HRUpdate Fall 2016

HR UPDATE ional camaraderie Your resource for profess and fresh insights.

RCE PROFESSIONALS THE HUMAN RESOU

ATION A CHAPTER PUBLIC ASSOCIATION OTTAW

HR

HR UPDATE

UPDATE HR LESSONS FROM THE KITCHEN: INSIDE FRASER CAFE ALIGNING HR STRATEGIES LEVERAGING DISRUPTIVE TALENT

Never saying farewell

Your resource for professional camaraderie and fresh insights.

Managing the reality of employee turnover

AL

JOURN OTTAWA BUSINESS

VOLUME 20 • ISSUE

2 • NOVEMBER 2016

THE HUMAN RESOURCE PROFESSIONALS ASSOCIATION OTTAWA CHAPTER PUBLICATION

HR

UPDATE HR LESSONS FROM THE KITCHEN: INSIDE FRASER CAFE ALIGNING HR STRATEGIES LEVERAGING DISRUPTIVE TALENT

Never saying farewell

Managing the reality of employee turnover

OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL

VOLUME 20 • ISSUE 2 • NOVEMBER 2016

Contributors wanted!

For individuals interested in contributing, articles must be submitted via email to updatemagazine@ hrpaottawa.ca by no later than April 3, 2017.

Specifications: Article Format 3 Articles must be sent in either .doc or. docx format

Headshots Word Count

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3 Please ensure your article is no greater in length than 800 words

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3 JPEG format & 300 DPI, CMYK 3 Measuring no smaller than 2” x 3” 3 No cropping of the head area

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2 HR UPDATE FALL 2016

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EVENT UPDATE

11 CHEF’S TABLE /23 /16

CHEF’S TABLE IS A FOODIE’S PARADISE RECEPTION AT THE FABULOUS SALT RESTAURANT. FEATURING SOME OF CHEF RYAN EDWARD’S BEST CREATIONS INCLUDING A COOKING DEMONSTRATION, WHERE THE FOCUS IS ON PROVIDING OUR CHAPTER MEMBERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO EAT WELL, NETWORK, AND MINGLE WITH LIKEMINDED PROFESSIONALS. THIS IS AN EVENT NOT TO BE MISSED. 6 P.M., SALT, 345A PRESTON ST., OTTAWA

Welcome 2016-2017 BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT KEVIN BARWIN PRESIDENT ELECT & MENTORSHIP MELISSA BELLOCCHI-HULL SECRETARY DAN PALAYEW TREASURER CHERYL BANKS COMMUNICATIONS ANGELA ZIMMER

to the 2016 fall issue of HR Update, a joint publication of the Ottawa Business Journal and the HRPA Ottawa Chapter. This publication reaches a regional business audience of more than 100,000 readers and can also be accessed as a virtual edition at www. obj.ca and www.hrpaottawa.ca.

If you have any questions about this publication, please contact us via email at updatemagazine@ hrpaottawa.ca.

For individuals interested in contributing, articles must be submitted via email to updatemagazine@hrpaottawa.ca by no later than April 3, 2017 to be considered for the next edition.

CHAPTER KICKOFF

COMMUNITY RELATIONS & MARKETING SOLEY SOUCIE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & NETWORKING MERSIHA MESIC MEMBERSHIP ENGAGEMENT MURIEL EARLE MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT ERIN TAILLEFER CONTACT US HRPA OTTAWA CHAPTER, GENERAL INQUIRIES & ACCOUNTING PHONE: 613-224-6466 E-MAIL: infohr@hrpaottawa.ca WEBSITE: www.hrpa.ca/ HRPAChapterSites/Ottawa MEMBERSHIP CHANGES 150 Bloor Street West, Suite 200, Toronto, ON, M5S 2X9 PHONE: 416-923-2324 TOLL-FREE: 1-800-387-1311 FAX: 416-923-7264 EMAIL: info@hrpa.ca WEBSITE: www.hrpa.ca Join the HRPA Ottawa Chapter Group on LinkedIn @OttawaHRPA CHAIR: ERIC VANDE VELDE EDITORIAL COMMITTEE: ELLA FORBES-CHILIBECK STEFAN SMITH MICHAEL PRICE JILLIAN CHEESEMAN PUBLICATION SUBMISSIONS: updatemagazine@hrpaottawa.ca CREATIVE DIRECTOR TANYA CONNOLLY-HOLMES GRAPHIC DESIGNERS REGAN VAN DUSEN CÉLINE HACHÉ-PAQUETTE SALES WENDY BAILY CARLO LOMBARD @OttawaHRPA • THE HUMAN RESOURCE PROFESSIONALS ASSOCIATION OTTAWA CHAPTER PUBLICATION

FALL 2016 HR UPDATE 3

hrpaottawa on the go @OttawaHRPA

HRPA, Ottawa Chapter

www.hrpaottawa.ca

PRESIDENT’S UPDATE – KEVIN BARWIN

Steps to growing as an HR professional I t’s Friday morning and you’ve just walked into your weekly management meeting feeling like you have everything under control. Then, your CEO announces a new initiative and needs you to be the lead. It’s a large project, with a short timeline, and he needs your HR plan by Monday. Sound familiar?

In today’s fast-paced business environment, schedules don’t always allow enough time to ensure success and the scope of many projects are often defined before they reach our desk. Our job as HR professionals is to seize these opportunities and ensure they add true business value to our organizations. We can do this in the following ways: • Understand who your key stakeholders are and what will and will not work in your organization; • Create the link between business strategy and our internal teams of talent; • Understand how this project will impact engagement, retention, and the ability to

attract new talent; • Understand what impact this project will have on structures, systems and organizational culture; • Architect the plan from a people-driven business strategy perspective; and • Know how to translate your HR analytics into this plan to create a positive ROI.

I recently had the opportunity to hear Dan Cathy speak. Since 2013, Dan has served as the Chairman, President, and CEO for Chick-fil-A, one of North America’s largest family owned businesses. He shared with us four key messages he uses as a guide to run his business. I think these apply very well as we think about our HR projects. They are: • Think Different; • Think Cool (be relevant); • Think Forward (where are we trying to get to); and • Share Ownership.

So how do we grow these skills? A great way is to get involved in our HRPA Mentoring Program. The Mentoring Program is always looking for participants and is a wonderful way for HR professionals to give back to their profession and/or learn from other HR professionals. Mentorship program participants are eligible to earn CPD hours towards CHRP recertification.

The goal of the program is to support the professional development of human resources professionals. Mentees benefit from receiving one-on-one coaching from experienced professionals. With the newly expanded HRPA Community, through Mentor City, mentees and mentors can connect with members from a number of chapters, providing the opportunity to find a mentor or mentee who has similar industry experience, background, and skills to assist in this professional development. It’s a great way to think different and think cool.

this in mind, you need to get down to work and come up with a plan that is relevant, forward thinking, involves the greater team, and is good for the business!

For more information about this program, kindly contact the Mentoring Committee at ottawamentoring@hrpa.ca, or reach out to us through the HRPA Ottawa website.

Now, back to Friday morning. With all

— Kevin

From the Mentoring Corner

Y

ou always hear about the benefits that come from having a mentor from a mentee’s perspective: gaining professional advice on problems from someone who has already been through the same struggles, expanding your professional network, and learning more about professional development and advancement.

Rarely do we ever hear about the other side. The reality is that mentors have just as much to gain from the relationship as their mentees do.

