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ISSUE 5.01

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

CONTENTS

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UPFRONT 04Editorial

HOT LIST 24 COVER STORY

HOT LIST

Get inspired by 30 Canadian HR professionals who are pushing the envelope on culture, benefits, L&D and a whole lot more PEOPLE

GLOBAL HR LEADER

Say hello to the CPO

06 Head to head

22 FEATURES

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

With employers reinventing all HR processes, HRD chats with one expert about how performance management must evolve

What should HR’s role be in supporting employees’ financial well-being?

08 L&D update

A new study says L&D may be missing the mark with older workers

12 Rewards/benefits update

The inside scoop on Facebook’s newest paid leave policy

14 Statistics

How digital fluency is closing the gender gap at work

16 News analysis

What role should HR play in protecting employee data?

21 Opinion

38 FEATURES

INSIDE HR

When Commvault undertook a massive global rebrand, Jesper Helt helped to make it happen. He tells HRD how

Dave Ulrich outlines how HR can add business value in 2017

CMY

PEOPLE 47 Career Path

How Lorne Rubis went from coaching kids to transforming organizations

48 Other life

Kicking it with HR consultant, author and black belt Karen Gately

HubSpot’s Katie Burke explains how the company is making innovative approaches to HR work

42 FEATURES

MONEY IN THE BANK

The benefits of supporting employees’ financial well-being are clear. So what’s the best strategy?

HRMONLINE.CA CHECK IT OUT ONLINE

www.hrmonline.ca

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CMY

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UPFRONT

EDITORIAL www.hrmonline.ca SPRING 2017

CEO, CHRO, CFO … CPO?

any will be looking ahead to 2017 with relief and perhaps some trepidation. If nothing else, 2016 proved we are, as the saying goes, living in interesting times – if not downright disruptive ones: Brexit, a surprise (for some) election result in the US, military flare-ups in the Middle East, stock market volatility … the list goes on. In terms of HR, 2016 saw further evolution of the once-humble ‘personnel’ function. Historians may look back on the years between 2015 and 2020 as HR’s ‘coming of age,’ whereby the function finally gained the analytical tools and capabilities to help it become a core member of the corporate decision-making team. Looking ahead, some have hypothesized that the executive board of the future may have a new member – the chief performance officer – which will combine HR, finance, planning, operations and strategy. The new role has emerged in the aftermath of the financial crisis, as a result of increasing globalization, and the growing impact of digital disruption in the workplace.

The executive board of the future may have a new member – the chief performance officer – which will combine HR, finance, planning, operations and strategy The CPO title first rose to prominence in 2009, when US President Barack Obama appointed a member of his staff, Anthony Politano, to the position. Politano described the role as having the ‘six Cs’: “Collect, consolidate, and condense performance-related data; communicate the results; collaborate with others; and control and govern the process.” It’s a combination of skills that might have once rested with the CFO or, more recently, the CHRO. The advent of the CPO is a sure sign that, in light of volatile market conditions, the most successful companies will have key functions working together to drive performance across the business.

Iain Hopkins, editor

EDITORIAL

SALES & MARKETING

Editor Iain Hopkins

Business Development Manager Sarah J. Fretz

Senior Writer Nicola Middlemiss

National Account Manager Andrew Cowan

Writers Libby Macdonald Joe Rosengarten Hannah Go

General Manager, Sales John MacKenzie

Copy Editor Clare Alexander

CONTRIBUTORS Dave Ulrich

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

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, Singapore, Bengaluru

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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UPFRONT

HEAD TO HEAD

Should employers assist with financial well-being? Canadians are stressed about their personal finances, which means stress-related illnesses are on the rise. What role should HR play?

Ben Bazinet

Vice-president of human resources Horizon North “Employers cannot overlook the impact an employee’s financial well-being has on their health, productivity and engagement. Many simple, cost-effective strategies can be deployed to help the employee take control of their economic behaviours. A financial advisor might be willing to share valuable information in exchange for pitching their services to potential new clients. Government agencies can come and speak about specific programs. Hosting these presenters in a lunch-andlearn format ensures they don’t cost valuable productivity hours. The goal should be to give employees the tools necessary to manage their own financial health, not to manage it for them.”

Alec Bashinsky

National partner, people and performance Deloitte “Many organizations provide both internal and external-vendor financial planning services to their employees. In some cases, this is seen as part of an employee benefits offering or as part of a broader well-being strategy. While there are many pros and cons to assisting employees with their financial well-being, my view is this is something an organization should not be involved with apart from providing access to services. If the advice fails or backfires, the employee will blame the organization for approving or endorsing this assistance, and this has the propensity to disengage the employee or create an adversarial position between them and the organization.”

Kim Jones

Lead, talent innovation and staffing ATB Investor Services “Investing in the financial well-being of employees is overlooked by many companies, yet it is essential for any organization that aspires to be world-class. Financially fit and savvy employees lead to higher engagement and productivity. At ATB, we recognize that financial wellness is part of an individual’s total well-being and invest in the ‘personal equity’ of all employees. Besides offering preferred banking rates, outstanding perks and a bank branch for the exclusive use of employees (which might not apply to other industries), we also offer one of the best flexible pension plans, a unique benefits program, financial education and financial literacy workshops.”

FEELING THE FINANCIAL STRAIN Four out of five employers are feeling the consequences of their workers’ stress over financial issues reflected in job performance, according to a report released last year by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans [IFEBP]. “Employers are reporting more financial challenges among employees today than five years ago and are seeing these challenges reflected in the day-to-day operations of their workplace,” said IFEBP director of research Julie Stich. “Nearly half of organizations rate their workforce as only a little bit or not at all financially savvy.” According to this report, workers are most likely to stress over debt, which was a factor for 66% of respondents; saving for retirement, which was a concern for 60% of workers; and saving for or funding children’s education, which just over half of respondents reported as a worry. The IFEPB found that two-thirds of North American employers offer their employees some kind of financial education.

www.hrmonline.ca

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How Accessible Is Your Organization? Our Self-Assessment Tool provides information for what your organization can do to go beyond compliance with Ontario’s accessibility laws to create a more accessible organization. Benchmark your organization at www.beyondcompliancetool.ca.

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UPFRONT

L&D UPDATE

Why older workers are missing out on L&D Mature employees often feel pressure to perform well, which leaves them feeling stressed, says a new study

by young coworkers and when they worked in manual occupations. There is, however, a solution – the research found that two types of management practices reduce stereotype threat and increase engagement among mature-age workers. The first type is high-performing practices that focus on training employees, rewarding them for good performance and encouraging them to participate in organizational decisions. The second type is a specific focus on mature workers – updating their skills, redesigning

“Organizations rarely offered the practices that focused directly on mature-age workers”

Well-meaning L&D initiatives can easily miss the mark with older employees, leaving them stressed and disengaged. That’s the warning from a new report, published in the Academy of Management Journal, which compiled information from more than 600 employees aged 45 and older. One its key findings was that many respondents experienced ‘stereotype threat,’ which happens when this age group feels extra pressure to perform well, making work more stressful.

NEWS BRIEFS

Carol T. Kulik, Sanjeewa Perera and Christina Cregan, the trio that led the study, pointed out that this is not only bad for employees, but for organizations, too. “Disengaged workers don’t perform to their full capability and can cost an organization 30% of their salary in lost productivity,” they said. According to the study, mature-age workers experience the most stereotype threat in three situations: when they reported to young managers, when they were surrounded

INSEAD named top MBA program in the world

The Financial Times has named INSEAD’s MBA program as the world’s best for the second year running. To achieve the top ranking, INSEAD scored highly in alumni career progress, international diversity and idea generation. In 2016, INSEAD – which has campuses in France, Singapore and Abu Dhabi – became the first school with a oneyear MBA program to take the top spot. Rounding out the top five for 2017 are the business schools at Stanford, Wharton, Harvard and Cambridge.

jobs to accommodate their physical needs, giving them opportunities to mentor others or allowing them to ease into retirement. According to the researchers, these agespecific practices send a clear signal to mature-age workers that the organization cares about them and their needs. The two types of practices have independent effects, so the mature-age worker will be most engaged when their organization offers both. “Unfortunately, we found that organizations were more likely to offer the highperformance practices. They rarely offered the practices that focused directly on mature-age workers,” the authors said. “Eventually, [those workers] disengage and feel less involved and enthusiastic about their work.”

Amazon rolls out plan to help underperformers Internet giant Amazon is introducing a new training program called Pivot, designed to help underperforming employees. Pivot pairs struggling learners with ‘career ambassadors’ who provide guidance and support for a fixed period of time to employees “who show a sustained period of underperformance, despite coaching and support.” The push comes as Amazon seeks to improve its unpopular performance improvement plan, which was designed to put pressure on those deemed to be failing to reach their goals.

www.hrmonline.ca

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UPFRONT

L&D UPDATE Q&A

Driving growth through L&D George Matti Senior consultant CCM CONSULTANCY

Fast fact CCM Consultancy (ccmconsultancy. com) also represents TMI World and TACK International, two of the oldest learning and management consultancies in the world, in Canada, the US, and the Middle East and North Africa

How has the L&D arena changed over the last five years? While the fundamentals of L&D remain the same, the space has evolved in several ways. We have seen use of gamification on the rise, with learners keen on having more fun in learning. While this is not a new concept, its application in the L&D space is relatively new. Over the last few years, e-learning was on the rise, and many companies thought this was sustainable. The fact is, we continue to see that learners are not as engaged with e-learning – the dropout rate is very high, and the application of the learning is not where companies had hoped it would be. So the ‘happy medium’ has been bite-size learning coupled with online resources and gamified activities using apps and other tools.

How important is emotional intelligence when it comes to leadership development? This is by far one of the biggest game-changers in companies today, and leaders at all levels must have a keen understanding of emotional intelligence and its application in the workplace. This doesn’t mean emotional intelligence replaces cognitive intelligence or experience; it simply means that for leaders to excel today, they must enhance their level of selfawareness, self-motivation and self-management, as well as increase their levels of empathy. Unlike intelligence that is often measured through IQ, our EQ can be enhanced through learning and practice. We have the ability to learn new skills in this area and demonstrate our capability with our team members. EI can make the difference in employees

Destination determines learning success

Whether learners are likely to succeed in online courses largely depends on where they live. A study published in the journal Science found that of the 25 million people who enrolled in massive open online courses [MOOCs] between 2012 and 2015, those in less developed countries completed the courses at a lower rate than those in more developed parts of the world. “Judged by completion rates, MOOCs ... reflect prevailing educational disparities between nations,” said lead study author René Kizilcec.

staying, even during challenging financial times, or leaving due to a bad leader.

Do you think some employers overlook the importance of lifelong learning in leaders? I believe too many employers overlook this area. There is so much focus on the front-liners that we tend to forget that leaders need to be invested in – their skills improved and updated – to ensure that they lead by example. Lifelong learning should be looked at as a top-down approach, and leaders should be at the forefront of learning and being upskilled. Time and again, studies have proven that satisfied employees have a direct impact on the company’s profitability and growth. This cannot be achieved by solely investing in the front line, but rather requires engaging leaders and creating a sustainable learning plan for them.

