Mentors are matched with proteges based on their logistical and HR-related compatibility.
All participants are made aware that this is not a job search program so there are no misunderstandings about your specific function. We provide assistance and facilitate workshops to enhance your professional connection and personal development.

Mentorship pairs exclusively decide the meeting times, frequency and formats that work best for them. Mentors-in-transition are always welcomed since employment status does not diminish the breadth of their valuable work experience.

All participants can earn CHRP re-certification points. Mentors and proteges mutually benefit from professional skill development. Personal growth and satisfaction from sharing personal knowledge with professional colleagues.

Increasingly, organizations are retaining executive coaches to support time-crunched managers to engage and retain high potential employees and top performers. Meanwhile, other employees struggle to capture the attention of busy managers who appear to have little time or knowledge of how to ignite their passion, dreams and goals. Discussions about goals typically center around a person's performance - where they've met, exceeded or fell short of expectations. Even then, substantial discussions about performance rarely occur outside of the perfunctory yearly or bi-annual performance review.

Higher level conversations about a person's career path and personal development goals have only recently begun in earnest in many organizations. Some companies use online career portals enabling employees to map out their career path and track progress on their goals. These systems are effective only if a manager meets regularly with each employee to understand how they can support them in their learning and development. Many managers feel ill equipped to coach employees on the subjective and intangible elements of their performance - their behaviour, personal interests, values and motivations.

Well 'the times are a changing' and the younger generation is driving the change. The Millenials or Generation Y born after 1980 are asking managers to provide regular feedback and praise and show interest in them as people - not just cogs in the wheel. They want to know how they can add value and how their work relates to the organization's goals. They want to talk about their needs and wants and how the manager can assist them in developing their career. It is imperative that organizations train managers how to engage this generation or they risk losing them. Managers ask 'how can I find the time to have these warm and fuzzy conversations when I barely have time to do my own work?' Inspiring your team to be the best they can be is (or should be) one of the top 3 accountabilities of all managers. Coach-managers are disciplined with their time and practice the art of empowerment through delegation. They are committed to the process and believe they can make a difference in the lives of the people they manage.

I've heard many managers say 'why bother coaching this generational group - they'll just leave in 3 years to seek new opportunities.' This thinking is short-sighted. The research shows that people leave their manager, not the organization. A manager can have a profound impact on an individual's success. Managers who know how to leverage the talent of employees can fast track their development and personally benefit as their internal coach.

Developing coach-managers requires a shift in the attitude and behaviour of managers to commit to their own development. This demonstrates authenticity which fosters trust... a fundamental element of all effective coaching relationships. It's the old 'walk the talk' - you can't be a coach unless you've experienced what it's like as a coachee. 'Success on the outside begins within', Robin Sharma, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. Simply, you gain the right to guide others in their personal discovery process when you show you are committed to the same.

In addition to a commitment to personal growth, superior self-management and a genuine belief in your ability to influence and effect change, managers will need to learn the art and science of conversation; how to question, listen and give feedback that is well received and acted upon. Then they will need to learn how to hold staff members accountable for realistic and achievable goals that they have co-created. Lastly, they will need to believe that they can act as a staff member's internal advocate and cheerleader for their career development while holding them accountable for performing at a high level in their current role.

Creating a coaching culture in an organization takes time and the dedication of all managers at all levels. Coaching needs to be valued as a key leadership competency and an essential accountability for managers. Corporate compensation and recognition systems need to align with performance systems to elevate this important skill set with other leadership skills such as developing and implementing strategy and influencing stakeholders.

The demand for external executive coaches will continue. However, managers who act more coach-like with their teams will reap the rewards when inspired Millenials (and Boomers) stick around because someone values them as people and recognizes their contributions.

Contributed by:
Rebecca Heaslip
Certified Coach & President
Leadership Insight Inc.
the Confident Coach&tm; www.leadership-insight.com
905-257-7227

Not surprisingly, total cash (salary plus bonus) and total direct compensation (total cash plus long-term incentives) for executives reflect economic conditions. In 2009, reductions in total cash and total direct compensation were experienced by many executives, including CEOs, CFOs, Top Legal and HR positions. The median percentage decrease in total direct compensation was most significant for CEOs (-17%), followed by Top Legal (-10%), Top HR personnel (-8%) and CFOs (-5%). Total cash compensation change again was greatest for CEOs (-8%) and relatively similar for CFOs, Top Legal, and Top HR executives (-4, -3, and -2%, respectively). (Source: Canada Compensation Data BankTM General Industry Executive Database).

