Mindset is harder than rocket science according to NASA scientists. So all you HR people out there? Give yourselves a pat on the back! The people stuff is hard! In this episode, I spoke with Mitch Warner, managing partner at the Arbinger Institute, which is responsible for the book "Outward Mindset". Mitch helped with the latest edition and shares his insight into mindset generally. He focuses particularly on the value of having an outward (rather than inward) mindset. He's worked with clients like NASA and this is how he knows what the rocket scientists think! An "outward mindset" has all employees (including HR) focusing on others' needs and objectives alongside one's own. This approach, he argues, is key to fostering a productive, connected, and innovative workplace culture. Key insights from our conversation: • There are many mindsets (growth, safety, positive, scarcity etc) but many of them would have us focus on ourselves rather than others around us. • Changing mindset has been shown to be far more effective in creating change than simply prescribing new behaviours. • We can use an outward mindset to help our employees redefine what it means to have a job in terms of impact on others including our customers and coworkers. • He gave examples of how an outward mindset can revolutionize areas like workplace safety and debt collection. HR is often instrumental in creating the kinds of organizations we need. An outward mindset has a so much potential. Forget silos, remember our customers, ditch bickering... This is an idea I am thinking about a lot! Mitch's insights offer a fresh perspective on organizational culture and leadership, challenging HR professionals to rethink their approach to employee engagement and performance. Whether you're looking to boost productivity, enhance teamwork, or drive innovation, this episode provides strategies for leveraging the power of mindset in your organization. Find Mitch and the Arbinger Institute at https://arbinger.com/ You can find their books (The Outward Mindset and Leadership and Self-Deception) anywhere you buy your books but also via their website: https://arbinger.com/store/

Find me, Andrea Adams, at https://thehrhub.ca/

"We (need to) talk to people not about people." Talking about people (unless you're venting with a trusted friend), greatly harms trust.

Building trust within teams is critical for high performance, but it's often an overlooked aspect of team dynamics. It came up recently for me in relation to consulting so I sat down with trust expert Ila Edgar to dive deep into the key behaviours and mindsets needed to foster trust on teams.

Ila is a coach, former recruiter, and co-host of the "Trust on Purpose" podcast. We did a couple episodes year before this one and they were some of the episodes I refer to most often at work. She shares her invaluable wisdom on:

💥 Why distrust can actually be a good thing and how to manage it productively

💥 The 4 key domains of trust (competence, sincerity, reliability, care) and how to cultivate each on your team

💥 The vital role leaders play in modeling trust-building behaviors

💥 Dangerous trust-breaking behaviors to avoid at all costs

Whether you lead a team or are part of one, this episode is packed with practical insights to create an environment of psychological safety where people can do their best work. Don't miss Ila's perspectives on this crucial but often overlooked team dynamic.

Find Ila at https://www.bigchangeinc.com/

This is her podcast: https://trustonpurpose.buzzsprout.com/

Andrea is an HR consultant in Western Canada. Find her at https://thehrhub.ca

"HR professionals have the hardest and the most critical role. It's to really understand the people dynamics and how it's going to help a company grow."

This week we were talking about scaling organizations. It's always a hot topic in HR consulting. Tish Squillaro, a dynamic consultant with over 20 years of experience working with clients like Salesforce and IBM, was my guest. She understands complicated things and shared some of her knowledge with us.

Her particular expertise is helping venture-backed companies scale effectively. She emphasizes five priorities for helping an organization scale and says HR plays the most important role. The first of which is having the right people in the right seats.

So we talk about:

👥 The importance of 'right people, right seats' in scaling an organization

🎯 The role of focus in achieving organizational goals

💼 How leadership style impacts decision-making and overall organizational success

🧪 The significance of team chemistry in fostering a positive work environment.

