATURES

ALL ABOUT THE (EMPLOYEE) EXPERIENCE

Want to improve retention rates? Start with these core components of the ‘employee experience’

06 Statistics

The people-element of M&As

08 News analysis

A closer look at Patagonia’s ahead-ofits-time in-house child care

10 Employment law update Why director resignations need increased due diligence

12 Technology update

HR’s role in easing tech fatigue

17 Opinion

Eight ways to transform your performance management strategy

FEATURES

COVER STORY

RISING STARS

36 HR strategy

Who are the HR superstars of 2016? HRD spotlights 31 of the most promising young professionals in the industry

Preventing psychological injury

Redefining the Ulrich model for a new generation FEATURES

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Why HR needs to be involved with more than just the ‘people’ aspect of organizational change

38 Coaching comes of age

Professional coaching is now a key component of leadership development

PEOPLE 14 International profile

David Klages reveals how Domino’s Pizza Enterprises’ HR approach transcends international borders CAN

FEATURES

2016 HR SALARY & JOBS GUIDE

What’s in store for you and your team in the year ahead? This cross-Canada look at remuneration in HR will provide some insights

ADIA

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

CANADIAN HR AWARDS 2016

Find out who won big on the industry’s night of nights

71 Career path

Kamy Scarlett’s enviable career is a result of putting people first

72 Other life

Finding zen on the yoga mat with Kirsteen Hebert

HRMONLINE.CA CHECK IT OUT ONLINE www.hrmonline.ca

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UPFRONT

EDITORIAL

When the going gets tough …

he high-pressure stakes of a merger or acquisition can be a valuable learning experience for HR professionals. Whether your organization is the buyer or seller, rarely is HR given more of an opportunity to contribute to business operations than during M&A activity. As our Statistics infographic (p6) in this issue demonstrates, M&A deals are on the rise globally. Significantly, according to a study from Mercer, 89% of companies listed talent issues in their top three integration challenges, including such pain points as employee retention, cultural integration, leadership assessment, compensation and benefit levels, and overall talent management. These people-related challenges typically exist in a highly competitive deal environment featuring truncated timelines, less access to information and increasingly activist shareholders. In fact, 41% of buyers report less

Eighty-nine per cent of companies listed talent issues in their top three integration challenges time to complete due diligence compared to three years ago, while 33% claim sellers are providing less information about assets for sale. Meanwhile, more than one-third of sellers (34%) are finding that more and more of their divestment resources are required to address HR issues. These risks are magnified when deals occur beyond national borders, which in 2016-17 is more likely to occur than ever: 50% of respondents reported recently conducting cross-border deals, and 24% are more likely to consider multi-country transactions than they were in January 2014. Global M&As present additional challenges for HR, such as dealing with differing leadership skills and cultural and operational mismatches. One would hope that the HR professionals in this issue’s Rising Stars list are exposed to an M&A at some point in their careers – and ideally, sooner rather than later. That kind of experience cannot be bought.

Iain Hopkins, editor

www.hrmonline.ca WINTER 2016 EDITORIAL

SALES & MARKETING

Editor Iain Hopkins

Business Development Manager Sarah J. Fretz

Senior Writer Nicola Middlemiss

National Account Manager Andrew Cowan

Writers Joe Rosengarten Libby Macdonald Lauren Acurantes

General Manager, Sales John MacKenzie

Copy Editor Clare Alexander

CONTRIBUTORS David S. Cohen

ART & PRODUCTION Design Manager Daniel Williams Designer Marla Morelos Production Manager Alicia Salvati

Associate Publisher Trevor Biggs Marketing and Communications Manager Melissa Christopoulos Project Coordinator Jessica Duce

CORPORATE President & CEO Tim Duce Office/Traffic Manager Marni Parker Events and Conference Manager Chris Davis

EDITORIAL INQUIRIES

nicola.middlemiss@kmimedia.ca

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES sarah.fretz@kmimedia.ca

SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES

subscriptions@kmimedia.ca tel: 416 644 8740 • fax: 416 203 8940

KMI Publishing 312 Adelaide Street West, Suite 800 Toronto, Ontario M5V 1R2 www.kmimedia.ca Offices in Toronto, Denver, London, Sydney, Auckland, Manila

Human Resources Director is part of an international family of B2B publications and websites for the human resources industry HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR AUSTRALIA iain.hopkins@keymedia.com.au T +61 2 8437 4703 HRD SINGAPORE hrdmag.com.sg HC AUSTRALIA ONLINE hcamag.com HRM NEW ZEALAND hrmonline.co.nz Copyright is reserved throughout. No part of this publication can be reproduced in whole or part without the express permission of the editor. Contributions are invited, but copies of work should be kept, as HRD magazine can accept no responsibility for loss.

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Are your employees distracted at work? Our study shows Canadians with low levels of financial wellness are 2.5X more likely to say they are distracted at work* Financial wellness is key to having healthy and engaged employees who can help your business thrive. That’s why we’ve developed the Financial Wellness Assessment: an easy-to-use online assessment that measures a member’s financial wellness level and provides them with a personalized action plan and resources to improve it. Having poor financial wellness can impact company productivity. Do you know where your employees stand?

Talk to a Manulife representative or visit manulifehealthandwealth.ca to download the study and obtain information about our Financial Wellness Assessment. *Manulife’s Financial Wellness Study – 2015 Benchmark: Distraction at work, financially unwell (45%) vs financially well (17%)

Manulife and the Block Design are trademarks of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company and are used by it, and by its affiliates under licence. CS3767E 08/16

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HRD 4

UPFRONT

HEAD TO HEAD

How can employers prevent psychological injury? What is best practice when it comes to fostering psychological wellness in the workplace?

Phillip Kotanidis

Director, HR, OHS and organizational wellness Michael Garron Hospital “It is a necessary evolution for employers to progress beyond consideration of employees’ physical well-being to include psychological safety. Fostering a progressive work environment requires strategic planning, with an unwavering commitment to cultivating a culture of trust and safety. MGH was an early adopter of the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. We assess risks inherent to healthcare, provide appropriate skills development and focus on removing stigma. The greater the care provided to our employees, the greater the care they can provide to our patients. These measures have equipped our staff with the capacity to deliver excellent patient care.”

Luciano Bernes

Director, human resources Mental Health Commission of Canada “The journey toward a mentally healthy and psychologically safe workplace is unique to each organization. Through the implementation of the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, we integrate mental wellness into every aspect of our work, from policies and benefits to operations and performance dialogues. Empowering staff by connecting their responsibilities to the organizational goals boosts employee engagement, while the design of our space increases collaboration but also recognizes the need for privacy. From a healthy work-life balance to creating a safe space for conflict resolution, addressing mental wellness at work is the way forward.”

Jay Lamont

Partner L2 Health Management “There are employers in 2016 that are operating at an advanced level in mitigating the risk of psychological injury in the workplace. At an implementation stage of the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, these employers have a practicing methodology to assess psychological job hazards. Once identified, they establish measures that reduce risk to those workers in psychologically vulnerable job roles, tasks or environments. Many employers that are reaching out to L2 Health today are seeking training strategies for respectful workplaces, harassment or mental fitness as core psychological injury prevention measures.”

DUTY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CARE Psychological injury – the development of a mental health problem of any severity sustained as a result of employment – leaves employers vulnerable to being held liable for claims arising from such grievances. According to figures from the Mental Health Commission of Canada, seven out of every 10 of the nation’s workers have reservations about the psychological health and safety of their workplace, and more than one in eight said that they did not consider their workplace to be healthy or safe. Mental illness in the workplace is estimated to responsible for $20 billion in economic losses every year.

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HRD 4.04 FPA.qxp_Layout 1 2016-10-31 12:00 PM Page 1

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UPFRONT

STATISTICS

The talent factor in M&As

GOING GLOBAL: ESSENTIAL HR DUE DILIGENCE Global M&As are on the rise – half of the respondents to Mercer’s survey report being involved in a cross-border M&A transaction. But multi-country M&As bring with them a host of potential risks as HR tries to navigate differing legal, cultural and operational concerns that could pose compliance issues if not handled correctly. A comprehensive plan to address these aspects is a must for maintaining compliance.

A new study reveals the key HR elements to consider for M&A success MERGERS AND acquisitions are on the rise around the world as companies look to grow their businesses and improve operational efficiency and finances. However, businesses need to be reminded of the people behind the scenes of every M&A. Though the human capital is difficult to place a dollar value on, when integration is done right, it offers a sustainable competitive advantage and is the key to successful M&As. Mercer’s inaugural report, “People Risks

$4.7 trillion Total value (in US$) of M&A deals worldwide in 2015, a 32% increase over 2014

89%

Companies that included ‘talent issues’ in their top three integration challenges

in M&A Transactions,” is the first to focus exclusively on the people factor and how it impacts integration. The study reveals that buyers became more open to cross-border transactions in 2015, but such deals bring added risks due to cultural and legal barriers. Companies must not only consider the human capital in terms of finances, but also its effect on operations and its contribution to the overall strategy of the business.

64%

Companies that focused on senior talent acquisition and retention during M&A activity

57%

Private equity businesses that identified leadership team effectiveness as a top M&A issue

SWEETENING THE DEAL VALUE DRIVERS: BUYERS Buyers must consider these practices to make sure all bases are covered in multi-country transactions: 1. Assess the leadership team and key employee capabilities 2. Develop effective retention strategies 3. Have a clear culture, communications and change management plan 4. Evaluate HR service, delivery and design needs 5. Enlist experienced resources to hasten the transition process 6. Adopt an enterprise/global view to effectively manage benefits 7. Leverage reward programs to attract and retain talent

FOCUS ON REWARDS VALUE DRIVERS: SELLERS Sellers must maintain customer relationships and productivity while transitioning the business, and thus have to act on the following: 1. Consider a retention program for critical employee groups 2. Leverage experienced sell-side advisors and separation specialists 3. Consider providing a well priced transition services agreement [TSA] 4. Document a clear talent management/ staffing plan

Medical benefits

91.7% Defined contribution plan(s)

78.6% Broad-based compensation

44.7% Executive compensation

35.9%

HR compliance

24.3%

Executive contracts/change-in-control payouts

23.6% Global benefits

21.8%

Minimum wage issues

18.0% DB pension/post-retirement

17.5%

Source: People Risks in M&A Transactions 2016, Mercer

Evaluating corporate reward schemes – from base pay to incentive metric/targets and non-cash rewards – is crucial during due diligence. Here’s what companies are assessing:

Source: People Risks in M&A Transactions 2016, Mercer

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CULTURAL CONCERNS

LEGISLATIVE AND REGULATORY CONCERNS »» »» »» »» »» »» »»

Data protection Tax/remuneration Employment law Works councils Social security Reporting requirements Record-keeping

OPERATIONAL CONCERNS

»» »» »» »»

»» Vendor fragmentation »» Currency issues »» Location of records »» Format and content of records »» Technology utilization »» Process variations »» Language »» Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) compliance »» Harmonization of contract renewals »» Common vendor contract language »» Fiduciary standards

»» Complex stakeholder environments (e.g. works councils, unions, management and supervisory boards) require very specific skills and engagement approaches »» Accountable HR country resources

National cultures Management style Organizational culture Local customs and practices

SKILLS CONCERNS

Source: People Risks in M&A Transactions 2016, Mercer

TRENDS IN TALENT DUE DILIGENCE Sellers recognize the importance of allocating more resources and efforts to address HR issues during due diligence. Sixty-four per cent of companies agree that talent is the most significant aspect at this stage, and they are making the effort to assess the talent in the businesses involved on both sides of the deal.

TOP 5 PEOPLE RISKS 1. Employee retention 2. Cultural and organizational fit 3. Leadership team (quality of management/executives)

How much effort are you putting into HR issues when preparing for a divestiture? More effort 34% About the same 65% Less effort <1%

By what means are you learning about the talent involved in the deal? Through an external advisor 10% In-house talent assessment process 55% None 35%

Source: People Risks in M&A Transactions 2016, Mercer

4. Compensation and benefit levels 5. Talent availability, identification, assessment and placement

POST-MERGER HR SYNERGIES Buyers require post-deal evaluation of the following for successful HR operations: Compensation and employee benefit alignment to market HR technology Cultural drivers for success Source: People Risks in M&A Transactions 2016, Mercer

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UPFRONT

NEWS ANALYSIS

Ahead of the trend On-site child care may seem like a modern perk, but one US employer has been quietly offering the benefit for decades. Nicola Middlemiss reports A NUMBER of corporate giants have been hailed as innovative for introducing on-site child care in the past five years, but one US company has been quietly championing the initiative since 1983. So how did a sustainable sportswear firm find themselves 30 years ahead of the trend? “We were just paying a lot of attention to what our families really needed,” explains Dean Carter, VP of HR at Patagonia. “Had we been following a trend and been really close to that, we might not have done it because nobody else was.” From the very beginning, Patagonia’s Great Pacific Child Development Centre [GPCDC] prided itself on being more than just a baby-sitting service. It was founded on the principles

dren were being well taken care of in a progressive way and were learning and growing both academically and socially,” Carter says. The program is clearly a huge win for employees, but Carter is quick to admit that Patagonia has seen a host of impressive business benefits, too. “The biggest benefit – and probably the most obvious – is that 100% of our working moms have returned from maternity leave,” he says. “I can’t find a single instance in our documented history where a mom went on maternity leave and didn’t come back, which is really a staggering statistic.” Unsurprisingly, the company has no issue with female representation at a senior level – more than half of its leadership team is made

“We just wanted a place where a parent could have full peace of mind that their children were being well taken care of” Dean Carter, Patagonia that still guide the company today: Do no unnecessary harm, make the best product, and use businesses to inspire solutions to the environmental crisis. Following that ethos, the facility is run by a team of experienced teachers and child development experts who nurture creative, compassionate kids with an ingrained respect for others as well as the environment. “We just wanted a place where a parent could have full peace of mind that their chil-

up of women, and CEO Rose Marcario is the second woman to take the top spot. “Women are able to continue their career progress without any interruption because they don’t have to choose between work and their children,” Carter says. “They’re choosing to come back to work, and they’re bringing their kids with them.” Notably, dads are also included in the impressive child-care benefits, and 100% of working fathers at Patagonia take paid

paternity leave. “You have some places that offer paternity leave, but nobody really takes it because it’s taboo,” Carter says. “Here, the men take paternity leave, and it’s paid. I think that by making it culturally OK for those men and women, they both benefit.” Carter adds that on-site child care even influences the wider workplace community – not just those with kids in the GPCDC. “I can tell you the benefit from the perspective of someone whose child isn’t in the development centre – mine is in college – but you bring your best self to work when there are children present,” Carter says. “It’s tough to behave like a bully or use inappropriate language when there is a child present, and it’s often tough to take yourself too seriously when there are children laughing.” Carter recalls a particularly memorable moment when, during a “long and reasonably boring” meeting, a young boy wearing a Spiderman costume burst through a wall panel into the room. “The leader of the meeting said, ‘Oh my

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DO THE NUMBERS WORK? After tuition fees, Patagonia estimates it has incurred costs of around US$1 million to run the GPCDC. With a yearly tax credit of US$150,000 and a second deduction of 35% of unrecovered costs, that represents a total of $500,000 in costs recouped – or 50%. In Canada, companies that create qualified on-site child care may claim a tax credit of up to 25% of the facility expenditure plus 10% of any resource and referral costs in a calendar year, up to a limit of $150,000.

Since 1983, Patagonia’s Great Pacific Child Development Centre has offered on-site child care for employees.

God, that’s my son!’ Everyone laughed, and he collected his kid. But those types of events – and it was just a quick moment – remind you of what’s important. Those small, really important interruptions happen at just the right frequency around here.”

tive program are now managers and leaders at Patagonia. “I call it the ultimate succession plan,” Carter says. Andrew Reinhart is one such example. Raised in the GPCDC, he now heads up the company’s wetsuit program, where he designed

“This is the kind of world we need to live in, where peoples’ lives are integrated with their work” Rose Marcario, Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario agrees. “Having children at the workplace creates a kind of richness in the experience of being at work – it lightens the place; it makes people feel closer to their community,” she said in a recent video promoting the GPCDC. “This is the kind of world we need to live in, where peoples’ lives are integrated with their work.” Incredibly, the child care centre is even serving as a home-grown talent pipeline: A number of kids who grew up in the innova-

the world’s first neoprene-free wetsuit and is credited with creating one of the best inflatable life vests for big-wave surfers. “There are numerous stories like that,” Carter says. “We end up raising these people who understand us, who understand our values and can jump right in and can accelerate growth in their own career and impact because they grew up in the child development centre.” So, with an abundance of benefits to be had, why are so few employers reluctant to follow

However, the tuition fees a company can charge employees may vary dramatically – a 2014 study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives found that the median monthly cost of full-time child care ranged from $152 in Montreal (where the government caps child-care costs) to $1,676 in Toronto. Patagonia’s lead? “The first concern obviously is the direct expense – the real estate and square footage, the cost of hiring the teachers and putting the program together,” Carter says. “You really do have to think about it, and obviously there are companies that don’t want to think about that. “The second one, I think, is the liability that could surround having children on campus,” he continues. “I’ve also heard that having a kid in a Spiderman suit knock down a wall could be distracting and not helpful for work, and there are people who don’t want kids doing those things.” Despite the worries, potential risks and financial commitment, Carter says on-site child care is fiscally sound and challenges other employers to sit down and do the math. “We’re talking about much lower rates of turnover, higher retention of women, more diversity in leadership, higher engagement and productivity for parents – if you look at those numbers, the math begins to work, and you realize the person who should be advocating for this is the CFO, not the CHRO.”

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UPFRONT

EMPLOYMENT LAW UPDATE NEWS BRIEFS Provincial law change helps workers with PTSD The Saskatchewan government has amended key legislation in an effort to better help employees who suffer a psychological injury such as PTSD. The Worker’s Compensation Act now includes a “rebuttal presumption” on all forms of psychological injury, which means the injury will be presumed work-related unless the employer refutes the point. While the update is geared at first responders who are at a high risk of PTSD, Labour Minister Don Morgan said the legislation covers other psychological injuries that could be suffered by any employee exposed to a traumatic event at work.

Mining company hit with another six-figure fine In October, Vale Canada was handed its second six-figure fine in three years after pleading guilty to a number of safety failures that led to the death of one worker. The company was fined $1 million in provincial court. A supervisor also pleaded guilty to failing to work in compliance with Ontario’s mining regulation and was fined $3,000 for his involvement. This marks the second-highest fine imposed by a court in Ontario for contraventions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The highest fine was also handed down to Vale Canada in 2013, when the company was fined $1.05 million over the deaths of two workers in 2011.

Temporary layoffs not a fail-safe solution Employers who think temporary layoffs protect them from legal risk may be misinformed after an Ontario Superior Court of Justice decision indicated otherwise. Giuseppe Bevilacqua launched legal action after his former employer implemented a three-month

layoff – insisting he had been effectively dismissed. While the employer’s move was legally compliant, Justice Ed Morgan agreed with Bevilacqua because the man’s employment agreement included no provision for temporary layoffs. However, Justice Morgan noted Bevilacqua had declined reemployment after three months, therefore failing to mitigate his damages. Bevilacqua was awarded three months’ pay in lieu rather than the 15 months he had been seeking.

