Canadian HR Reporter

C O L U M N S www.hrreporter.com 39 I N S I G H T While much of Canada contends with workplace issues such as COVID-19, Nunavut has its own unique set of challenges, including highly localized HR, decentralized jobs, remote leadership, dated technology and limited resources IMAGINE living in a place where you experience complete darkness for entire seasons, while the other half of the year you have 24 hours of daylight. The temperature dips below -60 degrees Celsius in the winter and can soar above 30 degrees Celsius in the summer. This is Nunavut, the largest and northernmost territory of Canada. The landscape is sprawling — the 1.8-million- square-kilometre territory is more than three times the size of Alberta, yet the population is less than 39,000, roughly half the size of Medicine Hat, Alta. This population is spread across 25 remote communities with no interconnecting roads, rail or transportation infrastructure of any kind, other than aging airstrips. To most Canadians, Nunavut is an immense land mass located at the top of the world, somewhere very far away, seldom thought of and visited even less frequently. Nunavut is officially just more than 20 years old, but it is descended from a vibrant culture dating back more than 4,000 years. To residents and Inuit, the Indigenous people of the land, the territory is a place filled with pristine landscapes untouched by sprawling development. Nunavut is bustling with potential waiting to be explored. When Qallunaat (individuals who are not from Nunavut) first come north, they are like fish out of water. Just about everything that Qallunaat are accustomed to is different. Usually, the first signs of shock occur when they first visit the local grocery stores and pay several hundred dollars for a few bags of groceries. To put this into perspective: It's common to pay $32.99 for 12 cans of (often expired) Diet Coke or more than $42 for a package of Kirkland toilet paper. Highly bureaucratic, task-focused HR The primary industry in Nunavut is a mixture of federal, territorial and municipal governments, territorially owned corporations and quasi- government institutions. They often have highly bureaucratic human resources structures, which are task-focused as opposed to strategic- focused. Nunavut has a handful of mining companies; however, these operations typically deploy tactical HR staffers to handle day-to-day matters. The remaining industries are small- to medium-sized construction and service firms that derive most of their work from government contracts. Dedicated HR staff in these firms are often nonexistent. Core human resources functions in Nunavut are no different from those in the south. However, what is significantly different is the sophistication and the deployment of these functions. The HR operations in the private sector are highly localized. For mining, HR is site-based. For construction and service firms, HR, if a function of the business, is often specific to a local community and usually only present in the regional centres where the population is centralized. Travel between communities in Nunavut is often tricky and expensive. Attempting to reach a remote community may take several days and cost more than $7,000. Another challenge for HR effectiveness is the public sector's mandate to decentralize jobs wherever possible to remote communities to contribute to the local economy. Tech challenges call for manual intervention HR staff are often located in the capital or regional hubs, and they manage employees Mathew Smallacombe Qulliq Energy almost exclusively by email or telephone. Communication be tween HR staff and employees is affected by extremely limited internet connectivity. Corporate internet speed in Nunavut is akin to that of 20 years ago in the southern regions of Alberta. Slow internet speeds inevitably affect web- based network connections, and applications are often unstable and subject to regular drop- offs and errors. As a result, HR professionals complete most work using manual processes. Another unique challenge of working in Nunavut is the complexity of the HR functions. Most processes are rudimentary by design and often paper-based, requiring significant manual intervention. Another reason for the lack of modern HR tools is the disconnect from outside resources and economies of scale. Being such a young jurisdiction, the territory has not yet had the time to mature and adopt more efficient administrative systems. As time progresses and internet connectivity improves, I have no doubt that Nunavut will acclimate to the technological processes that are available elsewhere in Canada. And the challenges we face as HR professionals will also present opportunities. Living and working in Nunavut has been one of the most unique and exciting experiences of my life. I encourage all Canadians to take the opportunity to experience the region for themselves and form a greater appreciation of just how far Canada's landscape, history and cultures extend. CHRR Mathew Smallacombe has lived in Nunavut for six years. He is director of human resources and organizational development at Qulliq Energy in Iqualuit, a utility that provides services to four regional hubs and 21 decentralized communities in the territory. A WHOLE OTHER WORLD FOR HUMAN RESOURCES Slow internet speeds mean applications are often unstable and subject to regular drop-offs and errors. As a result, HR completes most of its work using manual processes.

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