Tish's insights are not only fascinating but also insightful. You can find her via the following:

https://candor-consulting.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tishsquillaro/

And you can find me at https://thehrhub.ca

I was reading something on the Linkedin a while back about an HR  professional from Afghanistan who was driving a taxi.  Usually we hear  this about doctors and engineers, but HR?    

So what does it take to succeed in HR in Canada? While we talk about  Canada this would apply to other countries as well!  This episode is for immigrants.  Bina Kamath is an immigrant and founder of Orion's Reach and has  established a successful HR career - she also started out in accounting  so that is a double-feat!  

Find Bina at https://www.orionsreach.com  

Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

HEADS UP! This episode will be better on YouTube.  There is a lot of visuals in this episode and the experience will likely be better on YouTube.  Find it at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsIQh_VRedo7JcDLNZkklSQ

***

Job evaluation: bored yet?    

We in HR have to get over our fear of the monotony because it's that important and foundational to paying people equitably. On the bright  side this was definitely the LEAST boring take on grading jobs I can imagine.    

Robert Mosley is an HR thought leader and could do stand-up HR comedy.  That probably sounds like an oxymoron but it's true.  You'll have to  wait 'till a little later in the episode to see this in action.  In the meantime, I daresay you'll learn a shocking amount from this  episode.

Psychometric testing, performed by trained psychologists, is the BEST  predictor of job success of any recruitment or selection tool.  It's a  science and teaches you:  😄 Extraversion is not the same as social skill.  It also isn't going to  predict success in a job.  👯 Personality tests (think Myers Briggs) are a typology.  They might  help you understand people on your team but the results aren't  correlated with job success.   ⁉️ Interviews are, to some degree, a measure of intelligence.   Intelligence IS correlated with job success.   

There were so many facts in this interview with Marina Kolesnikova of  Stefan, Fraser and Associates.  It provided a lot of insight into which  recruitment and selection tools are likely to get you a good candidate  and which are not.   It also dispelled many myths of the recruitment process and other things  you just weren't sure about.

Find Marina at https://stefanfraser.com/  

Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

Let's get a bit real.  Chances are if you are white in the workplace you  think you are an ally e.g. ~75% of white employees think they are  allies to women of colour.  But (BIG but)... when did you DO something  in support of someone with a marginalized identity?   

Allies take action and this was a key point in this interview with Emily  Williams of Forward Ever Global. Emily is a DEI expert and coach to  women of colour so they might address microaggressions and other common  workplace challenges.    

Acts of allyship might make you uncomfortable like when you call out  bias. Or maybe you name a microaggression in a high stakes setting. Or  maybe you reduce your own opportunity in favour of someone who  overlooked because of their identity.  These are the actions, however,  of a true ally.    

There is so much overlooked talent because someone doesn't come in the  desired package.  True allies are going to help by giving that talent a  chance to be seen for their strength and perform. It's also the right  thing to do and HR can play a role through individual action and DEI  programs.

Find Emily at emily@forwardeverglobal.com or https://forwardeverglobal.com/  

Find Andrea on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

HEADS UP! This episode is better on YouTube.  Robert has illustrations to help you better understand the content.  Check it out here: https://youtu.be/ewO6QCBws0Q

Compensation is possibly the most important thing HR has to get right.   Underpay people and they'll be unhappy or leave.  It's also wrong.   Overpay people and EVERYONE is going to want a raise to match and your  compensation costs are going to rise.   

Job evaluation is how we make sure employees are paid fairly and  equitably based on some rational means of comparing.  It's not about how  the wind is blowing today.  And it's foundational to HR.  

Robert Mosley, worked for Hay (the leading job evaluation methodology)  and walks us through how we size a job.  Here's a sample of what you'll  learn in this episode:  

🟰 Job evaluation and sizing are the same thing.   

#️⃣ 'Sizing' is assigning points to jobs and 'grading' is lumping ranges  of points together for an manageable compensation system.  

4️⃣  There's four common job sizing methodologies.  Pick one and use it.   It might seem expensive up front, but it manages the risk of getting  comp wrong.