Sikh workers not exempt from safety helmets A Quebec judge who ruled that Sikh workers must wear safety helmets has admitted the decision violates employee rights, but said health & safety is more important. The case involved three Port of Montreal employees who argued that they had a right to wear a turban instead of a helmet based on charter rights protecting freedom of religion. After attempts at accommodation were deemed unviable, the men were banned from entering port terminals without protective headgear. Ultimately, Superior Court Justice Andre Prevost agreed that the port’s rules were justified because they protect workers from potentially fatal injuries.

Government cracks down on mass layoffs Large, federally regulated companies may soon find it tougher to carry out mass layoffs without warning as federal officials prepare to tighten labour laws. Labour Minister Maryann Mihychuck prompted the legislative overhaul after expressing concern that the current rules allowing for “exceptional circumstance” were being overused and exploited. Mihychuck said the objective of the legislation is to ensure more employers take appropriate steps when conducting mass layoffs, such as assisting employees with finding new employment and ensuring severance pay.

Director exits need more due diligence The legal obligations for handling resignations escalate the further up the chain the employee is Accepting an employee’s resignation might not seem like a particularly difficult task – in most cases, a written letter of resignation is sufficient for both the exiting employee and the employer to ensure legal compliance is met. However, one industry expert warns that when it comes to directors, extra diligence is always required. MaryAnn Loney, an associate with McLennan Ross who specializes in tax planning and dispute resolution, says it’s important for employers to know exactly when a director resigned because they have to be held accountable at a later date. “Under the Income Tax Act, the Employment Insurance Act, the Canada Pension Plan Act and the Excise Tax Act, a director of a corporation is jointly and severally liable for a corporation’s failure to deduct and remit source deductions – including withholding to nonresidents and payroll source deductions – or GST,” Loney explains. “Directors may also be jointly and severally liable for unpaid wages under employment legislation. This makes it very important to determine when a director has resigned.” Loney’s comments come after a recent Federal Court of Appeal case – Canada v. Chriss – found that specific measures must be met in order for a resignation to be considered valid. In the case, the two directors had

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expressed an intention to resign to their husbands, who instructed the corporation’s lawyer to prepare the paperwork. An unsigned resignation was found in the lawyer’s file, but arbitrators ruled that this did not satisfy the necessary preconditions of an effective resignation in the Ontario Business Corporations Act.

A director’s resignation is only effective if it is signed and delivered to the corporation’s registered office “Under the Ontario Business Corporations Act, a director’s resignation is only effective at the later of when the resignation is received by the corporation or the effective date,” Loney explains. “The Alberta Business Corporations Act contains a similar provision.” According to Loney, a director’s resignation is only effective if it is signed and delivered to the corporation’s registered office. “We recommend that the resigning director ensure the resignation is also properly recorded in the corporation’s minute book and a change of directors is appropriately filed with Corporate Registries,” Loney adds.

Q&A

Janice Rubin Co-founder and managing partner RUBIN THOMLINSON LLP

Fast fact An Angus Reid survey found that 43% of Canadian women and 12% of men claim to have been sexually harassed at work. Twenty-five per cent of those who reported harassment found management ‘unresponsive and dismissive’.

All about workplace assessments What is a workplace assessment, and what role does it play in preventing or identifying harassment? A workplace assessment is a process in which the employer takes the temperature of a workplace, and it is used to determine if there are any underlying issues or problems that the employer should know about. In contrast to a workplace investigation, which is conducted in response to a complaint by a known individual, an assessment is generally a proactive process. Things that prompt an assessment may be persistent rumours of problems within a work group, high churn of members of a department, and anonymous complaints.

Should all organizations conduct a workplace assessment? If not, how can HR professionals identify the need for a review? Not all organizations need to do this, but in our view, it should be in the toolkit of HR professionals. In addition to the prompts identified above, HR professionals should be alive to departments or groups in which there have been many formal complaints, groups that are under stress or in transition, as well as frequent anonymous complaints. These events are often indicative or the presence of problematic behaviour, and absent a formal complaint, this behaviour may have gone undetected by the employer.

How can HR professionals carry out an effective workplace assessment? There is no ‘one size fits all’ here. However, generally, an effective assessment will involve some form of survey, augmented by in-person interviews, either in a group or one-on-one. Interviews can be conducted on the basis of people who come forward on their own initiative and rounded out by interviews with individuals whom the assessor identifies. This might also be supplemented by a review of documents – i.e. workplace investigation reports from the work group in question, existing exit interviews and any other ‘meta data’ that exists about the group. This December, Rubin Thomlinson LLP will deliver an industry seminar designed to provide HR professionals with the knowledge they need to identify underground issues and respond accordingly – before a complaint has been made. The course, which will be held in Vancouver, seeks to arm employers with the skills required in order to gather feedback fairly, conduct impartial interviews, assess and analyze information, and make suitable recommendations. For more information, visit www.rtworkplacetraining.com.

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UPFRONT

TECHNOLOGY

Employees suffering from tech fatigue Where can we draw the line when it comes to technology?

expectations can steal employee resources even when actual time is not required, simply because employees cannot fully separate from work. The expectation doesn’t have to be explicit or part of written policies; it can be a normative standard of behaviour at the company or defined by leaders as acceptable. “Thus, if an organization perpetuates the ‘always on’ culture, it may prevent employees from fully disengaging from work, eventually leading to chronic stress,” Belkin says.

“If an organization perpetuates the ‘always on’ culture, it may prevent employees from fully disengaging from work”

It seems like common sense that replying to emails after work hours may cause employees some stress, but recent research suggests that it could potentially lead to an employee’s emotional exhaustion. The study, authored by Liuba Belkin of Lehigh University, William Becker of Virginia Tech and Samantha A. Conroy of Colorado State University, found that it isn’t the number of emails or the amount of time spent on them after work hours that causes

NEWS BRIEFS

exhaustion. Rather, it is the organizational expectation of replying that creates anxiety. Calling it “anticipatory stress,” Belkin and company describe it as “a constant state of anxiety and uncertainty as a result of perceived or anticipated threats … that makes [employees] unable to detach and feel exhausted regardless of the time spent on after-hours email.” The authors argue that this cultural environment suggests that organizational

Emotion-detecting technology can help HR

Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have revealed the EQ-Radio, an emotion-sensing app that uses wireless radio signals and boasts a reported 87% accuracy rate. The device may prove useful in the workplace, where managers need to read nonverbal cues from employees in order to lead them better. Other apps available to managers at present include TINYpulse and Morale, which is another emotion-based app that lets team members rate their moods for the day, thus helping managers track morale.

The study’s authors urge managers to combat this issue by coming up with programs that can help employees detach from technology. One suggestion is to have email-free workdays or a rotating schedule of replying to emails after work to help manage work-life balance. Managers can also directly express their expectations regarding emails and other after-hours work, such as limiting them to a certain number of hours or up to certain times. “Even though in the short run, being ‘always on’ may seem like a good idea because it increases productivity, it can be dangerous in the long run,” the authors write.

Companies need to develop the ‘liquid workforce’

According to Accenture’s Technology Vision 2016, organizations should invest in their workforce to produce more flexible, multi-skilled employees who know how to use the latest technology and can leverage it to create adaptable and change-ready work environments to meet the demands of the 21st century. To achieve this, organizations must implement learning as a core competency, promote agility and innovation, and generate insightful analytics that show organizational capabilities and improve workforce responsiveness.

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Q&A

Mahe Bayireddi CEO and co-founder

How tech is changing talent acquisition

PHENOM PEOPLE

Fast fact In a recent IBM study, 63% of C-level executives worldwide thought cloud technology was the most important business tech to keep an eye on over the short term

How has the cloud transformed the field of talent acquisition? While cloud technology has made it easier and less costly for companies to adopt the latest recruiting and talent acquisition tools, the bigger picture is that cloud technology has made it feasible for companies to store and process a plethora of data. This is what’s driving companies to finally be able to build true machine learning and artificial intelligence, enabling employers to create personalized job search experiences, comparable to the best in e-commerce and online entertainment.

How has technology influenced the expectations of millennial job-seekers? Today’s technology gives us access to a wealth of information and entertainment at a moment’s notice. Millennials expect experiences similar to shopping on Amazon, listening to music on Spotify and bingewatching shows on Netflix, and on any device. All of these experiences make searching and finding information quick and easy, while at the same time delivering valuable content that is entertaining and personalized to the individual. When it comes to searching for a job, millennials want to easily find the information they need to make a decision to apply for a job, like the culture, employee

Recent study reveals tech megatrends

A new study by professional services giant PwC offers insight into which tech developments will be the most disruptive for business worldwide. The report evaluated more than 150 technologies globally before determining the ‘Essential Eight’: artificial intelligence, augmented reality, blockchain, drones, the Internet of Things, robots, virtual reality and 3D printing. The specific technologies that will have the biggest impact on each industry will vary, but PwC believes these technologies will have the greatest cross-industry impact.

Most HR tech rollouts are destined to fail

reviews, what it’s like to work for the company, and salary information. They also want some content to be rich media, like photos and video. By creating an e-commerce-like experience on the career site, the decision to apply is easier and more informed, increasing the number quality applicants. This creates a win-win where companies get better talent and candidates get a phenomenal experience.

What does this mean for employers? Most employers struggle to provide an engaging experience to top talent because their current technology provides a subpar experience. Career sites make it too difficult for candidates to find the right jobs, and static content remains the same throughout the candidate journey. I think most employers miss the fact that jobseekers are job shopping. They are looking at hundreds of jobs, reading employee reviews and gathering all of the information they can find before applying. A poor candidate experience is the result of companies thinking from the inside out. They build the candidate experience focusing on the employer experience. By taking an outside-in approach and building the candidate experience with a focus on providing a phenomenal experience, employers will have a leg up on winning the talent war.

There may be a rise in the number of organizations implementing new HR systems, but according to the latest research, many of these will fail. A 2015 survey by KPMG found that 30% of organizations intended to replace legacy HR systems, while 40% planned to move operations to the cloud. However, a report by technology research firm Gartner has revealed that 50% to 75% of all HR initiatives will fail to deliver – some because the wrong tech was implemented, and others because they brought about the wrong results.

Online advisors attract HR’s attention

Already making waves in the personal finance industry, online advisors are entering HR’s realm as employers look to reduce retirement plan costs. “In many cases, HR departments know that their employees are not picking the right investments due to lack of knowledge,” said industry expert Pramad Udiaver – which is why many are looking online. “It’s a hands-off, cost-effective investment instrument for HR departments [to provide] employees financial security that yields improved performance.”

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PEOPLE

INTERNATIONAL PROFILE

Serving up a global HR framework Moving from local to global is an upsize only the best HR practitioners can handle. Miklos Bolza talks to David Klages, group HR manager for Domino’s Pizza Enterprises, to get a slice of his knowledge in this area TRANSFORMING A locally based HR structure into a global one is a mammoth order for any experienced HR professional. When Australian-based David Klages, group HR manager for Domino’s Pizza Enterprises [DPE] was asked to establish a global framework, he delved into his 20 years of HR experience to create not just a consistent HR operations framework, but also a more centralized remu neration structure spanning three continents. To understand where DPE fits into the Domino’s Pizza empire, it’s critical to understand the company’s operating model. Domino’s Pizza is an American pizza restaurant chain and international franchise pizza delivery corporation headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The campus itself is owned by Domino’s Pizza co-founder Tom Monaghan. Founded in 1960, Domino’s Pizza currently has locations in 73 countries, and stores exist in 5,700 cities worldwide. In Canada, Domino’s has more than 410 stores and employs more than 5,000 people. In most cases, Domino’s has master franchise agreements with one company per country, but three companies have acquired

multiple master franchise agreements, covering multiple countries – and that’s where DPE comes in. It holds the rights to own, operate and franchise branches of the chain in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Monaco and Germany. Prior to Klages’ arrival, HR at DPE was

focus of my role is executive remuneration, talent & succession planning, diversity & inclusion, and looking at our overarching recruitment framework – so how we are recruiting people into the business and how we leverage our relationships with recruiters and make sure that the talent pipeline is sufficient,” he says.

“If you work as a business partner in HR, you need to understand the business and work very closely with the business leaders as opposed to being locked away in a central HR function” managed by local teams without the presence of a group HR manager. “There was no real dedicated HR function per se,” he says. Due to rapid growth into the other countries where DPE operates, Klages was asked to create a consistent remuneration structure for the company. Apart from remuneration, the core components of the global framework are covered by the key responsibilities of Klages’ role. “The key

Under the hood To approach this task, Klages says understanding the history and context of the business was essential. This included meeting with the CEO and executives and looking at the growth trajectory of the business. “If you’re thinking about putting in a remuneration framework or other HR frameworks,” he explains, “you need to understand what’s going to happen in the business over the next few years.”

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PROFILE Name: David Klages Company: Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Title: Group HR manager Years in the industry: 20+ Previous roles »»Head of HR strategy & policy, QSuper »»Director, human capital – performance & transformation, PwC Australia & Japan »»Manager, human resources, Integral Energy »»Director, human resources, TAFE NSW First HR role Manager, workforce planning, TAFE NSW

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PEOPLE

INTERNATIONAL PROFILE

This was especially important in a business such as Domino’s, where both acquisitions and organic growth are used to expand the business. Knowing the context of how the business came about and where it was going was crucial to creating this framework. To do this, Klages had to get ‘under the hood’ of how the business functioned – a skill he picked up as a business partner in various other organizations. He also helped to establish an HR framework for PwC in Japan, transforming HR from a purely functional department to more of a business partner role.

Consistency across the globe Even though Klages was hired by the CEO with the remit to launch this global framework, he still had to bring the other business leaders on board. To do this, he used storytelling to ensure they really understood the need for a centralized structure. “As a global business, our people are mobile. We need to make sure that we treat them in a consistent way, or else they find out that we’re paying different rates in one country versus another. At least by having a consistent framework, you have one way of being able to explain why there are differences.”

“As a global business, our people are mobile. We need to make sure that we treat them in a consistent way” “I’ve always been very inquisitive around why the business is doing what it’s doing and what it’s looking to achieve over the next few years,” Klages says. “If you work as a business partner in HR, you need to understand the business and work very closely with the business leaders as opposed to being locked away in a central HR function.” One of the biggest challenges when creating this global HR framework was finding a single source of truth from multiple disparate systems, Klages explains. “There’s no common HR or payroll system that’s used across the globe. We also store information in different languages, so trying to understand how people were paid, how long they’d been working, what their experience was and trying to get that single source of truth was probably one of the biggest challenges that I faced.” To overcome this obstacle, Klages leveraged the local HR networks and really worked at understanding the business. Acknowledging that establishing this framework was not going to be 100% complete from the start was also helpful. “This is something that’s going to be an iterative process, and we’ll need time to iron out any issues,” he says.

Prioritizing aspects such as a consistent bonus approach or long-term incentive plan gives staff comfort that they’re not being treated differently, he adds. This allows people to move around the Domino’s corporate network in a seamless fashion while still aligning their packages with the remuneration practices in their local region. Actually visiting each location was crucial to developing this seamless, consistent framework. “Spending time understanding the culture and differences across each of the different countries you operate in is really important,” Klages says. “What are the unique drivers of engagement? What are the local idiosyncrasies? What are the local labour laws that might prohibit you from doing something?” A ‘one size fits all’ approach will never work, he adds, since something that applies in one location may be detrimental to staff and the business elsewhere. As an example, he says that long-term incentives such as stock options that can be provided in Australia might mean the employee is taxed double if they move to France. For cultural differences, Klages points to Japan, where, if a manager singles out an

DOMINO’S AT A GLANCE

5,700 Number of cities globally that have a Domino’s Pizza store. Across Domino’s Pizza Enterprises’ markets, there are more than 1,900 stores

150 Number of stores set to open worldwide in the DPE arm in 2016

410

Current number of store locations in Canada

26,000 Number of global employees at DPE employee for reward or recognition, it could actually have a negative impact by embarrassing the worker in front of their peers. “You need to understand what you are getting yourself into and that ‘one size fits all’ is not going to work,” he says. “I think going in with an ‘it works here, so it’ll work there’ approach is not going to end well.” To unearth these location-specific differences, it is important to visit all the sites of your business personally, Klages says. Meeting with local management and touring each location several times can help reveal the cultural nuances in each region. “If you try to do things via distance and telephone, you’re not going to be able to really understand the business,” he says. “The local site visit – meeting with local team members as well as management – is really critical.”

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UPFRONT

OPINION

GOT AN OPINION THAT COUNTS? Email editor@hrmonline.ca

Feed it forward Agile Performance Improvement is the future, writes David S. Cohen, who shares nine ways to make the next generation of performance management work PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT is on the way out. Years of negative survey results have put a damper on what was once the standard. In its place, Agile Performance Improvement, which calls for frequent and ongoing conversations between manager and direct report, is on the way in. I’ve interviewed around 50 firms rolling out this sort of process. Here are eight criteria I advise using to make the approach successful:

ESTABLISH AUTHENTIC BEHAVIOURAL CRITERIA 1

Before you begin, you need clear authentic behavioural criteria rooted in your organization’s values. Define what success means to your employees and managers in concrete terms, and not with confusing anchor rating scales or aspirational statements that have no grounding in reality in the organization. Off-the-shelf behavioural competencies that are not authentic to the culture of the organization are unlikely to drive people to successful execution of the goals.

ENGAGE EMPLOYEES IN BUILDING THE PROCESS

MAKE GOAL-SETTING FLUID

Goals must be fluid – and adjusted as the year progresses and priorities shift. A system where, at year’s end, managers bring people back to goals that were originally stated but never worked on defeats the process. Goals should be incremental and reviewed every three months during the check-in to ensure progress to a desired outcome at the end of the year.

FEED FORWARD, NOT BACK

In the traditional performance review system, the focus is on what the person did not do last year. The discourse is on what caused issues or ‘failures’ to meet goals. It focuses on the negative. Instead, focus on what they can do to be successful going forward. Too often what they did not do last year is not relevant to what they need to be successful in the year ahead.

TAKE THE ELEPHANT OUT OF THE ROOM 8

Compensation in the form of bonuses and merit pay is closely linked to the traditional performance review. Many organizations even allocate the budget for bonuses and merit pay in advance and almost always award it all,

The majority of organizations benefit from a more dynamic approach that engages people in an open conversation ANCHOR IT TO BUSINESS STRATEGY 4

The focus must be on the business strategy. How does the program improve productivity and engagement? How will it advance the organization’s goals? The organization needs to share the bigger picture, strategy and the reasoning behind the strategy to give people pride in their contribution.