The feeling of giving back itself is a huge benefit, but there are other benefits of mentorship.

Becoming a mentor allows you to gain recognition as a subject matter expert in your field. It helps you to develop your own personal leadership and coaching styles, and provides a fresh perspective with new ideas and approaches.

These skills can be transferable to your day-to-day career and personal life, but they also add up to a bigger picture.

The reality is that by becoming a mentor, you have the opportunity to change the life

4 HR UPDATE FALL 2016

of an individual. You can use the knowledge and experiences you already have to greatly influence a junior HR professional’s career path. And you can even gain some PD points while doing it!

If you want to learn more about the complimentary mentoring program that is available to you through HRPA, send us an email at ottawamentoring@hrpa.ca.

MacKenzie Smith is a member of the HRPA Ottawa Mentorship Committee

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EVENT UPDATE

01 /17

PUBLIC SKATE INVITATION TO ALL MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO JOIN IN A NIGHT OF SKATING AND HOT CHOCOLATE AT RIDEAU HALL.

Bringing artificial intelligence into recruitment “WE’RE NOT LOOKING AT A NAME OR A BACKGROUND OR WHERE THEY GREW UP OR THE TYPE OF SCHOOL THEY WENT TO. WE’RE LOOKING AT, ‘CAN THEY DO THE JOB?’”

R

ecruitment is a time-consuming process.

It typically requires multiple postings and scouring the web for qualified candidates or recent graduates. You sift through hundreds of resumes with hardly the time to read past a paragraph on each. The more hiring, expansion and advancement your company is trying to do, the more painstaking the process becomes.

If you’re lucky, in the midst of this random and frustrating process, you find a great candidate.

“When we get a really good hire into a company, the impact on productivity, engagement and retention is outstanding.

You can remember every good hire you’ve ever made,” says James Baker, the CEO of recruitment and staffing agency Keynote Group. “But how is it that there are so few of those that actually take place?”

Mr. Baker saw these gaps in the recruitment process and started searching for a better way. A conversation with Erin Kelly, CEO of Advanced Symbolics Inc. (ASI), sparked an idea. The company has been using artificial intelligence

for years to predict everything from successful marketing strategies for retailers to important votes such as Brexit and the Liberals’ majority win in last year’s federal election. AI can scour online data and aggregate results to advise on the optimal course of action for ASI’s clients.

“So, when I met James, and he said, ‘Well, could we do it to get the best hires?,’ we said, ‘We don’t know,’” recalls Ms. Kelly.

Turns out, yes.

Using artificial intelligence developed by ASI, Keynote can aggregate a list of qualified candidates based on the technology’s reading of resumes, online profiles and more. AI can draw intelligent conclusions about likely fits for a position just as a human would - only in far less time.

Now, instead of screening a pool of candidates over a course of weeks, it’s done overnight. Mr. Baker explains recruiters are spending less time compiling potential hires and spending more time in productive conversations.

Ms. Kelly says that in a competitive job market, where candidates and graduates are

making quick decisions in high-pressure situations, getting to the conversation stage sooner can mean the difference between being hired in Ottawa or finding an employer back home.

She adds that for both recruitment agencies and employers, the ability to spend more time talking to potential hires and less time screening for them means making successful hires the first time and less iterations trying to find the right fit.

“That saves money on all sides,” she says.

Mr. Baker says that while applicants may get less interviews with this system, they instead receive interviews for roles that are a better fit. In circumstances where an employer’s bias might discount a candidate at the outset, the AI’s objective reading can bring diverse and qualified candidates to the forefront.

“We’re not looking at a name or a background or where they grew up or the type of school they went to. We’re looking at, ‘Can they do the job?’”

AI has a looming presence over much of the job market, with fears that the technology will

take jobs. But Mr. Baker believes the application of AI in recruitment will only make the role of the recruiter more efficient, able to focus more on coaching and integrating new hires. He is convinced that the human aspect of hiring will never be replaced by a machine.

“People work with people at the end of the day,” he says.

“This is just a far better way to look at this entire problem and the whole situation of how to make successful recruitment happen. ... It allows us to be better at our job, which allows people to be better at their jobs.”

By Craig Lord | craig@obj.ca

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FALL 2016 HR UPDATE 5

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LEVERAGING DISRUPTIVE TALENT:

Three key steps to getting results T here is no question that terms such as “digital disruption” and “innovation” have become buzzwords used daily in most boardrooms and C-suite offices. Competing in the new normal requires organizations to find talent who do things in different ways.

The challenge, however, is that many of these disruptors often struggle to work in the constraints of a traditional organization.

In order to achieve desired results, business leaders need to ensure that they: • Find the right type of disruptors; • Engage disruptive talent in a way that aligns to their organizational commitment and readiness; and • Invest sufficient energy and effort to maximize the engagement and success of disruptive talent.

have a positive impact on business results also need to have skills and competencies like self-confidence, resilience, the ability to build relationships, and the flexibility required to work within the constraints of an organization.

ENGAGING DISRUPTORS To successfully engage this newly sought after type of talent, organizations need a strategy to define how they will engage with talent. Many leaders think that the only option is to hire disruptors, but there are a number of different ways to get started leveraging disruptors.

To determine the right engagement method (i.e., whether to involve, borrow or hire), business leaders first need to take a look at two important factors:

Commitment to Innovation and Change In order to maximize the return on the investment in disruptive talent, organizations Not all disruptors are created equally, and first need to ensure that there is senior investing in the wrong type of talent can cause leader commitment for innovation. That significant chaos and negatively impact business commitment must include dedicated funding performance and organizational culture. for innovation.

Many organizations are beginning to look for people who can spot opportunities to do things Readiness for Change differently and implement their ideas. While Organizations must also consider their overall generating ideas and getting things done are readiness for this productive type of disruption. both critical, disruptive talent who can truly Many organizations may be committed to

FINDING THE RIGHT DISRUPTORS

EME

RGE

NCY

doing things differently, but simply are not ready as a result of factors such as: • Their culture (e.g. level risk tolerance/risk management capabilities, agility, customer centricity and learning orientation); • Innovation maturity (e.g. existence of formal strategy, process and governance); • Technology readiness (e.g. technology investment and enterprise architecture); and • Strength of ecosystem partners (e.g. relationships with innovation accelerators, technology vendors and academic institutions).

Organizations that are lower in commitment and readiness can still benefit from bringing in a full-time disruptor – there is just more risk involved, and they must be prepared to put much more energy and effort into making the investment a success.

Organizations that have high commitment and readiness are well-positioned to benefit significantly from disruptive talent, as long as they can source the right people and provide them with the right support.

MAXIMIZING THE ENGAGEMENT AND SUCCESS OF DISRUPTIVE TALENT Once an organization finds the right disruptive talent, there is a lot of work that still

CAL

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needs to go into ensuring a good return in the investment. For example, organizations should ensure that disruptor has: • A peer mentor; • Manager support; • Connection to other disruptors; • Frequent feedback; • A professional coach; and • An executive sponsor.

SUMMARY Finding and engaging talent who can productively disrupt current thinking can be extremely effective and deliver significant business value to an organization. As with everything in business, it starts with having a strategy to find the right people, engage them in the right way, and ensure that they have the support required to succeed. Organizations can get started by: • Establishing an innovation strategy with proper governance (if that hasn’t been done); • Assessing their readiness and identifying an appropriate disruptive talent engagement strategy; • Using assessments during the hiring process to confirm that potential disruptors have the right competencies; • Setting up formal mentoring programs; • Engaging professional coaches to better ensure a smooth transition and long-term success.

