Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER AUGUST 2019 14 FEATURES W hile the retention of key talent should always be a priority, newer trends can make a diff erence, according to Ingrid Huss, director of total re- wards and HR operations at Dynacare in Toronto. "Our current record-low unemployment rates and strong job market are defi nitely highlighting the need to focus on retention. I know in our industry, we con- stantly have a need for skilled, trained individuals in certain roles," she say s. "Key talent is always something you need to focus on retaining, but sometimes there are economic situ- ations… that make it more challenging at times to retain people because there are more opportunities people can choose from." Retention at Dynacare is also important when there are major changes, such as an offi ce relocation or business transformation, or when there's a stronger need for hiring certain skill sets, says Huss. "We have highly specialized skills in some areas, and any time you have an initiative of that nature, it's really important to en- sure you have an appropriate transition of work processes and you're not losing the skills that you need." And if the 3,000-employee company is having trouble fi lling certain specialized positions, such as a medical lab technician, it needs to ensure it's retaining existing talent, she says. Turnover is looked at on a monthly basis at Dynacare, along with feedback from engagement surveys, which can be segment- ed down, for example, by diff erent functional areas or length of service, says Huss. "Retention is really an outcome that we want to see as a result of having engaged employees," she says. "We want employees to feel connected to their work and to the company, and research has shown that engaged employees will defi nitely provide that discretionary eff ort you need to deliver on your business results." And while the company has an overall philosophical approach, doing many things that should apply to everyone, it also tailors its off erings to diff erent groups, says Huss. "For example, leadership development — we tend to focus a little bit more on people that have people leadership skills." To support engagement, Dynacare implemented a recogni- tion program and it regularly monitors utilization rates, she says. "We found that there's been considerable uptake on that. I think it's something, at least for our organization, that was new and diff erent." It also holds focus groups and, most importantly, follows up on feedback by taking appropriate actions, says Huss. Dynacare has also introduced wellness programs, such as on- site exercise sessions, she says. "We think it's important that people feel energized and we want to promote both physical and mental emotional well-being." e company has also had some momentum in enhancing tal- ent selection internally, says Huss. "We know that it's not possible to fi ll all vacancies from within so we do hire externally, and it's good to have the right balance between the two because we want to give internal people the op- portunity to grow and progress in their careers and, at the same time, we want to bring in fresh ideas." When it comes to retention, compensation and benefi ts are foundational elements, she says. "It's really about the things that you do above and beyond that make the diff erence, and that's certainly something Dynacare has decided to focus on in terms of really trying to enhance the employee experience through reward-type initiatives, like career pathing, leadership development, even just simple recognition on a regular basis." As for particular challenges around retention, not surprisingly, budget is an issue, says Huss. "It's not like there's a bottomless well that we draw from in terms of fi nancial resources, so we really do — when we're look- ing at where we're going to invest and what we're going to invest in — think about it more broadly and more strategically in terms of 'Where do we think we're going to get the best return?'" R esearch has shown most people don't leave companies, they leave managers, so building up the management team is critical to retain employees, according to Andrei Fartais, HR director at Church & Dwight Canada. " e damage generated by a non-skilled manager can have a ripple eff ect throughout the organization. So you really need to pay particular attention to how you select your managers and how you invest in them," he says. "It's the responsibility of each and every manager to make sure that their particular groups are directly contrib- uting to raising up the engagement scores." As part of that, the company gauges employee engage- ment through an interactive survey tool. "It's your barometer in terms of where you are," says Fartias. " e new approach that we're trying is pushing this from HR, where we're not the party responsible, over to the managers. So it's really… the functions that have the responsibility to make sure that they engage with the tool, that they understand it, and then that they put together very simple solutions in terms of the opportunities identi- fi ed by function." "At the end of the day, it's the responsibility of each and every manager to make sure that their particular groups are directly contributing to raising up the engagement scores." e household goods manufacturer faces a few chal- l enges on the retention front, such as a low unemploy- ment rate in Quebec and increased competition from the likes of employers in the cannabis industry seeking skilled workers, says Fartais. en there's the generational mix, with new workers who are very selective and have diff erent motivators, he says. "It becomes a very challenging environment for the HR function and how you stay competitive throughout all of that." One way to meet that challenge is to start at the begin- ning: Assessing fi t factor during recruitment. Essentially, it's about assessing job candidates for how they'll fi t with the company's culture, with a very clear target in mind, according to Fartais. "If you understand how that works, and if you've done a bit of a marketing exercise, and you know your brand, and your employer value proposition, you should be able to identify that." e company has a turnover rate below seven per cent, and part of that is attribut- able to targeted behavioural interviewing during hiring, says Fartais. "We're going to drill down to the bottom line of what the candidate has done in a cer- tain context." Church & Dwight then combines these results with psychometric analysis, he says, and then rolls all that into the employee's subsequent onboarding, development and engagement, he says, "so hopefully, it will get to some retention numbers." On the perks side, the company is "doing some of the classics," says Fartais, such as off ering employees summer hours. "It is a trend and, certainly, this is something that we see more and more people coming into the workforce and asking about — work-life balance." But to make sure employees "have skin in the game," Church & Dwight shares corporate profi ts with them, says Fartais. "So that that's from top to bottom… from the line op- erator to the CEO, everybody is part of a bonus plan that has exactly the same metrics. Of course, the incentive percentages vary by position but the core metrics are uni- versal," he says. "Since we introduced this… all-employee bonus, we've seen some very interesting results and numbers really shaping up nicely in terms of retention." Church & Dwight also makes a point to do exit inter- views, knowing it's good practice to try and understand why people leave, he says. "(It's about) being humble and trying to open yourself to 'Hey, we don't know what we don't know, tell us how we can be better. And trust us with that information.' at has proven to be benefi cial." "If you understand how that works, and if you've done a bit of a marketing exercise, and you know your W wards and HR operations at Dynacare in Toronto. strong job market are defi nitely highlighting the need to focus on retention. I know in our industry, we con- The health and wellness solutions provider has more than 3,000 employees across Canada The Mississauga, Ont.-based household goods manufacturer has 300 workers in Canada and 5,000 globally Ingrid Huss Andrei Fartais director of total rewards and HR operations at Dynacare HR director at Church & Dwight Canada

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