Before implementation, employees need to see the pros and cons of the new approach. If you get them involved through a designthinking process, they’ll feel like owners. It takes more time, but it also eliminates the need for large-scale change efforts. Power accrues from the pride of authorship coming from employees, rather than human resources or a consultant.

to make something happen. Accountability for meeting the goals rests with the individual. I recommend a process of dialogue in which people assess the situation with a common objective to figure out how to improve performance and generate success.

BUILD IN PEER FEEDBACK

If goals are fluid and people need help, are quarterly check-ins enough? One way to augment manager-report conversations is to build in peer feedback that is more frequent and ‘in the moment.’

THINK DIALOGUE, NOT COACHING OR CONVERSATIONS 6

Coaching puts a lot of pressure on the manager

making the exercise somewhat pointless. The performance improvement process should be focused on achieving improvement and objectives, not satisfying predetermined bonus criteria. I advocate separating bonuses from reviews by making them a transparent part of overall compensation from the outset. The majority of organizations benefit from a more dynamic approach that engages people in an open conversation – one that helps them develop the desired behaviours and skills they need to succeed in alignment with the organization’s values and strategic objectives.

David S. Cohen is a seasoned management consultant with a doctorate in humanistic and behavioural studies; he is on the faculty at the Schulich Executive Education Centre at Toronto’s York University.

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FEATURES

HR SALARY & JOBS GUIDE

What are you worth? 2016 HR salary & jobs guide If the supply and demand rule holds true, what’s in store in terms of remuneration for you and your HR team in 2017? FEELING VALUED for the work we do is the number-one priority for professionals in any field. Yes, modern workers want to do meaningful work and have the ability to do their jobs in environments that are conducive to good physical and mental health, but recognition is also something that every member of a staff seeks. The most tangible form of recognition for most employees (beyond a simple ‘well done’) is remuneration – getting paid the rate that’s commensurate with your experience and the value you bring. HR professionals, immersed in the world of people management and payroll, know more than most the importance of paying staff a fair salary. But it’s not as simple as that, and never has been.

Remuneration and job creation are closely linked to the economy, and Canada’s economy is not performing very well; it’s flat. Recent results have been ugly. In the second quarter, gross domestic product [GDP] shrank 1.6%, its largest loss since the global economic crisis. Jobs figures haven’t been great either. There was a steep loss of 31,200 jobs in July due to a major decline in full-time work, which sent the unemployment rate up to 6.9% from 6.8% in June. The job market recovered in August, even as economists said that the longer-term trend for growth looks sluggish. The economy created 26,200 net new jobs in August; however, even with the increase in the number of jobs, the unemployment rate crept

up to 7.0% as more people entered the labour force and others started looking for work. There was a similar story in September, when employment surged by 67,000 – the biggest monthly gain since April 2012. However, the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 7.0%, which can be attributed to an increase in labour-market participation and more jobs being offered in the part-time and selfemployment categories.

Where does HR sit? Most industries have been impacted in what has been an unpredictable two years for the economy, but how has the generalist HR job market reacted? “Being the bread and butter within HR,

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generalist positions are always required, and demand is always relative to the economy,” says Steven Osiel, vice-president at Accompass. “As the economy has stayed relatively flat this year, so has the need for generalist jobs. The same applies to generalist wages. If the wider market is moving up by 2%, so will the generalist job market.”

Specialists in demand The hot specialist role in the space at the moment is in HR analytics. Many organizations are looking for skilled individuals who can supplement the general understanding and function of HR by taking organizational activity – such as turnover rate, labour costs and time to hire – and the providing quantifiable analysis about what’s going on within the company. “The people being hired for these datafocused roles need to not only be able to inter-

SKILLS SHORTAGES

Forty-nine per cent of HR hiring managers report a moderate skills shortage. When asked for the main reason for the skills shortage, hiring managers said:

pret the data, but also paint a picture with it,” explains Suzanne Thomson, senior consultant for global data solutions at Aon Hewitt. An HR analyst is also expected to interpret data through the lens of improving the employee experience and increasing employee efficiency. “The analytics position is a role that went from not really existing to being highly popular, so with the rise in demand, there is a premium being paid for such positions,” Osiel says. “The same is true for other specialty positions, such as in-depth labour positions, where there is a stronger union presence.” A key driver behind the increased demand for these analytics roles is the fact that HR performance management systems are now more capable of gathering qualitative information. “With the input of this data, there’s now a demand to translate this mass of information into something that makes sense for the business,” Osiel says.

BY HOW MUCH DO YOU EXPECT TO RAISE HR SALARIES IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS?

0%: 14.5% Lack of training and professional development: 30.6% Fewer people entering the HR job market: 33.8% People relocating to other regions: 11.0% People leaving to join different industries: 11.0% Retirement: 13.6%

< 3%: 54.1% 3% to 6%: 22.8% 6% to 10%: 0.6% > 10%: 0.3% We will have a salary freeze: 7.7%

OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS, I EXPECT THE PERMANENT HR HEADCOUNT TO:

29.4% increase 56.5% remain the same 14.3% decrease

OVER THE NEXT 12 MONTHS, I EXPECT BUSINESS ACTIVITY TO:

55.3% increase 31.4% remain the same 13.3% decrease

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FEATURES

HR SALARY & JOBS GUIDE VANCOUVER General positions Payroll administrator Employee benefits administrator Compensation & benefits manager Health & safety officer HRIS analyst HR clerk HR coordinator HR generalist HR supervisor HR consultant HR manager Labour relations advisor Labour relations manager Recruitment coordinator Professional recruiter Executive-level positions Health & safety director HR director CHRO

1 year 7 years 44.1 – 52.8 55.0 – 65.7 52.6 – 62.1 64.5 – 76.2 81.3 – 98.3 98.4 – 119.0 57.2 – 66.7 72.9 – 85.0 52.2 – 62.3 71.8 – 85.7 43.3 – 50.6 53.3 – 62.1 45.0 – 54.4 54.7 – 66.1 56.2 – 67.1 63.1 – 75.4 58.8 – 71.1 72.0 – 87.0 62.4 – 75.3 76.4 – 92.4 77.8 – 94.0 95.3 – 115.2 60.9 – 73.6 77.2 – 93.3 86.0 – 104.0 114.1 – 138.0 42.2 – 49.9 53.6 – 63.2 55.3 – 66.7 66.9 – 80.9 Company’s revenue $10M $1B 82.6 – 108.4 131.4 – 172.4 94.5 – 130.2 147.9 – 203.5 112.6 – 189.6 192.1 – 324.2

Specialists continue to earn more than generalists. In 2016, an HR manager of specified function (training manager/benefits manager) has a base pay of 7% to 9% more than the generalist. For example, a generalist HR manager can expect to earn approximately $91,000 a year, while a specialist training and development manager can expect to earn $99,100. The difference widens for HR clerical staff in the range of 14% to 19%. A generalist HR assistant can expect to earn around $48,400, while a specialist assistant role can earn approximately $55,100. The previous few years have also been

fairly sluggish in terms of senior HR movements, and 2016 has been no different. Limited movement amongst HR director and CHRO professionals means the job market remains flat; individuals within those roles are staying put.

Remuneration This stagnant jobs market, caused by Canada’s weak economy, is also translating into lower wage increases in the HR sector. Last year, the overall national trend for wage increases was 2.75%; this year, the rate is trending towards a 2.52% increase. HR is

HR ROLES IN DEMAND

HR analysts

HR generalists

Total rewards specialists

Talent management specialists

expected to follow the national trend: It is thought that pay adjustments for the HR department will range between 2% and 3%. Although the last two or three years have been somewhat stagnant in terms of wage increases, the figures look more favourable when observing a six-year trend. Three HR roles – HR supervisor, compensation/salary administration manager and labour relations manager – have had increases of more than 17% over the past six years. In 2011, a HR supervisor could expect to earn a salary of approximately $64,600; in 2016, that figure has jumped to $79,800 (a 23.5% increase). A compensation/salary administration manager could expect $94,600 in 2011, which has grown to $111,400 in 2016 (a 17.8% increase). The average pay increase for the other 14 HR positions was 10.4%, in the range of 6.5% to 16.5% (excluding negative and zero increases). Data gathered by Aon Hewitt also reflects the somewhat stilted nature of wage growth in Canada’s HR space. “When we conducted a

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TORONTO General positions Payroll administrator Employee benefits administrator Compensation & benefits manager Health & safety officer HRIS analyst HR clerk HR coordinator HR generalist HR supervisor HR consultant HR manager Labour relations advisor Labour relations manager Recruitment coordinator Professional recruiter Executive-level positions Health & safety director HR director CHRO

1 year 7 years 43.7– 52.3 54.6 – 65.4 52.0 – 61.5 64.0 – 75.8 81.2 – 98.4 98.6 – 119.5 55.9 – 65.4 71.8 – 84.0 51.2 – 61.2 70.7 – 84.7 42.5 – 49.6 52.3 – 61.2 44.1 – 53.4 53.7 – 65.2 55.5 – 66.5 62.6 – 75.0 58.2 – 70.6 71.6 – 86.8 61.8 – 75.0 76.1 – 92.2 77.6 – 94.1 95.4 – 115.7 60.3 – 73.2 76.9 – 93.2 86.0 – 104.3 114.6 – 138.9 41.4 – 48.9 52.6 – 62.3 54.6 – 66.2 66.4 – 80.6 Company’s revenue $10M $1B 82.5 – 108.8 132.1 – 174.3 94.7 – 130.9 149.0 – 205.6 113.0 – 191.6 194.1 – 326.5

MONTREAL

CALGARY General positions Payroll administrator Employee benefits administrator Compensation & benefits manager Health & safety officer HRIS analyst HR clerk HR coordinator HR generalist HR supervisor HR consultant HR manager Labour relations advisor Labour relations manager Recruitment coordinator Professional recruiter Executive-level positions Health & safety director HR director CHRO

1 year 7 years 44.6 - 53.6 55.9 - 66.8 53.5 - 63.4 65.9 - 77.9 83.2 - 100.5 100.6 - 121.5 58.0 - 67.8 74.2 - 86.5 52.5 - 62.8 72.5 - 86.7 43.2 - 50.6 53.3 - 62.3 44.8 - 54.4 54.7 - 66.3 57.2 - 68.5 64.5 - 77.1 60.0 - 72.7 73.7 - 89.0 63.7 - 77.1 78.2 - 94.4 79.6 - 96.2 97.5 - 117.7 62.2 - 75.3 79.0 - 95.3 88.1 - 106.3 116.5 - 141.0 42.1 - 49.9 53.6 - 63.4 56.2 - 60.4 68.4 - 82.7 Company’s revenue $10M $1B 84.6 - 110.8 134.2 - 176.3 96.7 - 132.9 151.2 - 207.6 115.0 - 193.6 196.2 – 328.3

General positions Payroll administrator Employee benefits administrator Compensation & benefits manager Health & safety officer HRIS analyst HR clerk HR coordinator HR generalist HR supervisor HR consultant HR manager Labour relations advisor Labour relations manager Recruitment coordinator Professional recruiter Executive level positions Health & safety director HR director CHRO

1 year 7 years 41.5 – 49.6 51.7 – 61.9 49.1 – 58.1 60.4 – 71.5 76.5 – 93.1 93.2 – 113.4 53.1 – 62.1 68.0 – 79.7 48.3 – 57.9 66.9 – 80.3 40.2 – 47.0 49.5 – 57.8 41.7 – 50.5 50.8 – 61.5 52.4 – 62.8 59.0 – 70.8 55.0 – 66.6 67.5 – 82.0 58.3 – 70.7 71.8 – 87.2 73.1 – 88.9 90.2 – 109.7 56.9 – 69.1 72.5 – 88.1 81.1 – 98.7 108.6 – 131.9 39.2 – 46.3 49.7 – 58.8 51.6 – 62.5 62.7 – 76.1 Company’s revenue $10M $1B 77.8 – 103.0 125.5 – 165.7 89.4 – 124.3 141.6 – 196.1 107.2 – 182.5 185.0 – 314.4

Source: Randstad’s 2016 Salary Guide. All salaries are annual and are represented in thousand Canadian dollars, rounded off to the nearest hundred. For example, 37.4 is the equivalent of $37,400 per year.

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FEATURES

HR SALARY & JOBS GUIDE

“Being the bread and butter within HR, generalist positions are always required, and demand is always relative to the economy”

year-over-year analysis of pay, we found that professional-level pay is coming in at around $85,000 to $100,000 with a 10% to 15% potential bonus – that hasn’t really changed,” Thomson says. “Management roles are demanding $90,000 to $120,000 with a bonus potential of 10% to 20%, depending on the organization. In our results, we see that HR business partners are getting paid at the higher end; next are recruitment roles, and then talent and development.”

Steven Osiel, Accompass

A major trend in recent years has been the rise of contingent workers. Most HR departments have always believed in bringing in student interns in order to aid their personal and professional development and support the business. Osiel does believe, however, that contingency workers are not best placed to support the function of HR. “Having said that, when there are special projects – such as the implementation of an HR system, a performance management strategy, or when specialized analytics are required – there may be more opportunity and visibility of contingent workers,” he says. “But again, due the complexity of the HR department and the functions it undertakes, it

Other key trends

TOP 5 BENEFITS ADDED IN 2016

Better technology

Ability to work from home

Flexible work hours

Pension/RRSP contribution/ matching

Gym membership

Individual performance-related bonuses

usually takes six months to a year to get up to speed and truly add value.”

Getting ahead As executive pay stagnates and competition heats up, HR leaders are under increasing pressure to build a full suite of relevant, up-to-date skills in order to maximize their earning potential. “The number-one thing for HR leaders to do is get a better understanding of business strategy and the organization’s financials, and make sure that HR strategy is aligned to supporting the business’s aims,” Osiel says. “The more they know about the business itself, the stronger they will be as an employee, and the stronger HR will be as a department.” In order to achieve this, HR leaders need to step out of their traditional comfort zones and get familiar with the world of business, whether that’s operations, distributions or logistics. Ambitious HR employees need to develop a deeper understanding of what helps the business generate revenue if they want to be in line for a promotion or be ready to step into a more senior position at a different organization. “It’s also very important for HR professional to have great presentation skills and be able to synthesize a wide array of information to non-HR professionals, like a management or senior management group,” Osiel says. “HR leaders also need to have strong numerical skills beyond the traditional HR staffing requirements. HR has always been very strong on conflict resolution and other ‘people’ elements, but the better they are at the analytical side, the numerical side, the better a position the organization will be in.” Source for all graphics: 2016 Hays Compensation, Benefits, Recruitment and Retention Guide

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2016-09-21 8/11/2016 6:52:123:15 AMPM

FEATURES

COVER STORY: RISING STARS

HRD spotlights 31 young professionals who are leading HR into 2017 and beyond

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WELCOME TO HRD’s annual Rising Stars list. We asked you, our readers, to nominate young HR professionals who you believe are doing outstanding work. You responded with enthusiasm – the HRD team received a record number of nominations. The final list of 31 professionals profiled over the following pages is a stellar collection of up-andcoming superstars – all of whom have less than 10 years of experience in the industry.

From tackling complicated IR/ER challenges to advocating for groundbreaking D&I initiatives and being ‘go-to’ experts for CEOs and other senior executives, these professionals are adding value to their workplaces and the industry as a whole. They are all demonstrating clear career progression and are enviously high achievers. If this list is any guide, the future of the HR profession is in capable hands.

INDEX BY COMPANY COMPANY

PAGE

NAME

COMPANY

PAGE

NAME

Bank of Canada

Andrea Waldrum

KPMG

Emilie Inakazu

Bird Construction

Kristin Everts-Clark

Kubota Materials Canada Corporation

Lindsay LeBoeuf

Canada Lands Company

Jennifer Colucci

Libro Credit Union

Becky Dietrich

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Mundeep Gill

MacDon Industries

Shelby Harrison

Cancer Care Ontario

Kelle Courage

Mackenzie Investments

Lavender Jajj

Catelli Foods Corporation

Amanda Cross

Brittany Blue

City of Edmonton

Shahid Wazed

McMan Youth, Family and Community Services Association

City of St. John’s

Charity Lawrence

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation

Kathleen Teixeira

DAC Group

Brad Fernandes

PepsiCo Foods Canada

Ernest Mistica

E-Comm 9-1-1

Sara Colliss

River Cree Resort and Casino

Laura Yu

EllisDon Corporation

Maria Vilshanski

Empire Communities

Veronica Breton

Singleton Urquhart

Jeremy Howe

Farmers Edge

Janessa Johnston

The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ

Chris Ross

First Credit Union

Angie Poulsen

Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre

Adam Shaen

Giant Tiger Stores

Sarah D'Angelo

Tolko Industries

Catherine Bariesheff

Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Community Care Access Centre

Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre

Nicole Burke

Sarah Vertlieb

Woodbine Entertainment Group

Pavlo Farmakidis

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FEATURES

COVER STORY: RISING STARS BRITTANY BLUE HR assistant McMan Youth, Family and Community Services Association

Brittany Blue’s primary role as an HR professional has been geared toward training and empowering young people and preparing them for the workplace. In addition to her work for a nonprofit social services agency, she also serves as co-vice-president for the MacEwan University HR Club, where she is responsible for arranging workshops and talks in partnership with the Human Resources Institute of Alberta, other recruitment partners and organizations, and the university career services department. These events include training sessions on building resumes, crafting professional profiles and managing promotion through LinkedIn, as well as presentations on professional attire and proper comportment in the workplace.

NICOLE BURKE HR manager Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre

As HR manager at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, Nicole Burke understands that compensation is always a top concern for employees, but this is a significant benchmarking challenge for HR given the numerous unique roles (over 200) in the organization. In response, Burke and her team reviewed all existing compensation plans and market data, and sourced compensation information from similar organizations for benchmarking. Then she helped design a communication plan to help employees understand how rates are determined. Burke acknowledges the challenge of labour shortages as well, and is looking to implement more creative recruitment methods that emphasize the uniqueness of her organization. She also has mentored college and university students and others through the Human Resources Management Association mentoring program. “My advice to them is always the same: Look for a role that is more generalist in nature to learn the ins and outs of HR, and if they still want to specialize in something [afterwards], do it!”

VERONICA BRETON

Human capital coordinator Empire Communities

In the year that Veronica Breton has been with homebuilding company Empire Communities, she has already made a number of contributions to the HC department, including helping source and implement a new applicant tracking system, leading the onboarding program for multiple levels in the organization, and even participating in a recent employment termination case. Breton is also part of the Joint Health & Safety Committee, which conducts health and safety inspections at head office, and has just received her first aid and CPR certification. To help implement relevant wellness initiatives, she has organized lunch-and-learn sessions for employees. “Although she is very early in her career, she is an achiever who already thinks strategically and adapts to any situation,” says a colleague. “She can see what we are trying to achieve [as an organization].”

