Canadian HR Reporter

www.hrreporter.com 19 "You'll see, over the course of the last year, those words specifically popping up in all of our communication, really being held up as visions of good for what we believe success is in this current envi- ronment… We're being very choiceful about our words and how we use them and the consistency of the usage of them as we continue to shape the culture to meet the demands of this pandemic, especially since it's still very open- ended." Looking ahead Virtual tools have also worked well with in the areas of recruiting, hiring and onboarding, largely because Canadian Tire was already using them. "Now, we're just savvy about how we're leaning into creating relationships virtu- ally onscreen. And we still do assessments where it makes sense to do assessments for key roles; we still do multiple interviews; we still do panel interviews where neces- sary," he says. "We may be using different methods to get there, but we're clear in the outcomes we're trying to get. And we're just getting the outcomes differently." It's more than likely many of the devel- opments through the pandemic will remain in place, says Pershing. "The words 'When we go back to work' actually sting my ears at this point. I think it takes away [from] and inval- idates all the incredible work that has been done this past year, that kept us very much in a place where we are. We've been successful in many areas and it's due to the work that's just being done differently." To that end, Canadian Tire is assessing how roughly 5,000 office employees will work once the pandemic has subsided. A recent survey found that 20 per cent prefer to stay home full time while 20 per cent are keen to work at the office full time, and the other 60 per cent like a hybrid approach, he says. "We're trying to solve for that. We don't have answers, but we're taking in as much data as we possibly can right "The words 'When we go back to work' actually sting my ears at this point. I think it takes away [from] and invalidates all the incredible work that has been done this past year." John Pershing, Canadian Tire now for how others have been piloting and trying to solve for that, as we know that we'll have that opportunity again, at some point, hopefully this year. So, we're looking for ways to do hybrid, it's very much on our radar screen." Looking ahead, safety, talent and culture will all be top of mind for Canadian Tire and its other brands, including Mark's and Sport Chek, along with shaping leadership and expec- tations to deal with an ever-changing environment, says Pershing. "Those that can adapt and change to meet the now and future are the ones who are going to thrive on the other side of this. So, [it's about] how do we build a culture here at Canadian Tire Corporation that's adaptive, that has that flexibility in its DNA, that can continue to take the challenges that it's faced with and potentially maximize the opportunities that this disruption creates?" he says. "It's a mindset shift and driven by HR and culture and certainly leadership." the pandemic first hit and everything was shut down in March, Dynacare's business came to a standstill. "Really, there wasn' t a lot of information. So, we quickly galvanized and we started to figure out how we were going to continue to have business continuity and keep our employees safe," says Donna Fagon-Pascal, senior director and HR business partner at Dynacare in Brampton, Ont., which provides health- care support to the medical system, including diagnostic and forensic testing and medical courier delivery services across multiple provinces. Focusing on engagement and well-being There was a lot of fear and concern among employees, but Dynacare worked hard to keep people informed and prepared with appropriate personal protective equipment. That included a big focus on communication, she says. "We meet with our front-line employees twice monthly, through a virtual means," says Fagon-Pascal. "That's really helped connect our employees to: What's the direction the company is going? What's going on? What are the priorities?" The company has also focused on having its leaders create a great experience for staff in the midst of the crisis and engaging both those on the front lines and those working from home. That's meant more creative communications and celebrations of accomplishments through rewards and recognition, she says. "We've done a lot of great work trying to recognize people in a way to make them know we really appreciate the efforts that they're making during this time, because they're going above and beyond." Dynacare is also focusing on physical and mental health, including virtual exercise programs, meditation and childcare support. And employee advisory committees provide regular feedback about "the mood on the floor," in terms of the problems people are facing, the kinds of supports they need and then looking collaboratively for DONNA FAGON-PASCAL, senior director and HR business partner at Dynacare in Brampton, Ont. The medical laboratory services company has about 3,000 employees WHEN

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