A
s Canada’s most prominent law firm housing a robust, law-based investigation practice, Rubin Thomlinson LLP takes pride in providing sensitive workplace investigative services. Our lawyers go beyond the scope of a simple investigation — we provide the neutral, third party support needed to sort through facts and solve disputes that cannot be handled internally, while conducting time sensitive and legally sound examinations that can withstand court or tribunal scrutiny. Armed with over a decade of dedicated experience in handling systemic, race-based, reprisal, harassment, and sexual misconduct related issues, we offer a range of strategic solutions that keep your objectives at the forefront.
Chair: Dr. Lana Adeleye-Olusae, CPHR
Past Chair: Colleen Coates, CPHR
Treasurer: Grant Christensen, FCPA, FCGA
Anu Baldner, CPHR
Alison Crozier, CPHR
Nikolene Day, CPHR
Adrian Frost, LLB
Brad Lutz, CPHR
Beth Millard-Hales, CPHR
Lisa Rowe, CPHR
Keith Sinclair, CPHR
Susan Young, CPHR
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Manitoba would like to welcome Dr. Lana AdeleyeOlusae to his new position as Chair of the board of directors. CPHR Manitoba sat down with Dr. AdeleyeOlusae to learn more about him and his take on the field of HR.
CPHR MB: Why did you choose the field of HR?
LAO: My initial career choice was not HR. I started my education as a scientist in agri culture and veered toward social sciences with a specialization in agricultural eco nomics, and pursued a master of business (MBA) administration with a specialization in financial management and accounting to work in financial institutions.
After I graduated from an MBA program, I had the opportunity to work for a manage ment consulting firm focused on training and development. During my short stay in the organization, I observed that when em ployees of our clients were afforded appro priate training and development opportu nities, their work performance improved and their behaviours were more aligned with organizational values and expecta tions. This is where I caught the ‘HR bug’ but I did not fully commit to HR as a career focus at that time. Instead, I viewed it as a tool in my professional toolkit.
I spent about a decade working in fi nancial institutions and non-profit orga nizations with a strong focus on training and developing employees before I finally determined to focus on HR as a career, as
I found it more fulfilling to see the positive impacts that effective HR support made in lives of employees and organizations. I de cided I would use my financial management and accounting competencies as tools while supporting organizations through the provision of HR services.
I chose HR as I see employees as inves tors (similar to stockholders) that an or ganization needs to invest in to ensure their full commitment and engagement. I believe committed, empowered and en gaged employees offer a sustainable com petitive advantage that is not easily copied or replicated by competitors.
CPHR MB: What message or advice do you have for people considering HR or are early in their careers?
LAO: My advice would be they should develop and/or demonstrate business acumen; that is, the ability to understand business issues. They should seek to know how the business or organization runs, creates value and earns profit/ surplus. This will enable them to under stand and speak the language of other business professionals in the organiza tion. Their understanding of business issues should inform the HR practices and programs they implement to ensure organizational strategies are effective, plans implemented and goals achieved. I believe if they demonstrate a good understanding of the organization and how it creates value, other profession als will seek their input when strategies
Dr. Lana Adeleye-Olusae, CPHR Chair, CPHR Manitoba Board of Directorsand plans are being developed and their views will be respected.
LAO: The use of technology has increased over time and it helps to take care of trans actional HR activities. It can provide data for decision-making now and/or predicting the future. It has improved our service delivery and capacity. The more we can use technol ogy with the current move toward a hybrid workplace, the better. This calls for more cyber security awareness and programs to ensure employees are mindful of cyberat tacks and how to reduce the possibility of them. This may lead to more HR activities being outsourced, allowing in-house HR to increasingly focus on strategic issues and providing guidance to supervisors and their direct reports.
Another change has been toward better work-life balance. Once upon a time, many of us focused on work as the central part of our life and many defined themselves by their work. Hard work was seen as being physically present in the workplace and/or working extra hours. It was also assumed being present was the same as being productive. There has been a gradual shift from this per spective, especially with our COVID-19 pandemic experience. There is a shift toward work being a component of our life and we should pay more attention to other aspects of life and not let work crowd them out. This has led to the worklife balance movement that incorporates the need to consider the mental health of employees, while striving to maintain productivity and sustain the competitive advantage of our organizations. (The ob served trend led us at the Manitoba Mu seum to develop a remote work policy in 2018, that considered the needs of our staff before the COVID-19 pandemic.) The debate is still out on whether a fourday workweek should be pursued. One perspective is fewer fixed days of work in a week is not the answer for every one. Instead, flexibility is needed around where and when work is done. Flex time, hybrid work and a compressed work week should be offered to employees,
allowing them to choose based on their situation and operational needs.
A third change relates to inclusion. In clusion means including and accommo dating people who have been excluded because of their race, gender, sexuality or ability. Inclusion goes beyond diver sity where the focus is on representa tion, as it entails helping people have a sense of belonging. The demonstrations against racism as a result of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis, Minn., in 2020 did not start the discussion about inclusion in the workplace but gave it a significant push and brought it to the forefront across Canada. Prior to his death, many organizations were talking about the need to ensure their work force represents the community they serve beyond tokenism. Now, organiza tions are making intentional efforts not just to have representation but to ensure people have a sense of belonging.
Lastly, there is a trend toward expand ing group benefits coverage beyond traditional coverage to include more support for mental health, ergonomic support and other treatments currently excluded.
CPHR MB: What changes would you like to see in the field of HR?
LAO: I’d like to see an increased level of involvement of HR professionals in busi ness operations and strategy activities. This would make strategic planning a must-have competency.