ADAM SHAEN

Organizational development consultant Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre

Adam Shaen certainly has had a lot on his plate this year; on top of his full-time work in HR, he is working on a second master’s degree and teaching post-secondary HR students at Confederation College while also raising a family. For Shaen, HR is not just a job title, but a mindset. “I view my experience in HR as much more than simply a job,” he says. “My job as an organizational development consultant is one aspect of my profession … this role is complemented by the continual pursuit of education and development, as well as meaningful teaching and mentorship experiences.” Shaen’s current focus is on improving employee engagement by providing more avenues for feedback, facilitating regular exchanges with employees, implementing the necessary changes and conducting follow-ups to demonstrate accountability. He’s also a firm believer that any HR initiative should improve the customer experience. “A sound foundational knowledge in the HR field is requisite for your success,” he says. “Equally significant is the ability to understand your business and its operations.”

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CATHERINE BARIESHEFF HR advisor Tolko Industries

Given the challenges regularly faced by manufacturers in terms of labour management and costs, Catherine Bariesheff’s role in recruitment at Tolko Industries is crucial to the sustainability of the business. She has developed recruitment training modules to improve hiring competencies. Her expertise in the hiring and training of foreign workers has been invaluable, particularly in processing the required Labour Market Impact Assessments. Bariesheff has also contributed to the increased use of technology for internal communications and recruitment, such as implementing a recruitment app to monitor candidates’ applications, developing content for iPad kiosks used at career fairs, and centralizing the student recruitment process. A colleague describes her as “the go-to person for full-cycle recruiting for positions at all levels,” and says her ability “to blend her strength as a creative thinker with practical implementation” has made her a key player on the HR team.

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8/11/2016 6:54:34 AM

FEATURES

COVER STORY: RISING STARS

MARIA VILSHANSKI

Senior talent acquisition specialist EllisDon Corporation

Everyone knows that time is of the essence when it comes to projects; thus, when construction company EllisDon Corporationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s joint-venture partners struggled to provide staffing needed to complete a project, Maria Vilshanski was tasked to step in and help the team deliver. In 10 monthsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; time, she managed to recruit more than 100 new employees to help sustain the project. Moreover, she made sure the candidates hired would be effective in their roles by clearly presenting to them the requirements of their positions and the opportunities the project could offer. She managed to achieve all this despite the difficulty of finding the specialist skills required and not being based in the local market. Instead of resorting to a third-party recruitment firm, she used internal referrals and contacted candidates she had built relationships with. Perhaps more impressively, she tapped into the passive candidate market via LinkedIn.

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SARA COLLISS

SARAH D’ANGELO

HR advisor E-Comm 9-1-1

HR manager Giant Tiger Stores

Sarah D’Angelo knows that it’s crucial for an organization to have properly defined roles and responsibilities prior to recruitment. Thus, she is currently working on a job evaluation project to consider all the positions in her company’s home office and warehouse and set up clear compensation bands. D’Angelo considers this “the foundation for many other HR initiatives, such as career mapping, talent development, succession planning [and] performance management.” She’s also working on developing a clear talent acquisition strategy and retention plan by conducting interviews with new employees to gather feedback and suggestions on benefits and work arrangements. “I think the key is to keep our finger on the pulse with respect to what is important to, and what motivates, our employees,” she says.

As HR advisor for the largest 9-1-1 centre in BC, Sara Colliss’ focus has consistently been about health, safety and wellness. A recent major challenge for Colliss has been helping to ensure the mental wellness of 9-1-1 call-takers and dispatchers, who are constantly under stress due to the nature of their work. To address this, she and the HR team are continually working on implementing stress management and health awareness programs, and extending preventative ability management and accommodation programs as necessary. Colliss has also developed and launched a grassroots corporate wellness program, which she considers her most significant recent achievement; the program is led by an employee wellness committee that introduces initiatives based on regular feedback from staff.

BECKY DIETRICH

KELLE COURAGE

Group manager, employee development, people & culture Cancer Care Ontario

Kelle Courage has been with Cancer Care Ontario since 2012, but took on a role in HR last year as the next step in a career path that has seen her work in strategy and operations/ project management roles. Since starting in HR, Courage has built the organizational development function and strategy as it evolves at CCO. This has included piloting an internal promotion program, which she’s working to make permanent. She has also replaced manual functions and rolled out a new online professional development plan [PDP], which included revamping performance reviews and redesigning the documentation process, as well as educating leaders and staff about distinguishing between performance & development goals and cascading leadership goals. Following the training sessions for the new PDP process, Courage has launched learning programs following the 70/20/10 model. Her next objective is to build and launch a comprehensive leadership development program.

HR programs specialist Libro Credit Union

As a specialist tasked with implementing key HR initiatives, Becky Dietrich takes charge of educating herself and training her colleagues on all matters related to health & safety, as well as diversity & inclusion. To build her knowledge, she has taken courses and received certifications in these areas, as well as for ergonomics, while finishing the requirements to receive a CHRL designation. Dietrich conducts detailed assessments for Libro’s various branches to ensure the offices follow ergonomic standards, and manages intranet content to engage staff and address related concerns. Since her diversity & inclusion training, she has arranged workshops for the rest of the HR team and for new managers and supervisors, and helped the board of directors compose a D&I statement to pursue a cohesive D&I strategy. Her skillfulness as a facilitator and speaker has allowed her to participate in many external events, through which she provides mentoring to others while gathering new ideas and insights for the company.

AMANDA CROSS Manager, human resources and health & safety Catelli Foods Corporation

For the past six years, Amanda Cross has worked her way from being an administrator to a manager for human resources and health & safety. In the past 12 to 18 months, she has made a significant impact on the company’s turnover by adapting the staffing plan to align with changes in company culture, which has resulted in 11.5% reduction in turnover. To boost employee engagement, Cross has introduced a number of recognition programs that provide rewards for safety compliance. She also implemented an improved attendance management program that resulted in a 2% reduction in absenteeism, and created a Corrective Action Policy to ensure consistency in investigation procedures and a progressive disciplinary process. Cross also coaches the company’s leaders on assessing, identifying and developing high-potential employees consistent with the company’s expectations.

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8/11/2016 6:54:39 AM

FEATURES

COVER STORY: RISING STARS

PAVLO FARMAKIDIS

MUNDEEP GILL

SHELBY HARRISON

Recruitment coordinator Woodbine Entertainment Group

Senior analyst, process optimization & vendor SLA Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

HR administrator MacDon Industries

As a recruitment coordinator at Woodbine Entertainment Group, Pavlo Farmakidis certainly knows how to hook people – for example, by arranging a Pokemon Go Job Fair. In this innovative program, Farmakidis worked to set up three ‘PokeStops’ and a ‘Pokemon Gym’ at the Woodbine booth and hired two expert Pokemon Go players to set ‘lures.’ The lures attracted people from all walks of life to Woodbine’s booth, where he could let them know about current vacancies at the company. The tactic drew nearly 500 avid player candidates in search of employment. Farmakidis’ strategy was featured on several popular online news sources, and the ingenuity he displayed by tapping into one of the most immersive technology crazes of 2016 demonstrates how HR can get creative with recruitment strategies, while giving a major boost to their employer’s brand among new entrants to the job market.

Optimizing human resources delivery requires streamlining company processes in order to save time, effort and costs, with the goal of providing a desired experience. This is precisely Mundeep Gill’s role at CMHC. He was a project manager on the payroll administration outsourcing project for the company in 2015/2016. He also played an active role in the design and implementation of a revamped HR service delivery model that took internal HR capacity and third party service offerings into account. Gill also worked on the HR system & service delivery benchmarking project (in partnership with Ernst & Young), and through this exercise, played a lead role in conducting an HR governance review to provide the groundwork for setting related parameters within the company’s frontline HR operations framework. Gill’s work regularly involves extensive research into HR best practices and emerging trends which are used to inform on-going work in the HR Transformation and Technology Team at CMHC.

As a member of the HR team for a manufacturer with international operations, Shelby Harrison faces quite the challenge in ensuring that compensation and benefits packages are aligned. For the past year, she has been working on the company’s benefit coverage in the US, which has involved extensive research on best practices and careful documentation of all relevant processes. The project requires significant knowledge of US legislation, so she is growing her expertise in this area through webinars and research. Harrison is also working to learn more about the recruitment process in light of MacDon Industries’ continuing growth, which saw the company open a new parts distribution centre in Winnipeg this year. Her advice to young HR professionals? Keep learning and maintain a professional attitude for a successful career in HR. Her career achievements thus far include being named as a finalist in the Rising Stars category of the recently held Canadian HR Awards.

KRISTIN EVERTS-CLARK HR manager Bird Construction

Kristin Everts-Clark’s earnest and straightforward attitude makes her a trustworthy member of Bird Construction’s HR team. “Personable but frank, she doesn’t shy away from crucial, difficult or fierce conversations, and is understood to always have the best interests of the organization and the individual in mind,” her manager says. One of Everts-Clark’s key contributions to the company has been the introduction of personality profiling as a recruitment tool and a leadership development facilitator. To ensure effective implementation, she obtained the necessary certification and began training other managers on how to administer the tool. Given this new expertise, she has been assigned to take over the previously outsourced training module at the company’s leadership academy.

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22/11/2016 5:04:14 AM

JEREMY HOWE

HR coordinator Singleton Urquhart

Jeremy Howe’s contributions as HR coordinator at Singleton Urquhart have been invaluable in promoting wellness and improving talent management practices. Within a short time, Howe has streamlined the company’s onboarding process to help new hires integrate into the firm and follow a manageable learning pace to ensure success within the company. In addition, he introduced a three-month wellness challenge that incorporated activities promoting both physical fitness and mental wellness, and arranged for employees to participate in teams and accumulate points. He also set up a feedback loop during the challenge to let employees share their experiences.

EMILIE INAKAZU Manager, HR Shared Service Centre KPMG

KPMG’s HR focus for the past couple of years has been on developing a talent pipeline, and Emilie Inakazu has been significantly involved in these major initiatives. The most recent example is a firm-wide campus program that extends opportunities for young professionals to work in various business units and gain the experience needed to start off their careers. To ensure the success of the program, Inakazu set up the mechanisms needed to measure the effectiveness of the program, conducted data analysis and presented the results to the steering committee, which was then able to improve the program for the following year. In the course of recruiting junior talent, Inakazu also conducts information sessions for students considering careers in HR, which helps grow KPMG’s talent pipeline and positions the company so it’s front of mind for future HR stars.

LAVENDER JAJJ

HR systems & reporting specialist Mackenzie Investments

Many companies are still struggling to apply Big Data to produce quality insights, but Mackenzie Investments’ Lavender Jajj is ahead of the game. After being promoted to HR systems specialist last year, she began managing the company’s data in a SAP platform and conducting analysis to support senior management’s business decisions. She also helped implement an employee self-service system through SAP, and conducted the research and selection process for new exit interview software. In addition, she sourced software that can be used to create an HR dashboard, which has greatly reduced the time needed to prepare reporting; she also took existing HR org chart software and streamlined the time to prepare companywide org charts. In the interests of sharing best practice, Jajj is more than willing to pass on her expertise to other employees.

JANESSA JOHNSTON HR generalist Farmers Edge

By all measures, Janessa Johnston has had an exceptional year. She says her proudest achievement in 2016 has been her involvement in building the HR function for Farmers Edge, not just locally but internationally. Johnston has played a critical role in hiring over 200 employees, while concurrently building programs and policies, and supporting employees and managers on global growth strategies. The recruitment initiatives were carefully integrated into the organization’s operational strategies. Johnston worked closely with various departments to learn what their long-term goals were, and how they planned for the long-term success of the company. She then developed a clear plan for the recruitment, selection and retention of staff. Looking ahead, Johnston’s biggest challenge will be aligning the business’ goals with HR planning, all while ensuring compliance with international labour legislation. Her advice to HR newcomers? “Find a mentor and ask lots of questions – getting exposure to real life situations is crucial in finding your footing.”

CHARITY LAWRENCE HR officer City of St. John’s

After finishing her HRM course in 2011, Charity Lawrence began working for the HR department of the City of St. John’s as a clerk, and was promoted to HR assistant shortly after. In 2014, she moved into her current position and was assigned to handle labour relations and unionized recruitment, which involved participating in contract negotiations that were tied up with pension reform. Apart from managing regular recruitment and decentralizing a portion of the process to improve efficiency, Lawrence was tasked to lead the installation of an applicant tracking system and coordinate with the vendor on how to incorporate the company’s recruitment process. This has entailed creating new processes and training material, conducting demos, and studying IT systems more intensively. She has accomplished all this while working on a degree in HR and labour relations.

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FEATURES

COVER STORY: RISING STARS LINDSAY LEBOEUF

Labour relations business partner Kubota Materials Canada Corporation

Lindsay LeBoeuf is currently facing the challenge of revamping several aspects of Kubota Materials Canada’s HR function – including recruitment, performance management, compensation systems, employee engagement and labour relations – in a tight timeframe. Her efforts have led to a successful first stage, which included 360-degree reviews for all employees and tying individual objectives to the business plan. A variable compensation plan was also introduced. “With minimal direction, Lindsay performed the impossible,” a colleague says. “I have been an international HR executive for over 25 years, and never have I been exposed to such an amazing talent.”

ERNEST MISTICA HR generalist PepsiCo Foods Canada

Ernest Mistica oversees two major aspects of HR: talent acquisition and organization, and management development. He is part of the global team for the latter; in his first year, he was able to introduce leadership development programs and core people processes while conducting assessments on multiple levels. He is also part of an organizing committee for PepsiCo Foods’ employee resource group, which aims to develop and enhance interpersonal relations between the various generations that make up the company’s workforce. Mistica is a strong proponent of higher education in HR, and has participated as mentor and organizer for Ryerson University’s HR career mentorship program, as well as HR coach for Jeux Du Commerce, a national student case competition held in Ontario and Manitoba.

ANGIE POULSEN HR manager First Credit Union

Angie Poulsen is certainly on a winning streak, given her list of accomplishments in just over a year. She has tackled issues that most seasoned HR professionals would find daunting, including dealing with complex employee investigations, being the project lead for implementing a new HRIS system, overseeing disability management, and handling challenging labour relations and performance management issues. On top of this, she has undertaken an executive compensation evaluation process for board of director approval, and played a key part in a recent division reorganization that involved employee restructuring. “Angie leads by example,” says a colleague, “and her passion and commitment are both inspiring and motivating for all who have the opportunity to work with her.”

CHRIS ROSS HR manager Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group

Chris Ross sees the need for a multifaceted understanding of and integrated approach to HR, which has pushed him to learn about every function of his company, from operations to IT to finance and compliance. By working closely with key business leaders, Ross has gained the perspective needed to drive the company’s people services strategy and align it with various organizational units, as well as coach and support managers and employees to help them succeed in the company. On top of implementing new talent acquisition and learning management systems, Ross redesigned the organizational structure to make it conducive for workforce planning and restructured the company’s benefits and pension practices. He also led the rebranding strategy for the company’s Canadian operations, handling the communications, website design and content management.

JENNIFER COLUCCI

HR advisor Canada Lands Company

Jennifer Colucci joined Canada Lands Company in 2013 as an HR associate and was promoted to the advisor role, based in the corporate office, in 2015. She has been deemed a subject-matter expert on processes relating to compensation and performance management. Colucci helped launch a new performance management review software tool and facilitated a smooth and accurate transition from a paper-based/manual review process to an online system for three business divisions. Today, she remains the designated trainer for the software and oversees the maintenance and enhancements of the tool. Colucci is also responsible for internal job evaluations, and recently led an executive compensation review, conducting comprehensive industry research on executive salary structure best practices. She also leads the annual review of the pay equity process and ensures legal compliance. In addition, she has helped develop a formal succession plan for crucial roles in the company.

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BRAD FERNANDES HR business partner DAC Group

Change is constant in business, and Brad Fernandes understands this all too well, given the transition initiatives he has been involved with and his experience working with different leaders. For the past year, DAC Group, a digital marketing firm, has made significant revisions to its corporate policies for all the North American offices, transitioned to a new performance management program, introduced new payroll standards and launched a new HRIS, all of which Fernandes has contributed to on top of his regular responsibilities. Beyond the programs and tools, Fernandes has provided support to the VP of HR following his transition from a general manager role, for which he is greatly commended: “I have a strong reliance on Brad for insight into our DAC community and for all things related to HR best practices. Not only has Brad been an extraordinary HR practitioner, he has an incredible passion for the profession. That love for HR shows and translates well to our staff, who find him very approachable and an internal ‘go-to’ person for matters pertaining to human resources.”

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FEATURES

COVER STORY: RISING STARS KATHLEEN TEIXEIRA Manager, talent acquisition Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation

Kathleen Teixeira definitely deserves a spot on this list, having been named Rising Star of the Year at the recent Canadian HR Awards. In the midst of a massive transformation and volatile circumstances at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, including divestitures and launch of a new operating model, Teixeira was able to come up with a talent acquisition strategy that fit the business objectives and addressed the high volume of open positions. She has worked hard to train the team in technological and social media know-how in order to boost her employer’s brand and effectively tap into talent hubs. She also has been able to showcase her skill in assessing people. “When meeting with prospective candidates, she knows how to draw people out, allowing them to demonstrate who they are and what they are capable of,” a colleague says. Her strategy and initiatives have resulted in the recruitment of more high-quality candidates, bringing about a significant cultural shift within the HR team and throughout the organization.

SARAH VERTLIEB HR manager, operations Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant Community Care Access Centre

Sarah Vertlieb started out as an assistant in patient care before moving on to HR roles to help look after the staff and help her organization stay true to its promise of “outstanding care – every person, every day.” Her most recent accomplishment is successfully implementing a ‘float model’ of staffing, which helps cover planned and unplanned employee absences to ensure appropriate staffing levels for patient care. It also includes orientation, development of related job aids and collaborative development of a float self-scheduling component. Vertlieb has also assumed responsibility for payroll, benefits and recruitment by supporting staff and related processes in all three areas. She is currently preparing for her first opportunity to delve into collective bargaining by reviewing the current collective agreement and identifying issues to bring to the table.

LAURA YU

HR generalist River Cree Resort and Casino

Laura Yu’s most notable accomplishment this year was creating a first-time event for her employer: a health and wellness fair. More than 800 employees participated in the fair, which Yu organized to help them become aware of the wellness resources available in their community. To set up the event, she handled everything from marketing to logistics, organized the food and beverage options, and chose the artwork, all in the course of a few months and on top of her regular responsibilities. Yu has worked in various industries, from oil & gas to nonprofit, education and now hospitality. She has received recognition from two different employers for her efforts in the past two years.

SHAHID WAZED Team lead, recruitment sourcing strategies City of Edmonton

Shahid Wazed decided to put his master’s degree in e-commerce to good use by helping the City of Edmonton source key talent. He started off with a Facebook page, which yielded great results and led to his promotion to the team lead role. The page also received several international awards in competition with more than 100 municipalities across North America. Through Wazed’s initiative, the City of Edmonton became the first employer in Canada to implement ‘mobile-apply,’ which allows candidates to apply for jobs through mobile devices in just 30 seconds. Again demonstrating his commitment to innovation, Wazed’s most recent effort is the City of Edmonton Career Chat – podcasts featuring job search tips and career advice with the city’s new hires, top performers and hiring managers. Boasting 600 downloads in less than two months, Wazed is transforming the way Edmonton attracts top talent.