If you had one piece of advice for employers who want to improve L&D within their organizations, what would it be? I would suggest that they engage their employees and find out what matters to them. We often think we can figure out the employees’ needs simply by asking the line managers or mapping their capabilities against the required competencies. While this can go a long way and is often more than most are doing, engaging our staff will give them a sense of empowerment and inclusion. The ideas that will come from the team will surprise most, and you can enhance participation during the process.

Will religious training be the next L&D trend?

One of the world’s largest advisory firms has launched a specialized training program that seeks to improve religious understanding within organizations all over the world. The program, Religious Literacy for Organizations, was designed by EY to drive inclusivity and show the positive impact it has on business process and performance. It’s estimated that approximately 84% of the world’s population identifies as religiously affiliated, yet religion remains a highly sensitive subject within many businesses.

Gates says tax on robotic workers should fund L&D

Robotic workers shouldn’t be exempt from paying income tax, according to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who says the funds could then be used to retrain employees for jobs that will never be threatened by automation, such as teaching, eldercare or special needs services.“All of those are things where human empathy and understanding are still very unique, and we still deal with an immense shortage of people to help out there,” Gates said in an interview with digital news outlet Quartz.

www.hrmonline.ca

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UPFRONT

REWARDS/BENEFITS UPDATE NEWS BRIEFS Marshmallows teach HR about delayed gratification

Marshmallows have been involved in a series of studies that examined the link between delayed gratification and life outcomes. The results have proved to be a great teaching tool for managers and employees by demonstrating that patience – and the ability to hold out for a larger reward down the line – can be a key to lasting success. The studies involved children who were given a choice of one marshmallow, provided immediately, or two marshmallows if they could wait a short period of time. The results found that children with the ability to delay gratification tended to have better outcomes later in life.

Career-pathing talks should focus on rewards When asked about the most dissatisfying attributes of their previous jobs, those surveyed in a recent CEB study cited people management (47%), future career opportunities (44%) and recognition (37%). Aaron McEwan, HR advisory leader at CEB, suggested that employers should focus on tackling these key drivers of attrition. The report also advised managers to prioritize informal career-pathing discussions in order to rebuild levels of trust and get staff motivated. While conducting these career conversations, senior staff members should acknowledge the strengths and positive contributions of employees.

Manulife boosts employee benefits package Financial giant Manulife has confirmed an increase in its staff benefits at the start of 2017, providing its entire Canadian workforce with up to $10,000 in coverage for mental health issues.

Under the new package, all 13,000 Manulife employees and their families will be eligible for annual mental health benefits. “We’re seeking to overtly address the financial barrier [to seeking mental health treatment] with our benefits, but in some ways we are hoping to address the stigma by showing our employees that we care about their mental health,” said EVP of HR Stephani Kingsmill.

R&R firm launches $6.5 million charity fund

International HR service provider Reward Gateway has announced the launch of a $6.5 million fund to “make the world a better place to work.” The RG Foundation will award grants quarterly to charity, nonprofit and community organizations that are helping people improve working conditions and pay. The first beneficiary is the TGG Foundation, a charitable initiative based in Kerala, India, which has received US$50,000. The grant will allow the TGG Foundation to begin work on a Rural Empowerment Hub to provide local residents with jobs, skills development, fairer levels of pay and better conditions.

Employees stressed by bonus schemes Bonus schemes designed to motivate employees may actually end up harming their well-being, according to new research from the University of East Anglia. The study showed that financial rewards tied to performance often resulted in more intense work for employees, leading to work-related stress or poor well-being. “The key thing for managers is to ensure some balance between employee job demands and measurement of rewards offered,” said lead researcher Dr. Chidiebere Ogbonnaya.

Facebook introduces new paid leave The tech giant breaks new ground with a leave policy that will apply to more than just new parents Social media giant Facebook has confirmed a generous new paid leave policy, which will have a significant impact on grieving employees, as well as those who have to care for a sick family member. In early February, COO Sheryl Sandberg announced that the company would be giving all of its employees six weeks of annual leave to care for ailing relatives – but that’s not all. “Starting today, Facebook employees will have up to 20 days of paid leave to grieve an immediate family member [and] up to 10 days to grieve an extended family member,” Sandberg confirmed. “This is personal for me,” she added at Makers Conference, a women’s leadership event held in California. “I lost my husband very suddenly – Facebook provided leave and flexibility, and now we’re doing more.” Sandberg became a widow in 2015 when her husband, fellow tech figure Dave Goldberg, died suddenly of cardiac arrhythmia while on vacation. She returned to work 10 days after his death. Paid family sick time was also added to Facebook’s list of impressive benefits – employees now entitled to take three days off work to care for a family member with a short-term illness, such as a child with the flu. “People should be able both to work and be there for their families,” Sandberg said. “No one

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should face this trade-off. We need public policies that make it easier for people to care for their children and aging parents, and for families to mourn and heal after loss.” The benefits bump is just the latest employee experience enhancement from Facebook, which last year increased its paid parental leave to four months for both men and women. Keen to show the policy wasn’t just an empty offering, founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg set an early example by taking two months of paternity leave when his daughter, Max, was born. “Studies show that when working parents take time to be with their newborns,

“People should be able both to work and be there for their families. No one should face this trade-off ” outcomes are better for the children and families,” he wrote on his Facebook page after confirming the time off. In Canada, ‘leave’ is classified as the period of time new parents are entitled to take off without pay, with a guarantee they can return to the same job once that leave period ends. Length varies from province to province, as do the eligibility requirements. Maternity leave for biological mothers varies from 15 to 18 weeks. Parental leave, available to both parents, varies from 35 to 52 weeks. Although adoptive mothers are not entitled to maternity leave, adoptive parents are usually entitled to the same parental leave as biological parents.

Q&A

David Brennan General manager ACHIEVERS

Fast fact Achievers is consistently rated one of Canada’s best employers by the Great Place to Work Institute. In 2015, Achievers was ranked 12th out of 50 for Best Medium Workplace and 14th out of 50 for Best Workplace for Women

What HR can expect from R&R What are the major trends you’re seeing in the R&R space right now? Rewards & recognition is no longer a ‘nice to have,’ but has become an essential component of leading organizations’ broader engagement strategies. We’re also finding that a number of companies are moving away from the traditional concept of ‘rewards & recognition’ and toward stand-alone social recognition programs untethered from a rewards component, where recognition is the primary driver of desired behaviours rather than the promise of monetary or other material rewards. We are also seeing some very interesting developments with regards to people analytics and how some of our most forwardthinking customers are using recognition data to inform important HR decisions and give them incredibly granular employee performance and engagement data and insights.

How do you predict the field will change in the next five to 10 years? You’re going to see rewards & recognition programs become totally commonplace in all truly successful companies. But beyond that, R&R will be included as part of a more holistic employee experience solution that will provide employers with insights on how to engage and motivate employees down to an individual contributor level.

What risks do employers face if they fail to adapt with the rapidly evolving industry? Employers risk being left behind. They risk being outperformed on a number of levels and in a number of key business areas where we know R&R has an impact: retention, engagement, customer satisfaction, revenue growth, overall performance. Those are some pretty significant areas of impact. So if you are a business leader and you’re getting left behind in those areas, I would suggest that you might want to give R&R another look. Beyond that, organizations risk being seen as old-fashioned and having their employer brand be negatively impacted as a result. In the current labour market, as defined by an ongoing war for talent, especially among millennials, and by the increasing transparency brought about by social networks like LinkedIn and Glassdoor, your employer brand is more important than ever.

If you had one piece of advice to offer employers in regards to R&R, what would it be? If you’re not already doing it, the time is now to begin thinking about how to link your rewards & recognition program to your company’s key strategic goals. If you’re not using rewards & recognition to move the needle in those areas that are most important to your business, you’re not getting the kind of ROI you should. If delivering a great customer experience is most important to your business, design rewards & recognition programs that tie to key metrics like NPS and CSAT. If increased sales are what you’re after, design a strategic recognition program to incentivize your sales team.

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UPFRONT

STATISTICS

Closing the gender gap

Canada

7/5

71%

Percentage of respondents who agree that “the digital world will empower our daughters”

Number of countries (out of 31) in which women have attained higher levels of education than men

1/3

76%

A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITY

using will provide their desired outcome. The work flexibility afforded by newer forms of technology seems to have an outsized effect on women: almost six out of 10 women surveyed who were not currently engaged in formal employment said that working from home part or all of the time would help them find work. A similar proportion reported that having more flexible hours would assist them in their search for employment.

Percentage of men who use digital channels frequently (versus 72% of women)

United States

Digital fluency has the potential to narrow the economic divide between men and women WHILE MEN currently have an employment advantage, that gap is closing, due in large part to a significant uptick in outcomes for women driven by digital fluency. According to a recent Accenture study, nations with higher rates of female digital fluency also have higher overall rates of gender equality. A digitally fluent person can decide when to use specific technologies to achieve their desired outcome, and also articulate why those tools they are

Accenture defines digital fluency as the combined result of factors including education, employment and advancement at work. The firm rated each country it studied on a scale of 100 points on these core components to produce an overall score, as well as a separate digital fluency rating that covers digital use only. The US, Netherlands and Australia took the top three spots overall, while Canada came in seventh. However, Canada ranked fifth in terms of its digital fluency score. Overall rank/digital fluency rank

61%

Overall score

Percentage of women in developing countries who want to start a new business in the next five years

Digital fluency score

Source: “Getting to Equal,” Accenture, 2016

LARGEST GAPS

ACCELERATING THE PACE

Of the five countries with the largest gap in digital fluency based on gender, the top two are both in Asia; the remaining three countries are in continental Europe.

In a scenario in which women were enabled to become digitally fluent at double the speed, gender equality could be reached decades earlier than the current date forecast of 2065 for developed countries and 2100 for the developing world.

80 2100

58 53

50 40 44

52 46

ality equ r e nd O h ge S QU to reac U T STA years 50

54 48

30 2015

der gen h c O QU rea US rs to T A ST 5 yea 8

2065

YEARS FASTER

2040

2X SPEED: 25 years to reach gender equality

2015

y alit equ

40 YEARS FASTER

2060

2X SPEED: 45 years to reach gender equality

10 0 Japan

Singapore

Women

France

Switzerland Netherlands

Developing countries

Men Source: “Getting to Equal,” Accenture, 2016

Developed countries

Source: “Getting to Equal,” Accenture, 2016

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Netherlands

2/1

Nordic

4/2

Switzerland United Kingdom

5/4

9/10

48 Germany

Austria

14/16

Ireland

8/12

15/11

United Arab Emirates

11/6

France

Spain

6/7

10/13

Singapore

12/15 Argentina

13/19

Australia

3/8

50 Source: “Getting to Equal,” Accenture, 2016

REACHING AN AGREEMENT

SMALLEST GAPS

An overwhelming majority of respondents agreed that women’s employment opportunities increase as their digital fluency rises, with only a minor discrepancy between the genders.

The countries with the smallest gender gaps tend to be developed nations – three of the top four are located in Europe. In three of the five countries, women’s digital fluency outstrips that of men.