Michelle Moore is a Principal and Vice President, Business Development in the Career Solutions group at LHH Knightsbridge.

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EVENT UPDATE

03/ 08/ 2017

BREAKFAST

Redesigning Employee Recognition through Employee Involvement LAURA MATTHEWS, VICE-PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES & COMMUNICATIONS, INNOVAPOST SALA SAN MARCO, 215 PRESTON ST., OTTAWA

“As soon as you start thinking of (establishing) a new (restaurant), you have to start thinking about the people behind it.”

— ROSS FRASER. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON

Lessons from a collaborative kitchen

trusted,” he says. “He was the obvious choice.”

This year, when an opportunity came up to bring Mr. Declan to Rio de Janeiro with him to provide catering for the Olympics, Mr. Fraser saw it as an opportunity to thank his long-time chef for being so reliable in his endeavours. He believes that demonstrating gratitude in that way is a crucial way to build relationships in a business.

“You’ll get people who stick with you,” he IN A PEOPLE-FOCUSED AND LABOUR-INTENSIVE says.

INDUSTRY, DEMANDS ON WORKERS NEED One of the most natural relationships in Mr. Fraser’s business is his partnership with TO BE BALANCED WITH CONSIDERATION his brother, Simon. The two have worked in FROM MANAGERS kitchens together from their early teens; their first foray into the field saw the brothers flipping ew industries rely on happy workers like demands on workers need to be balanced with burgers together at McDonald’s. restaurants. consideration from managers. To this end, Neither brother went to business school, but For Ross Fraser – who, with his brother Fraser Cafe staff have group meals twice a day they found that their skills evolved naturally to Simon, runs the Fraser Cafe, Table 40, The to come together and decompress. building and managing their kitchens. When Rowan and a new line of frozen foods in Fraser He also tells all new staff that every time-off Simon would head home at night to spend time at Home – keeping a growing staff happy is the request will be honoured. He recognizes that with his young son, Ross was there to handle meat of good business. it’s a luxury as the restaurateur has enough staff the dinner service. Where Simon excels at Growth has been steady and constant for to handle such a rotation. Mr. Fraser makes it a establishing new relationships with customers the Fraser brothers. The Fraser Cafe began as priority, though, seeing it as a way to recognize for the Fraser at Home venture, Ross is relieved a small, 27-seat restaurant with about 15 staff. that workers do have lives outside of the to be able to focus on the restaurant.

Now, at its 7 Springfield Rd. location, the cafe kitchen.

“Simon’s fantastic at that … and it allows features 66 seats and private dining at Table 40, “When you expect so much from your staff, me to focus on the staff and the menu, the the result of acquiring a next-door convenience you have to realize it’s a trade,” he says. “That’s execution,” Mr. Fraser says. “Being able to work store. Forty staff operate at this location with just one way we can thank our staff.” with my brother … I feel very lucky.” almost 20 running a brother restaurant in the Relying on his people became even more Whether related by blood or part of an Glebe, The Rowan. crucial when The Rowan opened in 2015. ever-growing family in the kitchens, Mr. Fraser With all of this expansion, building and “As soon as you start thinking of a new place, has come a long way in the restaurant industry maintaining a reliable staff became increasingly you have to start thinking about the people because of the people with whom he has important. behind it,” Mr. Fraser says. worked. He says that while it’s a great business “As our team kept building, we realized When the Fraser brothers had to choose to be in, it’s also a tough one. You can’t do it that each one of these staff, they make such an a chef for The Rowan who could manage the alone. impact, such a difference, to the atmosphere,” logistics and staffing decisions at the new “You have to count on people,” he says.

Mr. Fraser says. restaurant, Kyle Declan – long-time sous-chef at In a people-focused and labour-intensive Fraser Cafe – immediately came to mind.

By Craig Lord industry like dining, Mr. Fraser says the “He is someone who we just absolutely craig@obj.ca

F

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SENIOR LEADERS BREAKFAST

Strategic HR

“INITIATIVES to Align Leaders and Culture to Corporate Strategy” — DAVID MCINTRYE, DIRECTOR, TALENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, CANADA POST CORP.

SALA SAN MARCO, 215 PRESTON ST., OTTAWA

When home life invades the workplace P

erhaps the biggest challenge people have that causes them emotional stress is keeping a balance between home and work life. And this balance is not just physical where time constraints can exhaust us – it is emotional as well. Why is it that sometimes workplace comments, suggestions and general remarks can leave you deflated, defeated and defensive?

If this is the way you are feeling at work – even if just some of the time – it’s important to examine why these feelings are emerging and how you can deal with them. It is also important to have these conversations with your HR team.

Take a step back and re-examine the scenarios where your emotional response to someone’s words has left you upset. It may be that the conversation is not causing your emotional distress, but is triggering sensitivities in you that already exist and have nothing to do with your colleagues or what they may have said or not said to you at work.

Let’s take an example. You’ve left for work this morning after arguing about the mess in the basement with your partner. Annoyed that the shelves are still not up, you finally lost it and let them know you’re not pleased at all, and out the door you went. Not a great way to start the day, but entirely realistic as many of us have had such run-ins and will do so again.

At work, you’re still upset and not understanding why they just don’t take care of something that is relatively easy to do and should have been done long ago. At exactly this moment of personal irritation, a voice from the next cubicle calls out, “Have you got that report done yet? It was due at nine this morning.” And in your state of dissatisfaction and vulnerability (when there is a lack of emotional balance and calm, we are much more vulnerable and prone to react impulsively), you holler back, “Keep your pants on … I’ll get it to you, all right?”

It’s very easy to be taken the wrong way.

And this scenario illustrates beautifully how

two people in the workplace can completely misinterpret each other. You’re irritated by what happened at home, and are allowing those feelings to colour what your colleague has innocently reminded you of. Your colleague is probably taken aback by your impatient response.

A one-time occurrence of this nature has no lasting effect. But if you are bringing

your home life upsets into the workplace and they’re spilling out into the dynamic of what’s happening between you, your colleagues and your manager, then you need to address the situation.

Kita Szpak is an author, happiness expert, speaker and publicist. She can be reached via her at website at www.kitaszpak.com.

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EVENT UPDATE

02 The Breakfast /08 Event /17

MARIANNE PHILLIPS, DIRECTOR, HUMAN RESOURCES, CITY OF OTTAWA

7:30 A.M. – 9 A.M., SALA SAN MARCO, 215 PRESTON ST., OTTAWA

prompted it? e) What can we do to make your work experience better?

Stay interviews demonstrate to the employees that you value them and you are listening.

COVER STORY

Three keys to managing higher turnover in the not-for-profit sector

2. THE EXIT SURVEY You’re probably reading this because too many good people have already left. For them, it’s too late for the stay interview.

Having them complete an exit survey is one of the first things you should be thinking about.

First of all, notice that I use the term “survey” instead of “interview.” There are several reasons that our experience shows that the seemingly impersonal survey is actually superior to an exit interview.

Surveys are done in writing and anonymously, and so will be more objective.

