Canadian HR Reporter

CanaDian hr reporTer July 14, 2014 10 ExECutIvE sERIEs/NEws to address in their recruitment strategy is stiff international com- petition for talent, and recruiting for positions that have a fast-ap- proaching end date. "It's fascinating to be part of an organization that's essentially a startup, that is going to have a defined shut-down. So part of our recruitment strategy has re- ally been to ensure that we're at- tracting that range of talent, but we're also in a global competition for talent in a very real way. ere are a number of (international) Games that are happening right now… and so we really are com- peting for talent in a very busy marketplace," said Osutei. With employment opportuni- ties that have a limited time frame, they've had to focus on building a strong employer brand that can attract the best talent regardless of the time frame. e quality of their talent is critical, she said. "One of the interesting things we've had to juggle is making sure that we maintain our commit- ment to local capacity-building and ensuring that local individu- als benefit economically from the Games through employment op- portunities, but also ensuring that we've got enough previous Games expertise to lead the various func- tions within the organizing com- mittee," said Osutei. Ensuring their total compen- sation package is competitive — which can be a challenge when competing for talent with other international Games — and deal- ing with relocation and immi- gration issues for some of their temporary talent has also created challenges. Retention is also an issue, as is work-life balance in a fast-paced organization that is very focused on the July 2015 deadline, said Osutei. "Work-life balance has definite- ly been a challenge… the hours are long and we've had to tell people that in the interview process that if you're looking for a nine-to-five job, this isn't it. So people are com- ing with that understanding." Focus on retention But to counter any potential diffi- culties around retention, the orga- nizing committee has put a strong focus on employee engagement initiatives. "One of the exciting things on the retention side is that people have their pre-Games roles and then they'll move into different roles at Games time… that kind of conversion is going to happen across the organization and across different functions," she said. A very strong diversity and in- clusion strategy — about 30 per cent of their workforce meet at least one employment equity cat- egory — combined with a rigor- ous performance management system, salary increases and thor- ough training and development keep engagement high. e organizational culture is a positive one — very collaborative, with a focus on on-the-job profes- sional development, said Osutei. "It does give staff an opportu- nity to explore opportunities out- side of their typical box," she said. "We want to make sure that lead- ership opportunities within the Games… are spread to the broad- est number of people possible." To get involved in the games, visit www.toronto2015.org/volunteer. PAN Am < pg. 8 Limited time frame creates unique challenges people with mental illness afraid to disclose their condition to their employer, said Barbara Hall, chief commissioner of the Ontario Hu- man Rights Commission (OHRC) in Toronto. "Because of the stigma associ- ated with mental health issues, people have not been open about what they're experiencing, what their needs are," she said. "ey've hidden away and, as a result, in many places, the ste- reotypes, the stigma remain un- challenged and people aren't sure how to respond if the issue comes out in the open where they work, where they live, where they give or get services." at's why the OHRC released a new policy on mental health and addictions disabilities, to help ed- ucate employers, service provid- ers and others with the realities of these disabilities — and their own responsibilities, said Hall. "It makes clear what the respon- sibility is, that meeting the needs of people with mental health and addiction issues isn't just a nice thing to do — it's the law. And it provides some best practices, some discussion of ways of meet- ing people's needs," she said. "My sense from talking with employers is that there's a real desire to deal directly with these issues. People just need the tools." e policy doesn't introduce any substantive changes, it just creates a resource for employ- ers to better understand the hu- man rights issues around mental health, said Aaron Rousseau, an employment lawyer at Whitten & Lublin in Toronto. "For the most part, the policy is mainly gathering together pre- existing decisions and explaining the application of general princi- ples in the mental health disability context," he said. "If you were complying before, you're complying now, is one way of looking at it… at said, I think the impact it has is partly to bring greater attention to the issues." It's important to note that in- tent is not a factor in discrimina- tion claims, so employers with policies that are inadvertently discriminatory can still face a hu- man rights claim. "It is not uncommon for there to be a neutral standard which has an adverse impact on somebody with a mental health disability or any other type of disability — so even though it wasn't designed that way, it has that effect," said Rousseau. That's why being proactive in learning about accommoda- tion responsibilities can be very useful, he said. "You can prevent a lot of prob- lems before they start in that way." ere are two major pitfalls to avoid — one-size-fits-all policies or arbitrary standards, and stereo- typing and profiling. "One of the problems is that not all employees in an organization are going to take mental health disabilities among some of their co-workers in stride, and as no more than what they are. ere can be perceptions that people are crazy or they're unreliable, and even if the actual disability was something which is mild and reasonably under control, and not something that has a major or long-term impact on the em- ployee's performance or reliabil- ity," he said. Discrimination and negative stereotypes are still fairly preva- lent in the workplace, as are mis- conceptions about the abilities of employees with mental illnesses, said Sarika Gundu, national direc- tor of the workplace mental health program at