Also, with an increased level of re mote/hybrid work, HR professionals need to develop the ability to support remote work teams (supervisors and di rect reports) to work effectively in a re mote/hybrid setting. For example, the delivery of training and development programs needs to be reviewed.
CPHR MB: What are you looking for ward to as Chair of CPHR Manitoba?
LAO: I am looking forward to working with other board and committee members to pur sue the objectives we have set for ourselves under the three pillars of promoting the CPHR brand, supporting CPHR development and fostering public confidence in the HR profes sion.
Specifically, I hope we, as a board, would be able to actualize our desire for self-reg ulation status; engage the national CPHR body and other CPHR associations in dis cussions about issues and concerns of our members, the validation of experience for the CPHR designation and professional development requirements; and encour age our members to volunteer to serve on boards and committees of various organi zations to promote our brand and foster public confidence in the profession.
CPHR MB: How did you get engaged with board work with CPHR Manitoba?
LAO: I believe in being fully engaged in any community, whether professional, social or cultural. Volunteering is one of the ways I demonstrate my commitment to the com munities that I belong to and their goals.
I served on staff committees before hav ing an opportunity to serve on the board in 2017. I bought into the need to elevate our profession in the eyes of the public and cor porate decision-makers, and for us to be come self-regulated. I felt I could join hands with others to move us toward the actual ization of these goals. Therefore, when the opportunity to join the board came up in 2017, I put myself forward.
I would like to acknowledge that many individuals have encouraged me along the way, including Cec Hanec, Roma Thorlak son, Nish Verma, Janice Harper and Col leen Coates.
Dr. Lana Adeleye-Olusae is a Human Resources Excellence Award-winning CPHR with a Strategic Management Certificate, post-graduate diploma in education, and bachelor of agriculture, master of business administration (financial management and accounting), master of arts (church administration) and doctor of ministry (leadership coaching) degrees. In addition to being the Director of Human Resources at the Manitoba Museum, Lana is also a Delivery Consultant on the Business Development Bank of Canada and National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program/Management Advisory Service administered by the Canadian Association of Management Consultants. Lana is also an ordained pastor with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. His teaching ministry is focused on encouraging Christians to engage in works of service that benefit others and society at large.
Investigators
are often faced with differing versions of facts from the complainant, respondent and witnesses.
How does the investigator decide whom to believe?
By Cynthia LazarBefore beginning to assess credibility, an investigator should ensure all witness es have been provided the opportunity to give their version of the facts on each important point. If the investigator is go ing through their notes and realizes one witness mentioned something of conse quence that another witness was not asked about, they should circle back with the wit ness and offer them an opportunity to have their say. This doesn’t have to be complicat ed; usually a quick e-mail will suffice. Once the investigator is sure everyone has been asked about each important point, it is time to start assessing credibility.
Credibility findings should be made with respect to each individual conflict in the ev idence — the investigator does not have to believe everything one witness says and
disregard the entirety of another’s ac count. Each conflict should be assessed separately. The investigator may accept one person’s evidence on one point and another’s on a subsequent point.
Some of the factors investigators look at to assess credibility include: corrobo ration; opportunity and capacity to ob serve; consistency of prior statements; plausibility; avoidance/candor; invest ment in outcome/motive to lie; bias; his torical context; reputation; demeanour; and the effect of trauma.
Corroboration can be direct where more than one person provides the same version of the facts — for example, I saw the respondent throw a shoe at the complainant — or documentary evidence of a fact, such as an e-mail containing an insulting comment. Corroboration can also be indirect. In this case, a witness hears or sees something at the time of an event or shortly thereafter,
which is consistent with one version of the facts. For example, I heard shouting in the hallway and came out of my office to find the complainant crying and the respondent walking away.
Before relying on a witness’s statement, the investigator should ascertain whether the witness observed the event directly or heard about it from someone else. If a witness claims to have observed something directly but was not in a position to do so — they were not present, not looking in the right direction or were too far away to hear — then the witness’s credibility on this point is low.
Is the witness’s evidence consistent or inconsistent with prior statements or other documents?
Memories change with time. For example, if a supervisor’s evidence is an employee performed poorly on an assignment but their performance evaluation of that employee
for the same time period was positive, that contradiction needs to be explored.
Has the supervisor’s memory been influenced by more recent events?
How believable is the witness’s version of events?
Sometimes coincidences happen, or unlikely events, but they need to be explored and taken into consideration.
For instance, how likely is it that a lactoseintolerant employee stole another person’s cheese?
Does the witness candidly admit to unflattering facts about themselves? Is the witness repeatedly avoiding providing a direct answer to a question, even after being given several opportunities to answer?
If a witness is consistently evasive on a number of issues, credibility is lowered. However, if the witness readily admits unflattering facts but then refuses to give a direct answer to an isolated question, the investigator may conclude the witness is determined not to lie and is instead choosing to evade. The evidence with respect to the
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unanswered question may not reflect well on the witness but their credibility on other questions may be boosted.
Those who are personally invested in the outcome of an investigation may shade their evidence to advance their interests. This includes not just the complainant or respondent but other witnesses who may be affected by the outcome. A respondent will always have a motive to lie but that does not mean they actually will. An uninterested third party, such as a supplier who witnessed an
there been similar complaints made by others against the respondent? Has the complainant filed unsubstantiated or malicious complaints in the past?
Does a particular witness have a reputation for exaggeration or ‘straight-shooting?’
Investigate the basis for the reputation. Is someone considered dramatic based on a long history of tumult or because of one outburst on a bad day?