Global salary freezes occurred in 2009, as well as other significant efforts to reduce or minimize workforce costs. In Canada, nearly half of employers implemented salary freezes in 2009, although only 11% anticipate general salary freeze in 2010. The estimated median salary increase for Canada in 2010 is 2.5% (Source: Towers Perrin survey, Compensation Strategies for an Uncertain Economy, 2009 - Canada)..

A recent Towers Perrin survey projected revenue declines for most global companies this year, but showed a ...cautiously optimistico opinion of the future. Canadian views on the timing of recovery are divided -- with one third thinking it will happen in the next 8 months, another third not until late 2010, and a final third not until 2011 or later.

Economic uncertainty has resulted in tentative leadership that has created anxious employees. Business leaders have noted that many employees are now postponing retirement (68%), moving to fixed-income investments (46%), requesting financial education or retirement planning (40%), and using employee assistance programs (26%) (Source: Towers Perrin Benefits in Crisis Survey 2009).

While some positive indicators have arisen in recent months such as the stock market rally and improved corporate profits, corporate challenges like potential further cost cutting and key talent shortages remain. Balancing future opportunity with current reality is difficult and many organizations are finding they need to rethink human capital priorities.

...Turnover Risko remains a huge concern for companies over the next 18 months. Almost seventy percent of companies are concerned about retaining their high performing critical talent as a result of cutbacks made during the recession. This talent flight concern appears warranted as many companies indicated that they plan to increase hiring next year, and will almost certainly look at competing organizations in their industry or region as a possible source of talent. Companies reported high risk (hr) and moderate risk (mr) vulnerability for crucial workforce segments. Employees with skills in short supply and high demand were considered to be the greatest turnover risk (50% hr, 41% mr), followed by High Performers 35% hr, 54% mr), and Key Contributors / Technical Experts (30% hr, 48% mr).

This crisis and its related challenges also reinforce the need to immediately upgrade ineffective talent management practices. Organizational feedback regarding specific talent management practices and actions reveals on average a ...neutralo effectiveness rating across categories. Career pathing and planning ranged from 38% ineffectiveness to 30% effective. Deploying key talent across roles/functions/regions ranged from 33% ineffective to 37% effective. Strengthening the talent pipeline and succession management had the most encouraging results with a 33% ineffective rating in comparison to a 40% effective response.

Aligning effective talent management with business priorities is crucial to leadership and top talent. Organizations were asked the degree of emphasis they would place on certain talent management priorities in the next 18 months in relation to their strategic business priorities. Performance management was regarded as a high priority for 61% of the respondents and as a medium priority for 34%. Assessing/developing high potentials and top talent was considered a high priority by 59% and a medium priority by 31% whereas assessing/developing senior leaders was deemed a high priority by 52% and only a medium priority by 38% (Souce: Towers Perrin: Managing Talent in Tough Times Survey, 2009 Canada).

Increased attention on talent management is hitting HR from inside and outside the organization as senior personnel try to best meet the demands of their customers and investors. Those internal and external pressures are leading top performing companies to five talent management imperatives: 1) Ambidextrous Leaders, 2) Segmentation and Differentiation, 3) Simplicity and Consistency, 4) Ownership Shift to the Business, and 5) Talent Decision Science.

Ambidextrous Leaders are imperative to creating the next generation of engaging, global leaders by redefining competencies/attributes and development strategies. This economic downturn has caused employees to lose confidence in leadership and to have less clarity regarding longer-term company goals and objectives. It has also led a significant minority (36%) to potentially consider employment elsewhere. Leadership drives employee engagement and employee engagement drives organizational performance. The drivers of engagement senior leadership, career development potential, company image, organizational values - remain fundamental and relevant to employees. Key leadership behaviours include developing insights into the workforce, fostering learning and setting career paths with purpose, cultivating pride and demonstrating care, informing employees and gathering their input, and recognizing efforts and optimizing rewards.

Embedding segmentation into the talent approach to differentiate investments is also imperative. Companies must segment or allocate human capital based upon expected rates of returns. Pivotal role analysis should be conducted to differentiate job families/duties that ...affecto the strategy from job families/duties ...affected byo the strategy. Talent segments and value should ultimately dictate potential strategic action moving forward. Strategic segments should be built up, core segments should be protected, support segments could be streamlined or outsourced, and non-core talents that no longer align with strategic direction should be re-directed.