RESPONDENTS WHO BELIEVE WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES INCREASE AS DIGITAL FLUENCY RISES

60 54 50 53

49 48

47 47

72% Women

68% Men

20 10 0 UK

Ireland

South Korea

Women Source: “Getting to Equal,” Accenture, 2016

Spain

Argentina

Men Source: “Getting to Equal,” Accenture, 2016

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UPFRONT

NEWS ANALYSIS

Data breaches and HR Several high-profile cases around the world have highlighted the need for companies to prepare for cyberattacks. What role can HR play? THE NEW cybersecurity buzzword ‘insider threat’ is a nod to the growing understanding that internal data security deserves as much – if not more – attention than the external threats we know and fear. “While high-profile data breaches through external hacks are often those that make the news, the reality is that the majority of data breaches fly under the radar,” says Guy Eilon, senior director and general manager of Forcepoint, a data security advisory firm. Indeed, around 53 million data security incidents took place last year alone, according to a global report by IBM. “While the headlines would lead us to believe that

to a phishing scam) or a purposeful leakage (when an employee has a specific motive to steal sensitive data). To provide just one example, in late 2016, global recruiting firm Michael Page had its security breached in an accidental leak. The records of 711,000 job candidates from China, the UK and the Netherlands were accessed by two individuals “without malicious or fraudulent intent,” according to the firm. Michael Page reported that the leak occurred on a server used by its third-party IT service provider, Capgemini. In order to combat the threat of employees stealing information, HR must

“While high-profile data breaches make the news, the reality is that the majority of data breaches fly under the radar” Guy Eilon, Forcepoint these are due to sophisticated cybercrime from foreign adversaries, [many] of these incidents were in fact due to the company’s biggest asset: their employees,” Eilon says. This type of ‘insider threat’ encompasses a number of potential dangers that stem from internal vulnerabilities, including accidental leakage (when an innocent employee leaves sensitive data lying around), social engineering (when an employee falls victim

work closely with the IT team, says Lynne Lewis, intellectual property partner at law firm Minter Ellison. In particular, Lewis says, it’s important to ensure that there are comprehensive systems in place so that employees engaging in potentially harmful behaviour can be tracked. Employers have the option of accessing technology that allows them to see if an employee has been downloading onto

USB keys, or if they have been taking their computer home, hooking it up to devices and downloading or printing from it. However, Lewis has come across organizations, quite often large ones, that don’t have sound IT systems in place – for example, there may not be any logs kept of USB keys that are plugged in and out of workplace computers. “If I’m running a case, I want to be able to show that the night before someone actually departed or the night before they handed in their resignation, a USB key was inserted into their work computer and that XYZ was copied over onto that,” Lewis says. “HR must work with the IT team to get good tracking and lockdown technology in place ahead of time.” HR teams also need exceptional internal communication in place whenever an employee resigns, she adds. “I’ve seen many circumstances where the information doesn’t necessarily get told

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LARGE-SCALE INTERNAL LEAKS AROUND THE WORLD RED CROSS BLOOD SERVICE (2016) Personal data of 550,000 blood donors – including names, gender, address and date of birth, as well as information on ‘at-risk sexual behaviour’ – was accidentally published to the public. VODAFONE (2013) Using privileged insider access, an IT contractor working for Vodafone copied the names and bank account details of 2 million customers from a server located in Germany. MOSSACK FONSECA (PANAMA PAPERS, 2016) Sensitive data on clients, including high-profile politicians, criminals and professional athletes, was leaked from law firm Mossack Fonseca. The roughly 11.5 million documents included emails, contracts, scanned documents and transcripts.

to the correct people, who might notice that something unusual is happening with people’s access to the premises or documents during that period of time,” Lewis says. “Had

in place an exemption to that if they’ve got a basis for it in their system.” It’s critical for HR professionals to develop an understanding that data security is an

“HR must work with the IT team to get good tracking and lockdown technology in place ahead of time” Lynne Lewis, Minter Ellison they known that person had resigned, then they might have actually spoken up about seeing some strange things happening.” It’s also important to be careful with document destruction policies, because sometimes important information can be lost, Lewis says. She says one of her clients introduced a policy whereby everything disappears after 30 days. “That can be really hard to recover,” she says. “But they can put

issue for more than just the IT department, the CIO or the CSO, Eilon says; it impacts recruitment and training, and should involve active participation from every staff member. Eilon adds that staff training can help reduce the instances of accidental and socially engineered data breaches. Moreover, training employees on safe data practices is a great way to improve overall security. He says staff should learn to recognize and report

YAHOO (2016) More than 150,000 US government and military employees were among the victims of the Yahoo data breach, which put their names, passwords, telephone numbers, security questions, birthdates and backup email addresses in the hands of cybercriminals. Experts warned the leak could allow foreign intelligence services to identify employees and hack their personal and work accounts, posing a threat to national security. a phishing scheme email, understand the importance of separating work and personal technology use (including the dangers of third-party apps), and of course, take seriously the importance of having unique and complex passwords across various platforms. Beyond training, however, Elion points out that there are technology solutions that are also an essential part of an effective data protection program. “New-to-market tools are capable of using computer learning to recognize abnormal employee behaviour, identify any potential threats and record those actions to produce a court-admissible piece of evidence, in the form of a playback video, for prosecuting illegal and malicious actions.”

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PEOPLE

GLOBAL HR LEADER

Rewriting the HR rulebook HubSpot is shaking up traditional notions of HR – and it has the IPO success and innovative perks to prove its approach works. HRD sat down with HubSpot’s global VP of culture and experience, Katie Burke, to find out how THE WORD ‘unconventional’ applies not only to HubSpot’s approach to people management, but also to the career of its global VP of culture and experience, Katie Burke. Prior to HubSpot, Burke was the director of marketing and corporate partnerships at Athletes’ Performance and Core Performance (now known as EXOS). This unique mix of communications and marketing skills, combined with HR expertise, has positioned Burke well to tackle her current employer’s challenges.

HR and IPOs Established just over a decade ago, HubSpot develops and markets software products for inbound marketing, including tools for social media marketing, content management, web analytics and search engine optimization. In short, the company knows something about marketing. It’s perhaps the perfect match for Burke, who was handed the responsibility of running the company’s internal and external communications for its IPO early in her tenure. In October 2014, the Boston-based company launched on the New York Stock Exchange with an IPO listing of US$125 million in fresh capital, leaving the company with a market valuation of US$880 million.

“There’s a very traditional recipe going into an IPO that people want you to follow,” Burke says. “You’re working with your bankers and your lawyers, and you say, ‘OK, here are the financials, here are our growth numbers, here is our projected revenue, and so on.’ We had all of that. Then we kept adding in flags about our culture: our employees, our talent brand,

“It’s not just employees who care about the employer brand; it’s your shareholders, the public market and potential candidates down the line,” says Burke, who adds that HubSpot was wary of falling into the trap of other similarly sized businesses, which have gone down the IPO path while claiming that culture was critically important, only to fail dismally.

“It’s not just employees who care about the employer brand; it’s your shareholders, the public market and potential candidates” our community and the net worth effect all this was creating.” Part of the reason for this focus, she adds, was due to the number of investors who asked about and deeply cared about the company’s commitment to culture. “They told our founders how a culture of innovation is really what distinguishes outstanding companies from average companies in terms of overall performance. That’s why we knew we had to get the culture piece right.” Indeed, Gallup reports that organizations with above-average levels of employee engagement reap 147% higher earnings per share.

Another of Burke’s key takeaways from the IPO experience occurred on the morning of the IPO. “You have this amazing morning – you walk in [to the stock market floor], and your banner is up, and everyone is excited. You feel energized. And at 11 a.m., they walk you out, they say congratulations, and then another company does their IPO. It’s a very visceral reminder that the world goes on – your party is not everlasting, and you can’t take anything for granted. I think you have to say your IPO is the beginning of your journey as a company, rather than the end. You have to show that to employees.”

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PROFILE Name: Katie Burke Company: HubSpot Title: Global VP of culture & experience HR experience: Two years Previous roles: »»Director, media and analyst relations, HubSpot »»Director of marketing and corporate partnerships, Athletes’ Performance and Core Performance »»Brand manager, EXOS »»Director, Glover Park Group »»Researcher, Booz Allen Hamilton First HR role: Director, talent and culture, HubSpot Qualifications: MBA, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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PEOPLE

GLOBAL HR LEADER Transparency and autonomy Today, HubSpot employs more than 1,500 people in six locations around the world, including its headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as well as New Hampshire, Sydney, Dublin, Singapore and Tokyo. A new office will open in Berlin in 2017. The ‘unconventional’ nature of HubSpot’s approach to HR comes down to its two underlying principles: transparency and autonomy. On the former, Burke says that anyone who works at HubSpot, from intern to executive, has access to all of the company’s documents. For example, all staff have access to management team meeting minutes, board meeting outcomes and even the random

who has wanted to be micromanaged; instead, they want latitude to do great work on their own with the support of management. “We set our company goals and directives, but we don’t give people an exact map on how to get there,” she says. While some business leaders might cringe at the thought of training people to think like entrepreneurs, Burke says this mindset is actually helpful to HubSpot. “You feel more accountable to other divisions and to the company. You don’t get that feeling if you’re sitting in the corner with your head down.” If and when ‘HubSpotters’ do leave, it’s not unusual to find the company’s founders and executives acting as angel investors for the

“I think the next few years will see a convergence between HR, marketing and IT. I’m excited by what those changes will bring” musings of the CEO answering off-the-cuff questions from employees. Burke says that being “radically transparent” allows the company to do two things. “One, it prevents people from [problem]solving for themselves or for their team,” she says. “Having to share things and having a bias to share information ensures people are truly ‘solving’ for the company. Second, we believe people do better when they know better. For example, if you’re working on a data project for the data team, and you’re working on something for the marketing team, the bias to share everything prevents people from putting their guard up and saying, ‘That’s my project or my data.’ It encourages collaboration.” She adds that the company’s “super talented” employees likely have career aspirations beyond HubSpot – they may want to start their own company or become a CEO someday. “The idea of learning from other parts of the business just by checking with our company Wiki, for example, is really important for us.” As for autonomy, Burke says she’s never met a talented professional in any division

new ventures. An active alumni program also gives a boost to these startup companies.

Borrowing from the best How can traditionally risk-averse HR functions learn from companies such as HubSpot, which appears to be rewriting the HR rulebook? For Burke, who says that often the best opportunities in business emerge from a willingness to think differently, there are two initial steps. For HR professionals within large organizations who don’t know where to start and are unsure of what the appetite for change is, she suggests simply asking people what they think. “Don’t ask via a lengthy survey,” she says. “Ask, on a scale of one to 10, how likely you’d be to recommend your company to a friend or colleague. You’ll be surprised by what you get back.” As part of this process, it’s critical to also ask what the company can do better. “I’m constantly amazed at the number of companies who are unwilling to take that step,” Burke says. “Own the accountability coming out of it and ensure you’ll actually take action on it.”