Many people think demeanour is important in assessing credibility. For instance, they believe someone who does not make eye contact is being untruthful. This is a dangerous misconception. Demeanour is actually a very poor and misleading indicator of credibility. Demeanour can be influenced by cultural or personal differences, or other irrelevant factors. It should not be used in assessing credibility.
Where the alleged incident that brought about the investigation is traumatic, the investigator should take a trauma-informed approach. This is a complicated topic and requires specialized training. Keep in mind witnesses suffering trauma may not remember events in chronological order or violent details if they focused on less emotionally charged facts to ‘get through it.’ They may also ‘act normally’ around an aggressor after a traumatic event in an attempt to suppress and normalize the incident. This is not a sign ‘nothing happened.’
Once credibility is assessed, the investigator must then decide ‘on a balance of probabilities’ what happened. This means determining which version of each disputed fact was more likely to have occurred. The investigator, unless instructed otherwise, should include their reasoning in the investigation report.
Y O U R T R U S T E D R E S O U R C E F O R A L L A S P E C T S O F L A B O U R R E L A T I O N S A N D E M P L O Y M E N T M A T T E R S .
CPHR Manitoba’s Professional Mentorship Program runs from September–April each year and is open to members only. Applications are accepted beginning in June each year.
The goal of the program is to provide mutual benefit to both Mentors and Mentees, fostering an environment of mutual trust and respect. The relationship should be viewed as a partnership, where both parties openly and freely exchange ideas, discuss challenges and explore potential solutions.
Since the Professional Mentorship Program relaunched in 2013, CPHR Manitoba has successfully helped 383 pairings of HR professionals connect. In the 2021-2022 program, CPHR Manitoba introduced the Career Development Stream geared towards students, recent graduates and new HR professionals who are in the early stages of their career in HR. One mentor works with a small group of mentees throughout the duration of the program.
"I have gained as much, if not more, from the young, up-andcoming HR professional that I mentored as they have from me."
“I found the experience very satisfying. In many ways it was invigorating to explain and mentor someone who was at the beginning of their HR career and was driven to succeed as well as evolve. It was beneficial for me to be involved as a mentor and it helped spark a new appreciation for what I do and what I have achieved in my own career.”
"I was paired up with a mentor who understood my career goals and was very much willing to put in the time to help me out achieve them."
"My experience was just excellent. My mentor took the time to get to know and she really understood me. She was able to provide me solid advice and also just listen when it was needed. She has helped me to regain my confidence and is my trusted colleague."
Learn more at CPHRMB.CA/MentorshipProgram
Ilove the definition the folks at CustomInsight.com give for employee engagement: “Employee engagement is the extent to which employees feel passionate about their jobs, are committed to the organization and put discretionary effort into their work.”
By Alex Zlatin
It describes three distinct criteria that must coexist to create true employee en gagement:
Feel passionate about their jobs. This is the first step and the one discussed in this article. Organizations and leaders must strive to instil the feeling of trust with not only their clients but with employees, too.
Commitment to the organization. Some employee actions cannot be explained through simple rationale. These actions can be explained through dedication to the company or to an organization’s cause. This dedication will empower employees through stressful situations and allow them to stay focused on the goal and achieve success.
Putting discretionary effort in their work. This is the only criteria that is visible to peers and colleagues and can be seen as a result of high employee engagement, where in fact it is a decision an employee makes daily.
This article aims to provide a practical guide to begin your journey toward facilitat ing high employee engagement in your organization. This journey is a long and ungrateful one. It takes organizations, whether mature or at their startup stage, and structures them to be successful and scalable. The journey is not easy and re quires time and a strong commitment from the executive team.
Through implementing the five steps below, you will set yourself and the com pany up to allow employee growth and mutual trust.
Identify required personality for each position. Traditionally, managers and HR professionals focus on skills for each position. However, looking back at my experience, ‘not the right fit’ has usually been the root cause of employee departure. And that was based on a conflict between their personality and the company’s culture. For example, my company has a culture where employees are encouraged to take responsibility and be accountable for their tasks. This might not be a good fit for people who prefer to follow a protocol from a thick booklet of their job description.
Understanding each position in your or ganization is about your ability to close your eyes and envision the perfect person in that role. Now, take all the personality traits and move to the next step.
Successfully identify/classify the personalities of existing employees and candidates. This is probably the one thing I get asked most often wherever I public speak. Truth is, in a perfect world, you would look at your company’s core values first. They represent two things: personality traits and expected behaviour for all employees. Start with these and as sess whether each employee or can didate exhibits them. If you find some fall short, that does not necessarily mean they are a bad fit for the compa ny. It might just be an indication they are not in the right position.
In today’s complex work environment, it makes sense to look for people who are cu rious, inquisitive, adventurous, persistent and have integrity. These happen to be the five core values in my company.
Match positions and employees based on personality. This step reveals its own answer once you go about the previous two correctly. Consider yourself a matchmaker, matching between the positions available (and their respective personality needs) and your em ployees or candidates (and their respective personalities).
Although this sounds like a trivial step, it can be fairly complex at times as a lot of roles actually require similar personality traits. The trick here is to look closely and more in-depth into each of the roles.
I encourage all hiring managers and HR professionals to work alongside depart ment managers and team leads to learn as much as possible about the roles for which you are hiring. That alone can substantially increase the probability of a successful hire.
Coach employees to explore the full scope of their positions and take daily steps outside their comfort zone toward realizing their potential. Executives, management and HR professionals in an organization must take it upon themselves to be leaders. As such, it is our responsibility to coach all employees.
But what does it mean to ‘coach?’
To coach is the ability to support our peers, team members and colleagues through training and guidance. So, in essence and a perfect world, all employees in a company will take a leadership stance, at least as far as their role and team is concerned.
