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• 01 Apr

  

  Posted by
  Michelle Ventrella

  
  

  Category

  • Commentary

  This Social Media Thing

  4

  As my maternity leave ended and I prepared to return to work (not that being on maternity leave is a total picnic – nobody spits up on me at work, or emotionally manipulates me into playing “here comes the airplane” at 3am) – I anticipated a lot of change.

  Indeed, everything from management strategy to recruiting tactics to employment legislation has shifted over the last year, and all of this change was naturally bringing with it new approaches, strategies and understanding.

  And frankly, after a year of talking in my “mommy voice” and discovering that I have a disappointing and very large capacity for hating children’s television — yeah, I’ll send Dora on a voyage of exploration; as long as it’s one way! – I welcomed the opportunity to encounter the new, changed landscape of work.

  But…what I didn’t realize, was how much technology – and in particular social media — has influenced the workplace in so many different ways.

  Twitter, Rypple, LinkedIn, blogging, “digg”ing things, Facebook as a recruitment tool, online surveys through Wufoo (I can’t believe I just typed that). These are my new social media friends. They’re here to stay. And now it’s up to me – for the first time in my career – to play catch-up with workplace technology and learn how I fit into this new social media world at work.

  Honestly, it’s a bit of a daunting task. Almost as daunting as dodging mashed carrot from your son who just won’t eat WHY WON’T HE EAT I MEAN I’M TRYING TO FEED HIM AND WHAT MORE CAN I DO WILL YOU PLEASE EAT THE CARROTS PLEASE CAN WE MAKE A DEAL HERE, HOW ABOUT SOME DORA…

  (Sorry. That happens every now and then. I’m sure it will pass.)

  The point is, as strange as some of these social media tools and terms may seem (wufoo?),they can also be overwhelming. There’s a lot to learn. There’s a lot to take in. There’s a lot to make sense of.

  However, just as quickly as I’m learning to have meetings on dim dim, I’m also learning that these social tools are actually fun, helpful and surprisingly easy to use – once you get the hang of it, and simply stop fighting the movement.  I feel ridiculous saying wufoo but it’s a great tool and it makes my job easier.

  So if you’re finding the whole social media blitz overwhelming, my advice to you is to take a deep breath, go at your own pace, ask for help when you need it, and take it one day at a time.

  Heck. If I can master the fine art of mashed carrot dodging, I’ll OWN this social media thing in no time.

• 24 Mar

  

  Posted by
  Michelle Ventrella

  
  

  Category

  • Commentary

  Performance Reviews

  2

  The science of managing personnel isn’t all that different than other sciences in one interesting sense: ideas that seemed safe and smart when introduced can, over time, reveal themselves to be less than ideal; even harmful. Take, for example, performance reviews.

  When performance reviews arrived onto the scene, they were embraced by managers for their promise to objectively evaluate performance, detect areas in need of improvement, and reward those who might otherwise have their contributions overlooked.   And for employees, they were excited by the promise of clear expectations, reliable feedback and linking performance to reward.

  Unfortunately however, for many, the love faded over time.  And these days, more often than not, among both managers and workers, performance reviews enjoy a legacy of eroding morale, confusing expectations, undermining standards, and with staggering irony, actually lowering performance.  I am always surprised  by how many managers and employees perceive the process – one that was really developed with their needs in mind – as something they ‘have’ to do as a matter of due process (read: because HR is nagging them).
  » Read the rest of the entry..

• 08 Mar

  

  Posted by
  Michelle Ventrella

  
  

  Category

  • Commentary

  Remembering Retention

  0

  While you can (and most are) debate whether the recession is actually ‘over,’ I would caution employers against exhaling too soon. If you’re like most, you’ve been looking at employees through the lens of cost-cutting and termination. Times are changing and it’s time to look through the lens of retention.

  I would argue you should never shift focus away from retention, but this is perhaps for another blog post. The reality is that retention has simply not been a priority for most businesses in the past 18 months and that needs to change.

  An extraordinary legacy of the recent economic downturn is its creation of a new kind of employee; one who has seen, felt and experienced first-hand the trauma of working inside an organization when the economic world outside is crumbling. These employees are the witnesses. The survivors. And while they’ve been seriously disgruntled for months now (Great Recessions will do that), they’ve stuck around because of limited options elsewhere.

  That’s changing.

  » Read the rest of the entry..

• 30 Jan

  

  Posted by
  Michelle Ventrella

  
  

  Category

  • Commentary

  Second Annual Family Day

  0

  On Monday February 16, 2009 the second annual Family Day statutory holiday will take place in Ontario. 

  Due to the freshness of this holiday compared with established holidays, three issues may arise for employers:

  1. Employers may not fully understand their legal obligations in terms of staffing. 
  2. Employers may opt to “complain” about the expense, lack of productivity, and hassle of Family Day, rather than strategically seeing it as an opportunity to support employees, and ultimately, boost workplace morale, loyalty and productivity. 
  3. Many Employers’ first reaction is to eliminate the non-legislated holiday in August, Civic day now that a new mandatory statutory holiday has been introduced.  It is within an employer’s right to do this however there are many employee relations issues and possibly some legal implications that an employer should be aware of before proceeding. 

  You may find yourself facing one or more of these issues.  And so in order to help you benefit the most from Family Day – even if this only means avoiding the unwanted consequences of breaching your legal obligations provided by the Ontario Employment Standards Act – we have prepared this brief to ensure that you are positioned to succeed. 

  Your Staffing OBLIGATIONS 

  There continues to be confusion surrounding Family Day in terms of staffing.  Your understanding should be informed by the following basic facts: 

  • Family Day is a statutory entitlement provided by the Ontario Employment Standards Act.  If you are governed by this act, then you must provide for the holiday in the same way you would Christmas Day, Labour Day, Canada Day or any of the other public holidays listed.   
  • Family Day is not the same as the Civic Holiday in August, regardless of what some employers may still believe or proclaim.  The Civic Holiday in August is not a public holiday as listed in the Act, and so employers do have some choice with that one.  This is not the case with Family Day.

  It is in your best interest to know these facts, and to dismiss as misinformation anything that suggests otherwise.  To support you, we are here to help you fully understand your Family Day staffing obligations.  

  Your Staffing OPPORTUNITY 

  Rather than view Family Day as an expensive, unwanted hassle or even a “necessary evil,” we advise employers to strategically use Family Day as an opportunity to reach out to employees, thank them for their hard work, and encourage them to enjoy their day off.  Such a gesture can improve workplace morale and have other positive benefits.

  In reaching out to employees, it’s important to include all employees, and not just those with “traditional” or “conventionally-defined” families.  Employees without children can, and should, be encouraged by you to benefit and enjoy the Family Day holiday.  

  It’s also important for employers to remember that not all employees embrace this holiday either; it can interfere with their work-related schedule, or simply provide them with a day “out of nowhere” with nothing productive (or relaxing or enjoyable) to do.  

  Employers can help by suggesting potential activities (e.g. museums, art galleries, movies, outdoor skating rinks), and providing related information for those activities, such as hours of operation, directions, links to websites, or any promotional information that may be helpful.

  Family Day: Good HR and Good Business Strategy

  Ultimately, if you are governed under the Ontario Employment Standards Act, then Family Day is a reality for you and your employees.  Making the best of this holiday and “getting behind it” – rather than riling against it — is both good human resources, and good business strategy.