ANDREA WALDRUM

Employee relations specialist Bank of Canada

After working in the Bank of Canada’s currency department, Andrea Waldrum decided to move into HR. She started in recruitment in 2012, and has subsequently moved on to employee relations and wellness. She has worked extensively on the bank’s health & safety program, handling technical and complex aspects such as disability management, employment law, and dispute mediation and resolution. Her most recent successes include delivering training on duty to accommodate and respectful work environments, as well as successfully leading the complex reorganization of a department.

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8/11/2016 6:55:06 AM

HRD

Vancouver Convention Centre • April 4th, 2017 www.west.hrleaders.ca

BRIAN SCUDAMORE

JERRY GRATTON

STACY DONOVAN ZAPAR

Founder & CEO O2E Brands

VP, People & Culture O2E Brands

Founder Tenfold

TODD HIRSCH

LORNE RUBIS

KERI FRASER

ASHLEY DALZIEL

Chief Economist ATB Financial

Chief People Officer ATB Financial

Senior Director, Human Resources – North America Colliers International

VP, People & Culture Freshii

Focusing on HR and business issues that matter to HR leaders in Western Canada - this is an event you won’t want to miss!

Registration opens on November 22, 2016

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FEATURES

HR STRATEGY

Thinking outside of the silo Despite the Ulrich model being fundamental to HR for more than 15 years, like all business structures and functions, it too must evolve. Miklos Bolza talks to leading HR expert Norm Smallwood about how HR should structurally shift to become even more strategic

CREATED IN 1999, the Ulrich model forms the foundation of modern-day HR and has allowed a generation of professionals to shift the HR function from administration to strategy. Change is always constant, however,

more about the Ulrich model and its future than anyone except for the model’s namesake. In recent publications, even Ulrich himself has examined the way HR should transform. “Sometimes when I read these critiques of

“In companies where HR focuses on building those capabilities, HR is a significant player in the business and contributes to investor confidence. The best companies know this and really play to that” and some are saying it’s time for the Ulrich model to evolve. One of these advocates for a new type of HR structure is none other than Norm Smallwood, who co-founded The RBL Group with Dave Ulrich in 2000. Smallwood has co-authored eight books with Ulrich, and as a result, perhaps knows

Dave, they’re really critiquing stuff he wrote like the Ulrich model,” Smallwood says. “That was 1999, and it’s 2016. We’ve written eight books on this stuff.”

From HR to investor confidence Change is needed to bring HR into a more

strategic position, where senior HR leaders can actually accomplish business goals and boost investor confidence, Smallwood says. This shift has been spurred by business trends over the past several decades. “Before 1980, earnings or financial results accounted for about 95% of stock price,” he says. “From 1980 until now, financial results or earnings accounted for about half of share price, so that’s a significant shift.” Intangibles account for the remainder of a stock’s price, Smallwood says. This is because instead of looking to the past to determine how a company will perform, investors started to look to the future. This has led to four factors that could impact investor (and customer) confidence: • Delivering on earnings • A clear and compelling business strategy • Technical core competencies aligned to the business strategy • Aligned social or cultural capabilities to create uniqueness “These kinds of social or cultural capabilities are things like innovation, efficiency, speed, customer connectivity, collaboration, leadership and talent,” Smallwood says. “We looked at that and said, ‘Gee, who’s responsible for that part of it?’ Of course, the answer is HR.” Because of this, HR lies at the true foundation of how a firm can build investor confidence, Smallwood says.

A matter of capability Companies like Google are classic examples of organizations that have realized this change of focus and acted upon it. “The [now former] head of HR at Google, Laszlo Bock, has been really focused on building a culture that’s consistent with what I’m talking about,” Smallwood says. “The culture at Google is around learning and innovation. And who is responsible? An HR guy.” There are six different value propositions business strategy can be built around: low price, great service, innovation, speed, quality

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performance and customer connectivity. Each of these corresponds to specific capabilities. “In companies where HR focuses on building those capabilities, HR is a significant player in the business and contributes to investor confidence,” Smallwood says. “The best companies know this and really play to that. They don’t only do it, but they talk about it. It becomes a part of how they talk to investors, customers, etc. You’re not talking about HR now; you’re talking about a culture.” This means HR needs to shift from traditional activities such as L&D and performance management and move toward business capabilities like innovation, efficiency, speed, collaboration and customer connectivity. Each firm should choose two capabilities to focus on and build these until they are worldclass, Smallwood says. The rest should be aligned with industry parity. The challenge is knowing how to integrate various HR practices to align with these particular competencies and culture.

“Things like innovation, efficiency, speed, customer connectivity, collaboration, leadership and talent ... we said, ‘Gee, who’s responsible for that part of it?’ Of course, the answer is HR” Breaking out of the silo Smallwood cites the story of one firm – a medical services company – that shifted completely to this new HR model, creating centres of expertise around the primary focus of innovation. To do this, they answered three foundational questions: 1. Which topics of innovation are most critical to our business? 2. Which participants should we involve in the conversation? 3. Which forums should we work in with our leaders? The company held internal innovation conferences around these identified topics to

SMALLWOOD’S 4 STEPS TO HR TRANSFORMATION

TRADITIONAL HR MODEL From: HR activities

To: Organization capabilities (Deliverables)

1. Understand critical business issues from the perspective of the business.

Recruiting Performance management

Internally focused HR activities

Compensation Training & development

put their plans into action. “It was both content and process facilitation around driving that while keeping the innovation vibe alive,” Smallwood says. As a result, HR became more focused on the business. With HR organized around one or two capabilities, people weren’t trying to optimize HR activities any more. “They were optimizing their capabilities as a team in a more interdisciplinary approach because they were organized, measured, rewarded and developed like that,” Smallwood says. “They weren’t siloed any more. They were focused on a different thing, which was to build that capability.”

2. Understand the financial, marketing and economic framework around the new model.

OD Benefits

NEW HR MODEL To: Organization capabilities (Deliverables) From: HR activities

Leadership

Talent

Efficiency

Recruiting Performance management Compensation Training & development OD Benefits

Targeted organization capabilities

Collaboration

3. Design the organization to deliver value to the business rather than just to HR.

4. Invest in the skills required to drive business value in addition to being individually effective.

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LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT INSIGHT

COACHING

Coaching comes of age HRD sat down with Françoise Morissette of Queen’s University to discuss the changing nature of professional coaching and why organizational leaders need support

PROFESSIONAL COACHING has devel oped rapidly in the past decade. Attitudes around lifelong learning have shifted, and the realization that leaders of all stripes require development in order to succeed at the indi vidual and organizational levels has led to greater investment in coaching. An executive with 20-plus years of tech nical expertise might not have the ability, or confidence, to lead a team of hungry young account managers. A seasoned financial officer might not be equipped with the skills to lead a team focused on technological innovations. As traditional career paths evolve, lateral career moves are becoming more common place. By embracing coaching, smart organiz ations are acknowledging that every leader cannot be an expert in every area. Empow ering leaders with skills to improve themselves and boost the organization’s bottom line, growth and sustainability is a real no-brainer.

The evolution of coaching Although coaching is now seen as a key component of talent management, its intro duction into the workplace was not so auspi cious. It was originally used for remedial purposes, to deal with unsatisfactory perform ance or behaviour. “In those days – which were not so long ago – coaching was viewed as the last stop before ‘termination station,’ and it only dealt with the bottom 20% of the talent pool,” explains Queen’s IRC facilitator and leadership expert

Françoise Morissette. “Slowly, organizations learned to address performance problems early, and that coaching investment must cover the entire talent spectrum, including high potentials. “It doesn’t matter if you have capital and great employees – if you have lousy leaders, the enterprise will fail.” Morissette continues. “Leaders influence 60% to 80% of organiza

coaches a Baby Boomer on a new technology. “As millennials become more numerous in the workplace, the coaching phenomenon will expand exponentially, as development is their top motivational driver,” Morissette says. “Coaching will become an integral part of the corporate culture. It will go in new directions and be embraced by all types and sizes of organization.”

Coaching cultures Along with designing coaching programs and infrastructures, some innovative organiza tions are creating ‘coaching cultures’ where coaching happens all the time – both informally and formally. “Instead of being just an activity or an event, it’s becoming a way of life,” Morissette says. “Telus, Shopify and WestJet are good examples of organizations building this type of culture. Ottawa-based Shopify, the most successful startup in Canada at the moment, is essentially a millennial organization intent on mobilizing employee knowledge and innovation potential.” The benefits of creating a culture that fosters proactive attitudes toward develop

“After coaching, managers do a much better job at resolving situations in a way that creates fewer problems for themselves, their employees and the organization” Françoise Morissette, Queen’s University Industrial Relations Centre tional results, and when this realization came about, it created an explosion in development in general and coaching in particular.” Today, millennials are having a tangible impact on attitudes related to professional development, and as a result, the direction of coaching is changing. Typically, coaching followed a top-down approach (provided by a boss or external consultant), but with the influx of millennials, peer coaching is fast gaining in popularity. Some organizations are even implementing bottom-up strategies, where, for example, a millennial staff member

ment are far-reaching for organizations, leaders and employees. An organization committed to coaching (regardless of the format) can expect more engaged and productive employees who perform better. According to the International Coaching Federation’s ICF Global Coaching Client Study, among employers who actively coach staff, 70% experienced improved work performance, 61% saw improved business management, 51% noticed an improvement in time management, and 51% reported an improvement in team effectiveness.

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Brought to you by

Benefits to employees Employees who receive coaching not only become more effective communicators and enhanced decision-makers, but also exhibit greater confidence and feel more valued by their employers. These individuals don’t just reap the benefits at work, though; research shows that coached employees feel more satisfied and prepared to tackle challenges in every aspect of their lives. Morissette witnessed this impact firsthand at a recent event, when two former coaching recipients were invited on stage to provide testimonials about the impact coaching had on their lives. “Both talked about their enhanced skills when dealing with children –especially teenagers – spouses and other family members,” she says. “As a result of the coaching he received, one speaker became a Little League sports coach. The benefits are huge for organizations, employees and the community.” Although coaching impacts every type of organization and employee, Morissette thinks that managers experience the biggest change in how they work day-to-day. Morissette gives the example of an engineer who

became the manager of her department because she was the most skilled expert. “Regardless of functional skills, someone who has never benefited from development on

managing people is going to struggle,” Morissette says. “Previously, without development, that manager may have been uncomfortable dealing with difficult performance problems, motivating employees or resolving conflict. After coaching, managers do a much better job at resolving those situations in a way that creates fewer problems for themselves, their employees and the organization.” In order to assist organizations in developing their employees and improving organizational performance, the Queen’s University Industrial Relations Centre has launched its own Coaching Skills program, which helps HR professionals and managers become more effective coaches. The course allows participants to explore several coaching dynamics and their impact, and apply proven models to facilitate conversations and improve performance at all levels. “The current program is Coaching 101: The Basics of Coaching,” Morissette says. “We teach the coaching context, concepts and process, the skills required. It’s very interactive and involves a lot of mini cases, applications and role-plays. We also use different ways to build skills such as providing feedback, asking good questions and improving listening. It’s a great program for anyone with an interest in talent development.”

ADVANTAGES OF COACHING When surveying employees who had received coaching, the ICF Global Coaching Client Study found that 80% felt their self-confidence had improved, 73% said coaching helped them improve relationships, 72% said their communication skills were improved, and 67% experienced an improved work-life balance.

70%

61%

57%

51%

Improved work performance

Improved business management

Improved time management

Improved team effectiveness

80%

73%

72%

67%

Improved selfconfidence

Improved relationships

Improved communication skills

Improved worklife balance

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FEATURES

ENGAGEMENT

All about the (employee) experience Employee expectations are changing, and keeping staff engaged and happy has never been a bigger challenge. Here, HRD looks at the core components of the ‘employee experience’ – sure-fire ways to improve retention rates ORGANIZATIONS HAVE never faced such challenges in retaining their talent. The changing attitudes of the workforce, combined with the slow destruction of the traditional career ladder, is forcing Canadian companies to rethink their approach in order to hold onto their top performers. To keep their talent satisfied, organizations are taking significant measures to improve the employee experience and build cultures that foster

wide-scale staff engagement. “Engagement plans and policies have had to change in recent years to reflect the changing workplace dynamics,” says Diane Locke, managing partner of talent management consultancy Ellis Locke & Associates. “There are now more millennials in the workplace than there are Generation X employees, and they will comprise 50% of the workforce by 2020. Although this gener-

5 CORE FACETS OF THE MODERN EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE Belonging: feeling part of a team, group or organization Purpose: understanding why one’s work matters Happiness: the pleasant feeling arising in and around work Achievement: a sense of accomplishment in the work that is done Vigour: the presence of energy, enthusiasm and excitement at work Source: IBM/Globoforce, “The Employee Experience Index”

ation is still interested in compensation and benefits, they are much more focused on the corporate culture and values, workplace flexibility, stimulating work, and opportunities for development.” Engagement plans have become increasingly important as organizations come to terms with millennials and the new set of expectations they bring into the workforce. Loyalty to a single employer is now a thing of the past, and it’s estimated that the average millennial will have 10 to 14 jobs by the age of 38. “Today’s employees are looking for new learning experiences, and they are prepared to move from organization to organization to get them,” Locke says. “What’s more, organizations are experiencing a talent gap due to the fact that certain roles are being automated, and new roles are emerging that require different skill set. These skill sets are in high demand.”

Where does HR fit in? Although HR has always played a role in helping to create environments that encourage employee engagement, its role is definitely expanding. “Today’s workers are looking for collaborative technologies and workspaces, and HR plays an important role in facilitating this: In organizations such as Airbnb, HR is responsible for overseeing facilities,” Locke says. “Employees also desire a fluid and flexible work environment where they can work wherever and whenever they want.” In order for organizations to reach their true potential, HR departments need to align their goals with those of the business. Competition in the modern age is stronger than ever, and if a business is to become an industry leader – whatever that industry may be – HR executives have a responsibility to lead this organizational synergy. The same goes for creating engagement plans and actively supporting the organization in developing

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strategies to measure workplace performance and keep the new generation of employees happy and engaged. “Millennials desire meaningful work, challenging projects and variation,” Locke says. “They don’t necessarily expect to move up the corporate ladder, but they do desire a career lattice. This requires creativity on the part of HR to create pathways for people to move laterally within the organization to experience new challenges.” Despite the retention challenges that many organizations face, only 5% of Canadian companies are confident that they

“Engagement plans and policies have had to change in recent years to reflect the changing workplace dynamics” Diane Locke, Ellis Locke & Associates have a clear talent management strategy and operational procedures in place. If the issues are so apparent, why is there such a reluctance, or is it a lack of awareness? “To have a robust talent management strategy requires executive level buy-in and support,”

Locke says. “Traditionally, it has been left to HR to manage, and when times are tough, HR is often the first place to experience cuts. HR can facilitate talent management, but it needs to be owned by the senior leadership team.”

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FEATURES

ENGAGEMENT

THE STATS ON EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE AND WORK PERFORMANCE Employees with less positive experiences are more than twice as likely to say they want to leave (44%) as those with much more positive experiences (21%). More than three-quarters of employees report a positive employee experience when they feel recognized for the good work they do (83%), compared to 38% who don’t receive recognition. Discretionary effort is nearly twice as high in strongly human work environments (95% versus 55%), suggesting a stronger employee experience can contribute to higher motivation to go above and beyond typical job duties. Modern employees expect their organizations to act with integrity in dealing with all manner of stakeholders, including the employees themselves. When those expectations are met, 83% of respondents describe a positive employee experience – 46% higher than when expectations are unmet. Supportive coworker relationships are also an important driver of a positive work experience. When those relationships are present in the workplace, many more employees report a positive employee experience (77%) than when that support is absent (35%). Source: IBM/Globoforce, “The Employee Experience Index”

Talent management for a new age Although there has been a lot of noise about Baby Boomers retiring en masse, in reality, this hasn’t happened: Many Boomers are opting to continue working. But even if an organization hasn’t seen a chunk of its skilled staff leave yet, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes a reality. Those without a structured talent management plan will face the consequences. “The talent gap is growing, and there is a competition brewing for key talent,” Locke says. “Make no mistake – there will be winners and losers. It takes time to develop a winning talent management strategy, and the organizations with the foresight to do so will have a distinct advantage.”

these targeted staff is crucial in order to fulfil key competency requirements to meet current and future strategic organizational objectives. “At times it will be necessary to put in place focused development plans to give people the training, mentoring support and experience they will need to fill key roles,” Locke says. “At other times, it may be necessary to recruit talent or outsource functions to satisfy requirements. Through all of these efforts, we need to be paying attention to how we attract, engage and retain key talent so that they are available to fill key roles when we need them.”

Engagement on all fronts Gary Beckstrand, vice-president of the O.C.

“Some companies are now spending dollars to make sure environments are better and people have access to things like free food and day care – things beyond the physical and environmental” Gary Beckstrand, O.C. Tanner Learning Institute Locke believes a sound talent management strategy is integral to engagement and retention. “It involves carefully crafting an employer brand that is attractive and creating an employee value proposition that allows organizations to recruit people who are aligned with the organizational culture and then developing the skills they require to be successful,” she says. “It requires that we provide stimulating work that keeps people engaged and learning, and that we give them opportunities to deploy their skills at the right time.” An effective talent management strategy also involves recruiting the right people into the right roles at the right time. Developing

Tanner Learning Institute, believes that an effective talent management strategy should clearly communicate to employees the difference that the organization is trying to make – both internally within its industry and externally to the outside world. “Employees are looking to work at places that are having an impact in the marketplace, but are also making efforts to treat the environment well and make charitable contributions,” Beckstrand says. “That’s an area in which employers can create a sense of purpose and then align employees to that culture and those aims.” The largest influencer of engagement is opportunity. All employees want room to

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grow, opportunities for personal and professional development, and the chance to make a tangible difference by doing great work. “When great work is being done, the next component of effective talent management is appreciation,” Beckstrand says. “How are employees feeling? Are they feeling valued? Are their contributions acknowledged and recognized? The best way you communicate, demonstrate, appreciate is through recognition.” Actively caring for, and taking action to safeguard, employees’ well-being is another key factor of a successful talent management strategy. People don’t just want to be seen as – or feel like – another cog in a big system. “Modern wellness strategies are now based on physical, social and emotional considerations,” Beckstrand says. “A lot of that is driven by the culture and interactions that happen within the workplace. Some companies are spending dollars to make sure environments are better and people have access to things like free food and day care – things beyond the physical and environmental that impact how employees feel.” Derek Irvine, executive VP of strategy and consulting services at Globoforce, believes that for the past decade or so, employers have been asking the wrong questions when it comes to employee engagement. “We’ve been asking, ‘How can we get more engagement; how can we get more discretionary effort; how can we get employees to give us more in the workplace?” Irvine says. “Organizations have been using the wrong verb, which creates the wrong mentality – they been takers. But how about if that was turned around and we started to ask, ‘How can we give employees a great employee experience?’” Irvine is confident that if organizations switch their employee engagement perspective from ‘take’ to ‘give,’ employees will begin to feel that their talents are being more appreciated, which will lead them being happier, more engaged and more likely to think their workplace is a great place to be.

