The HR Hub

This episode on decolonizing HR and indigenous inclusion was by request! I was totally on board. I recently took the Indigenous Canada MOOC (massive open online course) and it was fascinating and inspiring. So I reached out to Gillian Hynes who works for Rise, an indigenous-owned consulting group advancing reconciliation and indigenous inclusion. Here are a few highlights: - Decolonization is abou...

This video explores the complex nature of managing a crisis at work. Maybe there's a catastrophe, but maybe it's a smaller event that has emotionally impacted many employees. Both are crises. I spoke with John Robertson who wrote Run Toward the Roar and advises on crisis preparation and response. The name of his book is derived from the behavior of lions where the older ones position themselves on...

Trust is KEY to how the organization perceives HR according to a recent presentation I went to by McLean and Company. Specifically they said "non- HR respondents with high trust in their HR Departments are 2.9x more likely to also rate them as highly effective." This made a strong impression on me so I went looking for someone to talk to. Who better than Ila Edgar, the co-host of a podcast called...

First of all, don't use the word 'fire'. That's the first key rule in terminating someone's employment in a kind and professional manner. Terminating someone's employment is not easy. It's clearly not easy for the employee, but it's not easy for HR or the Manager either. (If it is, find a new job.) If you are like most people and it makes you anxious, this video shows you how to can accomplish thi...

While diversity is almost a fad for some companies, we also know that having a diverse team adds bottom-line value. As long as diversity is accompanied by inclusivity. The video with Dr. Helen Turnbull CSP highlights that diversity positively impacts the bottom line - but only when everyone feels included and valued. She's been working in the field a long time and did a TEDx in 2013. She says: 😬...

I read something recently saying that organizations who trust HR are 2.9x more likely to rate them as highly effective. This would make it so much easier to get ALL our work done so I knew I had to do some episodes on trust. I reached out to ILa Edgar who is co-Host of a show called Trust on Purpose with Charles Feltman. She is also a coach and was a recruiter for years, so she has insight into HR...

The question: Is it undue hardship or is it a regular hardship? Those of  us in HR in Canada need to consider this.  And we can always brush up  on the duty to accommodate so check out this video.   This was the focus of my conversation with Dylan Snowdon. Dylan is an  Employment Lawyer and Instructor in the Faculty of Law at the University  of Calgary. This is something he is asked about a lot an...

Career transitions are an inevitable part of anyone's employment  journey. It can be a promotion but also termination. The termination  side is typically where career transition or outplacement comes in.   This week's guest, Kim Spurgeon, is Sr VP Canada, Transition and  Mobility with LHH Knightsbridge.  LHH Knightsbridge is one of the  leaders in helping employers navigate career transitions.  Sh...

We all have biases and you might not be aware of yours. It's part of our most primitive brains so we aren't going to get rid of it. The only thing we can do is be aware and manage it. In this video I speak with Dr. Helen Turnbull CSP. She has been digging into the topic for a long time - long before it (and DEI) became such a key HR issue. She did a TEDx on inclusion in 2013. So props to her! Here...

As more companies prioritize employee wellbeing and the employee  experience, they start to think about a wellness program.  It's not as  easy as hiring a yoga instructor, but maybe you could start there?     I spoke with Reena Vokoun (again).  She's the owner of Passion Fit which  works with employers to build meaningful wellness programs.  She also  wrote The Wellness Empowered Woman.  Here are...

What environment do you need for creativity, focus, and deep thought?    I think I am getting the hint.  Notifications, emails and messages  aren't making me more productive and they greatly reduce my ability to  be thoughtful.  This is true for many of the people in our organizations  too.      Daniel Sih is an author and productivity guy.  I reached out because of  his Spacemakers book, but I wa...

Person in Company: How do I let my disabled employee go?     Employment Lawyer: How are you accommodating them?   PiCo: Uhhhh, but they can't come to work.   Employment Lawyer: 😐   Most of us know the standard is high, but sometimes it can be hard to  explain it to a frustrated leader who is struggling to be effective.   So watch this video with Dylan Snowdon, Employment Lawyer and Instructor  in...