THREE INNOVATIVE STAFF PERKS AT HUBSPOT 1. Unlimited vacation policy. “Unlimited vacations get a lot of attention for the days on versus the days off, but from my perspective, it’s about other things, such as working parents who can do their work without asking for exceptions. Or if you’re someone training for a marathon, you can build your work schedule around what you’re personally passionate about without having to ask for permission.” 2. Free books: “For the last eight years, the company has had a program where you can request a business book. I’m a lifelong learner and avid reader myself, so I love it. Our employees are busy; they have a lot going on. Any friction you create between their ability to learn more and actually doing it can prevent them from taking that leap. So we make it easy for people to learn on their own and learn from other people.” 3. Mystery Dinners: “Three times a year, groups of eight to 10 people sign up for a Mystery Dinner. They have no idea what restaurant or what group of people will be attending until 4 p.m. that day. What we’ve found is that evening of spending quality time over a nice meal goes a long way toward our employees building meaningful connections with people on other teams.” The second step is to ask people to write down what matters most to them about work. Burke often finds that leaders assume that people know what a culture stands for because they have company mission statements or values. But if your newest employee can’t recite what it means or how they feel about it, you’ve failed. Finally, Burke maintains that a culture like HubSpot’s depends on trust. “You can’t fake trust,” she says. “For example, companies that try to launch unlimited vacation policies without a true commitment to autonomy always fail because it’s not about a policy; it’s about the dynamic of trusting employees to do their best at work.”

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UPFRONT

OPINION

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

A great time to be in HR A combination of forces is shifting HR to centre stage, and it’s how HR will handle these forces that will deliver business value, writes Dave Ulrich WE SEE four forces making HR more central to business success: the context of business (STEPED: social, technological, economic, political, environmental and demographic changes), the increased pace of change (VUCA: volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity), the demise of employee well-being (individuation, isolation, indifference, intensity) and the requirement to be outside in (attend to customers, investors and communities). Collectively, these four forces shift HR to centre stage. In our new book, Victory Through Organization, the first sentence is, “HR is not about HR.” Rather, it’s about attending to these four forces to deliver business value. While it is a great time to be in HR, it is not without downsides. I find three models helpful for HR professionals to respond to the new opportunities.

Resource demand. The demands on

Personal resources. HR profes-

HR are increasing through the four forces noted above. HR professionals are being asked to do more. Some of these demands can be moderated (for example, don’t do non-value-added work). But the focus should be on resources. What resources can HR professionals access to help them cope with their increased demands? I see two categories of resources: personal and departmental.

sionals can better respond to increased opportunities when they have the competencies to succeed and a more personalized career map.

Competencies are the skills HR professionals bring to their job. We have spent 30 years studying which HR competencies have personal and business impact. Through our research, we identified nine competencies for HR professionals. Three were foundational (compliance manager, analytics designer and implementer, and technology and media integrator). Three were strategic enablers (culture and change champion, human capital curator, and total rewards steward). But three had the most impact on HR profes-

leader. Within this mosaic, HR professionals may choose to stay within one quadrant (e.g. functional excellence in rewards, learning or organization design), or they may move across quadrants throughout their career (e.g. moving back and forth from centres of expertise to business). When HR professionals proactively define their careers, they can map how they go forward.

Department resources. HR profes-

sionals seldom succeed by themselves. In our research, we found that the quality of the HR department had four times the impact on business performance as the quality of individual HR professionals (hence the title of our book). Part of creating an effective department is making sure that roles are clear, which is about decision rights, accountabilities and responsibilities. HR departments should be organized to mirror the business organization. If the business has more centralized governance, HR should be more centralized, with common HR practices across the enterprise. But we have come to appreciate that relationships matter as much as (or more than)

“While it is a great time to be in HR, it is not without downsides” sionals around the world: • Being a credible activist allows the HR professional to be invited to the business dialogue and be personally effective. • Being a strategic positioner helps the HR professional deliver the most value to business customers and investors outside the organization. • Being a paradox navigator is the compe tency most connected to delivering business results. So, while HR professionals need to recognize all nine competencies, they especially need to master the three core competencies. With these competencies, HR professionals can take charge of their careers. HR professionals can work in four areas: functional expertise, geographic area, business unit or outside HR. They can work at three stages: individual contributor, manager or

roles. If the structure is mostly right, HR leaders need to build positive relationships throughout the HR community. There have been many studies of positive relationships by psychologists and marriage therapists, which include sharing a common purpose, respecting differences, having realistic expectations, caring for each other, sharing experiences and growing together. As HR moves to centre stage to deliver real business outcomes, the demands need not be threats, but rather opportunities if personal and department resources exist. Dave Ulrich is a university professor, author, speaker, and management coach and consultant. Ulrich is a professor of business at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and co-founder of The RBL Group. For more, visit daveulrich.com.

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LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT INSIGHT

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

Performance management for a new era HRD sat down with performance expert Ian Cullwick to talk about what makes a successful performance management model in 2017 MODERN EMPLOYEES expect their employers to be just that: modern. And those companies that fail to adapt to market forces and expectations of the current and future workforces run the risk of not being able to compete for top talent. In their attempts to modernize and keep up with trends set in motion by companies like Google, Amazon and Facebook, organizations across Canada are finding new ways to conduct core business and HR functions. Performance management is one such HR process that is undergoing fundamental changes at many organizations across the country.

Time for change Over the past year, countless high-profile companies have scrapped traditional performance management processes. Out went performance ratings and formal sit-down conversations; in came more timely and transparent processes – including manager/ employee ‘check-ins.’ In November 2016, Amazon announced it was updating its employee review process and moving away from a model that involved a ‘stack-ranking system’ in which staff members were rated against one another rather than by how well they were meeting their job requirements. “We’re launching a new annual review

process next year that is radically simplified and focuses on our employees’ strengths, not the absence of weaknesses,” Amazon spokesperson Teal Pennebaker said at the time. “We will continue to iterate and build on the program based on what we learn from our employees.” The reality is that in order to be a successful and mutually beneficial process, performance management has had to become a top

Before being in a position to implement an effective performance management program, an organization must ask itself one simple yet integral question: What do we want to use performance management for? “I would argue that, in and of itself, performance management can have no value,” Cullwick says. “It comes down to contextually understanding the nature of your business and industry sector, and then figuring out how it’s going to add value to your business and employees.” There are some key questions that any organization should carefully consider before designing and implementing a performance management model: • Is it going to enable accountabilities to be strengthened and quality management to be improved? • Is it going to enable team and individual variable pay or bonus determination? • Is it going to enable and support career planning and development? Many organizations use performance management as a way to get a sense of individual and collective interests in terms of career aspirations and progression. However, effective performance management programs

“Performance management is increasingly being recognized as a core management practice, not simply an HR process” Ian Cullwick, Mercer Canada management priority. “In this day and age, performance management is increasingly being recognized as a core management practice, not simply an HR process,” explains Ian Cullwick, a partner in Mercer’s Ottawa office. “That’s largely because it’s the one core management philosophy and practice that, when carried out effectively, can link strategic business direction and priorities to the team and individual employees who will ultimately execute on that strategy and make or break its success.”

can also be used to drive training and development, needs analysis, and related investments in people development and training. There are a number of different ways to apply performance management, so to achieve success, organizational leaders need clear goals that are aligned with the context of their business objectives and needs.

The risks of getting it wrong Although rushing to develop a new performance management model is not a recipe for a

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success, completely ignoring its benefits is sure to have negative organizational consequences. “The reality is that many performance management programs and processes are very unsophisticated or, in some cases, nonexistent,” Cullwick says. “Those with minimal experience who suddenly decide they want to become ‘high-performance driven’ often create ineffective models. Trying to be too sophisticated too quickly can hinder culture and management practices, and cause quite a bit of distraction and misalignment.” Badly designed performance management programs also run the risk of creating false expectations amongst the workforce. If an organization announces the launch of a new performance management system that’s going to drive team and individual bonuses, but the planning and measurement aspects don’t function effectively, leaders will not be in a position to deliver reasonable bonuses that are internally equitable and performance-based. The result is an organization that invests a lot of effort and time, yet receives very little value. Despite a growing awareness around the

importance of providing feedback on performance and setting tangible goals, performance management remains misunderstood by many organizations and industries, particularly by those who do not recognize its value. These organizations are missing opportunities to review, communicate with and incentivize their staff through modern performance management, which can take many shapes and forms. “With technology, data analytics and the information management systems that exist, we’re becoming much more sophisticated with how we plan and measure performance,” Cullwick says. “When well designed and used properly, it can be a major game-changer and value-adder for all types of organizations. Performance management can be a driver that makes a real difference.”

A helping hand To help Canadian firms design and implement effective and optimized performance management models, Cullwick has teamed up with Queen’s University’s Industrial Relations

Centre [IRC] to develop a two-day performance management program, which runs from March 21–22 in Toronto and March 27–28 in Victoria. Cullwick hopes to empower attendees with the knowledge that a robust performance management model must be forward-looking and fundamentally based on the unique contextual needs of an organization’s strategic direction. This program is designed to give participants insights and competency in the key strategies, methods and processes that can be used to realize the benefits of meaningful performance management and successfully drive better accountability, productivity and development. “The objective is to talk about trends and contemporary choices that are available and to help participants understand their own contextual circumstances,” Cullwick says. “We want to help participants better understand the foundational ingredients of performance management: the core basics around different types of planning and measurement approaches and practices, and how different measurement can be used to better focus performance.”

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28/02/2017 7:22:01 AM

FEATURES

COVER STORY: HOT LIST 2017

HOT LIST 2017 HRD’s annual Hot List brings together the best of the best in the industry – an impressive group of 30 high achievers in the HR profession

IT’S ALWAYS a pleasure browsing through the final list of HR professionals featured in HRD’s annual ‘who’s who’ guide. These are the people who continue to add value to the profession and increase its standing in the business world. Some of them have appeared on our previous Hot Lists, proving their staying power; others have been featured in the magazine over the past 12 months. Then there are new contenders, the ones who have launched innovative initiatives, tackled tough business-critical challenges or moved the dial on persistent issues like diversity & inclusion. Many have already been acknowledged as industry leaders – they’ve picked up personal accolades from the likes of the Canadian HR Awards, or the employers they work for have been applauded as an employer of choice by organizations such as Aon Hewitt or the Great Place to Work Institute. It’s not all about bright optimism, though; some of the HR professionals on this year’s list are in declining markets or at companies that are struggling to reinvent themselves. But rain, hail or shine, HR continues to prove its worth, as the leaders on the following pages prove.

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HOT LIST INDEX COMPANY

PAGE NAME

COMPANY

PAGE NAME

AG Hair

Michele Matthews

Island Savings

Ilka Bene

Alberta Health Services

Todd Gilchrist

Jones DesLauriers Insurance Management

Kristin Coulombe

Aldo Group

Maryse Ward

KPMG Canada

Linda Speedy

ATB Financial

Lorne Rubis

Libro Credit Union

Cavell Fraser

Best Buy Canada

Kamy Scarlett

Mount Royal University

Melanie Peacock

BlueShore Financial

Marni Johnson

Nando's Canada

Heather Wyllie

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Paula Harrington

PCL Construction

Mike Olsson

City of Vernon

Raeleen Manjak

Pelmorex Media

Anna Petosa

Coast Hotels

Pia Collins

Sierra Systems

Stephanie Hollingshead

Colliers International

Keri Fraser

SocialHRCamp

Jeff Waldman

Enercare

Colleen Bailey Moffitt

Spin VFX

Leah Jaikaran

Freshii

Ashley Dalziel

Traction on Demand

Manu Varma

GoodLife Fitness Clubs

Alana Free

Ultimate Software

Vivan Maza

Greenwin

Jenny Affe

Vector Aerospace

Monica Rye

HomEquity Bank

Lori Sone-Cooper

Worldlynx Wireless

Elaine Cruise Smith

“

Stephen has been absolutely delightful and such a positive addition to our team and overall morale .” - Michelle Dulmadge, Director, AltaGas Ltd.