THE NETFLIX CULTURE DECK A strong company culture is the building block to employee engagement, which is why organizations like Netflix have focused heavily on this element of the workplace experience. In a Harvard Business Review article, Patty McCord (chief talent officer at Netflix between 1998 and 2012) outlined how Netflix reinvented HR to create the viral Netflix Culture Deck [NCD]. The NCD is essentially a living set of behaviours and skills that the Netflix management team update continuously and fastidiously. It drives toward a single point: A company is like a pro sports team, where good managers are good coaches, and the goal is to field stars in every position. In discussing the NCD, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has opined the general lack of innovation in HR departments. “Many of the ideas in [the NCD] seem like common sense, but they go against traditional HR practices,” he said. “Why aren’t companies more innovative when it comes to talent management? As a society, we’ve had hundreds of years to work on managing industrial firms, so a lot of accepted HR practices are centred in that experience. We’re just beginning to learn how to run creative firms, which is quite different.” McCord wrote that “adult-like behaviour” is aligned with open discussion among bosses, colleagues and subordinates. “It means recognizing that even in companies with reams of HR policies, those policies are frequently skirted as managers and their reports work out what makes sense on a case-by-case basis.” According to McCord, managers should always be thinking forward – never settling for what they already have. “I ask managers to imagine … what their team is accomplishing six months from now,” she said. To that end, she poses two specific questions to managers: • What specific results do you see? • How is the work different from what the team is doing today? “Nowhere in the early stages of the process do I advise them to think about the team they actually have,” McCord said. “Only after they’ve done the work of envisioning the ideal outcome and the skill set necessary to achieve it should they analyze how well their existing team matches what they need.” Indeed, research has shown time and time again just how critical managers are in engagement. McCord said she tends to see one major issue when leaders are attempting to mould their corporate culture. It’s all about ‘mismatch.’ “I frequently see CEOs who are clearly winging it,” she said. “They lack a real agenda. Workers notice these things, and if they see a leader who’s not fully prepared and who relies on charm, IQ and improvisation, it affects how they perform, too. It’s a waste of time to articulate ideas about values and culture if you don’t model and reward behaviour that aligns with those goals.”

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FEATURES

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Lift-off: Change management from concept to end results HR practitioners too often concentrate solely on the ‘people’ side of change management – but their role should be much broader, writes David S. Weiss ORGANIZATIONS ARE undergoing constant change in order to survive and thrive. Too often, though, executives focus only on the business aspects of the change and assume that the people and organizational capabilities will be taken care of somehow. They ignore the risks this oversight can have for implementing change successfully. As a result, HR professionals must establish themselves as a credible source for implementing change. They must emphasize their capability to provide guidance on the most effective way to achieve the desired change outcomes, and give equal attention to the human transition steps that help people understand and commit to the changes. Change and transition represent distinctly different elements of the change process: Change refers to the physical changes

that are needed. For example, when companies implement a new technology, the change occurs when the new technology is installed. Transition refers to the people changes that are needed. Transition occurs when people accept and adopt the new technology and the new way of working. Leaders need to balance their focus on both change and transition, which will increase the probability that the organization will implement the change successfully. HR plays an important role in ensuring that there is an effective balance of both change and transition.

The three phases of change The figure at right shows the three phases of change presented in eight steps. The shaded steps are primarily the physical elements,

while the white steps are the people transition elements. Most HR professionals only focus their change efforts on Step 6 (People), which marginalizes their contribution. By contrast, effective HR professionals are advocates for and active facilitators of all the three phases of change.

Phase 1: Concept Adopt In Phase 1, leaders must understand and define why the change is needed and develop the concept that should be adopted to address the urgent issue. The outcome of Phase 1 is that the proposed concept to address the issue is adopted.

Why?

Employees often resist change if they do not understand why it is needed. Leaders need to identify the extent to which

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1. Why? lts, resu gs e r n u i eas arn usly 8. M hare le ntinuo s co rove and imp

8. Improve Phase 3: Promise Fulfil 7. Implement

Team

Once leaders determine an urgent and important need for a change, the next step involves setting up a change team to gain insight into the situation. The team’s change leader needs to be carefully selected. Sometimes the leader of the department that is implementing the change is selected;

1. The urgent and important reasons why the change is needed

7. Implement the change and make it business as usual

6. People

te, nica ple mu peo e om elp ang 6. C and h the ch n trai just to ad

THE THREE PHASES OF CHANGE

2. Team

nge cha he d le t an ht mb am nsig sse er, te in i 2. A lead r to ga nso spo

a change is important and urgent, and then communicate why something needs to be done about it. Why the change is needed is the ‘secret sauce’ to a good change recipe. The logic of why the change is needed is vitally important. HR needs to ensure that this logic is: Explained to the change team Included in the change concept Discussed with stakeholders Communicated to all employees

3. Identify what should be done and how to measure outcome etak s ey s sses k e a gag nd e to 5. Develop the busi- 4. En ders a istanc e hol to res hang ness case for change c and quick wins

5. How?

Phase 1: Concept Adopt 3. What?

4. Stakeholders

Phase 2: Launch Ready

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FEATURES

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

however, that person may not have the time or may not be motivated to implement the change effectively. HR should ensure that the right leader is selected to lead the change initiative. Also, it is important to select a change team that represents the various constituencies and enhances the credibility of the change.

What?

The first two steps of Phase 1 focus on the ‘why’ and on the team. In Step 3, the change team will define what they propose as the concept to adopt and its associated benefits, risks and measurements of success. They will also propose how they will engage key stakeholders and develop the business case for change. Each phase concludes with a major approval point by the executive sponsor of the change, referred to as a ‘gate review.’ Gate reviews are specific milestone review points at which time the executive sponsor makes a ‘go’ or ‘no go’ decision. The ‘go’ decision at the conclusion of Phase 1 is a vote of confidence for the change team to proceed to the Launch Ready phase of the change.

Phase 2: Launch Ready In Phase 2, the change team must test the concept with stakeholders and then develop the detailed change plan. The outcome of Phase 2 is a gate review confirming that the change is ‘launch ready.’

Stakeholders

A common error in the change process is that stakeholders get involved too late in the process or, in the worst situations, are ignored. The change team must select the key stakeholders, understand the stakeholders’ interests and involve them in the process of defining the change. Change teams should solicit stakeholder opinions in Step 4 immediately after the change concept is adopted. The guiding principle for selecting

stakeholders is to interview as few as possible while still retrieving the maximum information about how the change will be accepted by various stakeholder groups. HR should guide the change leader to conduct stakeholder interviews that reveal barriers and areas of resistance that will be important for the change team as it develops detailed plans.

How?

5 This step focuses on how the change will be implemented and on the development of the business case for the change. For more complex change projects, it may be useful to engage in simulations or pilot

tive sponsor to determine if the organization will launch the project.

Phase 3: Promise Fulfil In Phase 3, leaders launch the change with the anticipated outcome that the promise of the adopted change will be fulfilled.

People

Many good changes fail because organizations do not give proper attention to this step, which focuses on excellence in communication, training and helping people adjust to change. HR professionals often have a particularly good understanding of this transition step and can

Employees often resist change if they do not understand why it is needed. Leaders need to identify the extent to which a change is important and urgent and then communicate why something needs to be done about it studies to pre-test the changes before they are launched. The change team also needs to consider the implications of the change for the organizational design, roles, accountabilities and communications approach to employees. HR professionals need to be experts in these areas (or have access to experts) in order to assist change leaders who may not have the necessary knowledge and skills. HR should also encourage the change leader to identify quick wins that can be implemented immediately. Quick wins are easy-to-do, high-performance changes that can be done for minimal cost and often reduce resistance to change. The change team should also engage in a risk analysis of the change solution and the detailed plans. This step concludes with the Launch Ready gate review with the execu-

contribute a great deal of value to the change leaders as they attempt to make change happen successfully. Excellence in communications: Comm unication is essential throughout the three phases of change. However, it becomes particularly important at this phase of the process. It is important to communicate regularly, clearly, and simply in a variety of ways. Most change leaders believe that if they explain the change to the workforce once, they will understand it and be willing to implement it. Unfortunately, in most situations, this is not the case. People need to hear about the change several times and in different ways for them to really absorb what the change will be and to understand its implications for their own work.

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Focused training to prepare people for change: When organizations introduce change, they often require training and development to help employees be willing, ready and able to accept the new ideas and put them to use. The premise is that enough time should be given for individuals to learn new things, to practice, to make mistakes, to receive coaching and to gain confidence in the new way of working. People often perform less effectively immediately after a change is introduced. If they are expected to perform perfectly, they can become very resistant to the change, and the likelihood of effective implementation will be reduced. Help people adjust: Most changes induce some level of anxiety, even if they are implemented effectively. As a result, many employees have difficulty changing and may be resistant no matter how good the change is. When planning for the three phases of change, wise leaders know that they can create conditions that make it easier for people to adjust. For example, as leaders implement change, they should find a way to honour the past. These leaders recognize that the way of working that will be changed was once a change itself. Leaders should know the past story that created the former way of working, honour it, and explain why that way of working no longer meets the new environmental situation. If leaders do this properly, they can also reduce the extent of employee resistance.

Implement

7 The primary objective when instigating a change is to implement it so that it is not considered a change anymore – to move it from the status of a change to business as usual. The implemented change is successful when it is seen as the way that

work is done and is not perceived to be a change anymore. HR professionals contribute to this step in a variety of ways, including: Redefining the people capabilities (such as performance measurement systems) to reflect the change in environment Providing support for leadership and development for employees

hold a Promise Fulfil gate review meeting. At this review, the executive sponsor considers the extent to which the promise of the change has been achieved or, alternatively, determines if additional changes are needed. The three phases of change appear as a circle because this final Promise Fulfil gate review can trigger a need to begin the three phases all over again.

The change team must select the key stakeholders, understand the stakeholders’ interests and involve them in the process of defining the change Modifying rewards and recognition systems to motivate people and teams to participate in making the change occur successfully Finding opportunities to communicate and celebrate successes in order to recognize accomplishments associated with the change

Improve

There are three key aspects of this step: measurement, shared learning and continuous improvement. The change process should have clearly defined measurement expectations as part of the Concept Adopt gate review in Step 3. Throughout the change, the change team reviews the extent to which those metrics have been achieved. Also, the lessons learned from the change process need to be shared, harnessed and reused for future benefit. In addition, at the conclusion of this step, the change team should recommend whether the change needs to undergo continuous improvement or whether the change was implemented successfully. At the conclusion of Phase 3, the executive sponsor and the change team should

The bottom line HR professionals need to take the lead and advise leaders and change teams on how to plan and implement change effectively. HR also has to be willing to take the medicine it applies to other parts of the organization and use the three phases of change itself. HR professionals will lose credibility if they are unable to implement their own changes successfully. HR professionals’ experience in initiating changes in their own areas will also benefit them in assisting other areas. As a result of its role in the three phases of change, HR is able to build its credibility and become a very important strategic asset for leaders and for the organization.

An earlier version and more elaborate description of the three phases of change appears in Dr. David Weiss’ book, Leadership-Driven HR: Transforming HR to Deliver Value for the Business.

David S. Weiss is the president and CEO of Weiss International, a firm specializing in innovation, leadership and HR consulting. He has authored or co-authored six bestselling business books, including LeadershipDriven HR, Innovative Intelligence and The Leadership Gap. For more information, visit www.weissinternational.ca.

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DIA A N A

SEPTEMBER 15, 2016 THE LIBERTY GRAND | TORONTO

hrawards.ca

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CAN

THE HIGHLY anticipated Canadian HR Awards returned for a third time this year, welcoming droves of eminent industry professionals who strive for excellence and innovation every day. Held at Toronto’s Liberty Grand, which boasts one of the city’s few traditional ballrooms, the event was hosted by TV favourite Ben Mulroney and included entertainment by the acclaimed St. Royal Band. The ceremony – heralded as “the Oscars of the HR industry” – attracted more than 600 of Canada’s most talented leaders and promising young professionals. “The entries have been of an incredibly high calibre this year, which really speaks to how Canada has secured a space as a worldwide leader in people practices,” said Tim Duce, CEO of KMI Publishing and Events, which organizes the annual industry gala. “It’s humbling to see the incredible innovation that’s happening in workplaces right across the country,” he continued. “I hope

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everyone here is proud of what they have achieved and is inspired by the success of their peers.” A total of 20 awards were given out, ranging from individual accolades to company-wide honours. One of the most notable went to Toronto-based veteran Les Dakens, who picked up the SAP SuccessFactors Award for Lifetime Achievement in the HR Industry. “It’s absolutely wonderful to win – unexpected but wonderful,” he said when accepting his award. Dakens, who retired from HR in December 2013 but continues to publish successful leadership books, also said the event served as “long overdue recognition for HR.” Tim Cork, one of the judges who deliberated over the many entries, agreed. “It’s a fantastic event and a diverse group – which of course HR should be,” he said at the event. “It’s a real honour to be here.”

ADIA

Cork, who is the president of leadership coaching company Straight A’s, was just one of the seven expert judges who determined the lucky (and deserving) winners. He was joined by Nan Oldroyd, director of talent management at George Brown College; Deanna Matzanke, director of client service at the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion; David Creelman, CEO of Creelman Research; Greg Conner, executive director of human resources at BC Transit; Shawn Mintz, president of MentorCity; and Nita Chhinzer, associate professor of human resources management at the University of Guelph. And the worthy winners are …

8/11/2016 7:06:28 AM

The Cotton Candy Total Rewards Award for

Best Reward & Recognition Strategy

CAN

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WINNER

“It feels amazing to win – it was a lot of hard work to get here, and I’m really thankful that we got recognized” TONY TSAI CAA South Central Ontario

BY CREATING an open, collaborative forum for recognizing and rewarding employees who embody corporate beliefs and deliver stellar results, CAA SCO has managed to maintain and evolve its high-performing and highly engaged culture. “Partnering with cutting-edge technologies, we are able to reward and recognize high-performing individuals and maintain all employee engagement in ways that continue to be forward-thinking and fun,” says HR specialist Carolina Martinez. In 2015, a comprehensive rewards and recognition upgrade saw CAA South Central Ontario consolidate existing avenues into the new, user-friendly Applause online recognition platform, which allows employees to give each other public or private praise in four categories while also congratulating

FINALISTS CAA South Central Ontario Coast Hotels Sierra Systems Group Vancouver Airport Authority

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coworkers on their contributions. “These categories are directly tied to our culture and organizational philosophy, and are designed to motivate behaviour that is mutually beneficial to both the employee and the organization,” Martinez says. “When an employee receives an award, they can see and understand exactly how their specific actions contribute to company culture and success.” Tied to CAA SCO’s philosophy of pay for performance, the strategy is structured to support employee success, encourage personal growth, and provide flexibility and choice.

“It’s very important for us to be involved with human resources because that’s where all the rewards and recognition happen” JOHN HOULDING Founder and president, Cotton Candy

AWARD SPONSOR Cotton Candy Total Rewards is a provider of an affordable yet highly versatile internet-based software system that companies of all shapes and sizes use to keep their employees motivated and engaged. Members (employees) earn points for their performance results, strategic goals or workplace achievements, and then exchange these points for a huge selection of exciting brand-name merchandise. Employees become wholly engaged because they feel their commitment and contributions are valued and appreciated. Relationships between employees, managers and executives strengthen and improve. The workplace environment improves with new opportunities for self-improvement, training, safety and interaction. Most significantly, the costs of turnover and recruiting drop, productivity rises, and morale positively soars. For more details, visit cottoncandy.ca

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8/11/2016 8:55:01 AM

The HRD Magazine Readers’ Choice Award for

Best Industry Service Provider

CAN

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WINNER

“We’re helping companies cascade the information directly to the front line – the things they want them to know, so they do the things they want them to do, at the time they want them to do it” DOUG MURLESS Nudge Rewards

“Service providers can be a huge help to busy HR professionals – indeed, the best ones become trusted business partners. HRD is honoured to support this category” IAIN HOPKINS Editor, HRD

TORONTO-BASED Nudge Rewards has enjoyed rapid expansion over the past 12 months, growing from a tight-knit team of just three to an extended family of 23. Now, the “proudly Canadian business” works with some of the biggest brands around the world to help employers drastically improve the performance of their decentralized workforces and deliver immediate and measurable ROI. “We designed a solution exclusively for the decentralized, fragmented workforce, who often do not have corporate email or an effective way to engage with corporate,” the company said in its submission. Penny Grant, HRD at major UK restaurant chain Chiquito, says the platform has been

instrumental in maintaining good communication with workers, who are now more engaged. “Nudge has changed the way that we can engage with our team, and we absolutely love it. It’s been exceptionally difficult to communicate with our 5,000 staff across the country, and Nudge is a fun and engaging tool that has allowed us to do just that!” The platform combines the power of smartphone technology, rewards, social competition and analytics to guide, measure, educate and ultimately reward employees for exceptional performance. HR leaders can identify any key performance indicator in the business, and then harness Nudge to design campaigns to help improve performance.

FINALISTS

AWARD SPONSOR

DDI Canada

Human Resources Director magazine concentrates on the real issues and challenges facing the HR professional and the industry, with in-depth features and analysis of what really matters. HRD features high-level case studies, international and local profiles, and interviews with HR directors and industry leaders from around the globe, as well as leading news-makers in the field. HRD has positioned itself as the magazine of choice for the country’s most influential HR decision-makers.

HRSG

For more details, visit hrmonline.ca

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L’Entreprise360 Health and Wellness Services Nudge Rewards Sprout Wellness Solutions Tasytt VideoBio

8/11/2016 7:06:35 AM

The Award for

Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion

CAN

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WINNER

“It feels amazing to win, and we’re very happy and proud. Island Health is the only healthcare services provider in BC to have an aboriginal employment team” SHEILA WHITE Island Health

ISLAND HEALTH’S aboriginal recruitment and retention strategy is a unique and impressive approach to creating a sustainable workforce by increasing the numbers of Aboriginal people working in healthcare on Vancouver Island. The incredible four-person team works closely with First Nations groups, Friendship Centres and Chartered Metis Communities to forge trust, educate and attract aboriginal youth to the full spectrum of healthcare careers. “We are striving to achieve a representative workforce that reflects the aboriginal communities we serve,” says talent acquisition and retention specialist Rod O’Connell. Job applicants who identify as aboriginal are offered additional support, and since 2012, the organization has managed to more than triple the number of aboriginal people employed, taking the figure from 199 to 601. The healthcare provider has also partnered with the First Nations Health Authority to create 12 $1,000 career scholarships – representing two grants for six different Island/BC post-secondary schools – in the hope that students will successfully complete the programs and stay or return to the island.