Find Robert at robert@lemon-pip.com  

Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

When was the last time your organization went through a re-org? Have you seen a department designed for an individual and been baffled?

Frequent re-orgs or designing for a person may or may not be a good idea. It depends on whether or not it’s aligned with good organization design principles. These basic questions and principles of organization design was the subject of this episode.

This amazing episode with Len Nanjad was *full* of interesting insights. I know – you might not think so but honestly:

🔺 Hierarchy is natural

➕ ➕ ➕ Bureaucracy is hierarchy plus many rules

🤔The levels in an organization will be determined by complexity

😡 Too many levels might result in micromanaging

🥵 There is a limit on the number of positions a person can meaningfully supervise

⛑ Good organization design can save lives! And on and on.

Find Len on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennanjad/ or https://www.mnp.ca/en/personnel/len-nanjad  

Find Andrea at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

How long does it take you to bounce back after some failure?  Do you  stay sad and ruminate for a long time or dust yourself off, incorporate  some lessons and keep going?  The latter is resilience and it's pretty  obvious that it would be helpful.

I was also curious about the origins of resilience. Is it something we  develop in childhood or is it something we can learn as adults?  And,  for HR, how can we help our workforces become more resilient so, that  when individuals or teams fail, they learn and keep going?  This is what  this episode was about.

Roxanne Derhodge is a psychotherapist, mental health and wellness expert, keynote speaker, podcast host and more. Find her at https://roxannederhodge.com/  

Find me (Andrea) for HR consulting support in western Canada at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-adams1/

What colour are you???  This is a common result of personality tests at work - although maybe you are an ENTJ or do odd things when stressed. 

So what are personality assessments at work good for?  And not good for?   That's the basic question of this episode plus how to pick a test that will work for you.  

I was a little skeptical, but Heather Johnson provides practical and  useful advice on how to have conversations with your clients about  personality assessments.  She is certified in the application of  Personality Dimensions, but has insight into the pros and cons of  others.  No matter which one you choose, they are a tool!  As with all  tools they are only useful if you use them.

Surveying employees before or just after a merger or acquisition could  change how you manage the people.  There are two aspects to explore: the  deal itself and the similarities and differences between the two  workplace cultures that are being brought together.  Are the cultures  more similar or less?  Do you need to  protect the culture of the  company being acquired? Because maybe the culture is why it is  effective.    

These surveys may also help with merger and acquisition communications.  Do you know what employees are concerned about?  Not really? Survey  them.

Adam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamzuckermanphd/

In HR we deal with many upset people. Perhaps it's not daily but it's  pretty frequent.  This video will give you some tips on how to deal with  situations like:  

"My leader is an a**hole... RIGHT?"  

You: "Look at my nice presentation about [policy]."    Employee: "We don't want to talk about that, let me tell you about  🧨!" 

"My compensation is so unfair compared to..."   

As HR we need to deal with the issue, but we also need to arm ourselves  to deal with the situation professionally and bring back some calm.  As  Roxanne Derhodge points out when people are emotionally worked up, they  stop using the reasoning brain.  EVERYONE knows what I'm talking about  because it happens to all of us.    

Roxanne is registered psychotherapist, corporate consultant, keynote  speaker, trainer and author.  She has her own podcast called Authentic  Living with Roxanne.

https://roxannederhodge.com

https://roxannederhodge.com/quiz/

https://roxannederhodge.com/chat/

"Celebrate all diversity."

In this case we were mostly talking about cultural diversity - as in from different countries. This used to be something we talked about a lot and then we stopped. It's still relevant though. Some peoples have different priorities or beliefs that come into our workplaces or we're part of a multinational firm.

So, with some personal trepidation that we might veer off into negative stereotypes, I spoke with with Sue Ingram. She's has a keen interest in what makes a great workplace and dealt with the topic beautifully.