Employee wellness programs are nearly a required feature of employer  value propositions.  However, designing a cost-effective, meaningful  program that provides value to employees AND the employer is  challenging.   This was the focus of my chat with Reena Vokoun.  She's the owner of  Passion Fit which works with employers to build meaningful wellness  programs.  She also wrote The Wellness Empow...

Want to become a CPHR?  Listen up.   I intended to talk to Erica Blain about the new CPHR competencies. We  talked about that and then everything else related to becoming a CPHR.    Erica is the Director of Professional Standards and Registrar at CPHRAB.  We reviewed the revised competencies that were published a year ago  AND:   - What's changed in the NKE   - What it means to the experience vali...

Do you look at your phone when you are bored?  Tik Tok or a game?  Is it making you happy?    Connecting with people is overwhelmingly shown to create happiness. That  doesn't really happen when we are spending more and more time online.  Digital wellness in the workplace is becoming an increasingly important  aspect of wellness. As we spend more and more time on our devices, it's  helping drive b...

You don't have to be a subject matter expert to create an amazing  course. Instead, it's about being dedicated to the process of course  development.  Think about that - it's liberating!    This was my second chat with Irina Ketkin and it was as good as the  last.  She's a prof on Udemy and has her own YouTube channel  @TheLnDAcademy.  She's truly a learning and development expert. She  discusses...

HR reporting and metrics are key tools for driving organizational  success, and it's up to us to use them effectively. It's good for the  organization, your career and our profession.     I conducted this follow-up interview with David Simmonds for HCM Metrics  to discuss data, metrics and reporting.  He helped develop the ISO  standards for HR reporting an said the following:   🪑 It's essential...

Recognition is a cheap and powerful tool to drive a positive culture, the employee AND customer experience, and a true sense of connection between employees and with the organization. Yet we don't do it or we don't do  it well.     Organizations create expensive rewards programs meant to recognize  employees. But, let's be clear, long service awards don't do a lot to  motivate great employee perfo...

We all have different relationships with negotiation. It might make some  of us uncomfortable but it's a powerful everyday skill if we can  practice and apply the elements.   And it's relevant to HR beyond contracts.  Have you ever seen the  necessity of an approach or project but your clients hadn't bought in?   We often have little formal power in HR to mandate projects so  negotiation skills ca...

Learning and development is, obviously, not all about training.  But you might think they do a lot more than they do.  This is a overview of all of  L&D with many useful tips for seasoned HR professionals in addition  to those with a specific interest.   Irina Ketkin is an L&D professional who teaches Udemy courses on the  subject and has a YouTube channel as well - the L&D Academy.    This video...

Will it make a difference if you can say "time-to-hire has improved 2.5%  compared to this time last year"?  Of course we can create more complex  or creative metrics like  'retention rate per manager' or 'HR cost per  employee'.  Still... are they really helpful?   The thing is, metrics measure the past. We track these things to make  sure we are efficient and accountable.  They rarely tell us ab...

Telling your employees to get well through nutrition, sleep and exercise  and demanding they work extra every day is like telling them to eat cake  and only giving them celery. You aren't serious.    The work environment has a huge impact on wellbeing - particularly  asking too much of people.   Linda Duxbury is Canada's leading expert on employee wellbeing. She's  done national studies involving...

This episode is for students!  Membership in your HR association has  benefits and, if you can capitalize on them, it can be very helpful in  landing your first HR job after university.     I spoke with Ioana Giurca who is the CEO of CPHR Alberta.  Even if you  don't live in Alberta... check out what your own association has to  offer students!  After all, you are the future of the profession and...

Soft skills is a misnomer.  These skills are so critical to your success  that 'power skills' is far more appropriate.     The concept adds a lot of value to our careers in HR as well as the work  we do! Focusing on the right power skills can help us create more  effective organizations through skills development, identify the right  high potential employees and create meaningful training programs...

We all want to move forward in our career path and sometimes that is up.   Sometimes that is sideways, which is why 'lattice' is better term for  how to view careers. I am definitely on the lattice path! 😅    Dianna Dempsey is an expert in career pathing/ladders/lattices.  She  gives us advice on how to do it although, truthfully, many times... it  depends.  We also talked about how to make use o...