Simple and consistent talent management is imperative to properly facilitating talent mobility. All too often different aspects of talent management are not connected and integrated, and are therefore misunderstood by both key talent and management. For example, competency models for behaviour, personal attribute considerations, performance history assessments, and responsibility readiness criteria should be fairly established and applied throughout the promotion process.

Establishing an ownership shift to the business is also important to business success. Companies must build line leader understanding and establish their leaders' capabilities to own and drive talent management to effective action. For example, enabling managers to have real ...career lifetimeo discussions with key talent, including providing greater information regarding career paths, performance and potential earnings - will significantly change retention/engagement levels for key talent, and help create a ...culture of talento within management and the organization as a whole.

Talent Decision Science is imperative for defining an effective measurement system that correlates how talent management investments impact business performance. Companies must determine if their investments are focused on those who drive performance, if the differential between pay levels for top and average performers is right, and if their costs are delivering appropriate ROI. For example, at one organization, a Labour Cost vs. Financial Performance survey that was conducted over a 4-year period revealed: 1) compensation growth has significantly outpaced revenue growth and profitability, 2) benefits costs have recently stabilized, and 3) incentive costs do not appear to correlate with profitability growth.

So what should you do now? First, try to remember that the average recession typically lasts about 10.5 months, so don't lose sight of positioning your company for eventual recovery. Remain conscious of the degree of alignment you have developed between compensation and your organization's long-term plans. Review your rewards strategy to ensure it is sufficiently flexible to support your business in a more favourable climate. Challenge yourself and your team to adopt a broader perspective and to come to the table and discuss compensation in the context of talent management. Recognize talent management begins with a firm understanding of the work force, so consider how you can use your existing tools and resources to provide this broader perspective to your organization. Compensation often provides the tools for evaluating the ROI of broader talent initiatives. You are already skilled at thinking about costs, now consider how your team can provide objective, analytical assessment to add value to the organization.

Towers Perrin is a global professional services firm that helps organizations to improve performance through effective people, risk and financial management. The firm provides innovative solutions in the areas of human capital strategy, program design and management, risk and capital management, insurance and reinsurance intermediary services, and actuarial consulting. www.towersperrin.com

A Canadian Council of Human Resources Associations (CCHRA) inter-provincial taskforce developed the criteria by which aspiring SHRP candidates will be evaluated. Ontario became the first provincial association to make the designation fully available to its members after recently piloting procedures for submission and evaluation of SHRP applications. HR associations in Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island plan to follow Ontario's introductory lead in the upcoming months.

"While we developed the SHRP criteria as a group, it will be up to each provincial HR association to decide whether or not to make the designation available to its membership," announced Bill Greenhalgh, CEO of Human Resources Professionals Association who Chaired the taskforce.

HRPA Chair, Antoinette Blunt, said the SHRP arrival in Ontario is greatly welcomed. "in Ontario we have long recognized the need for a senior designation and our members have told us so in surveys and forums. This designation will be valued by recipients as well as organizations and CEOs searching for the most experienced and capable people to lead them through these challenging times," she confidently states.

The SHRP recognition must be earned and carries certain leadership responsibilities. SHRPs are active ambassadors of their provincial HR association and encourage association membership for themselves and others. As leaders, they welcome the opportunity to mentor up-and-coming, high-impact managers and are encouraged to participate in SHRP application review panels.

There are two phases in the SHRP application process in Ontario that determine a candidate's eligibility. The initial phase of the process is a simple self-assessment using an online survey tool that asks potential applicants about their HR function including experience, job scope, size and complexity of organization, education and other relevant factors (it is available at: http://www.shrpdesignation.ca/assessment).

Individuals who pass the self-assessment are then invited to apply for the SHRP and are sent a detailed questionnaire that subsequently is evaluated by a specially trained assessment committee. The committee considers six dimensions in the assessment process: Trusted Advisor, Leadership, Strategic Orientation, Breadth of Knowledge, Ability to build HR strategy that aligns to business, and Impact and influence.

Individuals interested in pursuing the new SHRP designation should consider the fact that all second phase applications received prior to midnight on September 30th, 2009 will have an applicable SHRP designation fee of only $250. Afterwards, the associated fee will increase to $350 to cover administrative costs.

For additional information, please contact:

Chris Larsen, Director Marketing and Membership
Human Resources Professionals Association
416-923-2324 x 335 ; Clarsen@hrpa.ca

However, significant differences occur in the relative levels of generosity for items such as incentives, housing, cost-of-living allowances, and spousal assistance, where Canadian multinationals are closer to European multinationals. Interestingly, based on input from the 44 participating Canadian companies, Canadian employers appear, at this point, to be somewhat more concerned with competitiveness than cost effectiveness, which is the top priority for both European and U.S. multinationals. Some of the reasons for these differences in approaches towards expatriate policies are discussed later in this article.