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Showing further support for youth, Island Health also has signed an affiliation agreement with the local school district, supporting its ability to bring aboriginal students into the hospital to gain exposure to a wide spectrum of healthcare careers. “Some students returned to school and requested changes to their course selections for the next year so that they would better align to careers they had been exposed to and now wanted to pursue,” O’Connell says.

FINALISTS Amec Foster Wheeler American Express Canada Business Development Bank of Canada Edgewater Casino Hydro One Island Health Symcor

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8/11/2016 8:55:14 AM

The Minacs Award for

Best HR Communication Strategy

CAN

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WINNER

“This award is really a shared award, and it really reflects the values of our organization and making sure that we treat our colleagues like our customers” BASIL ROWE Loblaw Companies Limited

“For Minacs, having an internal employee communication strategy is the backbone of who we are. This award really just resonated for us for that reason” CINDY MACEWEN Vice-president, Minacs

IN 2014, Loblaw Companies acquired Shoppers Drug Mart in a record-breaking deal worth $42 billion – but completing the transaction was just the beginning. “The company recognized that aligning key compensation practices and policies across the two organizations was an important step to support the overall success of the ‘people’ side of the acquisition,” says Basil Rowe, SVP of HR total rewards. Understandably, communication was key. Using focus groups, training sessions, team scrums and walk-arounds – plus a dedicated interview piece with the new VP of HR – Loblaw rolled out a multifaceted approach to keep employees and leaders in the loop.

AWARD SPONSOR Minacs NOW is a rich community of dynamic, intelligent and accomplished women from diverse geographies handling various roles and responsibilities within Minacs, A Concentrix Company. The objective of the group, led by Minacs VP Cindy MacEwen, is to inform, inspire and influence the women of Minacs and to help them cultivate leadership skills, imbibe best practices, advance personal growth and improve career networking opportunities. For more details, visit minacs.com

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“In change situations, and especially those that are emotionally sensitive, face-to-face communication from an employee’s direct manager is often the best and most desired option,” Rowe says. “For this reason, the HR communication strategy incorporated and emphasized face-to-face elements and invested considerable effort to develop and equip managers to have clear, proactive and transparent conversations with their teams.” Specialist materials and leader tool kits were developed for HR business partners and people managers to ensure they were fully aware of all the changes and appropriately prepared to communicate them to their reports.

FINALISTS Cisco Canada City of Vaughan Hydro Ottawa Loblaw Companies Limited Rogers Communications Vancouver Airport Authority XNL HR

8/11/2016 7:06:49 AM

The IBM Kenexa Gherson Award for

Most Innovative Use of HR Technology

CAN

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WINNER

“It feels great to win the award tonight and it’s actually the second time that we’ve won so it speaks volumes about the way we use our HR technology” VISHWAS SHARMA Tata Consultancy Services Canada

PROUD PURVEYORS of HR technology, Tata Consultancy Services picked up this award once again as it continues to leverage the latest digital developments in a concerted effort to improve its worldwide workplace. “TCS is a global organization with over 350,000 employees and a presence in 46 countries,” says HR generalist Talal Chaudhry. “However, through the use of HR technology, we have rendered the actual location of our employees irrelevant in many respects. They can hold live chats with our leadership team and become a member of our social networking platform, Knome, which allows any employee to raise a question or start a discussion on a work-related topic of their choice.”

As a result of this vision, TCS employees can complete timesheets, travel and leave requests, claim expenses, view salary letters, read books, connect with a mentor and complete training through the company’s all-in-one intranet. Not content with merely connecting employees, the company also launched a dedicated learning platform in 2015 with over 9,000 readily available courses that employees can select at will. In addition to giving employees easily accessible education and professional development, the platform can also map skills and help HR identify particularly strong business areas, as well as those that may need improvement.

“Sponsoring an award around innovation, given we’re an innovation company that focuses on talent recruitment and innovative programs, is important to us” TIM WHITE VP of Software, IBM

FINALISTS

AWARD SPONSOR

Cisco Canada

IBM Canada Ltd. is one of the largest technology, services and consulting companies in Canada, backed by over a century of business and systems innovation. IBMers are dedicated to worldchanging progress and building new ways to work. IBM Canada is headquartered in Markham, Ontario, and has nationwide responsibilities for sales, marketing and service. Canada is also home to IBM’s largest microelectronics packaging and test facility and the largest software development organization in the country.

LoyaltyOne Sienna Senior Living Tata Consultancy Services Canada Michael Garron Hospital, formerly Toronto East General Hospital

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For more details, visit ibm.ca

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8/11/2016 8:55:30 AM

The Ultimate Software Award for

Best Workplace Culture

CAN

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WINNER

“This is the only thing I’ll ever do because it’s a place where I can live my personal dreams and my business dreams and my financial dreams, and I think the same is true for literally dozens and dozens of my team” MATTHEW CORRIN Freshii

“At Ultimate, we believe our laser focus on people and the way that we treat them really translates into the way they treat our customers” DAVID TASHE Director of sales, Ultimate Software

AS MILLENNIALS begin to dominate today’s workforce, employers are trying harder than ever to pin down exactly what keeps them happy and engaged – and Freshii, it seems, has found the answer. Following one of its guiding principles to “build a killer culture for your business, not a culture that kills your business,” the company has carved a name for itself as one of the most desirable workplaces in Canada, and continues to attract and retain the very best talent. With a head office that’s 98% millennials, the health-conscious company attributes much of its success to a carefully built culture that constantly strives to improve and defines itself as energetic, innovative, hard-working

and committed to giving back. Empowering employees is integral to the company’s culture, and CEO Matthew Corrin told HRD that staff should be considered top decision-makers and trusted with significant responsibility. That philosophy – combined with an impressive list of progressive benefits, including unlimited paid vacation, responsibly designed workstations, spin and sushi nights, and a popular run club – is what sets Freshii ahead of its competitors when it comes to corporate culture.

FINALISTS Fibernetics Corporation Freshii

AWARD SPONSOR

Horizon North Logistics

Ultimate Software’s cloud-based UltiPro helps simplify and improve work experiences. With UltiPro, you can deliver personalized recruiting and onboarding experiences, guide employees through important benefits choices, simplify complex payroll computations, efficiently manage time and attendance, support continuous performance management and development, and build proactive succession plans for the future. Most importantly, UltiPro’s solutions are supported by powerful business intelligence and reporting.

Left

For more details, visit ultimatesoftware.com

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O2E Brands Sleep Country Canada SoapBox Innovations Tangerine TradeRev WorkTango

8/11/2016 7:06:57 AM

The Optimity Award for

Best Employer Branding

CAN

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WINNER

“We’ve been doing something extraordinary, and it’s been very exciting. The way that we’ve been doing it is different from anybody else, and we’re just thinking out of the box” TANIA CAZA Woodbine Entertainment Group

“HR policies and support have a huge impact on the employees’ quality of life, and at Optimity, it’s important for us to support them for long-term success” JANE WANG CEO, Optimity

AWARD SPONSOR

WITH

ROOTS dating back to 1881, Woodbine Entertainment Group’s employer brand is indicative not only of tradition, but also innovation – a unique combination that makes almost 80% of its staff “proud to tell others” where they work. That ingrained innovation inspired WEG to overhaul its old HR function. Using inventive marketing tactics to generate company-wide buzz, the company introduced its new people experience team at a highly anticipated launch. The veteran entertainment firm also embarked on a major culture shift, turning to employees to find out what kind of culture they wanted to work in before creating company values and beliefs as a group.

FINALISTS Employee Success

Optimity provides an end-to-end employee success platform to support best practices in coaching habits for employee wellness, training and culture within corporations. Optimity achieves industry-leading participation rates by engaging employees with user-centric content design around their work-life routines. Optimity can work with clients’ benefits claims data to produce forward-looking projections metrics, and help mitigate future risk by focusing on issues proactively. For more details, visit myoptimity.com

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Now priding itself on being transparent, WEG has “the culture conversation” with every new candidate and has changed the way it interacts with potential new recruits in order to promote its employer brand from the outset. The shift – started just three years ago – has already had phenomenal results, including a 600% increase in traffic to the company’s careers page and a 455% increase in the number of candidate profiles. The firm’s distinctive history is also reflected in the way WEG provides both old-school perks and more progressive benefits such as one-of-akind coaching, subsidized meals, generous vacation packages, flexible work arrangements and unlimited sick days.

FGL Sports Fibernetics Corporation Mindfield NexJ Systems The Beer Store Wilson HCG Woodbine Entertainment Group

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8/11/2016 8:55:47 AM

The Beyond Boardrooms Award for

Best Employee Engagement Strategy

CAN

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WINNER

“It’s not seen as just an HR initiative; it’s something that’s owned by all of our business leaders, and I think that’s the true reason why we’ve gotten so much commitment and interaction around it” KERI FRASER Colliers International

COMMERCIAL REAL estate giant Colliers uses a tactical methodology to gain a deep understanding of its annual employee survey, relying on further feedback from focus groups to develop targeted programs and initiatives

that drive engagement in the areas that need it most. One of its major initiatives came after “managing performance” was repeatedly flagged as the top engagement driver. Colliers

“People are starting to understand the values of these types of programs, particularly how they pertain to engaging employees and providing incentive, so this category is perfect for what we represent as a company ” RICK PATRICK, CEO, Beyond Boardrooms

AWARD SPONSOR Beyond Boardrooms introduces My Rewards Unlimited (MRU), a professionally managed employee recognition & rewards program designed to meet the needs of businesses of any size or structure. The program is an online points-based recognition program that works to create positive culture within an organization. It is interactive, engaging, and promotes incentive and employee engagement, which leads to higher morale and increased productivity. For more details, visit beyondboardrooms.com

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embarked on a company-wide mission to help managers become the best they can be and, partnering with the acclaimed Harvard Business School, created the Colliers Management Development Program. The unique, dual-level leaning experience gives managers access to numerous online training modules, internal networking platforms, interactive discussion groups and opportunities for collaboration. Overwhelming feedback from managers and executives saw the pilot launched nationally, and it has already had a direct, measurable impact – since 2010, “managing performance” has increased 19 percentage points; in 2015, it was no longer highlighted as a top driver for improvement.

FINALISTS Canadian Tire Retail Cementation Canada Colliers International Empire Communities Libro Credit Union TeraGo Networks

8/11/2016 7:07:04 AM

The Kit Care Corporation Award for

Canadian HR Rising Star of the Year

CAN

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WINNER

“I do a lot of work outside, putting together events and doing everything I can to try to disrupt HR, and that probably has something to do with it. I just love what I do” KATHLEEN TEIXEIRA Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation

TALENT ACQUISITION manager Kathleen Teixeira had her first foray into HR while still completing her undergrad at York University and since that part time recruitment position

FINALISTS Nicole Burke Vancouver Aquarium Sara Colliss E-Comm 9-1-1 Sarah D’Angelo Giant Tiger Stores Andrea Gutierrez Ecojustice Shelby Harrison MacDon Industries Janessa Johnston Farmers Edge Adam Shaen Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre Rachel Shapiro PSAV Kathleen Teixeira Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.

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she’s never looked back, becoming a prominent figure in the field. Quick to realize that the disruptive power of social media was threatening traditional practices, Teixeira became an expert in the arena, leveraging Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Google+ and blogs to find and secure the very best talent. She went on to launch the national social media campaign for The Creative Group in Canada – the creative staffing division of Robert

Half International – and is also responsible for co-founding Canada’s first social recruiting conference. Now at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, she has built the talent acquisition team and function from the ground up, introducing a progressive end-to-end recruitment process. “Although my time in human resources has not been very long, I think that my passion, coupled with determination and a thirst for knowledge, has accelerated my career,” she says.

“HR is a very critical part of business today. Most businesses rely very heavily on it” GERALD YAFFE, President, Kit Care Corporation

AWARD SPONSOR Kit Care Corporation has been Canada’s most comprehensive source of industrial first aid supplies and equipment for over 55 years. Kit Care is 100% Canadian-owned and is committed to protecting people and property through quality products, education and service. Kit Care’s mission is to establish “real partnerships” with corporations in developing and implementing a cost-effective health & safety program that reduces the frequency and severity of employee and customer accidents. For more details, visit kitcarecorp.com

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8/11/2016 8:56:03 AM

The Venngo Award of Excellence for

Financial, Physical & Mental Wellness

CAN

ADIA

WINNER

“We’ve been up against some great competition, so I didn’t really expect it, but we’ve got a fantastic wellness strategy for employees and a platform that capitalizes on all the different areas of wellness” MATTHEW LEBLOND LoyaltyOne

FOR LOYALTYONE, implementing an industry-leading health and wellness initiative is about more than impressive programs – it’s about creating a culture where all aspects of well-being are fully integrated into everyday office life. “It’s our strategic goal to provide our associates with a holistic wellness offering that encourages them to find a balance of physical, mental, financial and community activities,” says Brenna McGibney, associate vicepresident of total rewards. “Furthermore,

we’re committed to supporting them in their efforts and rewarding their personal successes.” Part of that commitment includes LoyaltyOne’s innovative Stride platform. Launched in September 2015, the online tool rewards employees for reaching self-assigned well-being goals across every element of the company’s wellness offering. The activity tracker lets users select a mix of wellness goals – from setting a budget to lowering their BMI – and as they reach

targets, employees become eligible for monthly and quarterly rewards. Innately social, the platform connects users with like-minded coworkers so they can share tips and advice or even compete in company-wide challenges. “We are creating a workplace where wellness is a collaborative journey,” McGibney says. “By implementing this leading-edge program, we’re empowering associates to become partners in creating their own wellness program.”

FINALISTS

“This is something we truly believe in and preach, and we’re happy to be here to sponsor it”

CAA SCO

PAUL WEISSMAN

Conservation Halton

President and CEO, Venngo

County of Wellington FGL Sports JW Marriott The Rosseau Muskoka Resort & Spa Left LoyaltyOne Toys “R” Us

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AWARD SPONSOR Venngo provides world-class group discount programs with a focus on financial and physical well-being. Our programs integrate seamlessly to support other elements of total compensation, including medical/dental benefits, EAP and employee wellness programs. For more details, visit venngo.com

8/11/2016 7:07:12 AM

The SAP Successfactors Award for

Lifetime Achievement in the HR Industry

CAN

ADIA

WINNER

“It’s absolutely wonderful to win – unexpected, but wonderful” LES DAKENS

SERIAL RETIREE Les Dakens has tried to leave the HR industry on more than one occasion, but his unrivalled knowledge and impressive skill set have kept him on top of the most-wanted list for many of Canada’s most well known employers. With more than 30 years of executive

“We’re really excited to support the HR community. Les has had a lifetime of achievement in the HR world, and we’re happy to support the event and all of our clients who are here today” NEALE BROWN Canada country manager SAP SuccessFactors

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experience working in top-tier companies – including Cadbury Beverages, H.J. Heinz and CN Rail – former executive coach Dakens is widely recognized in North America as one of the most eminent HR professionals for his leadership in developing best practices. Most recently enticed back into employment by Maple Leaf Foods, Dakens took up the CHRO role for a three-year stint, during which he was tasked with supporting the corporate giant during a major business transformation and finding a suitable successor before he left.

Ironically, the sought-after industry veteran never intended to enter the HR field and graduated from Ontario’s Sheridan College with a marketing degree – however, when an instructor spotted his potential, it seems his soon-to-be phenomenal career was set. Now enjoying his second attempt at retirement, Dakens – a former faculty member at the Directors College and program instructor at the Rotman School of Management – has further cemented his success by publishing a number of critically acclaimed management books.

AWARD SPONSOR SAP SuccessFactors offers a comprehensive human capital management suite, including core HR, payroll, recruiting, onboarding, learning, performance & goals management, compensation management, succession and development, human capital analytics, and social collaboration to help enable a digital HR strategy and engage people across the organization. The company drives business alignment and execution for organizations of all sizes. As a market leader with approximately 33 million cloud subscribers globally, SAP SuccessFactors strives to delight its customer base by delivering innovative solutions, content and analytics, process expertise, and best practices insights to help optimize the workforce today and prepare it for tomorrow. For more details, visit successfactors.com

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8/11/2016 8:56:19 AM

The DDI Canada Award for

Best Learning & Development Strategy

CAN

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WINNER

“Our leaders are fantastic – they give us the latitude to dabble and to be creative and to do all sorts of crazy things” KATHY KESTIDES City of Vaughan

“DDI is very passionate about growing talent within organizations and accelerating them, and this honours the people who do that” ADAM TAYLOR Managing director DDI Canada

AFTER EXTENSIVE preparation, including employee surveys, manager roundtables, operational reviews and municipal benchmarking, the City of Vaughan finally rolled out its remarkably comprehensive learning & development strategy in December 2014. The three-year project put countless resources at the fingertips of every employee, including 10 organizational and development series on a wide range of topics such as communication, technology, workplace safety, people management and municipal government. Catering to a diverse workforce with varied learning styles, the organization now provides more than 100 offerings in different formats

such as instructor-led sessions, e-learning opportunities, forums, think tanks, secondments, job shadowing and many more. Particular focus was also given to the learning & development of new recruits, which is now broken down into several segments and offered in various formats. As a result of the recently implemented learning & development strategy, the City of Vaughan’s employee engagement score has skyrocketed – initially, only 9% of employees agreed that the organization strongly supported learning & development, whereas now 60% say the same.

FINALISTS BC Hydro

AWARD SPONSOR

Canadian Tire Retail

Development Dimensions International (DDI) is a leading global human resources consultancy, specializing in leadership assessment and development. We transform the way companies hire, promote and develop leaders across the entire pipeline. Only two in 10 companies have the leaders to meet tomorrow’s business challenges. That’s where DDI comes in. Obsessed with the science of leadership. Four decades of experience. Across thousands of organizations. One million better leaders. Across 93 countries.

Cementation Canada

For more details, visit ddiworld.com

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City of Vaughan Ellicom National Leasing O2E Brands PotashCorp Rogers Communications

8/11/2016 7:07:51 AM

The University of Waterloo Award for

Next Generation Employment Initiative of the Year

CAN

ADIA

WINNER

“Our technology leadership loves our students, and we really just want to make a difference and give them meaningful work” VALERIE GELINAS Royal Bank of Canada

“Once our students get out there, the programs that people put in place to help them along are very important for their development” ROCCO FONDACARO Acting executive director University of Waterloo

RECOGNIZING THE perception among many young Canadians that banking isn’t inherently ‘cool,’ RBC has invested significant time and resources to support up-andcoming talent while proving that finance really can offer a fun and fulfilling career. The firm’s year-long Career Launch program targets college and university grads under the age of 24 and immerses them in a range of hands-on experiences that give participants the skills and career confidence they need for long-term success. However, targeting promising talent at the entry level isn’t enough for RBC, and the bank is dedicated to building a talent pipeline that begins even earlier. By partnering with

AWARD SPONSOR University of Waterloo, Canada’s most innovative university, offers work-ready co-op, graduating students, and alumni from over 120 accredited programs who can adapt to your unique business needs and make a strong contribution to your organization’s success. Students alternate between academic terms and work terms, which means they will bring the most cutting-edge industry trends to your organization. We’re grooming the next generation of the workforce and invite you to become a part of it. For more details, visit uwaterloo.ca/hire

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top schools, RBC’s Early Talent Program ensures a strong and diverse workforce that will meet the future needs of the rapidly evolving organization. The most recent platform of support comes in the form of ONRamp – a $3 million initiative with the University of Toronto that aims to build a startup accelerator for student and graduate entrepreneurs to develop commercial ideas that will contribute to the Canadian economy. ONRamp will provide new collaborative workspaces for students, entrepreneurs and startup companies, helping them to network with each other, showcase to potential investors and grow their businesses.

