Whether you're a new leader or a seasoned coach, and whether your team is comprised of entry level members or experienced professionals, coaching styles can vary greatly depending on the context and the individual leader's approach. Consider these three approaches to coaching with an aim to improve employee recognition and productivity. Coaching Styles to Consider: Which one is right for you? 1.      Development Coaching In this more traditional approach, leaders help employees to recognize challenges as opportunities for development, and together, design a ..read more

Recognition and rewards play a crucial role in keeping employees engaged and motivated at work. In the workplace, we often forget to celebrate the wins of employees or teams before moving on to the next goal or project. This gap in recognition can lead to employees feeling undervalued and wondering if their efforts are going unnoticed. Employers can be proactive before this happens by implementing a recognition program that ensures employees’ hard work is appreciated and appropriately awarded. Be Proactive and Unique Before you jump headfirst into ordering gift cards and booking employee retr ..read more

With winter driving season arriving, we often think about the preventative maintenance of our vehicles, understanding road conditions, and being aware of laws relating to driving. For organizations, our policies, and particularly the communication practices we use, are much like winter driving – we need to be proactive to ensure that we renew, review, share and communicate our policies with our employees – to get the best results and arrive at our destination safely. Policies are the ground rules for how we expect the work within our operations to be performed and how we demonstrate that we c ..read more

As we head into October (the 10th month of the year!), it's not our intention to cause alarm, but rather to remind you of an important task that might have fallen off your radar - the annual review of your policies. Policies are the backbone of your organization, providing the structure and guidelines that keep things running smoothly. Regularly reviewing these policies is essential for legal compliance, alignment with current practices, and ensuring they still guide the desired behaviours within your organization. In this blog, we'll explore why this annual review is so important and how it ..read more

Careers often follow paths, but mine has felt like a highway in Montreal – winding and weaving all over the place. Sometimes feeling like I’ve backtracked a bit, then shooting forward so fast I think I missed something. There is no one “HR Career Path”. Like many careers, there are multiple ways to get to where you want to be while deciding what that final destination even is! In the past, a career started as an entry-level job and progressed as you climbed up the ladder of roles with more responsibility and skills required, eventually reaching the top. Career paths look much different today ..read more

Performance reviews often evoke a sense of dread, for both employees and managers. However, when conducted correctly, the performance process can be valuable tools that foster employee development, strengthen relationships, and give employees the opportunity to be heard. This leads to higher retention and productivity, reducing the resources involved in recruitment and onboarding new employees. As we are now halfway through the year, it's a great time to conduct formal performance reviews. In this blog, we outline the steps to take to make sure your performance process is effective, timely, an ..read more

Have you experienced hiring challenges in an increasingly competitive labour market? One way to ensure a strong return on investment when hiring or retaining employees is to look for licenses, designations, or certifications, as they can be a good indication of the knowledge, skills, and experience that a person brings with them into the workforce. Certified individuals bring valuable expertise, enhanced credibility, a competitive edge, and a commitment to ongoing learning and growth. In this blog we will explore more about what certification means and the value it can bring to an organization ..read more

The end of a probationary period can be a make-or-break moment for your organizational culture. The first 90 days of employment gives you the chance to evaluate an employee's suitability for the job and determine whether to continue their employment. It’s also the chance for the new employee to assess if it’s a good fit. In this blog post, we'll explore the ins and outs of probationary periods and share tips on how to make the most of this critical time. We will help you navigate the end of your employee's probationary period and learn how to set your organization, and your employee’s, up for ..read more

We’ve been asked many times: “what does HR even do?” There’s an assumption that HR manages payroll and hiring, and that’s about it. The work of HR has shifted in the last few decades to become a critical and strategic element of any organization. The HR functions may be carried out by business owners, executive directors, or often by the finance department of a small organization; or it may be carried out by a designated resource, or certified HR professional. Most often, it’s a combination of these. Regardless of who is wearing the HR hat, it is all about minimizing risk, supporting the resp ..read more

In Ontario, Bill 88: Working for Workers Act has introduced new changes to the criteria for who is covered under the Employment Standards Act (ESA) and who is not. As of January 1, 2023, the ESA now applies to certain business and IT consultants, which would categorize them as a traditional employee rather than an Independent Contractor. The business or IT consultant must meet all of the following criteria to be classified as an Independent Contractor: Provide services through a company where they are an owner, director, or shareholder (includes corporations and sole proprietors); Have a leg ..read more