Incentives. During the last 10 or so years, many U.S. companies have been trying to reduce the cost of expatriate packages and allowances. For example, about 50 percent eliminated incentives such as foreign service and mobility premiums. Canadian companies have shown a similar cost reduction trend, but, clearly, not to the same extent. ORC's survey shows that Canadian companies are significantly more likely to provide an ongoing financial incentive than U.S. companies; in fact, they are more likely to do so than even European companies.



Type of Incentive
Canadian
European
US


Monthly foreign service premium
59%
45%
31%


Lump-sum mobility premium
2
7
10


No premium
23
36
51

Salary Limits on Incentives. Canadian companies are far less likely to apply salary ceilings or limits in calculating financial incentives than U.S. companies, and somewhat less likely to do so than European companies.

Expatriate Housing. Canadian companies are much more like their European counterparts in expatriate housing policies. As with European companies, the majority provides ...free housingo at the assignment location without deducting a housing contribution (norm) from their salaries. Most U.S. companies, on the other hand, expect their expatriates to contribute towards housing costs, although there is a distinct trend towards a similar approach used by Canadian and European companies.

Spousal Assistance. Canadian companies are very progressive in assisting expatriate spouses by reimbursing educational and career expenses; in fact, they are more likely to do so than both European and U.S. multinationals.



Provision of Spousal Assistance
Canadian
European
US


Provide
50%
44%
35%


Do not provide
50
56
65

Cost-of-Living Allowance. A very high percentage of Canadian multinationals develop cost-of-living allowances by comparing costs back to their home countries. Most European multinationals follow the same approach, but a significant number provide similar allowances to all expatriates at the same host location.



Cost-of-Living Allowances
Canadian
European
US


Based on home-country cost comparison
86%
77%
87%


Equate to other expatriates at same location
6
17
10

Host Housing Costs. The majority of Canadian multinationals reimburse actual housing costs at the assignment location, generally within approved cost guidelines. European multinationals are somewhat more inclined to provide cash housing allowances.



Host Housing Allowances
Canadian
European
US


Reimburse actual rent costs
68%
57%
67%


Provide cash allowance
20
21
19

Tax Equalization. As U.S. expatriates are subject to U.S. taxation on assignment, provision of formal tax equalization programs is very common in U.S. multinationals. The majority of Canadian multinationals tax equalize less frequently than U.S. companies but more typically than European companies (where tax protection and ...laissez faireo approaches are quite prevalent).



Expatriate Tax Policies
Canadian
European
US


Tax equalization
73%
65%
86%


Tax protection
7
9
4


...Laissez faireo
7
8
4

Job Guarantee on Repatriation. It has become increasingly difficult to forecast what positions will be available when expatriates repatriate or, indeed, to guarantee suitable jobs. U.S. multinationals are far less likely to provide job guarantees upon repatriation than their European counterparts. Practice among Canadian multinationals is midway between European and U.S. practice.



Repatriation Policies
Canadian
European
US


Guarantee job at same level
23%
33%
12%


Guarantee job, depending on positions available
34
46
25


No guarantee
41
21
62

Companies generally develop expatriate policies to support their specific business needs; to fit the demographics of their assignment types, locations, and assignees; and to be competitive in their industry. A large number of Canadian multinationals are in the oil, gas, and energy-related industries, including the majority of Canadian participants in ORC's survey. These industries are highly competitive, wherein expatriates are frequently sent to difficult locations for specific projects. As a result, Canadian companies in such industries have found it necessary to adopt what may appear to be relatively generous policies to attract and mobilize the type of assignees they need. This factor is probably the main reason for the apparent ...uniquenesso of Canadian multinationals' expatriate policies.

The policies of Canadian companies have certainly evolved over the years into strategies that meet the particular needs of their companies for global mobility. As is evident from ORC's survey, Canadian policies by no means mirror those of U.S. multinationals and, in a number of important aspects, tend more towards European practice.

The Road Ahead provided a strong sense of direction for WSIB staff, partners and stakeholders that has translated to measurable progress in reducing lost-time injuries, improving and enhancing WSIB's programs and services, and developing policies that reflect the changing needs of Ontario's employers and workers. It also generated positive momentum which lead to WSIB's renewed course of action called The Road to Zero (2008-2012) that has intensified their drive to end workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses in Ontario.