In this episode, Sue brings her unique insights into multicultural workplaces and discusses:

🌍 The importance of understanding and respecting different cultures in the workplace. Food is a great icebreaker!

🤝 The role of trust and understanding in fostering a healthy work environment. Trust is related to predictability which, with different cultures can be harder.

🗣️ The subtle nuances of communication across different cultures - Sue gave examples.

👥 The impact of cultural differences on workplace dynamics and how to navigate them.

There are some great resources out there and this episode is a treasure trove of knowledge for HR professionals who have a culturally diverse workforce. It's packed with practical tips and insightful anecdotes that will help you navigate this with more joy and confidence. Really - we need to celebrate!

Find Sue on LinkedIn at   / sueingram1   Her email: Sue@conversewell.com Her book: https://www.amazon.ca/Fire-Well-Staff... Find me (Andrea) for consulting support andrea@thehrhub.ca

Relationships can make or break your success in most jobs  Arguably,  they may be even more important in HR because our focus IS people and we  often have little positional power.   

So how do you go about building relationships and a rapport with your  clients?  And what may be required at different phases of your career?  Well it may be a relief to know that you don't have to know it all.  But you do need to curious (not judgmental) about your clients'  perspectives and have their back. Even when someone messes up - save the learning opportunities for the debrief!   

Vered Levant VIMY HR: https://www.vimyhr.com

Do you know how to spot burnout at work?  YOU might be burning out and  it's harder to see than you might think. Or maybe it is someone you  know.  Or, worse, it's a workforce trend. Some of the symptoms are less  engagement, fatigue, anger, and not doing the things you typically  would.   

There have been some alarming stats coming out about the prevalence of  burnout and the contribution of COVID and work-from-home to this.  HR  has been doing a lot during the pandemic and we need to take care of  ourselves too.  

I spoke with Michael Levitt who speaks about burnout and wrote a book  about it.  He has been through it himself and shares the things he  knows.

https://www.breakfastleadership.com/

You need to survey your employees through an employee engagement survey.  They have things to tell you and you should know what they are.  However, it has never been easier to run a bad survey so watch this and  learn a thing or two!   

Adam Zuckerman is an expert in employee surveys.  He speaks plainly  about their value in this video with loads of tips on running employee  surveys.    

Follow Adam on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamzuckermanphd/

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.  She was also recently made an HR fellow and, after this interview, I clearly appreciate why.  

Find Melanie at http://www.doublemconsulting.net/

The HR Professional's Guide to Change Management: https://www.businessexpertpress.com/books/booksthe-human-resource-professionals-guide-to-change-management-practical-tools-and-techniques-to-enact-meaningful-and-lasting-organizational-change/

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 some help.   The outsourced HR can fill many HR gaps - because, often, the resource  is pretty experienced across a variety of HR areas.  The relationship  will start with a needs assessment (or discovery) and go from there.   

Vered Levant is an HR consultant and Lead Executive Officer for VIMY HR who does outsourced HR and she provides some of her insight in this  episode.

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 work towards organizations that support both  authenticity and integrity and how HR will be different if WE practice  it!

Mike Horne www.mike-horne.com

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 Sales, Western Canada for Equitable Life.   So she knows a thing or two about benefits.

The G.A.B. https://www.thegroupadvisorblog.com/

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 recommend we start with  hiring.  Instead, start with leaders.   By creating more DEI practices in an organization to support Indigenous  employees, we are creating a more inclusive work environment for all.   Check it out.

Building Inclusion for Indigenous Peoples in Canadian Workplaces  www.catalyst.org/  

Rise Consulting: http://www.riseconsultingltd.ca/

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 tool that you think. It can prevent the costs of external solutions and of all the lost time internally. I spoke with Treena Reilkoff about this who is a mediator and board member for  Alternate Dispute Resolution, Ontario.

"Being in person doesn't mean you are present."

On one hand, many employees love remote work while, on the other, many companies want employees in person. Where do you sit on the subject? The debate rages in my household. I'll state the obvious: it's hard for any of us to be objective.

