The HR Hub

I don't know about you, but AGE is one aspect of DEI that I hardly ever hear anything about. And, yet the impact of ageist policies on older workers is profound. Are you thinking something like "but it's time for those boomers to get out the way so I have a chance!"? Well, I asked Laura Tamblyn Watts, the CEO of CanAge about that. CanAge is Canada's Seniors Advocacy organization and, she says while a few older workers have a ton of privilege, many are shockingly disadvantaged. With 25 years of experience, Laura brings a wealth of knowledge about ageism and its impact in the workplace and to aging people. We discussed: 👵 The shocking statistics on ageism and why it's the most prevalent form of discrimination globally. 🔍 How ageism manifests in the workplace - from overt policies to hidden biases. 📈 The benefits of multi-generational workforces - from increased productivity to reduced churn. 🛠 Practical steps to make your workplace more age-inclusive starting with your DEI policy. And ⚖️The risks of doing nothing. This episode was eye-opening and will broaden your understanding of ageism and equip you with practical tools to foster a more inclusive work environment. Links are in the comments! Find Laura at https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-tamblyn-watts-a8ab61/ CanAge https://www.canage.ca/ Living, Learning and Earning Longer: https://www.aarpinternational.org/initiatives/future-of-work/living-learning-and-earning-longer/living-learning-and-earning-longer Find Andrea for consulting in Western Canada andrea@thehrhub.ca

We say 'training and development' all the time. Or learning and development. But we rarely stop to understand the difference between them and the impact those differences have on strategy. I never did anyhow except at a surface level. I spoke with James Aird about this. James is an L&D consultant with a Master of Education from Harvard. Interestingly, he learned the trade in conflict areas like Iraq and the DR Congo. James took us on a journey through the distinct aspects of training/learning vs development in an organization, and how they cater to different organizational needs. For example: 🎓 Learning, and training are, more or less, the same thing and directly meet organization requirements. 🌫️ Development if fuzzier - with a ton of strategic implications related to skills gaps, recruitment and retention. 🆉 Gen Z has a lot of hopes and expectations for great development. A strength IMO. 💻 An Learning Management System (LMS) will help you deliver and track it. James recommends one for any organization with 20-30 employees or more. This episode is has a lot of information for HR professionals who want to improve their understanding of L&D and how L&D can impact so many modern organizational problems. It's not just about upskilling - it's about creating a culture of learning.

The push-pull of remote versus in-office continues. You CAN make remote work well, but there's skills and clarity to develop. A thoughtful policy is a good place to start so you get the advantages of remote without losing all the spark of in-person. If you are trying to articulate an effective remote work policy... here you go! I sat down with Kaleem Clarkson, the Chief Operations Officer for BlendMe, a company that assists hybrid and remote teams with their people operations and their policy! Kaleem highlighted the importance of connection - really that's the purpose of being in-person so for focused work... in-person is not the place to be. See the video In this episode, you'll also learn about: 🌐 Starting with the organization's philosophy on remote work. As with so many things in HR, understand WHY you're doing it. 🎯 Creating role flexibility categories to help manage expectations. 📆 Clarifying the true purpose of in-office meetings. 🎥 The etiquette for virtual meetings. 🩲I don't think you should wear your underwear even if they are not visible. Kaleem??? Clearly this is still evolving. 😆

Have you been involved in 360 feedback? It sounds both informative and exposing. But better than a performance appraisal from a leader who may not be totally objective. I sat down with Jo Ayubi, the CEO of Track 360 Feedback. Jo's expertise in feedback consultancy and their software platform made her the perfect guide for 360 feedback. It's a powerful tool. Here's a sneak peek into our conversation: 🔎 These days we are concerned about HOW people get the job done, not just what they get done. Otherwise toxic behaviour will proliferate. 👥 Aim for at least 6-10 people providing feedback. ❌You can't let the ratee pick their raters. At least not entirely. ✅ It's a great development tool. ⁉️ For some reason, 360 feedback is about the only topic I remember from university. Jo knows her stuff - for the first time I tried a firing line (peppering my guest with quick questions) and she did great! Check it out at the links in the comment section!

Compensation is getting scrutinized. Pay transparency and job board policies (like Indeed's) are ensuring it gets a lot of attention. Sally Loftis of Loftis Partners has expertise in Organizational Development and social justice and particularly pay equity. She brings a unique perspective to our discussion breaking down the concept of pay equity, its importance, and why organizations sometimes unintentionally pay men more than women. She also shares insights on the legal implications of pay equity, how it impacts employee retention, and the role of compensation structures in achieving pay equity. In this episode, you'll discover: 🔍 How to approach pay equity with curiosity and an open mind. 🎯 The importance of employee feedback and participation in the pay equity process. 💼 The concept of consciously uncoupling performance ratings from pay and the potential benefits of this approach. 💡 Practical steps to embark on a pay equity project and the importance of normalizing conversations about pay in building trust. Follow Sally on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallyloftisloftis/ Her site https://www.loftispartners.com/ Find the Pay Equity Collective at https://pay-equity-collective.mn.co/share/GTCEIh6yArceY6cY?utm_source=manual This is a link to her guide on conducting a pay equity assessment Find Andrea for SME consulting in Western Canada at thehrhub.ca