Inclusive Hiring Works Learn more at readywillingable.ca or call 709.437.1504

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28/02/2017 7:22:28 AM

FEATURES

COVER STORY: HOT LIST 2017 ALANA FREE

ASHLEY DALZIEL

Vice-president, people and culture

GOODLIFE FITNESS CLUBS

FRESHII

In her two decades with GoodLife Fitness, Alana Free has worked her way from receptionist to club manager and eventually L&D manager. She has been responsible for opening new club locations across Canada; now, as VP of people, she oversees a team of 14,000 associates. Over the past year, Free and her team have implemented a new technology system that allows GoodLife to communicate more effectively with its 1.25 million club members while significantly reducing the use of paper. Free also handled the people management side of a significant corporate upheaval, which included providing job transition services such as career counselling, resume-building seminars, education allowance programs and even time off for job interviews while employees still worked with the company.

Amidst concerns about the millennial workforce’s reported penchant for job-hopping, Freshii boasts a headquarters team that is 98% millennial with extremely low turnover. A millennial herself, Ashley Dalziel attributes this success to the incredible appeal the company’s mission holds for her generation: to promote healthy living by providing affordable and convenient healthy food. “People want to do work that matters,” she says. “They want more than just a job and want to be part of a company that is about more than just making a profit.” Dalziel has a strong background in recruitment, employment branding, talent management and leadership development, having spent a decade at Lululemon Athletica, where she helped it grow into a multi-billion-dollar organization. Her work at Freshii is already paying dividends, too – the company won the Best Workplace Culture Award at the 2016 Canadian HR Awards.

ANNA PETOSA

CAVELL FRASER

Vice-president, people and culture

LIBRO CREDIT UNION

Senior HR consultant

PELMOREX MEDIA

As VP of people and culture for a media company approaching its 30-year mark, Anna Petosa’s top priority for the past year has been spearheading a cultural transformation project to ensure Pelmorex keeps pace with constant disruptions in the industry. In response to one identified HR service gap – the need for employees to share the vision of the company and see the relevance of their roles – Petosa and her team launched a program called ROAD Trip to a Performance Culture to increase engagement and foster the desired performance culture. The program is composed of four aspects: Recognition (of others and its importance), Objectives (setting SMART ones), Assessment (regular dialogue with managers) and Development (continuous L&D). For 2017, Petosa will be focusing on harnessing HR data analytics to completely shift Pelmorex Media’s HR department from an administrative role to a strategic one.

Cavell Fraser has led Libro Credit Union’s HR team to support its new business strategy of ‘Growing Prosperity in Southwestern Ontario.’ This strategy incorporated two mergers, one in 2014 and another in 2015. Under Fraser’s leadership, the team has achieved a number of milestones, including completing two banking conversions, managing 154 internal job placements among 640 staff and hiring 123 new employees, including those from the merger. In 2016, Fraser completed two key initiatives: the rollout of an Aon Hewitt engagement survey, which led to the company being named Best Employer (Platinum Level) for both 2016 and 2017, and the setup of a Human Resources Management System [HRMS] committee. Fraser helped conduct a needs analysis for a new HRMS in the organization and created a comparison report of the final vendors. Her next step is to lead the HR team to implement the system and conduct the necessary training in early 2017.

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28/02/2017 7:22:35 AM

COLLEEN BAILEY MOFFITT CHRO ENERCARE

Colleen Bailey Moffitt joined Enercare as CHRO in April 2015. By May 2016, following multiple acquisitions, the company had grown to nearly 3,800 employees. In the midst of this rapid growth, Moffitt and her team have been focused on maintaining a high-performance culture and ensuring an aligned employee experience through various HR processes such as talent and performance management, reward & recognition, and total engagement. In 2017, Moffitt is expecting to implement a new HRIS and continue embedding newly established programs. Moffitt has more than 20 years of experience in HR across various industries such as energy, finance, retail and consulting, and has held executive HR roles at major companies such as TD Bank, PwC and Direct Energy.

ELAINE CRUISE SMITH Chief talent and culture leader WORLDLYNX WIRELESS

Under Elaine Cruise Smith’s leadership, communications retailer Worldlynx was named a Great Place to Work in 2016, as well as a Best Workplace for Women in Canada, with an all-time-high employee satisfaction rating of 84.6%. Smith’s focus for the past year has been on wellness, employee development and diversity. On the diversity front, she launched an employee resource group for women’s mentoring and networking, and introduced various diversity initiatives as part of the Worldlynx recruitment strategy to attract not only women, but also millennials, new graduates, people with disabilities and at-risk youth. Her acute understanding of the company’s culture – which is grounded in core values – has also been used to develop sales tools that the company’s sales team relies on to win clients, providing Worldlynx with a clear example of how HR can contribute to the bottom line.

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FEATURES

COVER STORY: HOT LIST 2017 HEATHER WYLLIE Vice-president of people NANDO’S CANADA

In her current role as VP of people for Nando’s, Heather Wyllie ensures that close ties and relationships exist between the people leaders of various offices around the world. “It’s no secret to our Canadian business or to Nando’s globally that it’s never been about the chicken; it’s about the people who make the chicken … [and] Heather brings people to the forefront of our Canadian business,” writes a colleague. In just under two years with Nando’s Canada, Wyllie has led the growth of the central team and is continuously working with senior leadership to map out long-term strategic growth plans, which will be essential to the company’s goal to almost double in size. Wyllie has built talent from the ground up for Nando’s Canada: Over the past 12 months, the company has launched a talent strategy and supporting tools for more than 900 ‘Nandocas’ across more than 40 locations in three provinces.

ILKA BENE

JEFF WALDMAN

Assistant vice-president of HR

Founder

ISLAND SAVINGS (A DIVISION OF FIRST WEST CREDIT UNION)

SOCIALHRCAMP

Following the integration of Island Savings into First West Credit Union in 2015, Ilka Bene was instrumental in the communication and implementation of all people services-related decisions for Island Savings. She has led a number of change projects, including harmonizing policies, job titles, and the compensation and benefits program at Island Savings, in addition to overseeing software system conversions and leading union relations/collective bargaining. Most important, Bene worked to keep the balance between developing a shared culture and retaining a local culture, ensuring that policies and practices remained aligned with the parent organization while the implementation and outcomes were localized. To ensure that employee engagement remained a priority, Bene chaired a committee called Islands’ Voice, which served as the testing ground for new ideas, projects and policies. As a result, Island Savings’ engagement score for 2016 was the highest within First West’s regions.

Jeff Waldman is the founder of SocialHRCamp, a cost-recovery event platform that teaches HR and recruitment practitioners how to integrate technology and social media into the workplace. Thus far, Waldman has already run 15 SocialHRCamps and will be running his next one in Los Angeles. He will also be holding his 4th DisruptHR Toronto event in June. Waldman has also spoken at various conferences and advised several HR tech companies on product roadmaps and go-tomarket strategies. Having found that HR professionals tend to be relatively slow in adopting technology, he sees the need for more emphasis on HR technology, especially with the expected increase in use of artificial intelligence in 2017. In leading SocialHRCamp, Waldman draws on his previous roles in HR. For example, as head of talent for Toronto-based software security company Security Compass, Waldman built a pioneering HR strategy that has enabled the use of technology for growing employer brand awareness. This has allowed the company to allot more time for recruiting top talent and building its workplace culture.

KAMY SCARLETT CHRO BEST BUY CANADA

Recently, Kamy Scarlett and her team celebrated the one-year anniversary of their Be Amazing initiative, which she describes as “all about hiring people who share our values, and encouraging everyone to take the initiative to resolve customer issues and help others who need it most.” The program encourages and recognizes employee-led initiatives and new processes introduced to improve business and service experiences. Since changing its hiring approach and introducing development programs that give employees the opportunity to choose their desired career, Best Buy Canada has experienced a significant decline in staff turnover rates. Scarlett and her team also take pride in their champion program, which invites talent from across the country to brainstorm new programs or solutions to specific challenges.

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JENNY AFFE Vice-president, HR GREENWIN

One of Jenny Affeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s key accomplishments over the past year has been the implementation of a leadership development program that allocates time twice a year for people managers and managers-in-training to go off-site and participate in workshops for leadership competencies. Affe facilitates the full-day program, along with similar programs, while overseeing the usual full spectrum of HR services for more than 400 employees. In 2017, Affe and her team plan to focus on digital initiatives that will drive efficiencies, such as introducing a self-service employee model and an online absence reporting system, following the recent integration of a new payroll and HRIS. They also aim to launch Greenwin University, an in-house training and peer program to deliver a customized onboarding experience, depending on location and role.

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FEATURES

COVER STORY: HOT LIST 2017 KERI FRASER

LINDA SPEEDY

Senior director of people services, North America

CHRO KPMG CANADA

COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL

Keri Fraser lists two items from the past 12 months as her proudest achievements in her entire career: her team winning the Best Employee Engagement Strategy Award at the 2016 Canadian HR Awards, and her company achieving Aon’s Best Employer Gold Level Status in Canada, the culmination of six years of hard work. Fraser has been with Colliers International since 2009, first leading the Canadian HR team before being promoted in 2015 to oversee people services for all of North America. In June 2015, the company went public and has been experiencing rapid growth since. Fraser and her team continue to support this growth by providing a strong base to ensure the successful integration of acquisitions. Fraser expects retention and recruitment – specifically employer branding – to be her top priorities for 2017.

LEAH JAIKARAN Head of creative resources (HR)

In the past year, KPMG shifted to a new model for the CHRO position by assigning an HR professional to permanently undertake the role, as opposed to reserving it for developmental rotation for a high-potential client service partner. This decision followed the stellar performance of KPMG’s HR team under the stewardship of Linda Speedy, who has 20 years of experience at KPMG, leading HR initiatives and partnering with practices across the country. Last year was one of challenge and learning opportunities for Speedy as she witnessed major leadership changes at KPMG and helped facilitate these transitions by staying the course on the company’s people agenda and working closely with the new leadership team to craft a new people experience plan.