The Road to Zero focuses on 4 business fundamentals:

From a Health and Safety perspective, WSIB is committed to lead and partner in the creation of the healthiest and safest workplaces in the world where zero fatalities, injuries and illnesses are the only acceptable measure. To do so, the organization has aimed for a 35% reduction in 2007 levels for lost-injury rate and traumatic fatalities by 2012.

Their Service Excellence focus includes improving health recovery outcomes, fair and timely compensation delivery, and reducing time off work for injured workers. Between 2007 and 2012, WSIB aims to reduce the number of injured workers still on benefits after 3 and 6 months, as well as after 2, 4 and 6 years to 13%, 8%, 4.5%, 3.6%, and 2.8%, respectively. Simultaneously, they aim to increase injured workers' customer service satisfaction to 75% and employer satisfaction with WSIB services to 87%.

Regarding Financial Sustainability, WSIB has designed a comprehensive funding framework to provide stability and predictability for average premium rates while also addressing Unfunded Liability. By 2012, significant reductions in Unfunded Liability is anticipated that will positively contribute to WSIB's full-funding goal.

WSIB's internal focus on Organizational Excellence reinforces its vision and belief in zero fatalities, injuries and illnesses fosters an organizational culture that is supportive of its business objectives. The own aim is to reduce their lost-time injury rate per 100 employees to .23 in 2012 and to zero by 2014.

Steven Mahoney, Chair of the WSIB, appreciates the organization's achievements during the earliest phase of their journey, but realizes they still have a long way to go. ...While initial results have been promising, marked with significant milestones, there is still much work to be done,o he candidly acknowledges.

Though the ambitious Mahoney is reluctant to overstate accomplishments to-date, recent Health and Safety Statistics for Ontario from April 2009 encouragingly suggest that WSIB's strategies are certainly on the right course.

Under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (WSIA), data collected by WSIB for insured workplaces indicates a continuous year-after-year improvement in Lost-Time Injuries/Illnesses since 2000. In fact, 2008's total of 78,256 represents a record low for the past decade (down 22% from '99). That positive trend also applies to No Lost-Time Injuries/Illnesses which have steadily decreased since 2005 to another decade-low figure of 163,315 for workers who did not lose wages, but incurred health costs as a result of work-related impairment. These combined statistics for '08 represent a 19% decrease in total Injuries/Illnesses, in comparison to 2000's decade-high figure of 294,703. Over the 10-year period, '06 and '08 respectively had the largest statistical drops from the previous year which reinforces how WSIB's Roads are working.

Their Roads have shown another favourable sign regarding work-related deaths. Combining the Ministry of Labour's (MOL) investigative figures of worker fatalities from traumatic injuries and other immediate causes with similar deaths reported by WSIB, marks another 10-year low in '08 (78 total deaths vs 122 in '03). An additional breakout of work-related deaths reported by MOL and WSIB reveals decade record lows in '08 for youth workers, women, and persons involved in motor vehicle accidents. However, '08 showed a sharp spike in self-employed or owner operators' deaths from its record low figure in '07 to return to its annual average for the decade.

A more concerning trend to note is the significant increase in deaths due to occupational diseases that are now being claimed with WSIB. In '99 only 134 deaths were attributed to occupational disease. During the last ten years that figure has nearly doubled to 257 and reached a record high of 279 deaths for Ontario in '07. Unfortunately the positive reductions in deaths from traumatic injuries and other immediate causes has been more than offset by those due to occupational disease. When both figures are factored together, total work-related fatalities have risen by 43% (234 to 335) for the period '99 through '08.

The encouraging truth remains that any type of work-related death is rare and there has been tremendous progress in reducing injury rates per 100 workers. To more accurately reflect the true lost-time injury rate in Ontario workplaces, the MOL and WSIB have updated their reporting method to include the estimated number of workers covered by WSIB. Lost-time allowed for injuries has steadily decreased year-after-year since '00 to a new decade low while the estimated number of workers covered by the WSIB has consistently risen to its highest level. As a result, the lost-time injury rate has recently reported its lowest figure for the decade representing a 35% reduction from '99 figures.

Though steep challenges still lie ahead, the WSIB continues to drive with committed purpose on The Road to Zero fatalities, injuries and illnesses. And when they reach the end of their journey, we all will have good reason to celebrate.

SOURCES:

Visit www.wsib.ca to learn more.