FINALISTS CAA SCO Empire Communities H&M Canada Hydro One Hydro Ottawa Royal Bank of Canada Tata Consultancy Services Canada

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8/11/2016 8:56:41 AM

The Award for

External HR Advisor/Consultancy of the Year

CAN

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WINNER

“We put our clients absolutely front and centre of everything we do, and we’re just really driven to make a difference and make an impact” GLAIN ROBERTS-MCCABE The Roundtable

CARVING OUT a distinct niche in the executive coaching field, industry specialists The Executive Roundtable have trademarked their unique style of flexible group coaching, which offers a sustainable and high-value alternative to traditional methods. Long-standing client PepsiCo Foods Canada first turned to the firm for help retaining and accelerating high-potential leaders, who were faltering as they faced

FINALISTS Clear HR Consulting Elevated HR Solutions

increased complexity – six years later, the program has become a core offering for the company, described as a “game-changer” by those who use it. “Our solution needed to fit the realities of a fast-moving culture, filled with exceptionally smart and driven high-potential leaders,” says Glain Roberts-McCabe, founder and president of ERT. ERT implemented a group coaching program that included individual goalsetting, manager involvement and one-on-one coaching, as well as a suite of practical tools and techniques. The pilot was a huge success,

and 100% of participants strongly recommended the program. Retention and acceleration of promotion continue to remain above 80%, reactive coaching spend among those who participate in the program has been reduced, and manager coaching capability has been strengthened. “We are extremely focused on our niche, which is group coaching, and we simply don’t take on projects that we can’t excel at,” Roberts-McCabe says. “As such, we are typically able to deliver outstanding results and are consistently invited back to do more with our clients.”

Workplace Law Consulting

“Thanks to innovative consultancies, HR departments of every size can now access creative people solutions that were once reserved for major corporations – it’s important we recognize that”

XNL HR

NICOLA MIDDLEMISS, Senior journalist, HRM Online

HR Services – Rick Filsinger Peak Performance Human Resources Corp. The Roundtable TSR Canada Vertical Bridge Corporate Consulting

Inspired HR

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8/11/2016 7:07:57 AM

The Award for

Canadian HR Team of the Year

CAN

ADIA

(Fewer Than 500 Employees in Canada)

WINNER

“We have the support of our management team even though we’re a newly formed department. We work in lock-step with each other; we love working with each other ” LEAH JAIKARAN SPIN VFX

TASKED WITH increasing the company’s headcount by 50% in just three months, SPIN VFX’s three-person HR team set to work, developing and launching multiple initiatives that formed bonds with up-andcoming talent and forged valuable professional relationships. Keen to source and support junior talent, SPIN VFX’s tight-knit HR trio spearheaded an initiative that invited job-seekers into the studio for training on how to build the best reel and resume. The aptly named Reel and Resume workshop gave applicants the chance to learn from industry experts and better understand how to showcase their skills to potential employers, while also opening up a

new pool of talent to SPIN VFX. The HR team also developed the SPINternship to attract new graduates and build mutually beneficial relationships with educational institutes across Ontario. A number of positions were available across different departments, and an incredible 90% of interns received and accepted fulltime offers to join SPIN on a permanent basis, starting in the fall. If that wasn’t enough, the team has also managed to completely revamp internal policies, create Volume One of the SPIN Employee Handbook and provide numerous training sessions to ensure all employees are up-to-date on all internal practices.

“Canada is really moving into its own in the HR industry and has really become a leader around what are progressive practices to really engage and inspire your people” NAN OLDROYD

AWARD SPONSOR Human Resources Management Online is a free information resource for all HR Professionals and related industries. The combination of up-to-the-minute daily breaking news from around the world, industry forums, innovative multimedia and resources makes Human Resources Management Online the perfect vehicle for any company looking to market its products to HR professionals. For more details, visit hrmonline.ca

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Awards judge and director of talent management, George Brown College

FINALISTS JW Marriott The Rosseau Muskoka Resort & Spa KUBRA SPIN VFX Plan International Canada

HRAWARDS.CA

8/11/2016 8:56:54 AM

The TWC International Executive Search Limited Award for

Best Talent Management Strategy

CAN

ADIA

WINNER

“We’ve developed this program to help the next generation of leadership at TD – it feels great to receive recognition from our colleagues and peers” ALEX SLEGHEL TD Bank

CITING RESOURCE planning and succession management as key pillars of its overall business strategy, TD Bank has secured an unwavering source of executive talent well into the future. The financial institution is committed to keeping talent management at the forefront of its business objectives and has a multifaceted approach to developing and deploying the talent needed to guarantee ongoing organizational success. TD’s leadership team assesses employees at the management and executive level to identify those who have the ability and aptitude to succeed in more significant roles. The financial institution also leverages a consistent set of definitions for ‘potential’ across the enterprise, and leaders engage in calibration sessions to

FINALISTS Adidas Group Canada Canterbury Foundation Corus Entertainment PointClickCare TD Bank TransLink

HRAWARDS.CA

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ensure consistency and mitigate bias. More than 23,000 employees were assessed via the process this year, and through the implementation of regular talent reviews and focused development plans, it’s no surprise that the bank is able to build an effective executive pipeline. In fact, TD

manages to fill 73% of executive-level vacancies with internal talent while maintaining an impressive 92% retention rate for seniorlevel managers and above. However, the bank refuses to rest on its laurels – it plans to expand multiple initiatives to a broader population in the coming year.

“HR is being recognized as a real leader in the strategic team of organizations, so they’re getting a place at the table because companies value the importance of great HR leadership” RICHARD WAJS, President and CEO, TWC International Executive Search Limited

AWARD SPONSOR TWC International was created out of a passion for bringing leaders together in order to build enterprises that are greater than the sum of their parts. Our firm has complete global executive search capabilities, yet we offer our services with a boutique-style approach. Witnessing our successful candidates thrive and enjoy significant career progression within our clients’ businesses is what maintains our sense of purpose and makes us proud in terms of our efforts. For more details, visit twcinternational.com

8/11/2016 7:08:04 AM

The MaxSys Staffing & Consulting Award for

Most Effective Recruitment Strategy

CAN

ADIA

WINNER

“We’re just trying to do things differently, so getting this just validates all of the efforts that we’re doing all year round” MANU VARMA Traction On Demand

WITH A strong focus on culture and capability over skills and experience, Traction on Demand is passionate about improving the candidate experience and strives to create ambassadors for the company – even when they aren’t successful in landing a job. Paying attention to the details, the IT firm rolled out a self-service scheduling tool, which allows applicants to book the time for their own phone interview – ensuring an end to ill-timed and awkward calls in front of current colleagues. The company also built its own recruiting app, blending five different cloud-based apps to create its own unique applicant tracking system, which keeps the candidate experience as the prime consideration. “From the moment a candidate submits

FINALISTS Canterbury Foundation GoodLife Fitness Clubs H&M Canada TeraGo Networks Traction on Demand

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their application, we begin to build a relationship, with regular personalized email touchpoints throughout their time in the hiring process,” says Traction on Demand’s Manu Varma. The company also crowdsources its recruitment – to date, 52% of TOD’s employees

are referrals, and it relies on at least nine different people during the five-stage recruitment process. Its comprehensive approach is clearly working: The company has increased its Glassdoor rating, and a number of unsuccessful candidates have referred successful hires.

“Canada certainly does raise the bar when it comes to how it values employees, how it attracts employees and how it retains top talent” RICHARD BOND, Vice-president, MaxSys Staffing & Consulting

AWARD SPONSOR MaxSys Staffing & Consulting is a national staffing & consulting leader with operations in 12 cities across Canada. Since 1993, we have been providing quality contract and temporary help services to the private and public sector. We offer all the experience, quality and professionalism that you have come to expect from a national firm. As the winner of numerous business awards, MaxSys is recognized as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies. As an employer, we are committed to guarding our reputation for honest, ethical and professional behaviour and as a provider of services of the highest quality. For more details, visit maxsys.ca

HRAWARDS.CA

8/11/2016 8:57:11 AM

The Aird & Berlis LLP Award for

Canadian HR Champion

CAN

ADIA

CEO of the Year

WINNER

“Brian is very dedicated to people and culture, and everything he does as a business owner, founder and entrepreneur, he thinks about his people” SIMMI DHIMAN O2E Brands Simmi Dhiman accepted the Canadian HR Champion CEO of the year Award on behalf of Brian Scudamore

OE2 BRANDS CEO Brian Scudamore is a strong and vocal advocate for putting people first, which is why his firm is dedicated to empowering, inspiring and upskilling its employees – all while ensuring they have an enviable work-life balance. “O2E Brands is not a buttoned-down, boring environment where people spend their days looking forward to their annual vacation,” Scudamore says. “I want people to enjoy their work and have fun – otherwise, I don’t see the point.” Passionate about finding the right cultural fit, Scudamore says the best teams are those who really click and can work hard in the office, but also unwind together when needed. Echoing the importance of downtime,

Scudamore encourages employees to use their entire five-week annual vacation and supports everyone so they can completely disconnect from the office during their leave. The Vancouver-based exec is also passionate about cultivating employees from within, and encourages internal mentorship opportunities while also funding training that could help workers improve in their current role or progress to another. In fact, the home services firm has already seen a number of staff move from entry-level positions – such as working on a junk truck – to senior leadership roles. “I like to think we are in the business of cultivating leaders – we just happen to remove junk, paint, clean and move houses, too,” Scudamore says.

AWARD SPONSOR Located in the heart of Toronto’s Bay Street business district, Aird & Berlis LLP comprises a diverse group of more than 150 of Canada’s most talented lawyers. The firm provides a wide range of legal services for banking, corporate/commercial, corporate finance, energy, environmental, insolvency and restructuring, litigation, municipal and land use planning, real estate, and tax. For more details, visit airdberlis.com

HRAWARDS.CA

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“It’s important that executives and the leadership recognize what HR professionals contribute” LORENZO LISI Labour & employment practice leader Aird & Berlis LLP

FINALISTS Carol Annett VHA Home Health Care Chris Catliff BlueShore Financial Matthew Corrin Freshii Robert Gialloreto Consumer Protection BC Greg Malpass Traction on Demand Brian Scudamore O2E Brands Rick Watkin KUBRA

8/11/2016 7:08:12 AM

The Accompass Award for

Canadian HR Team of the Year

CAN

ADIA

(500 Employees or More in Canada)

WINNER

“We have a real focus on the employee experience, and we’re very excited about all the things we’ve done over the past year” COLLEEN BAILEY MOFFITT Enercare

AFTER TWO major acquisitions in as many years, Enercare’s workforce grew from 140 to 3,800, and the organization’s 17-person HR team was tasked with aligning multiple businesses while maintaining a focus on talent. A multi-pronged talent approach started with a deep dive into each business unit and corporate group, creating accountability within

every sector to define and drive a fulsome talent plan for each area. As a result of the acquisitions, a large-scale branding initiative was launched, both internally and externally, and HR established guiding behaviours that all employees could follow while instilling a culture based on being exceptional, caring and genuine.

“Our philosophy is that we win together, so recognizing a team in this business is incredibly important and aligned with who we are”

In light of such a drastic change in employee base, the HR team also initiated an extensive review and redesign of the company’s total rewards program – harmonizing and enhancing benefits and compensation plans while developing an entirely new employee structure. “We are particularly proud of our ability to realign our HR structure while delivering a significant people plan to the organization,” says CHRO Colleen Bailey Moffitt. “There is no doubt that the HR team is at the table, and they see us as integral to delivering their business strategy.”

SARAH BEECH, President, Accompass

AWARD SPONSOR

FINALISTS Enercare

Accompass began in 1997 when a small group of likeminded professionals came together. From the beginning, we strived to take a more hands-on, personal, proactive approach to our clients and their businesses. Every time a client had a question, we looked for ways to help. Today, we address the full range of strategic, financial, and regulatory issues surrounding our clients’ programs. Across benefits & health, investment & retirement, and compensation & incentives, we have sought out colleagues who exhibit a rare combination of very deep expertise and an instinctive talent for personal service.

GoodLife Fitness Clubs

For more details, visit accompass.com

University Health Network Human Resources

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Ivari Libro Credit Union HR Team North Bay Regional Health Centre Human Resources Services TransLink

HRAWARDS.CA

8/11/2016 8:57:23 AM

The KPMG Award for

Canadian HR Leader of the Year

CAN

ADIA

WINNER

“It’s a dream come true to win – I’m deeply passionate about the employee experience, and I really believe that my job every day is to make American Express a better place to work” NAOMI TITLEMAN American Express Canada

WITH A DEEP passion for the employee and customer experience, VP of HR Naomi Titleman took up her current role at American Express Canada in 2014, having proved herself as an invaluable asset in her previous post as global HR business partner.

FINALISTS Jenny Affe Greenwin Melody Appelman Parkland Fuel Corporation Keri Fraser Colliers International Paula Harrington Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Stephanie Hollingshead Sierra Systems Colleen Bailey Moffitt Enercare Anna Petosa Pelmorex Media Kamy Scarlett Best Buy Canada Debbie Singh Plan International Canada Naomi Titleman American Express Canada

HRAWARDS.CA

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The Toronto-based exec is responsible for all HR initiatives at Amex Canada and is widely viewed as an innovative thought leader in disciplines such as diversity & inclusion, organization design, talent management and employee engagement. A vocal advocate for women in the workplace, Titleman supports the firm’s eight employee networks and spearheads the Women at Amex initiative. Designed to support the development and advancement of women, the

initiative leverages both internal and external activities, including surveys, panel events, social videos and media opportunities in order to provide women with the tools to better navigate their careers. After just two years in the top HR job, Titleman has already led the company through a move to its new headquarters, where a flexible working style was introduced, and has implemented a new flexible benefit program that targets both physical and financial well-being.

“This award recognizes the advancements in the profession and the value and passion that these leaders are bringing to their companies” SOULA COURLAS, Partner and national lead, KPMG

AWARD SPONSOR KPMG has offices in 33 locations across the country. The firm’s more than 700 partners and 5,600 employees provide crucial audit, tax and advisory services to many of the public and private business, not-for profit and public-sector organizations in Canada. We work closely with our clients, helping them to mitigate risks and grasp opportunities. For more details, visit kpmg.ca

8/11/2016 7:08:28 AM

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NOVEMBER 2013 | 53

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PEOPLE

CAREER PATH

BRAND AMBASSADOR Kamy Scarlett has come a long way in her career, but one thing has remained consistent – people always come first

1989

MOVES INTO FIRST HR ROLE

Kamy Scarlett started in retail in 1979, moving up through the ranks very quickly, culminating in being asked to cover a maternity leave in HR in 1989 “I hesitated, as back then it was considered a fluffy job – I didn’t want to plan the Christmas Party or implement the dress code. My mentor, Robert Rozzi, said to me, ‘Bring your leadership brand to the role – do the job the way you would respect it being done’”

2004

ENTERS A TIME OF TRANSITION After leaving Hudson’s Bay, Scarlett found herself facing unreturned calls while her personal brand faded in the marketplace “I made a committed choice to give back to anyone in transition and to continually build my network. Today, I spend three hours a week assisting people who are looking for a job – if you think that’s a lot, you’ve never been in transition yourself. My biggest ask of every leader is simple: Answer your phone, and leverage your network to pay it forward”

2014

JOINS BEST BUY CANADA The call to join Best Buy was followed by a meeting with company president and COO Ron Wilson, in which Scarlett made the crucial connection she needed to do her best work – and was offered the opportunity to relocate to the West Coast “Shortly after [the meeting], I was asked to take on a dual responsibility: SVP of retail and CHRO. I say thanks to the courage I was given to move across the country”

2015

HELPS CREATE ONE BEST BUY

In a major, far-reaching decision, Best Buy Canada discontinued the Future Shop brand, closed and converted its remaining stores, and unified the two powerhouse brands into one Best Buy “We had two and a half months to plan this remarkable consolidation. We formed a new culture – one that emerged far stronger than the two we left behind. We converted from a commission to a non-commission workforce and refocused our energy to our customer”

“We formed a new culture”

2001

BECOMES SVP AT THE BAY In what she considers an intimidating move, Scarlett assumed a leadership role in an area she didn’t know inside and out “It was a milestone for me to have the courage to lead people who were smarter than I was in an area of the business. My leadership style completely changed; I became a supporter of people versus a director of tasks. It was my role to communicate our vision and direction and then get roadblocks out of their way”

2008

GETS A WAKE-UP CALL After losing both parents to brain cancer a year apart, Scarlett took time off to share their last months, and in the process, reset her priorities

“After asking myself some critical questions, I made a conscious commitment to only work for companies that hold core values and respect the strength of culture. I realized that my happiness was more important than my business card or pay cheque” 2015

BECOMES AMAZING Scarlett created Best Buy’s Be Amazing ‘cultural revolution’, which she describes as “showing the very best of our company and ourselves to our customers and each other.” “We are Canada’s leading total retailer, and we are changing the face of the Best Buy brand for our customers and our employees. It’s by far the most rewarding work I have ever done. It truly feels like I found my calling – it took me 35 years, but I found it!”

www.hrmonline.ca

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8/11/2016 7:10:18 AM

PEOPLE

OTHER LIFE

TELL US ABOUT YOUR OTHER LIFE Email editor@hrmonline.ca

OM FREE Moonlighting as a yoga teacher helps Kirsteen Hebert manage her busy life YOGA IS a family affair for HR specialist Kirsteen Hebert. She took up yoga eight years ago and quickly found herself hooked, deciding to become a yoga teacher herself in April 2012. She started the course to qualify in September of that year – the same month she discovered she was carrying her first child. “I ended up doing yoga training while I was pregnant; that was a really valuable learning experience for me,” Hebert says. Such was Hebert’s dedication that she taught a yoga class less than a week before giving birth and returned to her training course a week postpartum before becoming a teacher the following month. These days she does yoga with her now-three-year-old daughter, who she laughs “is bendier than I am,” and her 21-month-old son. (“He does amazing downward dogs!”) Even now, in the throes of a new job, with two young children at home and a master’s degree underway, Hebert still makes time to teach a class once a week. “I wouldn’t change my crazy busy life for anything, but [teaching yoga] brings balance and peace and helps quieten the mind.”

2,500

Estimated number of hours Hebert has spent practicing or teaching yoga

Number of days prior to giving birth that Hebert taught a class

Number of weeks after giving birth that Hebert finished her teacher training course

www.hrmonline.ca

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8/11/2016 7:16:39 AM

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