LORI SONE-COOPER Vice-president of HR HOMEQUITY BANK

SPIN VFX

In 2016, Leah Jaikaran led film and TV visual effects company Spin VFX to its first win for HR Team of the Year at the Canadian HR Awards, just one year after she joined the company as head of HR. Within the same period, she and her team implemented the first Reel and Resume workshop, which involved opening Spin VFX’s studio to job-seekers and conducting practical training on how to build the best reel and resume. The workshop helped the company attract top talent, cultivate relationships with job-seekers and promote its brand among artists in the industry. Another major project Jaikaran took on in 2016 was defining and implementing a comprehensive employee experience strategy, which includes a personalized and thorough onboarding process, formalized and frequent performance reviews, and accessible wellness initiatives. In 2017, Jaikaran and her team are looking to roll out Spin’s first HRIS, conduct leadership training sessions and enhance relationships with local schools to strengthen the company’s internship program.

For Lori Sone-Cooper, 2016 was a challenging yet fulfilling year: HomEquity Bank experienced rapid growth and underwent significant business changes, recruited plenty of new staff, and still managed to keep positive employee engagement scores all around. HomEquity was a Gold Level winner of Aon’s Best Small and Medium Employers for 2017, and was also included in the Profit 500 list of FastestGrowing Companies. As HomEquity enters a new phase of expansion, Sone-Cooper expects the company to cross the 200-employee threshold in 2017, and she plans to shift HR’s top priority from recruitment to improving operational efficiency in the coming year. However, she won’t be forgetting one HR fundamental: “Engaged and happy employees help shape our client experience,” she says.

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TODD GILCHRIST Vice-president of people legal privacy ALBERTA HEALTH SERVICES

In 2014, Todd Gilchrist joined the executive leadership team of Alberta Heath Services, which, with more than 100,000 employees, is the largest employer in Alberta and one of the top four largest employers in Canada. Establishing presence in such a massive organization is a challenge in itself, and Gilchrist has purposely been visible throughout AHS by being physically present in each of the five geographic zones across the province at least twice a year. Gilchrist doesn’t hesitate to get his hands dirty – he participates in all the initiatives he expects employees to take part in, even shaving his head as promised when the HR staff reached an 85% response rate for its employee engagement survey. AHS’s people strategy had ground to a halt prior to Gilchrist’s arrival, but it has since been completed, launched and publicized. Dr. Verna Yiu, president and CEO of AHS, was glowing in her assessment of Gilchrist’s work with the organization: “Todd is actionoriented, a people person, and provides great advice and leadership, not only to the senior leaders, but to all of the organization.”

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MARNI JOHNSON Senior vice-president, HR BLUESHORE FINANCIAL

Under Marni Johnson’s leadership, BlueShore Financial was ranked among Aon Hewitt’s 50 Best Small and Medium Employers in Canada in 2016 for the sixth consecutive year, and achieved Platinum Level status for the second year. Also last year, the company experienced its highest-ever employee engagement score of 82%. One major initiative Johnson launched in 2016 was a customized, organization-wide digital literacy assessment tool, designed to determine the staff’s level of digital knowledge in areas like cybersecurity and social media in order for management to address knowledge gaps. Following the assessment, the team developed a series of learning tools, including video clips on topics that scored the lowest. They also appointed one digital ambassador from each department to serve as the resource person for the assessment tool and other new technologies implemented. As the only woman and HR representative on BlueShore Financial’s six-member executive management team, Johnson is dedicated to creating a culture of diversity & inclusion at BlueShore. At present, 50% of the company’s assistant vice-presidents and vice-presidents are female – a percentage Johnson hopes to boost in 2017.

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LORNE RUBIS Chief evangelist ATB FINANCIAL

As ATB’s first-ever chief evangelist, Lorne Rubis serves as the spokesperson and advocate for ATB’s culture both outside the company and within. He wears many hats in this role, including advisor, connector, coach and catalyst. As the ultimate proponent of culture, Rubis has been busy communicating the company’s vision and values to its staff, helping them to see the ‘story’ that enriches the corporate culture and explains their relevance in the organization. This has also been his greatest challenge over the past 12 months as the bank faces constant disruption and seeks to strengthen its market position by transforming itself to a digital, data-driven company. As the changes continue, Rubis will no doubt be referencing his own book, The Character Triangle, which advises handling work and life situations by focusing on three key concepts: respect, abundance and accountability.

MANU VARMA

MARYSE WARD

People person

Senior director, HR

TRACTION ON DEMAND

ALDO GROUP

As Traction on Demand’s ‘people person,’ Manu Varma is capitalizing on the company’s cloud-based apps to revolutionize traditional HR practices and further the concept of the ‘people cloud,’ which he says allows HR professionals, business partners and employees to find “more time for play.” Varma says helping employees find work-life balance has been his team’s biggest challenge over the past year, but Traction is committed to doing things differently. “Most consulting firms are big on taxing people to the maximum and driving billable hours through the roof,” he says. “We have been focusing on load-balancing to ensure that everyone has work-life harmony. We’ve built the business on a 32-hour billable workweek … 50% of our consultants are there, and we have another 25% to bring to that level.”

With Aldo Group for more than 15 years and in the industry for nearly 30, Maryse Ward has been the backbone the company’s HR department. Her background in law has helped her greatly in handling legal challenges arising from the globalization of Aldo’s operations, particularly in setting up a satellite office in China over the past 12 months. Ward has been conceptualizing practices to foster the Aldo culture in the new office and ensure alignment of work policies and processes, taking into consideration the cultural differences between China and the company’s Quebec headquarters. Ward also serves as a speaker at various industry events, as well as within the academic community; she recently presented a case study for a class on international HR management at the Université de Montreal.

MELANIE PEACOCK Associate professor MOUNT ROYAL UNIVERSITY

Melanie Peacock has dedicated nearly 30 years of her career to advancing HR management by developing many of Canada’s current and future HR professionals. As a professor of HR management, Peacock regularly garners top teaching ratings; she received more than 100 votes for the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Canadian HR Awards, many of which came from current and former students. Other notable accomplishments include helping to establish the Human Resource Students’ Society at the Bissett School of Business, which organizes various events within the university for student training and development. Peacock has also co-authored two textbooks and is a sought-after contributor to provincial and national media.

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FEATURES

COVER STORY: HOT LIST 2017 MICHELE MATTHEWS Vice-president of organizational development AG HAIR

One of Michele Matthews’ top priorities is the long-term development of AG Hair’s employees. To that end, she has implemented a three-year training program for the management team, addressing various aspects such as self-discovery, leadership, team effectiveness and coaching skills. Matthews also created the annual performance management assessment program at AG Hair, which arranges quarterly check-ins for all employees on their goals and personal objectives and is accessible through an online HR portal. As a testament to her efforts in growing leadership and implementing HR best practices, the company has maintained a five-year average engagement rate of 89%, with an average participation rate of 92% in its annual employee survey.

Vice-president, HR and professional development PCL CONSTRUCTION

As VP of HR at PCL Construction, Mike Olsson takes great pride in the company once again being named a Platinum Level winner of Aon’s Best Employers 2017, not to mention PCL’s 17-year track record on the list. PCL was also named one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures in 2015. Olsson considers the establishment of the PCL Leadership Academy to be his department’s most significant achievement in 2016. The initiative was launched to provide all employees with opportunities to develop leadership behaviours based on PCL’s leadership philosophies, principles and practices. The academy is in keeping with the spirit of the company’s founder, Ernie Poole, who listed “employ[ing] the highest-grade people obtainable” as his first business rule. To carry on the tradition of strategic investment in people and a performance-driven culture, Olsson says his top priority for 2017 is an enhanced focus on metrics and analytics.

MONICA RYE

PAULA HARRINGTON

Director, HR and Business Improvement

Director of organizational development

VECTOR AEROSPACE

CENTRE FOR ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH

Monica Rye’s dual role as head of both HR and business development at Vector Aerospace has led her to come up with a holistic threepronged approach for all HR programs: having an employee-driven experience, employing business analytics (HR KPIs) and gauging industry status. All three aptly demonstrate how HR functions as a strategic partner at Vector. For the past 12 months, the HR team has been busy considering and implementing project proposals submitted through an employee opinion survey and keeping the employees updated on their progress. Rye and her team have also used analytics to drive new initiatives, most recently a scholarship program, which was developed after a review of the employee base. Rye also has introduced a new HR Scorecard for the department with a continued strong focus on using data to highlight areas for possible improvement.

MIKE OLSSON

As director of organizational development at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Paula Harrington oversaw the restructuring of a significant business unit within the organization in 2016. To work through the issues that arose, she facilitated a series of working sessions for the company’s leaders to come together and formulate the proper strategic responses. Given the ubiquity of mental health-related challenges, CAMH continues to promote measures that contribute to positive mental health among its employees, and to handle change fatigue and uncertainty, all of which are dependent on the HR and organizational development team implementing solid change management practices. Harrington has more than 20 years of experience in leadership development and coaching, talent strategy and management, organizational design, and change management, and has worked with both Canadian and global organizations in the public and private sectors.

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15/03/2017 9:58:31 AM

KRISTIN COULOMBE HR director JONES DESLAURIERS INSURANCE MANAGEMENT

As HR director at Jones DesLauriers Insurance Management, Kristin Coulombe has advanced the company’s HR agenda by facilitating change in the executive leadership structure – including hiring a new president – in preparation for future growth. She also ensured alignment of vision and values within the company, which led to the business growing from 90 to more than 250 employees in Ontario. To create a more collaborative and inclusive work environment, Coulombe arranged the relocation of the office and included provisions for healthy food options and an on-site fitness facility to promote employee wellness. Most notably, Coulombe has been responsible for creating a sales university program, which allows the company to grow its own sales talent and generate new client revenue at a faster pace. She was also instrumental in the successful integration and alignment of HR practices into three Ontario brokerages acquired by the company between 2014 and 2016.

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28/02/2017 7:23:17 AM

FEATURES

COVER STORY: HOT LIST 2017 PIA COLLINS Executive director of people and culture COAST HOTELS

Pia Collins recognizes that the heart of a thriving organization is great leadership, and she has worked hard to cultivate a culture of leadership and accountability at Coast Hotels. To achieve this, Collins created a leadership framework, coupled with integrated recruitment and development strategies, the latter of which focused on core leadership competencies. “By providing support to staff who act as leaders [and] take calculated risks, and those who work through their mistakes for continued learning, we are able to create an environment where innovation and idea creation is the norm, and not just settle for the status quo,” she says. The six-month-long leadership development program Collins manages includes various learning sessions conducted on-site and via conference calls, a concurrent mentorship program, and a final meeting for participants to present insights and provide a learning opportunity for others.

Director of HR

STEPHANIE HOLLINGSHEAD

CITY OF VERNON

Vice-president of HR

RAELEEN MANJAK

SIERRA SYSTEMS

Raeleen Manjak’s main challenge and highlight for 2016 was furthering the performance leadership culture within the office of the City of Vernon. This encompassed a large-scale initiative that focused on strategic capacitybuilding – specifically, building comprehensive management skills among 55 participating managers through an 18-day program that consisted of focused discussion, case studies, corporate management theory and application, as well as situational analysis conducted over a one-year period. Through this initiative, the management team has arrived at a common understanding of expectations and deliverables for leaders. Manjak and her team also focused on continuing the organization’s commitment to a safe and respectful work environment in 2016. As a result, the City of Vernon has received certificates of recognition for its safety work systems, as well as its return to work/stay at work program.