I spoke with Kaleem Clarkson, COO of BlendMe, a consultancy focused on supporting remote and hybrid workplaces. Recently, he was listed as one of the top 50 experts around enabling remote work. He shared his insights on why employers resist remote work, the pros and cons of remote work, and how to build a successful remote work culture.

🥇Top tip: plan around building social connection.

🌍 The advantages of remote work are considerable. If they weren't, there would be no debate.

💻 The main challenge of remote work is how to build social connection. He says this rests mostly on the employer.

👥 A social connection strategy and calendar will help you foster connections among remote teams.

👨‍💼 He doesn't try to persuade skeptical leaders. He'll help if they are genuinely exploring the issues.

🔍 You need to think about asynchronous communication and documentation in a remote work setting.

Find Kaleem on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/kaleemclarkson/ Blend Me Inc: blendmeinc.com Kaleem's YouTube Channel: youtube.com/c/KaleemClarkson Find Andrea for consulting at andrea@thehrhub.ca

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 company,  Verve Recruitment Group and Pascal Theriault has, so far, worked as an  internal recruiter.   These are all the things we talk about in this episode and more.  It's  also the first episode with more than one guest! Admittedly it was more  fun. I might have to do it again.

Kim Wilkinson: https://www.ververecruitmentgroup.com/ 

Find Pascal Theriault on LinkedIn!

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 more.   

Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahmcvanel/  

Her website: https://greatnessmagnified.com/ 

Cool, free stuff:  https://greatnessmagnified.com/cool-stuff/ 

Sarah's Courses including 'Retain Top Talent: How to Build a Recognition Program That Makes People Stay': https://greatness-magnified.newzenler.com/courses

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  indigenous-owned, national management consulting company, Rise  Consulting.  We started by talking about land acknowledgements and she  explains the importance of them in Reconciliation.     

As she points out and as identified by the Truth and Reconciliation  Commission, organizations also play a role in Reconciliation as does HR.   Each of us and our organizations need to 'do something'.

National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation: https://nctr.ca/  

Rise Consulting: http://www.riseconsultingltd.ca/ 

Books & Videos: 

     Truth and Reconciliation: Calls to Action 

     Indigenomics, Carol Anne Hilton 

     21 Things You Might Not Know about the Indian Act, Bob Joseph 

     A Mother's Voice, Holly Fortier https://youtu.be/Ip3yGEKGCX4

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 create more engagement. So he has learned  a thing or two about engagement.

www.worktango.com

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 says we all have characteristics that aren't ideal in every  leadership situation - it's important to be self-aware.  Are you aware  of your own leadership drivers?  While also mindful of the well-being  and effectiveness of the people on your team?  Do you know what your  leadership philosophy is?  This was such an informative conversation for  those considering leadership roles - or already in one.

https://www.cros.ca/

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 case, address data quality and  governance... check out all the insight Allen Hornung has to share on  the topic!

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 do it!    

Sarah McVanel is the founder of Greatness Magnified.  She's a  'recognition expert, professional speaker, coach, author, recovering  perfectionist, and movement maker of F.R.O.G. (Forever Recognize Others’  Greatness)'.

Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahmcvanel/  

Her website: https://greatnessmagnified.com/ 

Cool, free stuff:  https://greatnessmagnified.com/cool-stuff/ 

Sarah's Courses including 'Retain Top Talent: How to Build a Recognition  Program That Makes People Stay':  https://greatness-magnified.newzenler.com/courses

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 reporting  processes in place, a plan to support employees, and modified work  ready.  This episode was particularly interesting for the compelling  insight into WHY you should do all of this.  @Kessie Stevens is a WCB  and safety expert.  

Kessie Stevens, Artis Solutions https://www.artissolutions.ca/

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.  

Ryan Rex has been an HR leader and director.  He is currently in the midst of his doctorate studying transformational leadership and makes sense of it for us.