Returning to reality, it is our duty to ensure each employee is able to develop new skills, gain professional growth and push toward realizing their potential. This can only be achieved through many face-to-face conver
sations and identifying areas to explore and conquer.
Build, foster and encourage ‘line of sight,’ consistently and repeat edly. This step is not necessary to achieve engagement but is crucial if you want to maintain it long-term. ‘Line of sight’ is a term used to describe an employee’s ability to ex plain how their work fits into the organization’s plans and strategy. If you are able to achieve this, you are guaranteed long-term employee engagement. Your team’s ability to realize they are a part of something bigger and meaning ful is the crown achievement of a leader and proof all previous efforts and hardships were worth it.
Like all worthwhile things in life, this requires maintenance. The key to maintaining this is repetition. When leaders are committed to empowering their teams by sharing informa tion about future plans and upcoming chang es, and allowing their colleagues to participate in planning and decision-making, you create an environment that makes company goals transparent and allows employees to commit to them, while incorporating them into their day-to-day work.
Post-pandemic organizations and lead ers are starting to change the focus of busi ness. The history of business focus started with putting attention on profit and then on clients. But the change being implemented by many organizations worldwide is shift ing the focus toward employees. The logic is simple: If you focus on profit, you disap point clients and employees at times. If you focus on clients, your employees might suf fer and that can hinder profit. However, if you focus on your employees, which means creating engagement, they will take care of clients and that will take care of profit.
I recommend we all focus on how we can create an environment of transparency, com munication, passion, drive and continuous learning. This is the road to happiness, well ness and engagement.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alex Zlatin, author of the book Responsible Dental Ownership, had more than 13 years of management experience before he accepted the position of CEO of dental practice management company, Maxim Software Systems. He earned a master of business administration at Edinburgh Business School and a bachelor or science in technology management at Holon Institute of Technology in Israel.Itis estimated that three million Canadians are suffering from some form of mental health issue, including depression and anxiety. That got me thinking about how this affects the workplace. Upon doing some research, I discovered that one in four Canadians is affected, which in turn leads to lost time, lost productivity and increased short- and long-term disability claims. The cost to Canadian companies is nearly $16 billion annually, approximately 14 per cent of their annual net profits. It is proven that high stress levels and mental health problems can lead to other health conditions, such as heart disease, cancer, repetitive strain injuries and headaches.
So, what can we, as leaders, HR profession als and co-workers, do about it?
When it comes to mental wellness, un derstanding and support is key — we can all do our part to help those who struggle. Although the responsibility of employers is high in terms of ensuring accommodation in the workplace, no discrimination will occur based on disability and encouraging to offer employee assistance programs, I believe ev eryone can do their part to help. Each of us can take a step forward to reduce the stigma and mistreatment that can discourage our coworkers from seeking the help they need.
When we see a coworker with a physical injury, we are usually quick to ask how they
are doing, offer assistance if they need any thing, bring them flowers, coffee or treats, and check in on them frequently. Why not do the same when we see a coworker obviously suffering, whether displaying signs of depres sion, appearing withdrawn or not focused on work and troubled?
We are not healthcare professionals but we can certainly take the time to listen and sug gest they speak in confidence with human re sources or their manager about what they are going through. Employers have an obligation to provide support, often offer employee as sistance programs and provide information about resources in the community to support the employee experiencing issues with men tal wellness.
I believe we should go one step further and develop mental wellness policies as part of our workplace, health and safety policies. By
providing a process and guidance on how to handle mental health crises in the workplace, we are giving our employees and leaders the tools they need to ensure everyone is healthy and safe.
As a HR professional, I’ve witnessed mental health issues firsthand. I have called crisis ho tlines and even driven extremely depressed or suicidal employees to the hospital when it seemed no other option was available. Yes, it was scary, and it touched me deeply. But knowing I played a small part in leading my coworker to getting much needed profes sional help gave me some solace.
Silence is not an option. We certainly would not ignore a coworker who is physi cally injured, so why would we ignore some thing equally as serious?
We can all make a difference. A little empa thy can go a long way. By taking a moment to care about our fellow human, giving them a safe space to talk openly and offering a help ing hand, we are not only breaking down the stigma but we are also letting our colleagues know they are not alone. We may even help save a life.
Let’s be kind to each other. We’re all fight ing our own battles.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tracy Proutt has more than 20 years’ experience as a Recruiting Consultant, Human Resources Consultant, Career Coach and Volunteer Mentor, advocating for mental wellness for all. She currently works as a Senior Recruitment Consultant for The Headhunters Recruitment, a leading recruitment firm serving North America, specializing in finding the talent that no one else can — uncovering top candidates through dedicated headhunting and sourcing.WHEN IT COMES TO MENTAL WELLNESS, UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORT IS KEY — WE CAN ALL DO OUR PART TO HELP THOSE WHO STRUGGLE.
This article raises a vital question about how executives will handle the post-pandemic world as businesses improve organizational innovation. Based on interviews with executives, I have found managers today should apply
transformational management practices to promote organizational innovation that incorporates remote meetings and time-stamping discussions for dissemination throughout the company. By calling on executives, I also found
that transformational managers reshape culture, structure and strategy, aiming to facilitate organizational innovation.
I would first like to clarify what transfor mational managers do. They are those ex ecutives who engage in the facilitation of building and sustaining relationships with subordinates. By interviewing executives, this article provides arguments on the mediating effects of organizational fac tors — culture, structure and strategy — in the relationship between transformational
management practices and organizational innovation.
