It’s the start of a new year, new plans, new budgets…where are you planning to invest your company dollars this year? Have you considered training for your employees? In this current economic climate, ensuring the key people in your organization have the skills to carry your business is critical. When cost cutting leads to a reduction in work force, the employees which you will retain need to bring value in the key areas in which their responsibilities lie. Often, the concern goes beyond budgets to having the investment walk out the door. Zig Ziglar addresses this stating that “the only thing worse than training employees and losing them, is...

Attendance management seems to have become a more complicated issue these days as a more flexible and contingent workplace smashes up against an employer’s ability to manage the presence of their employees and the increase in employee absenteeism. How does an organization enforce an employee attendance policy when workforces are comprised of part-time, contract, temporary and flex employees who work different hours and have different expectations? Add into this situation legislated leaves and the requirement for accommodation for disability and family situation and there are a lot of layers to consider. Yet, it does remain that an organization has the right to expect employees will perform their duties...

Every person working in Canada is required to have a Social Insurance Number (SIN). The SIN is a 9 digit number used to properly administer government benefits and must be verified by the employer. When gathering the initial employment information from new employees it is the employer’s responsibility to verify accurate SIN information has been provided. As of March 2014 the Government of Canada no longer issues plastic SIN cards and has switched to a paper copy of the SIN. Employees are required by law to provide proof of their SIN in the form of a card (issued before March 2014 that has not expired) or the paper...

Hiring on a probationary basis is supposed to limit your legal commitments to new employees. The problem is that mishandling the probationary employment process can actually increase the risk of grievances, lawsuits and liability. The following are seven things about probationary employment every HR department needs to know to implement effective and legally sound probationary employment arrangements.   What is Probationary Employment? Probationary employment involves hiring employees on a trial basis for a predetermined trial period before deciding whether to offer them a permanent position. The probationary period is like an audition that gives employees the chance to prove their worth and employers a chance to evaluate the...

Thanks to the popular song from the very popular movie, Frozen, there’s a new popular catchphrase being thrown around: ‘Let it Go’. In the grocery store line last night, I flipped through a few women’s lifestyle magazines to find article after article telling us to “let it go” and how to go about doing so. These articles were speaking to busy working women and even busier working moms about how to say ‘no’ to extra activities that we often do not have time for and how to let go of our perfectionist attitudes, in order to save our sanity and health. Now, while some of the tips and...

Usually, an employee’s resignation is clear and is not normally subject to interpretation.  It can be as simple as “I’ve decided to stay home for the next few years to take care of my family”, or simply “this job isn’t working for me”. In situations such as these, the conversation won’t likely leave room for ambiguity, however if this conversation is not followed by a written letter of resignation that is when the situation can get sticky! Employees normally give their employers written notice that they are quitting their jobs. “Notice” in this case is the amount of time between when the employee tells the employer in writing that...

It is fall. And that means kids are beginning a new school year and it’s (sadly) time to get ready for winter. While I have not been in school for many years, every year at this time I get a little nostalgic about the possibilities and optimism that is associated with starting a new school year: new experiences and classes, new teachers, and the opportunity to learn new things. I browse the Adult Education brochures that come in the mail to see if there are any courses that might spark a new interest or provide me with the knowledge that would allow me to enhance my skills. And...

On a regular basis, restrictive covenants in employment contracts are not upheld by courts as they are deemed to restrict the employee’s ability to make a living. Due to this, employers are forced to be more cautious about the restricted periods, and specifics of these covenants. In the recent case of Rhebergen v. Creston Veterinary Clinic Ltd, the employee signed an employment contract in which she agreed to pay a certain amount of money to her employer if she set up her own practice in the same town as the defendant, or within 25 miles of the defendant's premises, within the first 3 years of the termination of the...

I don’t know about you, but every summer I have the impression that if I blink my eyes, summer will be gone! Don’t you love waking up to natural light rather than the darkness of winter? The smell of burning wood and marshmallows instead of the smell of the furnace after being switch off for the past two months. But sunny skies and rising temperatures do more than make our environment a pleasant place. They also provide some very significant benefits to our health. Here are some interesting facts as per the “Huffington Post Healthy Living” that will show you how this beautiful season can be so beneficial...

Human resources specialists suggest that workplace conflict is rising as younger generations enter the workforce. In the article, Identifying strategies to minimize workplace conflict due to generational differences, Deyoe and Fox’s research examines HR consulting literature to determine if there are current strategies regarding generational conflict within the workplace. Interestingly, Deyoe and Fox conclude there is “little evidence of proven strategies that companies are using to mitigate generational conflict” (p. 1). Their article suggests that many organizations currently employ up to four generations. It is estimated that there are 50 million employees from the Silent Generation still working; 85 million employees from the Baby Boomer Generation working; 50...