First of all, we’d like to thank the Vancouver Canucks for a fantastic Stanley Cup run!  Despite a heartbreaking game 7 loss, the hope, camaraderie, pride and joy the team inspired in the city was truly amazing.   At the end of the day, hockey is just a game (though a religion to some!), but the work the players do off the ice – getting involved in the community, visiting sick children in hospitals, donating time and money to local charities – these are the things that make our players heroes. Thank you Vancouver Canucks for a great season!

Unfortunately, not everyone celebrated the Stanley Cup run with such enthusiasm.  A group of angry and misguided people planned to wreck havoc on Vancouver streets, regardless of a Canucks win or loss.  Many of their shameful acts of destruction, looting and vandalism were caught on video and have been broadcast locally and internationally via news outlets, YouTube and various social media.

We were asked a very interesting, hypothetical (yet possible) HR question – Can an employer fire an employee who is captured on film participating in the Stanley Cup vandalism?

A special thank you to the police, firefighters, health care workers and the hundreds of Good Samaritans who fought to protect our city and restore order to Vancouver.
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Vancouver-based Clear HR Consulting Inc. was asked by Franchise Entrepreneur magazine to contribute an article for their September/October 2010 issue on hiring and firing employees. This article, which begins on page 60, provides numerous tips on how to effectively hire and fire employees, including tips on:

• how to create a job description;
• where to effectively advertise your vacancy;
• how to screen candidates;
• secrets of successful interviewing;
• how to evaluate interviews;
• the importance of a written job offer; and
• the do’s and don’ts of firing employees.

The Globe and Mail sought the advice of Vancouver-based Clear HR Consulting for an article on how to properly sack someone. Cissy Pau, principal consultant of Clear HR Consulting, provided the Globe and Mail with human resources expertise on the ins and outs of how to properly fire employees.

Some of the tips that Clear HR Consulting shared were:

Canadian Business magazine contacted Vancouver-based Clear HR Consulting to provide human resources expertise on how to layoff employees with dignity and respect for their September 14, 2009 issue.

For more information on how to layoff employees, please view our newsletters on Creative Alternatives to Layoffs and How to Handle Layoffs Effectively.

Geoff Howard’s recent column in the Business in Vancouver newspaper regarding the costs of layoffs highlights some critical points companies need to consider when deciding whether to layoff staff to deal with difficult economic times.

According to Ian Cook, director of research with BC HRMA, companies that cut costs through pay freezes or cuts, and benefit reductions often outperform competitors who use layoffs to reduce their costs.

Why?

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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.

Layoffs should be a last resort to handle an economic downturn. If, after considering all your alternatives, you determine that layoffs are necessary, then it’s important to handle layoffs effectively. Employees understand that during tough economic times that difficult choices have to be made. It’s therefore important to handle layoffs well to maintain a positive reputation for your company.

When working with clients who are undergoing layoffs, some critical areas on which we focus with them include:

1. Developing communication strategies for all employees

• Effective communication strategies can include written announcements, staff meetings, and all employee information sessions.

• When done well, companies are able to effectively communicate the reasons for the layoffs while ensuring morale and productivity are not adversely affected.

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