In a post-pandemic world, culture is pro jected to include three dimensions of col laboration, trust and learning. These words cannot make or break an organization but I have found incorporating each of them can begin to move an organization to post-pan demic recovery. I asked executives how they felt about the role of transformational management practices. They agreed trans formational managers enhance collabora tion and dialogue by aligning subordinates’ individual interests with collective ones.
With new and reborn technology, trust ing a system that is secure with modern technology will help executives lead now and in the future. Executives that employ transformational management practices can engender trust by focusing on identi fying employees’ individual needs within companies. This was confirmed in my con versations with executives in our pandemic world.
Further, most executives agreed with my assumptions found in the literature that transformational managers provide the freedom for employees to explore new ideas and knowledge. So, this kind of man agement can be applied to develop learn ing climates.
Executives also communicated collabo ration is a necessary precursor to creating new ideas and knowledge. In addition, when I asked how transformational man agement practices work best for them, they expressed it enables extenuating trustbased relationships. This kind of relation ship is ideal for sharing tacit knowledge. This is not a novel issue; it has surfaced as a scholarly idea for decades and simply has more applicability today as we survive the
pandemic and prepare for the post-pan demic. In fact, managers’ abilities to create knowledge and develop a more innovative climate is a product of employees’ trust in their managers’ decisions.
After my discussion with executives, I posit that sharing best practices and expe riences — learning, technology and presen tation equipment — could play a crucial role in embedding organizational knowledge in members and creating new knowledge for companies for the post-pandemic recov ery. Thus, firms that emphasize the cultur al aspect of learning are much stronger in generating new ideas and knowledge.
Decentralized structures preceded the pandemic but I found it became a norm and do not see it changing in the post-pan demic world. Transformational managers achieve a higher degree of effectiveness in a decentralized structure. This was con firmed in my interviews with executives. They relayed an executive acting as a trans formational manager develops decentral ized structures with the aim of improving knowledge sharing and creating a more innovative climate. Moreover, transforma tional managers inspire and transform ag gregate human capital into social capital in order to implement the required changes in the current status. Highly centralized structures are more bureaucratic and this, as noted by interviewed executives them selves, negatively contributes to the effec tiveness of transformational management practices in changing existing situations.
Executives also communicated that de centralization develops a climate of open ness for employees to exchange ideas. In the remote work setting, this was done via e-mail and instant and text messages. Pre- and post-meeting communication
was enhanced with this technology. There after, once information and clarification is disseminated, employees can implement ideas through the delegated authority of decision-making of their departments to the lowest levels possible and still keep successful execution. Executives agreed pushing decision-making down is vital for post-pandemic recovery.
After interviewing executives, I found the following four pillars of strategy are unde niably important: analysis, defensiveness, futurity and pro-activeness.
Executives agreed transformational managers apply analysis strategy to meet the goals of intellectual stimulation, which seeks to provide new and innovative solu tions for organizational problems. This was emphasized with the newly structured use of resilience and the focal point moving tandem with operational risk management. Financial risk management was illuminated but the operational risk superseded as or ganizations struggled for survival. Focusing on the post-pandemic world, transforma tional managers need to establish a futurity strategy to develop a more comprehensive vision for the future. I found mission and vision statements were altered for concur rent pandemic concerns — an operative and breathing movement that first surfaced as safety measures for all were implemented.
Transformational managers also apply a defensive strategy to implement the re quired modifications in order to efficiently use organizational resources, decrease costs and control those resources. Further, they are pro-active and adopt futurity strat egies to inspire employees to investigate better solutions and opportunities. There
fore, transformational managers positively contribute to pro-activeness and futurity strategies by employing inspirational moti vation, setting high expectations and pro viding a suitable situation for employees to identify new opportunities. These four tenets of strategic initiatives are predomi nant today.
Executives are stuck in a vacuum and they are using what scholars call ‘analysis strategy.’ The C-suite regards strategy as an ongoing process, iterative and without no end in sight as they search for prob lems and their root causes, and, directly or indirectly, generate better alternatives to solve them. Executives have influenced the C-suite in several ways. For instance, they agreed an analysis strategy could play a critical role in accumulating organization al knowledge, including both processes of knowledge creation and acquisition. In addition, executives concurred a pro-ac tive strategy could positively contribute to organizational innovation through the de velopment of interactions with external en vironments. With the pandemic in its high est stage of completion, executives realize effective implementation of innovative de velopment projects requires a continuous investigation from external business envi ronments.
A defensive approach enhances efficien cy through reusing knowledge to reduce organizational costs. Executives stated they worked with human resources to save
as many jobs as possible in such a turbulent environment and one of the parameters that helped was many people selected ear ly retirement, leaving a gap in attrition lev els. In the post-pandemic world, executives agreed a futurity strategy could promote the process of knowledge application by providing a series of guidelines for compa nies, aiming at tracking trends, conducting ‘what if’ analysis, allocating capabilities and adapting actions.
This article highlights the vital impor tance of transformational management practices employed in improving orga nizational innovation both today and in preparation for the post-pandemic era. In addition, it reveals transformational man agement practices have significant effects on organizational factors as managers navigate an iterative process of sustaining business. It has been noted management and strategy have monitored and steered organizations through this turbulent time. This article also focuses on the vital impor tance of transformational management practices to stimulate a culture of learning, as many followers are working remotely, build upon collaboration and provide for an equal amount of trust for both manag ers and their remote workers. Staff that were once in-house are now working re motely, which impacts the organizational structure now and in the future, so there is a vast need to improve strategies within organizations.