the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) in Toronto. "Many people hold false beliefs and fears about others who have mental illnesses. They assume that they're unproductive or unre- liable, violent or unable to handle workplace pressure," she said. "I find people that with mental illness are treated very differently than people who have a physical illness. ey need to be treated the same. eir needs need to be heard, they need to be under- stood, they need to be accom- modated as much as necessary and they need to be treated with respect." at's why education is such a critical piece of the puzzle, said Gundu. "Not only will it combat dis- crimination but many managers feel paralyzed with fear of saying the wrong thing," she said, adding that tools like the new OHRC pol- icy — which CMHA participated in developing — and the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety can help managers learn how to communicate effec- tively and create an emotionally safe environment. The focus on mental health should come from the top down — and it's important for senior leadership to buy in, said Gundu. But accomplishing that buy-in isn't about inundating them with national statistics. "It's really important for them to understand what's happening in their own backyard," she said. Look at your data around em- ployee assistance program usage, disability management, drug utili- zation, absenteeism, turnover and short-term disability, and pull to- gether a picture of mental health within your own organization, said Gundu. Education around mental health and addictions — and hu- man rights in general — is most effective when accompanied by a strong, proactive strategy to pre- vent and remove barriers to equal participation, states the policy. And removing those barriers requires an open mind and flex- ibility, said Hall. "It involves a lot of listening, sit- ting down for respectful conversa- tion and exploring solutions that may not mean much more than adding some flexibility to what's currently done — and sometimes thinking outside the box. And that can have an enormous impact." Chances are, someone in your family or your workplace is affect- ed by mental illness, said Hall, "so there are a lot of people currently in workplaces who are fearful of being found out. "Nobody wants to face a hu- man rights complaint and nobody wants to know that they've con- tributed to the marginalization or suffering that people experience when their rights are ignored." Employers may also need to re- evaluate the way they define men- tal illness because it's not a static definition, said Rousseau. "The definitions of men- tal health disability are being stretched and expanded and test- ed all the time, and that's an ongo- ing challenge. ere isn't an easy way for employers to deal with it — it's an evolving area, looking at what the Human Rights Tribunal, and society generally, considers to be a mental health disability," he said. Afraid to disclose? mENtAl HEAltH < pg. 1 Ready to raise the tent? hearing an insider's view from two ex- ecutives on the Pan Am games leadership team heightened my awareness of the critical role leadership has in deliver- ing the ultimate 2015 goal: A success- ful and memorable world class event. Starting in 2010, the opportunity was to build a unique, sophisticated organi- zation that would leverage best-in-class systems, methodologies and pro- cedures for a fast-growing startup enterprise — becoming a multi- national corporation in five years. Nevertheless, the organization committee continues to experi- ence disorder. e total estimat- ed cost of the event, including security, transportation and the athletes' village, is now up to $2.5 billion, from an original budget of $1.4 billion. In December 2013, just one-and-a-half years before the event, the Globe and Mail re- ported that CEO Ian Troop was replaced by Saad Rafi, who re- moved two additional executives shortly thereafter. At a recent Toronto Board of Trade meeting, the Globe and Mail reported that while CEO Saad Rafi spoke about the "world class facilities" being built, reports showed that venues continued to run over budget or were at risk of not opening on schedule. Fur- thermore, Ontario Premier Kath- leen Wynne just replaced Michael Chan, who had been Pan Am Games Minister since November 2012, with Michael Coteau. All these scenarios suggest there has been a breakdown somewhere in leadership execu- tion. e question is: Where, how and what is this symptomatic of? If the leadership team is not making as big a difference as they could, then they will continue to get only a fraction of the results they are capable of. The organization's vision is compelling; the values of purpose, collaboration, accountability, re- sults and joy serve as a meaningful benchmark. e classic HR strate- gy includes a fundamental frame- work comprised of principles, policy, practice and performance. Conventional programs are in place such as onboarding, rec- ognition, employee engagement surveys, rigorous performance management, town hall sessions, assistive technologies, leadership and core skill training. Overall objectives focus on leveraging both economic and leadership opportunities as well as heightening diversity awareness. All of which reinforces the orga- nization's commitment to hiring the right people at the right time for the right duration. With just 12 months to go, per- haps it's not too late for the Games leadership team to consider learn- ing and applying the three core management responsibilities that John Adair's Action-Cen- tred Leadership model provides: achieving the task, managing the team or group and managing individuals. All three elements work collec- tively. Once mastered, this model enable leaders to: maintain a re- alistic balance between priorities; realize results faster; raise and maintain morale; improve quality; foster teamwork; achieve higher performance; and promote adept management and leadership. Trish Maguire is a commentator for SCNetwork on leadership in action and founding principal of Synergyx Solutions in Nobleton, Ont., focused on high-potential leadership develop- ment coaching. She has held senior leadership roles in HR and OD in education, manufacturing and entre- preneurial firms. She can be reached at synergyx@sympatico.ca. Trish Maguire Leadership in action

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