There are no biases in the interpretation of the survey findings. Even if the individual is very candid in an exit interview (usually with HR), the interviewer will unconsciously project their own biases in the interpretation of the findings, placing more emphasis on those issues where the interviewer agrees, and downplaying areas of disagreement.

Finally, the exit survey helps take some of the highly charged emotion out of the departure. It may not “feel as good” if the employee doesn’t have the opportunity to finally get everything off their chest.

However, we have found this is actually beneficial, since the highly emotional exit interview usually gets discounted as “axe grinding,” and the learnings are lost.

HINT: LEAVING DOESN’T HAVE TO MEAN ‘GOODBYE’

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t’s not an easy life in the not-forprofit (NFP) world these days. NFPs are reacting through a whole host of measures, including restructuring (read: layoffs), technological change and change management.

As a result, many not-for-profit employees are not only hit with job insecurity, but are also seeing their world turned upside down with private-sector approaches and management concepts in an attempt to contain administration costs.

Throughout all of this, employees are feeling less and less connected with the reason they work there in the first place: their commitment to “the cause.” The end result: More good people are leaving.

By the time an employee announces that they have decided to leave, we often think it’s too late. “Nothing we can do now except move on” is a refrain I often hear.

But I’m here to tell you that nothing can be further from the truth. There is much we can still do to learn and improve our organizations and, hopefully, get that

We need to view our relationships with good employees as a life-long affiliation. In today’s world, there is no reason to have to say ‘goodbye.’ attrition under control. Here are three things every not-for-profit (and everyone else, for that matter) should be doing to manage departures: 1. STAY INTERVIEWS BEFORE THEY LEAVE Every organization has individuals you’ve identified as “keepers.” These are the ones whose departures will hurt the most. After all, if we’re restructuring, these employees are the ones we want to stay. AND, they are also the most employable. Other

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organizations would love to have their commitment, dedication and engagement.

Stay interviews should be conducted by someone aside from the chain of command (HR, other department or third-party consultant). Here are some key questions you can ask in that stay interview: a) When you travel to work each day, what things do you look forward to? b) What are you learning here? c) Why do you stay here? d) When was the last time you thought about leaving the organization? What

3. AFTER THAT? WELCOME TO THE ORGANIZATION’S ALUMNI NETWORK! Although we use employee retention (or its corollary, attrition or turnover) as an indicator of success, this is increasingly unrealistic.

Instead, we need to view our relationships with good employees as a life-long affiliation. In today’s world, there is no reason to have to say “goodbye” to that person, and the experience and expertise lodged forever in their brain.

Setting up an organization alumni network is easy, it’s cheap, and it’s beneficial for both the organization and employee.

The large majority of departing employees and alumni really like being part of an alumni network. They get to keep tabs and continue friendships. They can count on references and it strengthens their own personal brand and reputation.

From your point of view in management or HR, alumni networks provide a corporate memory bank (Think, “Just message her on the LinkedIn page … she knows where the file is”). Furthermore, exit surveys show that as many as 80 per cent of departing employees would consider returning to your organization in the future. What a great recruiting tool!

All things considered, turnover is a reality. Life-long affiliation is the goal, not retention. That being said, use stay interviews to pre-empt premature departures, use exit surveys to continually learn and improve, and set up that alumni network so you never have to say farewell!

Norm Baillie-David, MBA, CMRP is Senior Vice-President, Engagement at TalentMap. FALL 2016 HR UPDATE 11

EVENT UPDATE

05 Annual Business Meeting /24 /17 EXECUTIVE DINNER

THE DINNER EVENT IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY THAT APPEALS TO OTTAWA’S HR LEADERS LOOKING TO NETWORK AND STAY INFORMED. THE EVENT WILL HOST A HIGH PROFILE SPEAKER WHO WILL PROVIDE GUESTS WITH A RELEVANT PRESENTATION IN THEIR AREA OF EXPERTISE. OTTAWA CONFERENCE AND EVENT CENTRE, 200 COVENTRY ROAD, OTTAWA

Connecting to yourself, connecting to others and connecting to what is beyond your goal are the three essential pillars to uncovering what motivates you.

Identify the supportive ones and those that might stop you from reaching your goal. As well, list the new beliefs and values you need to consider adopting to go toward reaching your goal.

• How will I achieve it? What kind of internal and external resources do I already have and that I need to deploy in order to reach my goal? What internal resources am I called to develop or reinforce? What external resources do I need to obtain?

• What are my current behaviours that support me in reaching my desired performance goal? Which ones do I need to replace with new ones? Make a list of the new behaviours you need to adopt.

• How is my environment supportive to me? What kind of changes do I need to apply to my physical environment in order to reach my goal?

Motivation, performance and the magical power of connecting

CONNECTING TO OTHERS is another important step in achieving your goals because they can be your support system and can help you in your commitment to what you intend to achieve. Connecting to others means communicating your goal and why it is important for you to reach it. To make your connection to others easier, answer the following questions: • Who are the people I need to communicate my goal to?

• How can they support me? What information do they need to know to support me in achieving my goal?

• What is in it for them? Why should they help me? What would they gain? Here, you need to think about your relationship with the people you chose in supporting you.

CONNECTING TO WHAT IS BEYOND the goal is the last step in being aware of what motivates you to reach what you wish to attain. Because we are a part of a system that is bigger than ourselves and our relationships to others, it is important that you become aware of your purpose in achieving your goal by answering the following: ACHIEVING GOALS BY FORMING CONNECTIONS TO YOURSELF • Why is it important for me to achieve my goal?

AND THOSE AROUND YOU • What is bigger than me that achieving my re you not achieving the results or on being aligned with one’s goal or dream, CONNECTING TO YOURSELF starts by goal will it allow me to be part of? performance goals you aim for? If the support system and the purpose. being aware of what ignites you and makes • What is my personal purpose behind all the knowledge or know-how isn’t the Now the legitimate question is how to you happy and satisfied. When Robert Dilts of that? reason behind it, what could it be then? really connect to the source of motivation? developed the model of logical levels of Now, take a moment to visualize yourself Having worked with countless Well, because each human being is unique, change in Neuro Linguistic Programming with the goal achieved and start observing professionals and individuals from various the source of motivation will be different and (NLP), he covered the various important areas how this makes you feel. Take the time you professions, an important thing became unique for different individuals – even those of one’s alignment with what one wants to need to enjoy this feeling and keep a copy of very evident to me in my coaching practice with similar goals. achieve. it within you. That copy could be an image, a when accompanying humans in reaching Since I believe that each human is the Some of the questions below are feeling, a smell, or a sound that you can refer their goals – the power of connecting to the only expert of their own lives and what drives inspired by the Dilts’ model of logical levels. to whenever you need it. meaning of what we want to achieve. them to performance and achievement, my Answering these questions requires noting Remember that the level of your conscious I found that there is a direct correlation answer is that in order to create motivation, down, in one sentence or a few words, the connection to your goal affects the level of between the level of motivation to achieve one needs to become conscious and aware first things that come to mind without your motivation, performance and your goal the desired performance and the conscious of what is important to them. Connecting analyzing or judging any of them. achievement. So how connected are you? connection to the purpose or why a person to yourself, connecting to others and • What exactly do I want to achieve? And wants to achieve what they want to achieve. connecting to what is beyond your goal are once achieved, who am I going to become?

Therefore, internal resources mobilization the three essential pillars to uncovering what • Are my current beliefs and values Kodi Eid is a Certified Professional Coach based that creates motivation is highly dependent motivates you! coherent with what I want to achieve? in Montreal.

