The HR Hub

You'd think that HR is the group with change management oversight.  That's actually not the case.  More often we are in influencing roles - no authority but lots of responsibility.  So if we are expected to assist in many ways, how do we make the most of it?  Well, the first step is understanding change management. I spoke with Dr. Melanie Peacock - HR professor, keynote speaker, and consultant.  ...

Are you considering doing (or hiring) outsourced HR?  How do you make  this a great experience for the client AND you?  Some of it is how you  engage the client initially, but then you need to be come a partner.    Outsourced HR (or fractional HR) provides HR support in small  organizations who don't have enough HR work to warrant someone  full-time.  Or their HR people are so busy that they need...

Authenticity (and integrity) are hot topics.  Integrity is a key value  for at least half of the Fortune 500 companies.  So how do you define  each AND how can you create organizations where authenticity and  integrity can flourish?    Mike Horne has written a book on the topic. He shares his understanding  of these topics, how they are related and other insights for HR.   These  include how to wo...

In this video we talk about HR trends for 2022 and beyond. You are likely going to be surprised (and not surprised) by what you hear. That is because the trends are not 'new' but they are trending in ways you might not expect.   Melanie Peacock is an HR Consultant, Professor, Fellow and keynote speaker.   Find Melanie on LinkedIn or at http://www.doublemconsulting.net/

What is trending in employee benefits that HR folks need to be watching?  A few things and the fact that there are trends is a change from ten years ago!  This whole episode was really interesting because,  even if you are not in benefits, it gives you insight into changing  employee expectations. I spoke with Meghan Vallis, the author of the GAB (the Group Advisor  Blog).  She's also a VP, Group...

What can HR do to support Indigenous inclusion? Well... many things.     I spoke with Gillian Hynes of Rise Consulting which is an  Indigenous-owned management consulting company.  She has a strong HR  background and knows about many of the points in the workforce lifecycle  where we might step in to positively affect the inclusion of Indigenous  Peoples in our workplaces.  But she doesn't recomme...

So you've heard about workplace mediation. But you're wondering if it's  going to work - is it worth it? After watching this, you might say  'yes'.       HR is exposed to a lot of conflict between employees and between  employees and the organization. We are in a place to make recommendations on how situations could be handled and mediation is one of the possible tools.  And it might be a better t...

Should you conduct reference checks in recruitment process?  Yes or no?   This is just one element of the recruitment debates! Some other  aspects of the debate: behavioural interviewing or something else?  Sourcing or Posting?  Internal or external recruiters?     There seem to be quite a few opinions around recruitment so I ask two  experts.  Kim Wilkinson is an external recruiter with her own c...

Engaging hybrid teams is hard, so recognize them! We miss the unplanned  meetings, jokes, and smiles. But EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION can definitely  help.  And the good news: it's cheap, easy and something most of us instinctively understand. It improves morale and builds the connective  tissue that keeps us working well together.     Sarah McVanel is a recognition expert, author, keynote speaker and mo...

Reconciliation is foundational piece of inclusion and workplace  belonging - certainly in Canada.  It's also something that you should  have heard, particularly with what has come to light with recent  Residential School findings.  So what is Reconciliation and what does it  mean for individuals and organizations?    These are some of the questions I asked Gillian Hynes who works with an  indigeno...

Engaging employees during uncertainty feels tricky.  But it might not be  as hard as you think.  It takes emotional intelligence, communication  and the application of the basics of engagement like recognition and  setting goals.  But the thing is, you may have to be more intentional  about it.    I spoke with Rob Catalano of WorkTango.  It's a platform to help you  listen to employees better and...

Is it your first time in a leadership role or are you thinking about it?   In this video you will get practical insight and tips from someone who  is studying leadership. You won't just learn things in this video, you  might FEEL better about your leadership style and your journey.  Because  leadership is a journey.     Ryan Rex has been an HR Director and is doing a doctorate in leadership.   He...

