It was just this week that I needed to return a pair of lifestyle sneakers that I had purchased a few weeks before. I bought these shoes in anticipation of a vacation away to Europe. A frequent traveler will know the value of having a decent pair of walking shoes! We took a weekend away in the mountains and I thought; what better time to start breaking in these shoes. So with the dog in the car, new shoes on my feet we began the one hour drive to a beautiful mountain village. You can imagine my surprise when we arrived and I noticed that my new (never...

On May 27, 2013 Private Members’ Bill 203, the Employment Standards (Compassionate Care Leave) Amendment Act, 2012, SA 2013, c. 6, received Royal Assent. The Bill contains amendments that allow an employee to take time off to care for terminally ill family members. Bill 203 received it's first reading on November 1, 2012, second reading on April 22, 2013, third reading on May 13, and Royal Assent on May 27. It will come into force on proclamation. The Compassionate Care Leave is not new to Canada so employers who have team members in Ontario will be familiar with their obligations. What does this change mean for employers in...

Bullying in the Workplace Bullying is the use of force or coercion to abuse or intimidate others. It can include emotional, verbal and physical abuse. It is a repeated pattern of behavior intended to intimidate, offend, degrade or humiliate a particular person or group. Bullying is a hot topic these days appearing on the evening news casts, being addressed by the Prime Minister and even gaining traction in the workplace. As HR professionals we are hearing more and more about the ‘office bully’; that one person or group of people who makes the workplace uncomfortable for an individual or the entire team. So what do you need to...

Employers are always looking at ways to mitigate risk. This is important when terminating an employee. It is important to apply applicable Employment Standards, outline termination guidelines in original offer documents, seek legal advice, and/or offer a severance payment. Sometimes these proactive actions are not taken. In event of this, there is still a way for employers to avoid a wrongful dismissal case. An example would be an after the fact approach in a case where  employees who were wrongfully dismissed were not rewarded any damages due to the actions the employer took following the termination of their employment. In both cases listed the employer provided the employees...

In the HR world, we work with people each and every day. But sometimes we try to make things so complex that the simplest of solutions skip by us. Recently an Inc.com article came out with a simple, but often not used interview technique. You can apply this to employee reviews, sales and any other aspect of people interaction with positive results. Click on the link below to find out more. Best Interview Technique You Never Use inc.com The more questions you ask the more you learn about a job candidate, right? Wrong. Here's a better strategy. Bill Leesman / Director / PEO Canada

This article taken out of the CCH – Labour Notes update July 30, 2012 Number 1455. it points out five areas that employers should be aware of during the entire life cycle of employment. Knowing some of this information prior to hiring employees could significantly help employers if they need to end the employment relationship. FIVE BEST PRACTICES WHEN LETTING AN EMPLOYEE GO —Celia C.S. Fergusson and David A. Simpson Fillmore Riley LLP. Reproduced with permission. It is never an easy decision to let someone go, but there are measures you can take to ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible. As employment lawyers, we receive hundreds...

If administered properly, recognition and rewards programs in the workplace can be an affective way to motivate, increase performance and the increase employees overall job satisfaction. When setting up a recognition and rewards program make sure to have specific measurable criteria when determining who should be rewarded. Points to consider coming up with criteria for the program are: 1. What is important to the company? 2. What is the objective of this program? 3. Clearly define how objectives will be measured. Examples: • exceptional customer service • team work • going the extra mile. • Make the qualifying period long enough to allow all employees the ability to...

Many times leaders forget that often their actions and what they don’t say are just as important when communicating with employees. Often times the unspoken messages are trusted more then the spoken words. Have you ever had someone tell you that you are doing a great job, but with a stern or blank expression on their face? It doesn’t really make you believe that you are doing a good job, does it? If the same leader were to greet you with a smile and shake your hand while complimenting your performance, it probably would mean something to you and is a lot more believable. Below is a link...

Salary negotiations can be just like walking a tight rope. Every word must be chosen carefully and deliberately because the danger is apparent in every direction. Below are links to some interesting articles that offer tips on the subject. https://www.payscale.com/compensation-today/2012/01/salary-negotiation-tips https://www.liveabout.com/tips-for-a-successful-salary-negotiation-1919080 Submitted by: Tim Jackson

Defined as "an intentional concealment of knowledge requested by another [individual]", knowledge hiding happens in every organization and is likely hurting your company more than you know. The following articles discuss different studies on how and why employees hide information and they also suggest some options that you might find useful on how to curtail this phenomenon. http://www.hrmguide.net/canada/learning/hoarding-knowledge.htm https://www.strategy-business.com/article/re00150 Submitted by: Linh Giang