Published Articles

April 2017

  • Meet the HR Influencers: Colleen Gordon-Boyce, CHRE, MBA, CMC

    Leading through difficulty

    By Lisa Gordon

    Colleen Gordon-Boyce has practiced as an independent HR consultant for over 17 years, with her business evolving significantly since its inception. Adapting to a changing environment provides her the challenges she needs to keep work interesting and exciting.

  • Shifting Gears on Cultural Risk

    UBER FACED DAMAGING BACKLASH FOR AN ALLEGED “TOXIC” CULTURE. HOW CAN HR STEER CLEAR OF CULTURE SCANDALS?

    By Sarah Andresen

    The last six months have seen Canadian culture publically lauded around the globe for its inclusivity, positivity and diversity. It’s no wonder, then, that consumers, politicians and businesses alike have mixed opinions about Uber across the country, particularly given the latest in a string of scandals which hit headlines earlier this year.

  • Small Changes; Big Impact

    Eight bad habits that should be banned from the workplace forever

    By Leigh Stringer

    Over the years, we have developed workstyles that are not good for our physical, mental or emotional health. It’s not that we’re bad people, or that we aren’t working hard. The problem is that we are so focused on work and on getting things done that we’ve changed the way we eat, move and sleep in a way that is actually counter-productive. What our minds and bodies need at a basic level is in conflict with our work style.

  • Changes to the Canada Pension Plan

    Why HR needs to pay attention

    By Patrick Culhane, B.Comm., CAE, FCPA, FCMA

    In June 2016, after years of discussions, the federal government reached an agreement, in principle, with provincial and territorial finance ministers to strengthen the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).

  • A Standard of Care

    Prevention is the best cure – and it all starts with dialogue, joint communication and mapping out goals

    By Joel Kranc

    Mental health issues can affect anyone in any workplace at any time. Perhaps one of the more stressful workplace settings, however, is within the airline industry. That’s where Sari Sairanen, current director of health and safety at Unifor, worked in the early 2000s when her employer, Air Canada, was dealing with bankruptcy protection.

  • The Importance of HeForShe

    A global movement dealing with gender equality can germinate anywhere, from large global companies to the smallest of businesses

    By Joel Kranc

    Elizabeth Nyamayaro was only eight years old when a famine hit her small village in Zimbabwe. It had been two days since her last meal when she met, what she describes, as a “beautiful African woman wearing a blue uniform,” (as it turns out, a U.N. aid worker). The woman handed her a bowl of porridge telling her, “As Africans, we must all uplift each other.”

  • The Duty of Care

    By Brenda Clark, CHRE

    In legal-ese, the concept of “duty of care” refers to the responsibility, either of an individual or an organization, to act with a reasonable standard of care in regards to acts that could foreseeably cause harm, according to most legal definitions.

  • The Dollars and Sense of Mental Wellness

    Doing the “right thing” pays dividends when it comes to promoting and protecting mental health in the workplace

    By The Honourable Michael Wilson, P.C., C.C.

    When I chaired the board of directors of a mining company, our first order of business at each meeting was the physical accident report. In today’s knowledge based economy, we must give employee mental wellness equal precedence.

  • Accommodating the Use of Medical Marijuana in the Workplace

    Avoiding discrimination on the basis of disability

    By Allison E. MacIsaac

    As the use of medical marijuana becomes more prevalent, employers are encouraged to place a high priority on ensuring they meet their legal obligations towards employees requiring the use of medical marijuana, and, in particular, their duties towards such employees.

  • Support System

    Using the Standard: A new study reports what works, what doesn’t and what we can learn about supporting psychological health and safety in the workplace

    By Melissa Campeau

  • Making Progress

    The evolving duty of HR professionals in supporting workplace mental health

    By Dr. Joti Samra, R. Psych.

    HR professionals occupy a unique position to change the face of workplace mental health within their own organizations, in addition to the broader, nationwide landscape. By definition, HR professionals are responsible for recruiting, retaining, supporting and energizing employees so that businesses can thrive – core functions when we consider the elements required to create and sustain a psychologically healthy and safe work environment, and associated workforce.