A

12 HR UPDATE FALL 2016

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@OttawaHRPA

HRPA Ottawa Photo Gallery Check out additional photos from our recent events. hrpaottawa.ca

Meet Bob. Bob started working for his employer in 1973 and is finally retiring after 43 years on the job. Problem is, no one else in the company really knows what Bob does.

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therapy clinics.

If even this is too taxing for your schedule, consider hiring a massage therapist to come to your home or workplace.

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A two-year job interview to find the best Hydro Ottawa’s partnership with Algonquin College is paying off

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he importance of apprenticeship and trades training to attract the next generation can’t be understated as the baby boomers reach retirement.

Industry and post-secondary institutions must partner to promote the trades as a rewarding career path for young people and ensure a seamless transfer of knowledge.

Over the past five years, Hydro Ottawa and Algonquin College have taken this to heart. Through Algonquin’s two-year Powerline Technician Diploma program, these partners have demonstrated how the workplace and the classroom can and should work together.

As part of the program, students develop essential safety skills and knowledge, practice rigging and pole climbing, learn to design and plan

overhead and underground power installations, apply technical standards, learn about hydraulic systems and practice installation and maintenance on poles.

Classroom theory at Algonquin couples with practical, hands-on learning at Hydro Ottawa’s facilities, under the guidance of instructors who are recently retired powerline technicians.

“We look at it as a two-year job interview, because we see these students and have them work on our site twice a week,” said Peter Bishop, Hydro Ottawa’s Supervisor, Algonquin and Apprenticeship Programs. “It’s incredibly valuable to have our veteran retirees transferring their knowledge to the next generation.”

Algonquin’s program is one of only a handful across Ontario. Each year,

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it attracts over 300 applications for 36 spots. This year, it will grow to 48 spots in response to interest and need for talent. Hydro Ottawa also provides summer co-op work-terms for up to nine students each year. It’s always looking for the top five or six in their class to bring into its apprenticeship program upon graduation. The rest have the solid grounding they need to find work with any other power utility in the province.

One of those 2016 top grads now working for Hydro Ottawa is Braydon Hughes. He decided to follow the example of two uncles who work in the utility industry. Algonquin’s diploma program appealed to him because of its proximity and the collaboration with Hydro Ottawa that emphasizes handson learning.

“It’s a career right from the get go,” Hughes said. “That was the main aspect that I liked – it’s not just some job, it’s a career. Going to school for just two years and then being able to transition right into a career motivated me to work hard through school.”

According to Bishop, the industry is hungry for talent right across the province. At Hydro Ottawa, almost half of its trades and technical workforce is

Apprentices learning one of the basics: pole climbing

forecast to retire in the next 10 years.

“If you can prove yourself, there’s a spot for you somewhere,” he said.

“And we’ve got plenty of work right here in Ottawa.”

To learn more about the Powerline Technician Diploma program, visit www.algonquincollege.com/acce/ program/powerline-technician/ FALL 2016 HR UPDATE 13

ottawa

media

keeping you connected

social @OTTAWAHRPA

chapter

hrpaottawa.ca Enlightened CEOs fundamentally understand that people are the only sustainable differentiator 5. EMPLOYEE AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT This fifth component includes leadership development program design, mentoring, onthe-job development and career development assignments, competency development and succession planning.

MAKING IT WORK In order to enable all the above components work together, one must leverage HRMS data and analytics, keep abreast of regulatory employment practices, develop an acute understanding of change management and organizational development as well as build strong relations with business partners and all stakeholders internal as well as external.

Dave Ulrich puts it simply: To be effective as a CHRO, one must deliver “operational excellence.” One has to deliver the basics flawlessly to gain a seat in the C-suite.

However, the reward is huge and your contribution to the business’s success, shaping the firm’s strategy and your impact on the culture is immense.

THE FUTURE OF THE HR PROFESSION What do I see in the future for the HR profession?

The more enlightened CEOs are those who fundamentally understand that people are the only sustainable differentiator.

Anyone can buy equipment and tools, copy processes and drive success in the shortterm. However, you can’t buy people’s energy, commitment and creativity.

That’s where HR comes in, creating engagement, the buy-in to something bigger, the mission and meaning rather than the money that embeds long-term sustainable business success.

Businesses can only gain competitive advantage through their people strategies. the process. HR is called upon to make some Talent management and leadership are unique contributions to this process such as critical to address the scarcity of resources and organization design, leadership competencies, demographics. compensation philosophies and performance Today, the pace of change in business is management. seismic, globalization is a reality and societal issues affect all our communities. There are 2. TALENT ACQUISITION (ATTRACTION, many other business drivers too numerous to RECRUITMENT AND ONBOARDING) detail here. I truly believe that HR leaders must This second component is about understanding find ways to develop integrated HR strategies business requirements such as workforce in order to create a sustainable HR and business planning, talent attraction, social media framework. recruiting, employer brand, technical and skill I believe it is truly an exciting time for all projections, assessment tools, onboarding, human resources professionals. HR practitioners regulatory training and deliverables of key who understand all the linkages in terms of competencies. attraction, development motivation and retention will succeed. HR is fast becoming recognized 3. PEOPLE MANAGEMENT as essential in facilitating organizational This third component includes employee and business success. It really is our time as communications, learning plans, business skills professionals! We need to “grab the bull by the and competencies, training and employee horns” and prove once and for all that we belong development, internal promotion, performance in the C-suite. management and improvement coaching, team optimization, management training and Philip C. Wilson, CHRL, CHRE, is currently employee engagement.

Director, Corporate Services (formerly the Chief Human Resources Officer) for DST Consulting 4. COMPENSATION, REWARDS AND Engineers Inc. RECOGNITION This fourth component refers to pay-forREFERENCES: Ulrich, D. (1997). Human performance, incentive programs, market resource champions: The next agenda data analytics, rewards, benefits, diversity and for adding value and delivering results. equity programs, board governance and HR Boston: Harvard Business School Press. committee compensation strategies.

Aligning HR strategies to create business success TO BE SUCCESSFUL AS AN HR PRACTITIONER, YOU MUST BOTH MASTER CORE HR SERVICES AND DEVELOP A STRUCTURED HOLISTIC BUSINESS ALIGNMENT STRATEGY.

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have personally witnessed HR’s evolution from the backroom to the boardroom, from tactics to strategy, and to assuming ownership of the business and its outcomes.

The HR profession has advanced dramatically since the days when I began my career as a recruiter, and we certainly have come a long way from the days of the “Personnel Department,” managing things such as payroll or vacation requests, and reporting into finance and accounting. I am proud of this evolution, which I refer to as the professionalization of the human resources profession.

I have been most fortunate to be part of some great Canadian companies such as CAE Electronics, Bell Northern Research, Northern Telecom and CIBC where I gained both global HR and business expertise.

Recently, I became the Director of Corporate Services of DST Consulting Engineers Inc. I support the CEO, the senior leadership team and all our employees through the delivery of aligned HR strategies that support the business in achieving success.

So how does an HR practitioner start their journey from entrant into the profession to 14 HR UPDATE FALL 2016

becoming a CHRO or CEO? Well, there are no steps to skip. First, you need to develop your HR and business acumen.

Whether you decide on an individual specialist or generalist career track, you must roll up your sleeves and learn your craft and the business.