There's well over 60,000 books on Amazon about leadership. It sometimes feel like there's a new trend to concern ourselves about every time you go on LinkedIn. My guest this week, Corina Walsh, is keeping it real! She's a leadership coach and host of the People and Culture Success Show. She trains leaders and has a fresh perspective on the leadership trends and their implications for HR. In this episode, you'll learn about:🌐 The importance of HR professionals keeping abreast of leadership trends and how it influences decision-making at the executive table. 👥 Current leadership trends include remote work, artificial intelligence, and a shift towards transformational, people-focused leadership. 🔍 How to discern which trends are relevant and how to approach them in your organization. 💡 The foundational leadership skills that remain constant despite changing trends. A friend suggested I talk to Corina and she did not disappoint! Find Corina at shiftpd.com I (Andrea) do small and medium sized HR consulting in Western Canada.

Three questions: What makes your organization remarkable? How does this connect to its mission, vision and values?  Most important, how would you rate the alignment of your work and culture with the mission, vision and values?   This was what I spoke with Britni Eisenman, the founding principal of Stoke Fire about. Britni brings a unique perspective to the table, having transitioned from social work to advising CEOs on business strategy and organization development.   We explored how organizational alignment can and should significantly impact our HR practices and overall business success. Back  to the three questions above: do you decide what to do *and* what not to do based on your mission, vision and values?    Britni shared her insights on the importance of aligning your organization's values, mission, and actions: 🚦 When you’re making decisions aligned with your MVV she says you have ‘structural integrity’. 🔍 You wlll weather difficult storms if you have organizational alignment 🌉 Your organization is a bridge to your mission and how to handle the challenges that come your way. 🚀 We get tired of wordsmithing.  The words matter, however she has a different way of testing them.   ⚖️ HR is often the canary in the coal mine in recognizing when an organization is misaligned Find Britni at LinkedIn or on Stokefire.com Find Andrea for HR consulting in Western Canada at thehrhub.ca

This week's topic might make some of us break into a cold sweat - fostering healthy conflict at the workplace. I spoke with Kate Otting about this - as a mediator, she's adept at handling conflict. Kate is the head of Interaction Management Associates, specializing in mediation. She has an impressive career portfolio, having worked in South Africa, served as the Director of Mediation for the Iowa Peace Institute and the Arizona Attorney General, and currently holds the position of Director of Mediation for the City of Phoenix. In this episode, Kate shares her insights on: 🔍 Understanding when conflict is healthy and when it is harmful. Hint: it's harmful when it festers. 💡 Techniques to engage in conflict with confidence and compassion. Pretend you're watching it from a balcony! 🧘‍♀️ The role of patience and understanding in managing conflict. Patience can be hard when emotions are running high. 📚 Resources to help. This episode is a goldmine for HR professionals seeking to foster a culture of healthy conflict resolution at their workplaces. Check out the link in the comments to watch the full episode! Here are some links Kate has offered: IMA courses: imamediation.com/courses - save 30% on any course or bundle with promo code HRHUB Free downloadable tools: Listening skills checklist: https://bit.ly/listentool Checklist for becoming a mediator: https://bit.ly/newmediatorchecklist Open-ended questions workbook: https://bit.ly/open-ended-q How to Respectfully Disagree Like a Pro - workbook: https://bit.ly/IMAworkbook Find me at thehrhub.ca

How much have you thought about the ethical implications of AI in HR? It’s not alarmist to think that AI will enable HR to discriminate more and in new ways! After all, Amazon had to scrap their recruitment and selection AI because it was biased against women. This week I, again, spoke with Megan Marie Butler about AI in HR. She speaks plainly and is quite practical in her assessment of AI in HR. She is doing her PhD in the space, but is so frank and easy to understand! Her insights: 🎉 Most AI is legal! 👮‍♀️ It is all legal because there is so little regulation. 😩 Since it is unregulated, we can unknowingly cause significant social harm if we are not careful. Causing social harm could land us in legal hot water. 🤦🏾‍♂️ Megan provided a few examples of how AI is creating new classes of people to discriminate against. 😬 Regulation is coming. Even so, we are going to learn the hard way. Don’t be the cautionary tale. Find Megan on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganmariebutler/ or at ⁠bnmmb@leeds.ac.uk⁠ Find Andrea for consulting in Western Canada at thehrhub.ca

There's an intersection between tactics and strategy in HR. As we want our work to matter more and as we move through our careers, we need to understand the transition. The guest for this episode was Brittany Eisenman, the founding principal of Stokefire. With her unique career path from social work to advising CEOs, Brittany brought a fresh perspective to this! Some of that perspective includes: 🥵 Being busy busy busy will not get you involved in the strategy. See the video. 🎯 She thinks strategy when someone says 'tactics' 🔎 Watch for being too deep in the weeds! Sometimes you need to poke your head above the surface and look around. 💡 Use whatever data you have even if its limited! 🔄 Think about alignment. Deep alignment. SO SO good! Check it out at the links in the comments! Find Britni and stokefire.com or on LinkedIn Find Andrea for consulting in Western Canada at thehrhub.ca