THE C-SUITE REGARDS STRATEGY AS AN ONGOING PROCESS, ITERATIVE AND WITHOUT NO END IN SIGHT AS THEY SEARCH FOR PROBLEMS AND THEIR ROOT CAUSES, AND, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, GENERATE BETTER ALTERNATIVES TO SOLVE THEM.ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mostafa Sayyadi works with senior business leaders to effectively develop innovation in companies, and helps firms, from start-ups to the Fortune 100, succeed by improving the effectiveness of their leaders. He is a business book author and a long- time contributor to business publications.
Join us October 25 & 26, 2022 at the RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg, MB as we learn and discuss new ideas, new perspectives and new ways of doing business, while keeping within the guardrails of our experience, expertise, values and code of conduct.
We need to keep our organizations moving forward when we encounter occasional limited visibility, unexpected turns, new technologies, new regulations and fluctuating horsepowerand we need to protect ourselves from overheating.
Personally, our HR careers and designation are the result of cumulative progress over time. We don’t just arrive in the boardroom one day. We dream, we map, we plan, we measure, and we move, for the most part steadily and confidently forward. And when the unexpected occurs, as it always does, we come together, we share best practices and we adjust.
As leaders on this road today, should we be in the driver’s seat or the navigator’s? Some leaders are all about moving forward, while others plot the lay of the land. Here, we can explore the role of leadership and the creation of new leaders.
HR is moving Canada’s culture forward, as we create workplace policies, processes and practices that support acceptance, inclusion, respect, fairness, compassion and opportunity. These skills and experiences can’t help but travel outward into people’s homes and personal lives.
We are moving HR forward, individually, as we advance our careers and demonstrate outstanding value to our employers, colleagues and associates. And we are moving HR forward collectively, through CPHR, to take our rightful place as strategic business counsellors.
We can talk about how we navigate and support change in work. And we can get more comfortable navigating tough topics like diversity, equity, inclusion, equitable compensation, workplace policies and ‘The Great Resignation’.
Keynote Speakers
Presentation: Change Your Day, Not Your Life
MIKE KERR WORKPLACE CULTURE THOUGHT LEADER, CANADIAN SPEAKING HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE Presentation: Hitting the Reset Button at Work: Leading and Laughing to Re-imagine a More Inspiring Workplace!
Registration is now open, visit
CPHRMB.CA The HR path is challenging, ever-changing, and rich with new people, cultures and experiences. And it’s a journey we can take together.
ANTHONY MCLEAN LEADERSHIP | MENTAL HEALTH | INCLUSIVITY Presentation: Diversity: The Secret Power
SAMRA ZAFAR DEI, MENTAL HEALTH & SOCIAL JUSTICE EXPERT Presentation: How HR Professionals & Leaders Can Advance Equity, & Remove Unconscious Bias: Within Us & Around Us
After
two years of virtual celebrations and one snowstorm postponement, Manitoba’s HR community finally came together, in-person, on June 1, to celebrate the accomplishments of our colleagues. Inside the Metropolitan Entertainment Centre (MET), the music was jazzy, the wine was flowing and the room was buzzing with tables of HR professionals ready to cheer on and recognize their colleagues.
The 19th CPHR Manitoba HR Excellence Awards was a celebration of outstanding HR achievements in the province. The event hon oured employers and individuals who are ad vancing the human resource profession and driving business excellence forward.
Radio personality Beau Fritzsche hosted the evening. He welcomed everyone back together and warmed up the crowd with a few jokes before turning the microphone over to CPHR Manitoba’s board and awards gala chairs.
Colleen Coates, then-Chair of CPHR Man itoba, and Brittany Enns, Chair of the awards gala nominations committee, thanked the
board, gala committee, CPHR members and sponsors for their support and dedication. Colleen recognized CPHR Manitoba’s in creased visibility and greater reputation.
“We have now grown over 1,700 mem bers strong,” said Colleen. “What an accomplishment!”
“Let’s celebrate our achievements with pride and continue to share our stories,” said Brittany.
Hon. Reg Helwer, Minister of Labour, Con sumer Protection and Government Services, shared greetings from the Province, and thanked the HR community for advancing the profession and supporting employees, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“If ever there was a couple of years that HR was important, that was it,” said Minister Hel wer. “You’ve done so well.”
Peter Mueller from McCaffrey LLP gave the last greeting of the night on behalf of the presenting sponsor. Peter recognized the outstanding HR talent in the room and then handed the microphone back to begin the main event: presentation of the awards.
Fourteen recipients were recognized with Professional and Business Excellence Awards.
The Professional Excellence Awards rec ognize individuals at various levels in their careers who have applied their expertise and knowledge to the objectives of their or ganization and the people they support.
The Business Excellence Awards recog nize Manitoba businesses that are leading the way in HR initiatives. These organizations have been successful in creating, develop ing and implementing initiatives that have resulted in significant and measurable ben efits to the organization and its employees.
Between award presentations, a threecourse dinner was served, wine glasses were filled and winners were toasted at gala tables adorned with floating candles and white and blue bouquets of flowers.
At the end of the ceremony, Colleen con gratulated the award recipients, thanked everyone in attendance and remarked, “This truly has been a night of HR excellence in Manitoba.”
Spark Award: Recognizes HR professionals in the first 10 years of their career. Recipient: Darra Black, Prairie Mountain Health Award Presenter and Sponsor: Karen Woloschuk, Extended Education, University of Manitoba
Momentum Award: Recognizes CPHRs who have established their expertise and leadership. Recipient: Alison Moist, Maple Leaf Foods Award Presenter and Sponsor: Ryan Messier, ADP
“MY BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT WOULD HAVE TO BE THE CREATION OF THE STAFF DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. WE HAVE DONE A LOT OF EXCITING THINGS, A LOT ON A PROVINCIAL LEVEL, AND WE’VE REALLY GROWN AS PROFESSIONALS.”
