Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER September 18, 2017 16 FEATURES/NEWS Labour law research just got faster, easier and more comprehensive. LabourSource™ on WestlawNext® Canada combines the most robust collection of grievance arbitrations with court and board decisions, expert commentary, legislation and collective bargaining-related content – with Canada's most advanced search engine. A single search delivers the content you're looking for, whether it's case law, legislation, commentary, or legal memos. You can then filter your results to get exactly what you need. With LabourSource, you'll always be confident that your research is complete and that you haven't missed anything. Experience the benefits • Prepare winning grievance arbitrations and labour board applications • Successfully negotiate favourable collective agreements • Stay up to date on the latest labour-related decisions, industrial relations and economic news Legal content that is labour focused, not labour intensive Introducing LabourSource™ on WestlawNext® Canada See the LabourSource advantage View a demo at westlawnextcanada.com/laboursource 00224EP-A47770 LOOKING FOR A SUPPLIER OR VENDOR? Visit hrreporter.com/hr-vendors-guide "I have dozens of these inquiries every week," she said. "(Workers) feel Canada is a safe and viable place to come to. It's a safe place to raise a family. I hear that three times a day." But Canada's immigration sys- tem still has its share of complexi- ties, making it more difficult for global recruits to relocate here, said Cuff-Young. "Canada is highly regulated. The bureaucratic process is so slow. Just because you have a great candidate doesn't mean they can come to Canada. You have to pass all of these requirements. You have to have an employment con- tract; there's documentation. "It's not an easy process. You need professional help." Recruitment challenges Still, CERC's findings come as welcome news for Canadian re- cruiters, especially as Atlantic Canada continues to deal with a major worker shortage, alongside a skills gap in terms of what many people are being trained to do ver- sus actual labour market needs, she said. "It's a complex issue." While restaurants, informa- tion technology companies and health-care facilities struggle to find appropriate staff, heavy equipment operators are unable to locate work in their desired field, she said. Fa st- track pro g ramming should help alleviate the situation, but the key for employers is find- ing workers who will stay long- term and grow with the business, said Cuff-Young. "Newfoundland and Labrador doesn't need temporary work- ers," she said. "ey need people to move here from wherever they are with their wife and children, to get a house and to stay here." When it comes to the global recruitment process, the ultimate responsibility falls on the employ- er, said Cuff-Young. "ere's a lot of illegal activity which happens," she said. "A lot of people come to Canada to work and they buy the jobs, especially in the food sector. ey'll do any- thing to come and there's a lot of firms that take advantage of people." Companies in need of new recruits should contact their provincial board of trade or em- ployer council for assistance, said Cuff-Young. "We bridge the gap with infor- mation sessions to demystify (the process)." Reluctance to relocate While Canada is growing in popularity amongst global job- seekers, the prospect pool may actually be shrinking, according to the CERC poll. Forty per cent of global em- ployees said there is nothing their current employer can do to convince them to take an interna- tional assignment, while just 18 per cent said they would be very likely to temporarily relocate for two years in another country for a 10 per cent pay raise and full- time job. ose numbers are a stark dif- ference to a 2012 CERC survey. e trend is partially due to improving standards of living in "supply countries" such as China and India, said Cryne. Skilled workers simply don't have the same pressure to relocate for work. Additionally, there is a growing reluctance in terms of employees considering moving for work. "It is increasingly more chal- lenging and complex for com- panies to motivate employees to move for work," said Cryne. Overall, global employees are less inclined to want to move abroad than they were five years ago, he said. "e rise in protectionism and opposition to global trade and immigration in some regions are very likely influencing the think- ing of employees about moving for employment." 'Safe, viable place' GLOBAL < pg. 3 "highly engaged." is was attrib- uted in part to the confidence em- ployees had in senior leadership and their relationship with their managers. Interestingly, the most engaged employees had no tenure or less than a year of service, found the survey of 400 workers. How can employees be disen- gaged after a year? Are they so bored with their work that it is no longer engaging? Does the learn- ing curve stop after a year? In a perfect world, 100 per cent of employees are engaged and passionate about the work they do. And, clearly, the more engaged employees are, the lower the ab- senteeism rate will be. Unfortu- nately, that is far from reality. Part of the issue may be recruit- ment. For 2012-13, the average turnover rate per year was 7.3 per cent (for employer-initiated dismissals), according to the Conference Board of Canada. at means if a company has 100 full-time staff, it will dismiss more than seven employees in one year. How could it be that after spending weeks or months deter- mining who the best candidate is — based on skills, abilities, apti- tudes, personality and corporate fit — that person ends up leaving? e takeaway here is to criti- cally evaluate your recruitment process to maximize employee engagement, now and in the fu- ture. e payoff in increased pro- ductivity and low absenteeism is significant. Be proactive Managing employees is perhaps one of the most challenging as- pects of successful businesses. e 80/20 rule certainly applies: Eighty per cent of the issues are created by 20 per cent of the staff. So, what to do? Take, for example, an employ- ee with chronic disability issues. While every effort is made to accommodate the person, after months or even years of employ- ee-employer meetings, endless physician notes and poor produc- tivity, nothing is improving. Go back in time to the em- ployee's first year or two at the or- ganization. What red flags were identified? No employee is per- fect — everyone has issues that pop up from time to time — but how much face-to-face time is the supervisor spending on address- ing the issues? Being proactive in identifying the workplace, personal, medical and cognitive needs of employees is an investment in both the em- ployee and the corporation. Enhanced benefits If an organization buys into the philosophy that total compen- sation should be about making employees the best they can be — whether that pertains to health care, disability manage- ment, productivity, wellness or retention — adding personal growth coaching may be worth considering. Adding a capped coaching option is a win-win for employ- ees and employers. How many times have employees struggled to maintain a level of productivity that is less than ideal? e routine is familiar for most supervisors: A face-to-face meet- ing with the employee to hope- fully extract whatever issues need to be addressed. Some employees may respond favourably to this approach, others may not. A personal growth coach can offer complete confidentiality, creating an ideal rapport-build- ing opportunity — unlike a con- frontational supervisor meeting where an employee is put on the defensive. Of course, not every supervisor-employee relation- ship is poor, but a growth coach can work with employees proac- tively, long before any absentee- ism or productivity issues become a problem. Conclusion There are many strategies to managing absenteeism, and these strategies need to be implement- ed with patience and thoughtful analysis. One of the most valu- able learning opportunities is uncovering interesting nuggets of information about the culture of the organization. Every employer is different, so the most appropriate path for- ward must always reflect how workers respond to new initiatives meant to improve productivity. Neil Rankin is a specialist in disability management and employee absentee- ism. For more information, visit www. neilrankin.ca. Identify workers' cognitive needs ABSENTEEISM < pg. 15 Critically evaluate your recruitment process to maximize engagement.

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