Where do you start with people analytics?  A lot of us HR folks aren't  that numerically gifted to begin with and this can seem daunting.  So  hire someone (really)!   Getting dedicated support for people analytics is one of the first steps  in developing your people analytics capacity.  It isn't something you  can really do off the side of your desk.     Of course you might need to do a business...

Thank you' is good but recognition is better! In fact, recognition at  work is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to improve the workplace!    Don't get me wrong, 'thank you' is a part of recognition, but there is  more. Good recognition is personal, specific and timely.  It's also a  cheap way to improve your culture, build positive relationships, retain  employees... learn more here and then d...

WCB Claims. Did you know you should prepare (not just avoid or respond)?    Organizations implement elaborate OH&S policies to avoid injuries  and then, when someone is injured we do things to respond.  But we should also be PREPARED for workplace injuries so that we can act  quickly to mitigate the financial impact to the organization.     What does preparation involve?  Well, things like having...

Leadership theories abound.  Can you make sense of them?  Regardless, how do we apply those theories about leadership in HRM?  In this video we talk about transformational leadership theory, which is (as I learned) the most common leadership  theory.  Knowing more about leadership in your organization can help you  become a leader, but it can also change how you deliver HR service and  support.  ...

Let's be honest, you typically get a Manager job because you are great as an individual - but then you have to lead.   You also need to be both a partner to your management peers and a  supporter and developer of your direct reports.   There is so much great insight in this episode around the similarities  and differences between being a Manager versus a business partner.  It  also gives insight i...

Privacy in the workplace is a matter of legislation, common law, and  policy.  Some aspects of privacy in the Canadian context are set out in  legislation - and it can be a wide variety of legislation. BC, Alberta,  Quebec and federally regulated businesses are subject to specific  privacy legislation, but the rest of the provinces and territories rely  on common law. Then there is employee privac...

What happens when there is a threat of violence at work?  Hopefully you  are prepared to do a threat assessment in the workplace.     This is a concept that our American neighbours might be more familiar with; however Canadians are not immune.  Furthermore, we practice and  are prepared for the possibility of a fire, why not violence as well?     There are a number of steps and training involved i...

Employment lawyers & HR often work together.  I talk to a lawyer  about that relationship and he shares the good and bad. You'll recognize  some of his problems because they are similar to problems we can have  working with our clients.   And HR is often afraid of using lawyers because of the cost.  But consider:  a) The VALUE.  Will it save you money and headache in the end?  b) How to spend less...

Compliance in HR is simple right? We have to obey the laws.  It's easy!    But of course it's not easy: where do you find the relevant legislation  (and regulations) and then make sure you have seen all the parts that  matter to you?   Gayle Wadden is a lawyer and the Chief Compliance Officer for Compliance  Works. We talked in general about compliance in Canada because we have a  lot to concern o...

The concepts of gender are embedded deeply and inconspicuously into every aspect of our lives including our worklives.  It isn’t just gender  - expectations of around diversity (or a lack thereof) are everywhere as well. This conversation sheds light on why EDI is hard and how exclusion persists. Alicia Bjarnason studied a concept called 'gendered space'.  She got curious when, during her STEM  ca...

This covers the Worker's Compensation Board (WCB) basics from an employer and HR's perspective.  It's the bigger picture of managing claims costs and a compelling reason you need to get employees back to  work as soon as possible.  Better still you should avoid accidents  altogether (but that's another episode).     When a supervisor would rather leave a worked at home than bring them back to modi...

How is employee VOICE in the workplace different from SATISFACTION or  ENGAGEMENT?  Well, it's more frequent, measures more than engagement or  satisfaction (although it might do that too), and it may be diagnostic.      I spoke with Rob Catalano who started and runs WorkTango which is a tool  to help their customers understand the perspective of their employees.   Employee voice can be used to un...

HR for startups is different.  It's growth-focused and has some unique  challenges.  There is a lot of recruitment (of course), but also  onboarding, and other activities.  Some of the challenges may include  helping founders get out of their own way.    Maysa Hawwash is the CEO of ScaleX which is a fractional HR company  devoted to helping organizations grow.  Although sometimes they shrink  too...