“I HAVE THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD. I TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE WHO TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE.”
Leadership Award: Recognizes executive-level practitioners for their strategic influence on their organization.
Recipient: Sandra Conrad, DealerPILOT HR Award Presenter and Sponsor: David Tompkins, Manitoba Blue Cross
“THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD A TEAM DOESN’T COME WITHOUT A TON OF SUPPORT AND I’VE BEEN EXTREMELY PRIVILEGED TO HAVE THAT. TO LEAD AN ORGANIZATION AND AN ENTIRE INDUSTRY THROUGH COVID HAS BEEN MY DISTINCT PRIVILEGE.”
Legacy Award: Recognizes long-time HR professionals who have made a significant impact on the profession.
Recipient: Barbara Bowes, Legacy Bowes Award Presenter: Colleen Coates, CPHR Board Chair
“WHEN I WAS (CPHR MANITOBA BOARD) PRESIDENT IN 2003-2004, I WAS REALLY TICKED OFF BECAUSE WE DIDN’T HAVE RECOGNITION AMONGST MANY CEOS FOR THE PROFESSION OF HR. WE’RE FAR, FAR AHEAD TODAY THAN WE EVER WERE. AND I WANT TO THANK THE ASSOCIATION, THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING AND THANK YOU FOR THIS LOVELY AWARD.”
Visionary Award: Recognizes executives who endorse, support or champion the HR function within their organizations.
Recipient: Olivia Doerksen, Movement Centre of Manitoba Inc. Award Presenter: Colleen Coates, CPHR Board Chair
“PEOPLE AND RELATIONSHIPS ARE FUNDAMENTAL IN EVERYTHING THAT WE DO. I WANT TO THANK MY TEAM AT THE MOVEMENT CENTRE THAT WORK SO HARD EVERY DAY AND WHO INSPIRE ME WITH THEIR EMPATHY, RESILIENCE AND DEDICATION TO EMPOWER THE COMMUNITY THAT WE SERVE.”
Visionary Award: Recognizes executives who endorse, support or champion the HR function within their organizations.
Recipient: Richard Florizone, International Institute of Sustainable Development Accepted by: Martha Casey, International Institute of Sustainable Development Award Presenter: Colleen Coates, CPHR Board Chair
“I BELIEVE SO STRONGLY IN THE IMPORTANCE OF SUPPORTING OUR PEOPLE. WHEN THE COVID CRISIS HIT, WE REALLY PUT OUR PEOPLE FIRST. IT WASN’T JUST THE RIGHT THING TO DO BY THEM — IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO FOR THE ORGANIZATION.”
Visionary Award: Recognizes executives who endorse, support or champion the HR function within their organizations.
Recipient: Kim Nelson, Gateway Resources Inc.
Award Presenter: Colleen Coates, CPHR Board Chair
“ GOING TO WORK EVERY DAY IS SUCH AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY FOR ME BUT IT WOULD BE REMISS FOR ME NOT TO THANK PATTYANNE LEPAGE, THE FORMER DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES, FOR HER CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION AND HER RECOMMENDATIONS BECAUSE THAT IS HOW GATEWAY RESOURCES WAS ABLE TO GET THROUGH THE PANDEMIC AND CONTINUE TO GROW.”
Visionary Award: Recognizes executives who endorse, support or champion the HR function within their organizations.
Recipient: Karen Wood, Interlake Eastern Regional Health Authority
Award Presenter: Colleen Coates, CPHR Board Chair
“THANK YOU, CPHR MANITOBA, FOR THIS AWARD AND FOR SUPPORTING AND CELEBRATING THE MOST IMPORTANT RESOURCE WE HAVE AND THAT’S PEOPLE.”
Fellow CPHR: Recognizes CPHRs who have made exemplary contributions to the HR profession throughout their career.
Recipient: Nish Verma, Mondetta Clothing Company (2019 Fellow CPHR Recipient)
Award Presenter: Colleen Coates, CPHR Board Chair
“WE NEED TO HAVE A REGULATED PROFESSION. PLEASE HELP US MOVE THAT FILE FORWARD. IT’S NOT GOING TO BE EASY BUT IT IS POSSIBLE. IT HAS BEEN DONE BY OTHER PROFESSIONALS. IT SHOULD BE DONE BY US. WE ARE IMPORTANT. THANK YOU FOR THE HONOUR. IT MEANS A LOT TO ME. PLEASE KEEP THE LIGHT ON AND THE PASSION ON.”
Fellow CPHR: Recognizes CPHRs who have made exemplary contributions to the HR profession throughout their career.
Recipient: Karen Milani, The Dufresne Group (2022 Fellow CPHR Recipient)
Award Presenter: Colleen Coates, CPHR Board Chair
“WHEN I REALLY THINK ABOUT IT, THE WORD THAT POPS TO MIND IS ‘PRIDE.’ I’M PROUD TO BE PART OF A PROFESSION AND ASSOCIATION THAT RECOGNIZES PEOPLE NOT ONLY FOR THE STUFF THAT WE DO AT WORK EVERY DAY AND WE GET PAID FOR EVERY DAY, BUT ALSO THE THINGS THAT WE DO AS PART OF THE ASSOCIATION AND THE COMMUNITY.”