To be successful as an HR practitioner, you must both master core HR services and develop a structured holistic business alignment strategy that I refer to as the HR Framework.

THE HR FRAMEWORK In its simplest form it is made up of five components: 1. STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING AND HR ALIGNMENT Encompassed in this component are board strategies, corporate vision, mission and values.

HR is a pivotal player in facilitating the creation of a business roadmap. Tools such as strategic plans, employee engagement surveys and corporate SWOT analysis will validate decisions and outputs.

Without such strategic business planning process skills, HR cannot be a full participant in

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EVENT UPDATE

06/ 08/ 2017

STRATEGIC HR SPEAKER DINNER

Managing Growth and Culture in a Startup HEATHER TYRIE, VICE-PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES, YOUI.TV CENTURION CONFERENCE AND EVENT CENTRE, 170 COLONNADE RD., NEPEAN

Branding from the inside out

of companies and organizations will say, “Branding is awesome, we do all these great things.” But inside, internally, they are a mess. Your biggest advocates need to be your employees. What is the No. 1 thing for job satisfaction? It’s always about contribution, it’s always about knowing that they matter and knowing that they are part of something that’s bigger than themselves.

Organizations that do that organically are going to be able to reap the benefits and the rewards of that externally from their consumer base.

A COMPANY’S BIGGEST ADVOCATES NEED TO BE ITS EMPLOYEES

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echnology may be reshaping how companies and organizations market themselves, but it’s unlikely to erode the importance of human relationships.

That was one of themes raised by Strategy Line founder Craig Gauthier in a recent interview with happiness coach Gillian Mandich. During that conversation, Mr. Gauthier also explained the connection between an organization’s brand and an engaged workforce.

Here’s an edited transcript of that interview: GILLIAN MANDICH: We’re going to chat about branding and engagement. But before we get into that, tell me a little bit about your background.

CRAIG GAUTHIER: I’ve been in the business of building brands and helping brands tell their story through engagement for 15 years. It’s about making sure the frontfacing brand matches the internal organic

side of it. Technology has levelled the playing field. Anybody can do anything. So what would make me want to work with you, do business with you? It’s about that Know-LikeTrust factor. It’s about that story. When we first got together, we told stories. And we told stories of who we are, what we did and we built relationships. We’re coming full circle to that. That’s what we help organizations and people do.

GM: Why is brand development so important?

CG: We live in a world of social proof. What do you do? You read reviews because you want to see who your friends suggest or what they would buy. We want real opinions.

That’s why it’s even more important to be transparent in your brand and make sure the value is there in terms of “This is what we’re offering.” And you can’t be superficial, because you’ll be called out.

“If we look at the workforce, branding starts from the inside out.”

GM: Looking forward, five, 10 or 15 years down the road, where do you see things going?

CG: If we look at the future, I’m optimistic that technology will help us live better lives.

But it shouldn’t just be about efficiency and effectiveness. That’s not the goal. Because if we make our lives so efficient, what’s our purpose? We need to dig deeper and find out how do we contribute, how do we fit in this world? If it all goes tech, are we just going to sit in pods and look at devices?

GM: What is one final thought to leave us with?

CG: Science is doing some great things in — CRAIG GAUTHIER terms of research and trying to figure us out as complex beings, but we can’t forget about GM: Especially in a time when you can the biology and the evolution. As long as we can fit technology in and understand that it’s use Google to find the answer to anything, organizations can really use this to their a tool, a mechanism to help us communicate benefit even when they are, say, hiring people. and be better people, then it’s fine. But CG: Absolutely. If we look at the workforce, if it takes over us, we have a bad Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. branding starts from the inside out. A lot

It’s reassuring

to know

sees

one organization

the

whole

picture.

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FALL 2016 HR UPDATE 15

EVENT UPDATE

05/ 03/ 2017

STRATEGIC HR SPEAKER DINNER

How Talent Management Can Be Used to Better Support the Delivery of Strategy ANDREW PATEMAN, VICE PRESIDENT, TALENT MANAGEMENT AND CORPORATE STRATEGY, CANADIAN BLOOD SERVICES

SALA SAN MARCO, 215 PRESTON ST., OTTAWA

innovation, but also a dynamic transfusion of ideas and leadership back to the mother ship.

2. DISRUPT YOURSELF Big companies often fall into a comfortable cadence of their creation. Steady profits, stable products and happy customers can lull leaders into limiting their ambition. However, no market is now watertight.

The competitive storm clouds of digitization and shifting consumer patterns are shattering the barriers between industries and evaporating the money needed to enter them. Customers are looking for immediate service. They are looking for bridges to “vendors” who can meet their bespoke needs. Think Airbnb (hotels), Uber (taxis and deliveries) and retail (Amazon and Taobao).

Netflix is the exemplar of a self-disruptive company. It could have kept its content as a niche “snail mail” DVD lending library, serving a distinct but dwindling market segment.

Instead, Netflix chose a different path.

It punched through its “core competency” first by offering older movies on a videostreaming platform. Then Netflix went further and broke the divide between content makers and “broadcasters” by producing its own TV series and movies. House of Cards and Orange is the New Black are among its most popular blockbusters, all without owning a single boxoffice. Today, it has 25 million subscribers.

3. CHARACTERS, NOT CLONES Who sits around at the table determines what decisions are made. As a result, “group-think” can often paralyze a big organization. Even bright people can find themselves curbing their dissent to maintain a consensus.

Breaking group-think requires robust dialogue. It requires a leader willing to tackle overt and subliminal values and behaviours head-on. How does a group filter, select and reject ideas? How does it rate some ideas as acceptable or radical? These visible boundaries can determine if a team stifles or champions ideas.

But large organizations need to go beyond words and reinvigorate their leadership teams.

Broadening the bandwidth of ideas comes from creating greater intellectual diversity.

Human nature leads us to like people who talk our language and share our outlook. We find affinity in agreement.

However, creativity demands the caustic rub of differing views. Tension creates BEING OPEN TO DIFFERENCES AND ACTIVELY PROMOTING THEM CAN heat and energy fuses ideas into valuable concepts. Being open to differences and PREVENT YOUR ORGANIZATION FROM BECOMING AN ECHO CHAMBER actively promoting them can assure that your organization does not become an echo nnovation and hierarchy are like oil and supersize the type of leader they attract, Think supply-chain (Walmart), lean production chamber. water: they do not mix. Rigid, vertical promote and retain changes. Gone is the methods (Toyota) or a seamless search engine Pushing the elephant in big organizations cultures often stifle ideas and stunt pesky, risk-hunting entrepreneur who seeks (Google). is tough. Few large companies are Google or creativity. market-leading change. Now managers are However, often what you are good at today Apple – big tech giants with almost limitless Innovation, on the other hand, requires the flavour. The reason is simple: Corporate can become tomorrow’s millstone. Remember resources and boundless aspirations. Most an embrace of new ideas. It means being in managers bring stability and control. They Kodak, the iconic photography company? So businesses are made of humbler clay. sync with your customers. In contrast, big have the ability to deliver regular, short-term wedded had it become to its core capabilities Being able to change them depends on bureaucracies often have an insular mindset results. in film production, it just could not see the a leader’s willingness to embrace change.

