Investment Executive contacted Clear HR Consulting for human resources expertise and advice on how to get the most from performance reviews.  Cissy Pau, principal consultant of Vancouver-based Clear HR Consulting, provided some tips on how to have a constructive performance review meeting.  Some of the tips included:

• Be prepared in advance of the meeting so both sides are clear on the purpose of the meeting;
• When giving feedback, both positive and negative, describe the behaviour, give examples, and explain the consequences and impacts of the behaviour;
• Don’t limit feedback to a once-a-year meeting - instead have regular, ongoing, casual communications with your staff to keep them on track.

Canadian Business magazine contacted Vancouver-based Clear HR Consulting to provide human resources expertise on succession planning, especially as it relates to how to groom ambitious staff to take over your position, for their February 15, 2010 issue.

A key tip when handling an ambitious employee who is interested in your job, is to ask some critical questions, including:

• How would you feel if this person were to go work for your competitor?
• What impact would this have on your business?

For more information on how to successfully navigate succession planning issues for your business, please contact Vancouver-based Clear HR Consulting for human resources expertise.

Cissy Pau, workplace expert and Principal Consultant for Vancouver-based Clear HR Consulting, was interviewed this morning in studio for CBC Radio One’s Early Edition regarding the high level of employee anxiety in British Columbia. She provided human resources expertise on dealing with employee anxiety and effectively maintaining employee productivity.

Clear HR Consulting’s top 5 tips to reduce employee anxiety and maintain employee productivity are:

1. Communicate updates and information to employees on a regular, timely basis - you cannot communicate enough about anything.
2. Maintain strong leadership and a strong vision for the future.
3. Ask for employee input on how to improve work environment.
4. Use down times as an opportunity for employee skills development and cross-training.
5. Show appreciation to staff and have fun.

As well, Cissy was asked about ways to effectively manage a company restructuring. Some of Clear HR Consulting’s tips include:

1. Develop a communication strategy which ensures employees are kept informed.
2. Use employee layoffs as a last resort - look for other alternatives first.
3. Hold one-on-one, in-person meetings with all affected employees.

Cissy Pau, Principal Consultant for Vancouver-based Clear HR Consulting, recently attended a human resources seminar on the HR issues that Vancouver businesses need to be prepared for the 2010 Olympics Games.

Some things to plan for:

• Transportation disruption - Road closures & parking bans will make
  it potentially difficult for employees, customers and suppliers to get to
  your office and vice versa.  VANOC is hoping to reduce traffic on our city
  roads by 30% to lessen traffic congestion.

• Rush hour - Businesses can expect rush hour conditions 24 hours a
  day in Downtown Vancouver and rush hour to start at 2:00 pm elsewhere around
  town.  VANOC is encouraging employees to start work prior to 7:00 am and
  leaving before 2:00 pm.  With most Olympic events occurring in the
  afternoon, it’s anticipated that getting to work in the morning should be
  ok, but leaving work in the afternoon may be a problem.

• Employees working from home - Many employers are encouraging
  employes to work from home during the Olympics.  If you do this, please be
  aware that the home office would be considered an alternate work location
  and would be subject to WorkSafeBC rules and regulations.

• Internet access - With over 15,000 journalists and hundreds of
  thousands of people in Vancouver who will be accessing the internet, there
  may not be enough band width to handle the increased volume.  Companies need
  to have a contingency plan in place in case internet or email access is
  hampered.

• Cell phone access - As with internet access, the huge volume of
  people accessing the cell phone network in Vancouver could negatively affect
  our cell networks.  Contingency plans may be needed in case data devices
  such as Blackberries do not function properly and to ensure that employees
  can be contacted if cell phones don’t work.

• Staff training - With many planned and unexpected absences which
  will occur during the Olympics, companies need to start cross-training staff
  now so that these absences can be accommodated.

• Time Off / Absence Policies - At this point, it is unknown how
  difficult it will be for employees to get to work.  Policies may need to be
  developed to deal with unexpected absences (e.g. if an employee shows up to
  work 3 hours late because they were using public transit, will this be
  considered paid time or unpaid time).

• Communication - Be sure to advise employees, customers and suppliers
  of your plans for business during the Olympics so that they know what they
  can expect.  Those who are outside of Vancouver may not realize that service
  could be impacted.

Some things that companies are doing during the Olympics:

• Encouraging transit use and car pooling
• Allowing telecommuting so that employees can work from home rather than fight traffic to come to work
• Encouraging employees to take vacation during that time or to flex their hours
• Cross-training staff now so that unexpected or planned absences can be accommodated.
• Hosting Olympic-themed events for employees & clients
• Ensuring there is a TV at the office to watch highly coveted events and to cheer on the home team!
• Purchasing 6-week 2010 Transit Games Passes for employees during the Games

July 1 saw the beginning of the NHL’s annual free agency period, which is often filled with lots of great stories from the HR perspective, including the Vancouver Canucks’ signing of the Sedin brothers just prior to the beginning of free agency.

We often consult on our client’s pay strategy: we tell them that they don’t have to pay at the top of the market, but they do have to pay their employees fairly.  Case in point is the signing of the Sedin twins by the Vancouver Canucks for $30.5 million each over 5 years - an average of $6.1 million per season. Compare that to the subsequent free agent signings of Marian Hossa with the Chicago Blackhawks for $62.8 million over 12 years, Marian Gaborik with the New York Rangers for $37.5 million over 5 years, and Mike Cammalleri with the Montreal Canadiens for $30 million over 5 years.

The point production and the durability of the Sedin brothers was greater than these other players, yet they signed for the same or less money than these other players.  Why?

“We never said we were guys that wanted to go for the big money,” said Henrik Sedin, who added that no-movement clauses in the new deals were a key component. “Our families are important to us and we’ve been there a long time. For us it’s important to find a place we were happy. But at the same time we wanted to be treated fairly, and I think we have been.”

The Sedins wanted to be treated fairly - they didn’t need to be paid at the top of the market, but they did need to feel like they were treated with respect.  The happiness and stability of their families was also critical, and so they sought and received no-movement clauses (i.e. they cannot be traded to another team without their consent).

Bottom line - regardless of the level of compensation your organization is paying your staff, they need to be treated fairly when it comes to compensation.  Understand what the market is paying, clarify how you want to pay in relation to the market, be fair, and offer other non-financial incentives to make your organization a desirable place to work.

The Globe and Mail sought out the human resources expertise of Vancouver-based Clear HR Consulting to comment on the $571,788 severance payment paid out to Judy Rogers, who was let go by Vancouver’s new city council in December 2008, in a recent article.

When deciding on the length of working notice or severance payment for an employee, employers need to consider many factors, including the employee’s:

• Position
• Age
• Salary
• Ability to find comparable employment
• Work record
• Severance provisions of the employment contract

Employers need to consider whether it makes sense to offer close to what the employee could get through the court system, so as to avoid potentially drawn out legal battles.

For more information on how to properly calculate working notice periods and severance payments, please contact Vancouver-based Clear HR Consulting for human resources expertise.