Ryan's organization: https://www.cros.ca/

How do you go about job design?  Or, as today's guest describes it, job  CRAFTING! Traditional job design outlines a job without really thinking  about the specific person who is going to do it.  Dr. Benjamin Ritter  encourages you to craft a job with the individual front of mind.  🤯  

We talk about the challenges of this process.  I've come from pretty  traditional HR roots and had so many questions and 'what ifs'! Which Ben  responded to with "So much fear!"  It IS hard to grasp how we would do  such a basic thing differently - but I learned a lot and was challenged  in how I think about job design.  You might be too.

Ben mentioned this book: The 9 Lies about Work by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall  

Ben's Company, Live for Yourself Consulting: https://www.liveforyourselfconsulting.com/

In a small or medium business (or NFP) you need to do a little bit of many things - learning and development is no exception. So, as part of my series on HR for SMBs, we are talking about L&D in that environment.

Our expert guest for this episode was the exceptional James Aird, an L&D specialist with a Master's of Education from Harvard. James has a unique perspective, having honed his skills in conflict areas like Iraq and the Congo. He is down-to-earth with a lot of practical tips to help SMBs figure out their L&D.

In this episode, James shares:

🎯 Why SMBs should invest in L&D.

💡 Common challenges faced by SMBs in implementing L&D programs and how to address them. Some is money, but some is attention and expertise.

📚 Surprisingly affordable options for SMBs to access comprehensive learning and development resources.

🏢 The role of leaders in driving L&D and aligning it with business objectives.

🔑 The ideal time for an organization to invest in a Learning Management System (LMS).

If you're leading a small or medium business or NFP or you're in HR there, check out this episode - and the whole series!

Resources: The Assoc'n for Talent Development https://www.td.org eLearning Industry https://www.elearningindustry.com James' website: https://edupivot.io/ Reach out to Andrea for consulting andrea@thehrhub.ca

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 into some of the challenges of that transition and  how to approach them.     

Todd Bassett is a VP of HR and and has transitioned through the various  positions.  He has ideas on how you can approach it and what to expect.

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 privacy expectations which can be  greatly impact by employer policy.  How do you make sense of it?   

Gayle Wadden speaks to us about this.  She is the cofounder of  Compliance Works which is software helping employers stay up-to-date on  their compliance obligations.  One key area is privacy.

Gayle Wadden and Compliance Works https://complianceworks.ca/

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 in conducting threat assessments.  One of the first is to establish a team and process so  that subjective judgments like "Oh I know that person.  They wouldn't do that"  do not drive your response.  Do you really know what someone  would do under extreme stress?  

I talk with Denise Koster of Koster Consulting and Associates about  this.  She has been trained to do threat assessments and shares some of  her knowledge with us.  Here of some of the resources she shares as well:

• Koster Consulting & Associates: kosterconsultingassociates.com/home 
• MOSAIC: mosaicmethod.com 
• Canadian Association of Threat Assessment Professionals: catap.ca 
• Association of Threat Assessment Professionals: atapworldwide.org 
• Advanced Threat Assessment Academy: training.gdba.com

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 for the same advice.  You might not need a porsche  when a honda will do.

I talk to Stuart Rudner of Rudner Law about these topics.  He is an employment lawyer near Toronto, Ontario and has his own podcast called Fire Away.  https://www.rudnerlaw.ca/

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 ourselves with:    OH&S,    Labour Relations,    Privacy,    Human Rights,    Employment Standards,    Pay Equity,   and  Accessibility.  She explains how to find what you might need and what it would really  take to stay on top of it all.

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  career, she looked around and wondered where all the women went. So we talk about her expertise, what makes work 'space' inviting or excluding, and how we need to approach change.  

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 modified work... watch this.  It's soooo expensive not to manage  your claims.   Kessie Stevens is a WCB expert and partner in Artis Inc.