– a hierarchical “world-view” that might have As an innovator, there are three strategies value of digital photos. Even though it was a Culture plays a big role. Being open enough lost touch with its entrepreneurial roots. that help push the elephant of organizational technology invented by its R&D teams! to realize tomorrow will be different from Part of the problem is size. As big change and innovation: The simple answer to overcoming these yesterday is a start. As the velocity of change companies grow informal, communication “rigidities” is to buy new capabilities. Acquire accelerates, all innovators must challenge gives way to vertical silos that control and 1. BUY NEW CAPABILITIES a zesty startup with fresh perspectives, talents their present thinking to have the foresight for even hoard information. Being bigger also Most large organizations owe their success to and product offering. For a big company, future greatness. requires a shift away from personal decisions a set of core capabilities. These are the values, buying a feisty startup can be the seeds of to entrenched procedures. As the web of rules behaviours and technical skills that have to a culture clash: old/stable versus vibrant/ Simon Trevarthen is Founder and Chief Inspiration grows, the ability to improvise and “think enable them to create profitable products and growing. However, handled well it can be gold Officer of Elevate Your Greatness (EYG). He may different” withers. services. Sometimes these capabilities can dust. By zealously protecting the acquisition’s reached via his website at Leaders matter, as large organizations allow you to stand out from the competition. unique culture, the effect can be not only www.elevateyourgreatness.com.

Pushing the elephant: Three ways to spark innovation in big organizations I

16 HR UPDATE FALL 2016

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The HRPA Ottawa Chapter Website is now offering

COMPLIMENTARY advertising opportunities!

Post and view HR related complimentary events and volunteer positions in the Ottawa area.

http://www.hrpa.ca/HRPAChapterSites/Ottawa

DOUG JORDAN, AFS CONSULTING

Principal, AFS Consulting

Insights into the best practices of the World’s Most Admired Companies and Best Companies for Leadership

Leadership as the Art of Creating Followership

What to expect when you’re expecting ... and employed EMPLOYEES OFTEN FEEL PRESSURED TO TAKE LESS TIME OFF THAN THAT TO WHICH THEY ARE LEGALLY ENTITLED

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aving a child is both exhilarating and utterly terrifying – often at the same time. For those in the workforce, being both an expectant parent and an employee brings its own excitements and anxieties.

The first anxiety most expectant employees will face is advising their employers that they are pregnant or otherwise expecting.

Notwithstanding the protections afforded by both employment standards and human rights legislation, many employees are apprehensive about advising their employers that they are expecting, for fear of losing their continued employment. Although rare in Ottawa, it is not wholly unheard of for employers to terminate employees who announce their pregnancy.

The second issue for expectant parents is the lead-up to birth and/or placement of a child.

Often there are medical or other appointments, undoubtedly scheduled during working hours, for which the employee will require time off of work.

Employment standards legislation is somewhat silent on the rights of workers in such situations, thereby frequently leaving both employers and employees confused as to their respective rights and obligations.

While human rights legislation and the duty to accommodate all of sex, family status, and disability can provide certain legal protections to expectant parents, such rights are less well known and understood. When employers fail

A lot can change in a year. Often there are new colleagues and/or managers to meet, manage, work with and/or report to. Then there is the reality of a change in processes, software and/or hardware, to which one to have written policies detailing what time an must quickly and adeptly adapt. Finally, there employee may take off for such appointments, is that awkwardness of stepping back into a employees tend to get anxious. role that has been occupied by someone else Next is how to request “pregnancy” and/ (who may still be employed by the employer) or “parental” leave (noting that the two are for the past year. separate forms of protected leave under Outside of work, the new parent will Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, 2000.) have challenges too. Children get sick and Again, although that law provides very clear must be supervised; most daycares will not limits on how much time an expectant mother accept sick children. Time must be taken may take for “pregnancy leave” and how much off work to do so. Chronic absence from time a new “parent” (which is defined by employment to look after one’s child can section 45 of the ESA to include both a person cause economic pressures if such time is with whom a child is placed for adoption and unpaid and can make an employee fear a person who is in a relationship of some for his or her job. Even if one’s employer permanence with a parent of a child and who understands and accommodates such intends to treat the child as his or her own) absences, not all colleagues are necessarily as may take for “parental leave,” employees often accommodating, which can cause workplace feel pressured to take less time off than that to friction. which they are legally entitled. Those pressures Being a parent is an awesome, may include pressure by one’s employer, rewarding and privileged responsibility. but may also include financial pressures.

It is also exhausting, stress-inducing and Notwithstanding the fact that most parents will expensive. When parents work outside the qualify for the receipt of Employment Insurance home, balancing both work and parental benefits, the amount provided by EI is quite expectations can be tricky. Those challenges modest and many parents would find it difficult begin not long after the decision is made to subsist on such an amount. to welcome a child into one’s life – certainly Finally, there is the return to work. well before the child actually arrives – and Employees absent from the workplace for as continue for a lifetime. much as a year often feel apprehensive about returning to work. This anxiety is no doubt Sean P. Bawden is a partner with the law firm heightened by the fact that the new parent must of Kelly Santini LLP, located in Ottawa now leave their child in the care of another. (www.ottawaemploymentlaw.com).

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In his book, The Dynamics of Management: Mastering the Art of Influencing Others, Doug Jordan argues that successful executives must master the dual requirements of leadership: To have an inspiring vision of where she would like her organization (whether company, division, or team) to go; but also the interpersonal effectiveness skills to attract and sustain followership.

Leadership without followership will not accomplish much. Even if the leader has an inspiring vision and charismatic style, followers will tire of him if he shows no compassion or engagement with his associates.

But equally, positive human relations skills will serve no real purpose if the leader has no purpose. Highly effective interpersonal skills may be useful in social situations but without a vision and purpose and drive to achieve a worthwhile thing, there will be no results that people can attach themselves to, save perhaps another anniversary of the same cafeteria group playing euchre.

Leaders check in from time to time to make sure they have a compelling goal they and others are proud of; and they look around to see if anyone is following.

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EVENT UPDATE

04 Performance Appraisal /05 Alternatives /17 BREAKFAST

MEGAN PATERSON, VP HR, KINAXIS

SALA SAN MARCO, 215 PRESTON ST., OTTAWA

Clearly, your strategy for managing these products must be different.

Segmentation ties back to the Mexican factory I mentioned earlier. Production in the Juarez plant was allocated to products with highly volatile demand and rapidly changing designs so the company could respond immediately to changes for the North American market. A sister plant, in the Far East, produced steady volumes of stable products where seven weeks crossing the ocean would not be a problem.

PEOPLE, PROCESSES AND TOOLS

S

upplying products to customers is clearly important. If you can’t satisfy the needs of a prospective customer, that prospect can easily buy from someone else who can deliver what they want, when they want it. Lost sales and additional expediting costs hit your bottom line.

At one level, supply chain success is simple: get the right stuff to the right place at the right time. So, what’s hard about that?

The answer is “lots”. Products change.

Customers order at the last minute and change their orders. On-line customers expect their product to be shipped, if not delivered, on the day they place the order. Supplies don’t arrive as expected. Supply chains typically use several layers of companies, manufacturing sites, and warehouses between raw materials and customer delivery. The number of products and the number of units of those products produced are enormous: 5 million integrated circuits a day, 35,000 vehicles per day, 3,000 major appliances per day.

I recall a visit to an electronics manufacturing facility in Juarez, Mexico. Every week, amongst other products, they made about 200,000 units of a consumer electronics product. They did this despite having to manage an average of 30 production changes to that product every day! How did they do it?