Ascent Award: For investing in leadership and talent development. Recipient: City of Selkirk Accepted by: Duane Nicol Award Presenter: Ron Gauthier on behalf of ACHIEVE Centre for Leadership
“THIS AWARD MEANS A LOT TO OUR COMMUNITY AND TO OUR ORGANIZATION BECAUSE IT RECOGNIZES WE’RE ON THE RIGHT PATH AND WE’RE DOING THE RIGHT THINGS BY OUR EMPLOYEES.”
Unity Award: For advancing diversity, inclusivity and accessibility at work. Recipient: New Media Manitoba Accepted by: Ajibola Akindipe Award Presenter and Sponsor: Wendy Funk, Taylor McCaffrey
“I’D LIKE TO SAY A BIG THANK YOU TO CPHR MANITOBA, OUR FUNDERS AND THE INTERACTIVE DIGITAL MEDIA INDUSTRY FOR CONSTANTLY CREATING A SAFE AND WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT FOR DIVERSE TALENT.”
Impact Award: For making work more meaningful and engaging. Recipient: F.H. Black & Company Accepted by: Susan Black Award Presenter and Sponsor: Julie Rempel, Vexxit
“WE ARE MISSING OUR PARTNER HARRY BLACK TONIGHT, AND REALLY THE 32-HOUR WORKWEEK WAS HIS IDEA. HARRY HAS ALWAYS LOOKED TO GIVE OUR PEOPLE MORE AND DO BETTER WITH WHAT WE HAVE. AND THE BEST GIFT WE HAVE IS OUR TIME AND WE’RE SO HAPPY TO GIVE THAT.”
Vitality Award: For promoting health, safety and wellness. Recipient: City of Winnipeg, Safety Services Team Accepted by: Kent Blackmon Award Presenter and Sponsor: Jamie Hall, SAFE Work Manitoba
“IT’S NOT AN EASY JOB DOING SAFETY. IT HAS BEEN A GREAT JOURNEY, A MAMMOTH INITIATIVE AND IT HAS TAKEN 100 YEARS TO ACCOMPLISH, BUT IT’S CERTAINLY WORTHWHILE AND REALLY UNDERLINES THE CITY’S COMMITMENT TO A SAFE AND HEALTHY WORKPLACE.”
The HR Excellence Awards 2023 will take place April 20, 2023, at the MET.
The HR Excellence Awards are comprised of nine categories, including both business and professional options. The streamlined application process makes applying easier than ever.
We invite you to nominate a staff person or client for one of our Professional Excellence Awards, or a recent business initiative (in place for at least a year as of Dec. 31, 2022) your organization has for a Business Excellence Award.
Professional Excellence Awards: Spark Award Momentum Award
Leadership Award
Vitality Award
Legacy Award
Business Excellence Awards: Ascent Award Impact Award Vitality Award Unity Award
CPHR Manitoba has simplified the application process for the HR Excellence Awards into two parts:
• One question to be completed on Survey Monkey. Deadline Nov. 15.
• A deeper dive into the initiative or award nominee. Deadline Dec. 9.
Visit cphrmb.ca for more information.
CPHR MANITOBA CONGRATULATES OUR NEWEST CPHRS!
Bisola Amuda Jaspal Bhanker Ayodele Olowosejeje Ayodunni Salami Daniel Smith
CPHR MANITOBA CONGRATULATES OUR NEW CPHR CANDIDATES!
Oluwatope Adereti Thomas Jay Frederick Ajtay Moses (Olumide) Akinfemiwa Zhanna Alieva Joyce Amante-Ferrer Brisa Dalila Arvizo Garcia
Kaye Bain Anika Baril
Jody Behrens Julian Belnavis-Goslin Olamide Biobaku
Jason Caron Jieying Chen
Jessica Daneluz Umpierre Santos Mata
Amanda Darlington Diana Margaret Dinulos Rachel Elias Danika Fehr Robert Furlong
Jody Haines
Megan Hartle Laurel Holland Joel Janssen Marina Jewell Michelle Lagunay
Jouwairia Lahboub-Daayf Jonathan Lau Alexa Lazic Adetayo Makinde Lindsay Maltby Angela Matichuk Ene Onduku Amber Penner Jenn Rzesnoski Janessa Scammell Kalena Schulz Allison Wood
Philip Portelance, CPHR, is the new Senior Manager of Human Resources at Canada Goose
Raquel Dumas, CPHR Candidate, is the new HR Coordinator at Ducks Unlimited Canada
Kathleen Nadal, CPHR, is the new Senior Human Resources Business Partner at Canada Life
Our Labour & Employment practice group is committed to supporting the Charter Professionals in Human Resources with the best solutions for your legal needs.
Whether it is a certification application, strike management strategy, injunction application, workplace accident, harassment complaint, wrongful dismissal claim, or any other human resources issue, we are here to help you no matter how time-sensitive the challenge.
Whether it is a certification application, strike management strategy, injunction application, workplace accident, harassment complaint, wrongful dismissal claim, or any other human resources issue, we are here to help you no matter how time-sensitive the challenge.
We have a team approach to our practices, enabling expertise within our practice group and bench strength to be readily available and mobilized for urgent matters such as strike management, applications for certification, injunctions and workplace accidents. We also provide pro-active advice to manage risks and resources effectively.
We have a team approach to our practices, enabling expertise within our practice group and bench strength to be readily available and mobilized for urgent matters such as strike management, applications for certification, injunctions and workplace accidents. We also provide pro-active advice to manage risks and resources effectively.
2200-201 Portage Ave
2200-201 Portage Ave
Winnipeg, Manitoba | R3B 3L3 204.949.1312 | tmlawyers.com/labour-employment
Winnipeg, Manitoba | R3B 3L3 204.949.1312 | tmlawyers.com/labour-employment