Kessie Stevens & Artis https://artissolutions.ca/

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 understand the sentiment of employees in  general but also in response to particular initiatives or changes.  For  example, it could help measure the effectiveness of diversity, equity  and inclusion programs.  And, if shared with leaders, can help them  respond quickly to the feedback of their own employees.

worktango.com

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 because growth is not linear.

Scale X: http://www.scalex.ca/

Cybersecurity isn't typically an HR thing... but go for it! This is a big ideas episode and you'll learn a lot.    

Dennis Hill, Ph.D, an HR and information management specialist, talks about a lot of ideas here.  You'll learn about cybersecurity for HR but  ALSO a little about ransomeware, 5g, and blockchain and how these apply to the security of employee data.  Sometimes it's not employee data  either - what about the data in applicant tracking systems?   Especially as more and more people are working from home, this is something HR needs to tackle.

Dennis Hill: http://www.sagacity-llc.com/  

International Association for Human Resource Information Management: https://www.ihrim.org/  

DeHR: https://www.dehr.network/  

Lighthouse Labs: https://www.lighthouselabs.ca/

I was tired of hearing about 'fast-paced change' ten years ago. And now the pace is even faster. The World Economic Forum's 'Future of Jobs Report', estimates that by 2025, 85 million jobs may be displaced by a shift in the division of labor between humans and machines, while 97 million new roles may emerge. That's since 2020! That's next year!

My guest, Michelle Ellis, brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. With her background in from Disney, a PhD in training and performance improvement, and her current role at Intellum, a learning management software company, she shares approaches to building learning culture. We talked about:

📚 The definition of a learning culture and its importance in modern organizations. Note the pace of change.

📈 The benefits of fostering a learning culture, including increased innovation, retention and employee satisfaction. Many things promise this, but I think learning can deliver.

🎯 The role of a learning culture in upskilling and reskilling employees.

💼 The difference between talent management and talent planning. This was so interesting - see the video!

🧠 The importance of competency-based learning and the distinction between skills and competencies.

🔧 The role of technology in building a learning culture.

This episode offers valuable insights for HR professionals looking to cultivate a learning culture within their organizations. It's a case for those who aren't building a learning organization to reconsider. Hiring is expensive! It's time to equip your team with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in a rapidly changing work environment.

Find Michelle on LinkedIn at / michelle-ellis-phd-cxac-cert-3357833 See Intellum here: https://www.intellum.com/ I am an HR consultant to small and medium businesses and not-for-profits. Reach out to me here: andrea@thehrhub.ca

What is people analytics and how is it different than what HR has always  done?  

I looked at my 4-year old HR textbook and people analytics was not  mentioned anywhere (nor was 'workforce analytics' or just 'analytics').  My guest, Allen Hornung, thinks this is because it is a quickly emerging  element of HR.   

This episode goes into the basics of people analytics - what it is and  how it differs from the activities we are more accustomed to.  There is  so much power for insights and decision-making in this work! Check it  out!

Allen mentioned these resources:  

Excellence in Analytics by David Green and Jonathan Ferrar: https://www.amazon.ca/Excellence-People-Analytics-Workforce-Business/dp/1789661188  

Coursera: https://www.coursera.org/ 

Udemy: www.udemy.com

What are the collective bargaining basics?  Some things covered in this  video include the steps in bargaining, bargaining in good faith,  communication during bargaining (what's allowed and how to do it), the  roles that are 'at the table' and why it's an attractive thing to do -  if you can handle the late nights and pressure!   

Jody Fraser has negotiated many collective agreements and sits on the  Alberta Labour Relations Board.  She shares some of her experience with us.

How can you go about managing the cost of benefits in your organization?  This and making the most of what you spend on benefits were the focus  of this episode.  Because employee benefits are not cheap!   

Shannon Hughes is a benefits broker and helps her clients get complete  benefits packages that meet their needs.   Find Shannon at https://www.captivatebenefits.com/