As VP of HR at Sierra Systems, Stephanie Hollingshead has been integral in revamping the company’s recognition, performance and career management programs, and has launched an online training program to improve employee engagement and lower turnover. One major challenge Hollingshead and her team dealt with over the past year was retraining a large group of employees in new technologies. To do this, Hollingshead facilitated active dialogue between operations leaders and the employees themselves, then created and implemented training and development plans that addressed both business needs and employees’ career goals. In 2017, Hollingshead is looking forward to introducing a comprehensive leadership development program, which will provide leaders with assessments, self-study sessions, experiential assignments and peer coaching.

VIVIAN MAZA Chief people officer ULTIMATE SOFTWARE

In 2016, Ultimate Software was named the number-one Best Large Workplace in Tech by Fortune. Vivian Maza credits this achievement to the team keeping true to its ‘people first’ founding mantra. To demonstrate its dedication to supporting employees, the company has extended its paid maternity, paternity and adoption leaves, and continues to provide 100% employer-paid healthcare for all full-time staff and their families, not to mention recently increasing its 401(k) company match up to the federal maximum. In keeping with this focus on health and wellness, Maza is looking forward to the implementation of employer-covered IVF and IUI treatments in 2017 to help employees start families. In the spirit of diversity & inclusion, Ultimate extends the same healthcare benefits to same-sex married couples, and has added Communities of Interest groups for the LGBTQIA community, veterans and women leaders.

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28/02/2017 7:23:22 AM

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28/02/2017 7:23:25 AM

FEATURES

INSIDE HR

SCALING FOR GLOBAL GROWTH

While significant expansion would make most organizations envious, it can come at a cost. HRD chats with Commvault CHRO Jesper Helt about how he has helped transform and scale his companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operations 38 38

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IN LATE 2016, Commvault celebrated what company insiders called its ‘20-10 anniversary’: 20 years as an independent company and 10 years on the NASDAQ stock exchange. CEO Bob Hammer and around 40 Commvault software developers went to New York to ring the closing bell for the day of trading. For Jesper Helt, CHRO at Commvault, the day was highly symbolic: Instead of a group of senior executives in attendance, it was the developers. “That is Commvault’s story,” he says. “It’s our bread and butter.” Commvault is a global technology vendor that provides data protection and information

HRD: What’s the history of Commvault? Jesper Helt: It was formed in 1988 as a development group in Bell Labs, and later became a business unit of AT&T Network Systems. It was incorporated in 1996 following the deregulation of the telecom sector, and segments of that business were sold off. At that time our current CEO, Bob Hammer, came on board. You could not really call him a founder, but in a way he is. When we became a company 20 years ago, he was there, and he is really the founder of the Commvault we know today. We have 2,700 ‘vaulters’ all over the

“It can be hard to move an HR function along. In larger HR organizations, which I’ve been part of in the past, it’s very tough” management solutions for some of the world’s largest enterprises. It operates across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific, and employs almost 2,700 staff worldwide. Last quarter alone, it posted more than half a billion dollars in revenue. Helt joined Commvault two and a half years ago, just as it was undergoing a massive global rebrand to address the company’s declining revenue and its failure to take significant market share away from competitors. During this transformation, Helt played a key role by changing the recruitment process, specifically focusing on the types of people being hired. HRD talked to Helt about how HR has helped with the transformation.

world. Around half of these are based in the Americas – the US, Canada and Latin America – and around 35% are in EMEA, and the remaining in APAC. We have a presence in 36 countries, and although we have not entered a lot of new markets in recent years, just in my two and a half years in the company, we’ve opened up seven new markets. We’re headquartered in New Jersey, and really the business has grown from that base. We’ve been in Europe for close to 18 years, and APAC came a little bit later. However, from a presence and headcount perspective in the last two and a half years alone, growth in both APAC and EMEA has been quite significant.

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FEATURES

INSIDE HR

MANAGING THE PAIN POINTS McKinsey & Company has identified three common ‘pain points’ for rapid-growth companies. Stifling structures Well defined organizational structures establish the roles and norms that enable large companies to get things done. Therefore, when growth plans call for doing things that are entirely new – say, expanding into new geographies or adding products – it’s well worth the leadership team’s time to examine existing organizational structures to see if they’re flexible enough to support the new initiatives. Sometimes they won’t be.

Unscalable processes Business processes are another area that companies often overlook, to their detriment, when they are growing. It’s important for a company to determine which processes will come under particular stress when it grows.

Unprepared people Growth naturally creates new interactions and processes, expected and unexpected, and often at a fast pace. To manage them, the employees who face the greatest complexity – for example, those in functions or businesses that will see increased activity – must have ‘ambidextrous’ capabilities. These enable people to take initiative beyond the confines of their jobs, to cooperate and build linkages across the organization, and to complete many tasks in parallel.

HRD: How does HR operate at the company? JH: I have a global role. I was brought in with a background in HR in the pharma and technology industries, which I’d worked in around the world for a number of years. I joined when I was on the West Coast of the US, based in Silicon Valley. The idea, as my boss said to me, was “to bring a West Coast feel to an East Coast company.” What he meant by that is, there’s a tendency in the US to foster more innovation – particularly HR innovation – on the West Coast rather than the East Coast, which tends to be

more conservative and old-school HR. The Valley in particular spearheads this. A lot of the cutting-edge, outside-of-the-box thinking is coming out of that part of the US. So I was enticed by that opportunity. Also, the company had enjoyed tremendous growth, but did not really have a strategic HR function. There was of course an HR function, but it was more of an administrative, transactional HR function. That said, the people agenda has been front and centre at Commvault from the getgo, so it wasn’t like good things weren’t being done; it was just that the HR function was not built to scale up. The company had

when it comes down to actually putting it into practice, there is a lot of resistance, not only from the HR function, but also from the business itself. How do you bring the business along if it’s been accustomed to certain things?

HRD: Can you provide a specific example? JH: Take vacations. This is mainly a US phenomenon, but in the US, certain companies have moved to unlimited vacations, versus the old way where you had a certain number of allocated days off and the employer kept track of it. Getting the business to feel comfortable

“When I joined Commvault, I found that if I asked 10 different people what prospective talent or a high-potential candidate looked like, I’d get 10 different responses” reached a point in time – around 1,500 people – where it was decided that what had been done historically would not help with the scaling of the culture and processes.

with a change like that, and the HR function who manage it – because it requires a slightly different mindset – can be a challenge. Trust is the key.

HRD: Many larger organizations do look to those tech startups for bright HR ideas. How well received was that West Coast approach in a more traditional, structured HR company?

HRD: Continuing the change theme, you joined Commvault just as it was undergoing a significant transformation. Can you outline what was happening?

JH: It can be hard to move an HR function along. I was lucky in that there was only a small HR function, so there weren’t a whole lot of changes for me to undertake. But in larger HR organizations, which I’ve been part of in the past, it’s very tough. It puts your identity to the test. If you have been a very well executing HR function but focused on the classic HR policing of policies or being very strong on transactional HR, suddenly you need to forget about policies and move toward guidelines, for example. It’s more about adding strategic value. That’s a tough transition, one that many HR functions are struggling with. They like the talk – it all sounds very appetizing – but

JH: The simple version is the whole industry we are in was being disrupted. In the storage backup industry, we’ve seen more and more enterprises move to the cloud. It happened so much faster than anybody anticipated, and the industry at large had a hard time adapting to that. We saw it coming, and we were working on it, but the speed by which it hit took us by surprise. What that essentially meant was that a company that had become a Wall Street darling because it had seven years of 20% growth on top- and bottom-line results, quarter after quarter, all of a sudden hit a wall. That was part of it; the other part was coming out the other side and building a company that could scale beyond 1,500 people.

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HRD: What did you do? JH: We’ve spent a year and a half, maybe a little longer, transforming in a couple of ways. For example, we worked to get our set of solutions and software second to none in relation to our customers being able to manage, secure and access their data in the cloud as well as if it’s on-premise. That required massive innovation in our platform and in our solutions. Other work was done on the organizational front in terms of scaling the organization, building out the capabilities – be it in sales, technical roles, marketing – because with the disruption also came the need for different types of personnel.

HRD: And you were involved in changing the recruitment process? JH: We didn’t have a recruitment function or capability that was built to find as much talent as we needed. So that was a major part of it: building up the recruiting function in all parts of the world. The even bigger element was getting proactive with some of the technologies that are now available in the recruitment space – for example, building a sourcing strategy so we can leverage social media data and rapidly locate talent globally. We wanted to be able to source talent proactively and build talent pools so even if we didn’t need it immediately, we’d have someone to get in touch with in three or four months – and of course, as part of that, building robust talent selection processes. That meant ensuring there was a strong partnership between the talent acquisition function and the hiring managers, and then establishing what sort of talent we want. When I joined Commvault, I found that if I asked 10 different people what prospective talent or a high-potential candidate looked like, I’d get 10 different responses. When organizations are growing so fast, that sort of thing just happens. We were venturing into new markets and moving from being a midmarket player to being an enterprise player. The skill sets required were different, and it took some time to define and crystallize the profiles of people who are likely to be successful

Jesper Helt at Commvault HQ

THE PERSONAL IMPACT OF RAPID GROWTH Jesper Helt outlines three ways he’s managed to keep on top of an ever-changing work environment: Prioritize what makes the biggest difference. “That also means leaving behind some of the things that could keep me very busy; I used to do them, but they are not really moving the needle.” Move to an agile philosophy. “Forget about sequential strategy implementation. Break away from that and do spurts instead – spurts on different projects or tasks so you can move on many things in parallel. You do not necessarily look to get to 90% or 100% completion. If you get 60% to 70% of the way there, that’s good enough because you’ve been able to move on five things in a fairly short period of time versus carefully planning out one or two initiatives but taking twice the amount of time. At least in my world, a lot of things will have changed, so even two-year strategies or projects run the risk of not being relevant once we get to the end of it.” Foster courage in your team. “Trust your instincts and celebrate on an ongoing basis if you’re heading in the right direction.” here. We worked with the business to build success profiles and think through what has changed and how that will impact the experiences people will have when they join us. That then impacted the talent pools in which we were looking for talent.

HRD: How far along do you think you are in the transformation process? JH: It’s ongoing. You need to stay on your toes, especially in this industry. From an HR perspective, I think we’re getting to the point where we’ve solidified the foundation; we’ve built our team, and we have some more robust, scalable processes in place. The next step is to ramp up the benefits of having those foundations, which is about getting the brand and the story out there, and then

bedding in these processes and ensuring they become part of the DNA of the company. We want to have fun along the way. I have a photo of me on the slide at work, and that’s exactly the sort of work environment we’re trying to create. We have game rooms and outdoor fitness facilities, and at first you go, ‘Does that really belong in the workplace?’ But yes, it does. It helps you get into other parts of your brain, and if your job is to innovate, that’s a good thing. Our sporting competitions also help connect people. We’ve now got 800 people at our headquarters, so we started to run into trouble with the development team not collaborating with the marketing team, and so on, due to the distance between people that growth can create. These cross-functional, fun competitions help build connections.

