Over the past couple of months, the Workforce Planning Board (WPB) has targeted local employers in several key industries in the manufacturing sector to talk specifically at supply and demand for labour. With the impact of the economic downturn still fresh in our minds, we went into these consultations unsure as to what the current demand for labour would be.

We were pleasantly surprised by the number of employers who indicated that they were currently hiring or planned to hire over the next 12...

The economic state of the Province, the nation and the world has had a major impact on employment over the last 18 months or so. So, as we appear to be moving forward again, I started to think about whether or not the Virtual Economy, which I recently discovered, could ever impact employment.

If, like I was, you're not familiar with the Virtual Economy, let me give you my take. This is where people pay money to buy, sell and rent on-line virtual (non-existent in the real world) property.

Why you...

Throughout my career I've always thought of effective Human Resources management as being a partner in operational decision-making.  Sometimes it's the case that there are real operational issues involved where a skilled Human Resources professional can lend a hand...

In a recent case I was called in when there was an apparent problem with personalities and work stress.  After interviewing the staff involved I was able to identify that there was a problem in communication and direction to be...

I'm sitting in Union Station waiting for a train home from one of the more relevant conferences I attend each year. The Economic Developers Council of Ontario's (EDCO) annual conference brings together economic development professionals, many of my workforce development colleagues and various government ministries to discuss how to continuously improve the economies of communities all across Ontario

Without a strong and relevant workforce, economic growth can't happen and that's why we see such...

I thought I'd share a hypothetical case similar to one I'm working on where accrued and unpaid vacation pay has become the battleground for a messy 'without cause' termination.

The top executive in this organization was recruited 7-8 years ago but no formal offer of employment was ever created or signed by either party.  A very, very bad idea.

For various reasons, the Board of Directors decided to end the employment relationship and agreed to pay a nice, but not extravagant, settlement that met...

The productivity and effectiveness of a workplace is built on the success of employees. With increasing demands put on workers, resilience is vital to organizational success. So, what are some lessons learned? What can leaders do to enhance and create more of it?

Working with leaders, we find there are 2 areas that seem to make a difference: 

1. Helping individual employees develop their personal resilience skills. A resilient organization is made of many resilient workers.
2. Adopting workplace...

I came across an interesting article today on Workopolis regarding a study done last year around Gen Y's workplaces of choice.

Some 27,000 students from 50 universities and colleges in Canada participated in the survey which identified their ideas of which industries they would like to work in as well as some of the aspects of an employer they would consider important for them to work there.

 Some highlights from the article are the top 5 employers which are as follows:
1. Government of Canada

2....

I had an opportunity this morning to address some of my professional peers and colleagues who wanted to chat about the current trends in total rewards (aka total compensation).  It was the second request in as many days regarding this top so I thought I'd jot down some brief and salient points from my talk...

First, while some fun and sexy things are being done with compensation it is still crucial to do the basics well.  You can be confident that your organization is ready to think about...

In case you haven't heard... 

The Ontario Legislature passed Bill 168 in early December -- it's projected to come into effect in June 2010 following Royal Assent.

Bill 168 amends the Occupational Health & Safety Act to require employers to assess the risks of violence and harassment in the workplace and develop policies, practices, and procedures to reduce and manage these risks.  The responsibility for enforcement seems to be falling to Health & Safety Inspectors.  However, the Human...

Workforce planning is definitely not at the top of everyone's priority list but it is always top of ours. Matching the available jobs of today and tomorrow with the workers of today and tomorrow is a real challenge. Changing technology, new economies, competition and leaner production are just a few examples of how a workforce can be impacted, and often over ever-shortening timeframes.

This year we have used a number of new statistical indicators to focus our attention directly on several key...