COMMUNICATE Every insight you can gain regarding potential changes and disruptions will help you manage your supply chain to accommodate them: Be sure your staff know what to do and how to do it in order to keep product moving smoothly.

Establish relationships with your internal or partner staff responsible for developing product and production methods. Seek advance notice of any changes you might need to handle.

Establish relationships with your suppliers and their suppliers through as many layers as possible. Track projected supply availability and limitations. Collaborate with them so they also know what you are likely to need.

Establish relationships with your customers and their customers through as many layers as possible. Collaborate with them so you are more prepared for demand changes and other drivers which might change your requirements.

18 HR UPDATE FALL 2016

Keep material flowing. Items sitting on a shelf are not making you any money. Stock only helps you to the extent you need it to cover variations in your supply or demand.

Everything else should be progressing towards delivery to your customer. This is one of the basic concepts of a “Lean” process.

These four steps might sound simple. In reality they are anything but simple! Supply chains are difficult to manage because they must operate despite constant change.

Your challenge is to establish a team of supply chain professionals who can navigate the changing environment. You then need to equip them with tools and processes so they can execute strategies to deliver products while handling all manner of changes and still keep your costs under control.

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APICS

FOCUS ON FLOW

As your operation grows, the volume of data you rely on grows exponentially. That data can be your key to success. It can also lead to disaster unless it is accurate and consistent.

For example, if the name for a part in your supply data is ABC but A_BC in your demand or customer’s data, or worse, XYZ, then you will have more and more trouble recognizing which supply you can actually use to satisfy which demand. This might seem to be obvious and unlikely. However, it is common for large, even small, companies to have different part numbers for the same part. As you migrate towards being a digital operation, that system can only operate if you have accurate and consistent data.

“YOUR CHALLENGE IS TO ESTABLISH A TEAM OF SUPPLY CHAIN PROFESSIONALS WHO CAN NAVIGATE THE CHANGING ENVIRONMENT.” SEGMENT YOUR PRODUCTS AND PROCESSES Recognize that different products have different characteristics within their supply chains. Often, even the same product sold into different markets will require different supply chain strategies. Therefore, although management principles are the same, actual execution practice should be quite different.

Categorize your products and then align your supply chain management processes to match the characteristics of those products.

For example, some of your products might have steady demand over long periods of time. Others might have ready supply on short notice. On the other hand, some of your products, such as seeds, might only be produced over a short time frame yet might have demand over a similarly short time frame – but at different times of the year.

A non-profit organization Advancing Productivity, Innovation and Competitive Success.

Businesses turn to APICS as the industry authority to advance the body of knowledge in the supply chain industry. APICS guides organizations in establishing best practices through training and certification programs that elevate the performance of their complex supply chains and deliver measurable results.

KINAXIS Kinaxis is a leading provider of cloudbased subscription software that enables its customers to improve and accelerate analysis and decision-making across their supply chain operations. Kinaxis transforms the way companies run their supply chains and their businesses. Its customers include some of the world’s best-known, largest, and most complex companies.

APICS AND KINAXIS Since its inception, Kinaxis has supported APICS and its programs. APICS certification is seen as a strong indicator of suitable candidates for employment. Kinaxis encourages its employees to participate in APICS programs and to obtain APICS certification.

The design, development and configuration of a product to satisfy demanding customers and to solve their challenging problems is not easy! A combination of innovative software design with APICS knowledge and processes results in break-through products.

Duncan Klett is Fellow and Co-founder of Kinaxis Inc. He has been a member of APICS since 1999. www.kinaxis.com and blog.kinaxis.com/

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Business travel is a vital part of today’s global economy, which makes it very important for Canadian HR managers to be closely involved with their company’s policies and protocol for corporate travel.

Here are some recommendations on what human resources professionals can do to ensure their companies take the necessary steps to protect their employees on their next business trip:

BE PREPARED Identify risks employees could potentially face at their destination. Is there a health scare, an evolving security situation or adverse weather?

Research the destination in advance, review the security reports and arm yourself with advanced knowledge of the ground situation from local contacts. We always recommend booking with a seasoned travel management company that has access to a traveller’s itinerary.

KNOW THE PROTOCOLS Make sure employees are completely briefed and familiar with your company’s duty of care policy and protocols. This is their biggest safety net for travel. It’s easy to dismiss this as another corporate procedure, but in my line of business I have seen this happen time and time again – an executive’s awareness of duty of care protocols can mean the difference between a seamless evacuation and an escalated security problem.

When planning a business trip, always book within the corporate travel policy. I cannot stress this enough. When employees book their travel outside of their company’s travel program, it becomes challenging for the company to provide and execute its duty of care provisions – especially if they don’t have instant access to their traveller’s itinerary.

KEEP COMMUNICATION LINES OPEN

The HR department’s integral role in business travel safety CANADIAN COMPANIES IGNORING DUTY OF CARE RISK BREAKING THE LAW

M

anaging employees is an option.

Protecting them when they travel is the law.

Canadian law makes it clear employers have a duty of care for their employees’ health and safety in the workplace, which not only includes those in physical spaces such as an office or factory, but employees who are travelling as well.

In Canada, there are several sources of potential liability. When it comes to an employer’s duty of care obligation for corporate travel, companies must follow local, provincial, and federal health and safety laws.

Business travel is a vital part of today’s global economy, which makes it very important for Canadian HR managers to be closely involved with their company’s policies and

protocol for corporate travel.

In many cases, travelling abroad is not without risk. The reality in today’s global economy is that companies have employees working in foreign countries where personal security can be at risk. Reasonable steps must be taken to prevent harm to employees and anyone else involved in the undertaking of the company’s work. This is why most companies establish duty of care protocols based on risk and security assessments and implement them using tools such as Vision Assure, a duty of care mobile app and safety package for travellers.

Employees are connected to their employer and their travel team 24/7 through this multiplatform safety app. A click of a button ensures constant traveller contact with features such as real-time travel alerts, flight status updates,

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single-button connectivity and calendar synced itinerary updates.

If an employee feels they are in imminent danger, they can reach Vision Travel simply by tapping a button to connect via phone or e-mail. Companies can use Vision Assure if an emergency or natural disaster occurs to track travellers and also send them a proof of life request. The app acts as an invisible guardian and assists companies with meeting their duty of care requirements.

The responsibility, however, is far from being one-sided. Duty of care provisions are only as reliable as the employees keeping within the bounds of what has been deemed reasonably safe. This is why it is imperative for human resources departments to be closely involved with corporate travel.

Employees need to know when they reach their destination, they should immediately establish communication lines. It could be as simple as ensuring their cellphone has a roaming signal.

A regular communication schedule should be set with your company’s travel manager, supervisor or emergency contact.

Companies and employees should keep a list of emergency contacts at home and abroad, including: your home and host company’s emergency contacts, embassy and foreign affairs contacts, and local emergency numbers, among others.

STAY ON TOP OF YOUR TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS Employees must keep travel documents in a safe place. They need to make note of their reservation and booking details for flights, car rentals and accommodations, among others.

They also have to monitor for any changes and updates so they can plan accordingly in case flights get delayed, accommodations get overbooked or travel plans change.

These are topline recommendations to ensure companies are doing everything they can to protect their employees when they travel.

Brian Robertson is Chief Operating Officer of Vision Travel Solutions.

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