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FEATURES

SECTOR FOCUS: FINANCIAL WELL-BEING

Money in the bank More Canadian organizations are recognizing the benefits of supporting employees’ financial wellbeing. But is it that simple? CANADIANS CURRENTLY owe almost $1.67 for every dollar of their disposable income, making the workforce more indebted than ever before. The cost of living is also rising, house prices are going off the charts, and wages remain pretty flat. For most Canadians, an end to living in the red doesn’t appear to be a reality any time soon. Data from Environics Research, released by Manulife Bank late last year, found that homeowners had an average of $174,000 in mortgage debt and were spending an average

of 28% of their net income on paying off their home each month. The survey also found that about half of those polled (46%) said they would have difficulty making their monthly mortgage payments in less than six months if their household’s primary income earner lost his or her job, while 38% either don’t know how much is in their emergency fund or have not put away any funds for an unexpected event. Even more worrying is the fact that more than 40% of Canadians say they would only

FINANCIAL STRESS: GENDER DIFFERENCES Studies show that women report more financial stress than men.

40%

losing sleep

51%

losing sleep

30%

anxiety

overwhelming stress

Because women are:

• Earning more • Increasing their share of jobs • Living longer • Becoming primary money managers in the household Source: Financial Planning Standards Council/Leger, 2014

have enough money to continue paying their living expenses for four weeks or fewer if they lost their job or other main source of income; 19% say they could only do so for one week. A recent survey conducted on behalf of the Financial Planning Standards Council [FPSC] also found that more than two-thirds of Canadians believe the economy – and their own financial situation – has either stagnated or worsened over the past five years, leading two out of every five Canadians to worry about money at least once a day. About one in four say they worry “almost constantly.” The FPSC also found that 42% of Canadians rank money as their greatest stressor – one that is driving Canadians to lose sleep, regret past financial decisions, lie to family and friends, and argue with partners.

The impact on employers Put simply, Canadians are stressed about money, and it’s impacting every aspect of their lives, both personal and professional. Now that workplace programs to support physical and psychological well-being are the norm, employers are shifting their attention to safeguarding their employees’ financial well-being. “Employers are showing an increased awareness around the impacts that poor financial health can have on employees’ productivity, absence levels, presenteeism and benefits costs,” says Brigitte Parent, SVP of group benefits at Sun Life Financial. “The link between financial, physical and mental health is being realized more and more. In our discussions with employers, we’re noticing a better understanding around the full ecosystem of financial health, physical health and mental health.” There’s no doubt that financial stress is having a serious impact on Canadians’ ability to fulfil their requirements at work. According to the 2016 Sun Life Financial Canadian Health Index, 29% of Canadians are distracted at work as a result of their financial situation. The report also found that three of the top four drivers of stress are all related to financial challenges: 45% of

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Canadians are concerned about personal/ household finances, 32% worry about trying to maintain a budget, and 31% worry about unexpected expenses. The links between financial stress and physical and mental well-being have been highlighted in numerous studies and surveys. Excessive levels of stress have been shown to contribute to chronic physical illnesses like high blood pressure, obesity, hardening of the arteries, diabetes, digestive issues and ulcers. An Associated Press study also found that among financially stressed people, 51% report muscle tension or lower back pain, 44% report migraines or headaches, and 29% report anxiety. “On the mental health side, stress-related conditions account for 30% of disability claims,” Parent says. “And 28% of the respondents to the Sun Life Financial Canadian Health

“The link between financial, physical and mental health is being realized more and more” Brigitte Parent, Sun Life Financial Index said a serious mental health issue reduced or depleted their savings, and 25% said it caused some financial hardship. It’s clear to see how all of this is correlated and how it impacts the employee’s ability to function at work.”

Taking action Effective financial wellness programs help to improve employees’ attitudes toward their finances and financial behaviours. By taking strides to reduce the impact of financial

worries, proactive organizations are also improving operational efficiency and creating healthier working environments. Employees who aren’t stressed by money or preoccupied with issues related to their finances are going to be happier, more productive and more present. For an organization that sees itself as truly valuing its staff, implementing a financial element into wellness programs is a real no-brainer. More employers are making efforts to implement financial wellness strategies:

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FEATURES

SECTOR FOCUS: FINANCIAL WELL-BEING

WHAT’S STRESSING CANADIANS? Canadians are more stressed about personal finances than work, personal health and relationships, according to a survey by the Financial Planning Standards Council – 42% named money as their greatest stressor. Of significance to employers with large contingents of millennial employees, 87% of Canadians surveyed wish they had made better financial decisions earlier in life. Greatest source of stress 23% Work 42% Money

19% Personal health

17% Relationships Financial regrets 87% of Canadians wished they had made better financial decisions earlier in life Save more money/start saving earlier

15% Invest more/earlier/wiser

10% Spend less

6% Should have obtained a better job/better-paying job

5% Should have bought a house/condo/property

5% Should have acquired a better education

5% Nothing/don’t have any regrets

13% Source: Financial Planning Standards Council/Leger, 2014

Some offer education seminars on healthy financial habits and how to deal with debt, lunch-and-learns, investment advice, or tax and income planning. The realization that individuals need help to deal with the emotional side of their finances is gradually seeping deeper into the consciousness of Canadian employers. “When we talked to our clients about doing these things, most employers had tried one or two,” says Jillian Kennedy, leader of defined contribution and financial wellness for Canada at Mercer Investments. “But when we asked the same clients if they had a financial wellness strategy in place that they can track, manage and test for a return on their

When to step in The extent to which employers should become involved in their employees’ financial wellness is a hot topic of debate. Where is the dividing line between an individual’s responsibility and the employer’s? Joe Parent, vice-president of sales and marketing at Venngo, has noticed a fundamental distinction between how this question is being considered in Canada compared with in the US. “Canadian employers are more likely to assume added responsibility in helping employees maintain and establish financial well-being,” he says. “The role of organizations continues to evolve, but there is certainly a movement that recognizes its

“Canadian employers are more likely to assume added responsibility in helping employees maintain and establish financial well-being” Joe Parent, Venngo investment, very few had actually done that.” According to Kennedy, many of the traditional methods used by employers to engage employees are no longer working. Therefore, the concept of building a sustainable, adaptable long-term strategy is more important now than ever before. An organization can develop a wide-ranging wellness plan, but if it doesn’t engage employees, it is worthless. “We believe that you have to reach out to employees at moments that matter, but those moments could be different for each employee,” Kennedy says. “Our research shows that people think about retirement when their parents retire; they think more about savings and debt when they buy their first home. Taking that concept and applying it to financial wellness means we need to be offering financial wellness support along the entire career path.”

potential to be of enlightened self-interest.” In today’s competitive labour market, offering a comprehensive wellness package that encompasses a well-thought-out financial health plan could be the factor that helps organizations attract and retain top talent. In an age in which brand and company image are of growing importance and the number of millennials in the workforce continues to rise, providing employees with the tools and services to be financially healthy is crucial. “In terms of the way income growth is tracking versus the cost of homeownership and the cost of living in urban environments, millennials are typically under a lot more financial stress than previous generations,” Joe Parent says. “Therefore, an employer who takes steps to proactively provide support for financial well-being could be best placed to attract those millennial workers.”

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PEOPLE

CAREER PATH

TRANSFORMATION COACH From school sports coach to ‘chief evangelist’ of ATB, with excursions into the dot-com world in between, Lorne Rubis has had a dynamic career A natural athlete, Rubis began his working life as a phys ed teacher. In his four years as Coach Rubis, he made great strides toward turning a floundering school around “[The school was] in bad shape academically and sports-wise, and had poor morale; [it became] one that was winning championship sports, academically improved, with good morale. It was my introduction to organizational transformation”

1972 FINDS HIS CALLING

1976

1988

RELOCATES TO THE US Rubis and family moved south of the border for what was initially planned to be a one-year sabbatical; they ended up staying for 25 years. One memorable assignment during this time was Rubis’ stint as VP of operations with the LA Kings, where he was tasked with turning around the franchise, which had entered a decline post-Gretzky. At one game, he reconnected with an old acquaintance: Mark Messier, who as a 12-year-old had Rubis as a phys ed teacher

2004

PUTS IT IN WRITING In his next role as CEO of Ryzex, Rubis focused on the ‘secret sauce’ – the company ethos – that drew customers. He devoted weekends to writing a book, The Character Triangle, in which he identified three key values in both professional and personal arenas “The values [outlined in the book] change the framework by which you work and live – that became the underpinning of my philosophy as a CEO”

2017

TAKES ON A NEW CHALLENGE Rubis started the New Year with a new title: chief evangelist, a role designed by the CEO to take ATB’s culture to a whole new level

“We are one of the top companies in North America from a cultural point of view – we want to reimagine banking and make banking work for people. We have to work differently; we have to collaborate differently”

VENTURES INTO LABOUR RELATIONS With a new direction in mind and a graduate degree in labour relations in hand, Rubis took an IR position and settled a four-year strike in one week. That achievement provided the catalyst for Rubis – still in his 20s, with a baby and pregnant wife – to start a consultancy. “I had to bring enough value that people would pay me. Everyone should have that in their life – it sharpens your senses, but also makes you fearless after a time”

1996

GETS CAUGHT IN THE DOT-COM BUST Tapped to become COO of Zones, another turnaround opportunity, Rubis savoured the challenge of transforming the catalogue B2C company to a B2B direct marketer in the midst of dot-com mania. When he was next asked to join a company working on VOIP technology, Rubis didn’t hesitate “It was going to be a home run, so I left Zones to participate in this – and the bottom fell out of the dot-com market. It was a very humbling moment”

2012

JOINS ATB AS CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER A fateful call from ATB and a mission to reinvent banking were enough to get Rubis back to Canada to help transform an organization marked by waning engagement and above-average levels of turnover “I had the chance to come in and the mandate to make it the place to work. We advanced the culture of the company. It was four and a half years and an unbelievable ride for me”

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PEOPLE

OTHER LIFE

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

THE KARATE CONSULTANT

For HR consultant and author Karen Gately, karate is not so much a sport as a way of life

WHEN FOUR-YEAR-OLD Karen Gately started begging her karate teacher father to let her join him in his training sessions, she couldn’t have realized that the martial art would become a passion that she would pursue for 25 years, up until the third dan black belt. Indeed, karate dominated the life of the HR consultant when she was a youngster; often, Gately – who started taking lessons at age five – would go straight from school to the dojo that was the family business and do homework in between lessons and sparring sessions. She started teaching children’s classes herself at the age of 13 before taking on adult students at 15. In between, she became the youngest black belt ever in the karate style known as Shukokai. “I was a really grown-up kid,” she says. “Martial arts teach you discipline and focus; in my teens, people would think I was in my mid-twenties.” Given that Gately met her husband – now a third dan black belt himself – through the practice of karate and continued sparring all through her pregnancies, it’s fitting that the activity provided the framework for her first book, The Corporate Dojo. “I studied HR to become a better people manager, and I remember thinking, ‘What would I do in the dojo to get more out of these people?’ I’ve drawn heavily from that background. It’s embedded in who I am. I literally don’t remember not doing karate.”

Age at which Gately started her own business as a karate teacher

9,000

Estimated number of hours Gately has spent teaching

Age of Gately’s oldest student (the youngest was four)

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