What HR people need to know
by Toronto Training and HR
March 2011
3-4 Introduction to Toronto Training and
HR
Contents 5-6 Personnel management and business
execution
7-8 Labour force survey February 2011
9-12 Issues facing the Toronto labour
market
13-14 Drill A
15-17 Challenges facing HR in 2011
18-22 HR as a strategic partner
23-24 Career progression in specialist HR
25-28 HR audits
29-30 Relational climates
31-33 Knowledge, skills, abilities and other
characteristics
34-35 Issues in the public sector
36-37 Stages in HR transformation
38-43 HR planning
44-45 Drill B
46-49 Case studies
50-51 Conclusion and questions
Page 2
Introduction
Page 3
Introduction to Toronto Training
and HR
• Toronto Training and HR is a specialist training and human
resources consultancy headed by Timothy Holden
• 10 years in banking
• 10 years in training and human resources
• Freelance practitioner since 2006
• The core services provided by Toronto Training and HR are:
- Training course design
- Training course delivery
- Reducing costs
- Saving time
- Improving employee engagement & morale
- Services for job seekers
Page 4
Personnel management
and business execution
Page 5
Personnel management and
Expertise
business execution
Implementation
Pre 1990
1990 to 2000
2000 to 2010
2011 ?
Page 6
Labour force survey
February 2011
Page 7
Labour force survey February 2011
ONTARIO
Population 10.873M
Labor force 7.267M
Employment 6.685M
Full-time employment 5.389M
Part-time employment 1.296M
Unemployed 0.582M
Participation rate 66%
Unemployment rate 8%
Page 8
Issues facing the Toronto
labour market
Page 9
Issues facing the Toronto labour
market 1 of 3
A labour force that lacks the skills that employers need.
Post-secondary graduates that have difficulty
establishing careers.
Highly educated newcomers that are slow to integrate to
meaningful employment and who are over-represented
in entry level positions.
Job growth that occurs at two ends of the job spectrum:
in high-level, high-skilled knowledge work and entry-
level jobs, leading to polarization of occupations and
incomes.
Page 10
Issues facing the Toronto labour
market 2 of 3
REASONS FOR THE “MISMATCH”
The lack of an integrated approach to workforce
development that brings the two sides of the economy,
supply and demand, together.
The erosion of job security and the replacement of
predictable career advancement with precarious
employment and just-in-time training for just-in-time
jobs. The continuing shift from manufacturing to
service sector and knowledge work jobs.
Page 11
Issues facing the Toronto labour
market 3 of 3
REASONS FOR THE “MISMATCH”
The expected retirement of baby-boomers leading
to skills and labour shortages.
The lack of investment in workplace training that is
connected to lagging productivity.
Page 12
Drill A
Page 13
Drill A
Page 14
Challenges facing HR in
2011
Page 15
Challenges facing HR in 2011 1 of 2
The changing role of the HR professional
The war for talent
Outsourcing of HR functions and the virtual HR
organization
Health & wellbeing, work-life balance and the
healthy workplace
Diverse workforce
Page 16
Challenges facing HR in 2011 2 of 2
Impact of technology
Talent management
Leadership development
Succession planning
Corporate values and culture
Impact of legal and compliance issues
Page 17
HR as a strategic partner
Page 18
HR as a strategic partner 1 of 4
Focus on solutions
Know the customer
Get the inside perspective
Be flexible
Page 19
HR as a strategic partner 2 of 4
BEST PRACTICES
Job rotations for high performers
Rotating line managers into HR
Hiring individuals from non-HR disciplines
Finance and business education
Mentorships and leadership development
Competency training
Forging collaborative relationships
Page 20
HR as a strategic partner 3 of 4
BEST PRACTICES
Performance appraisals
Strategic workforce planning
Change traditional HR structure
Take risks to develop employees
Be innovative
Page 21
HR as a strategic partner 4 of 4
WRITING A BUSINESS CASE
Think bigger
Don’t go on
Start with what you want
Cut the HR speak
Think heart…not just head
Talk about the worst thing
When will they read it?
Page 22
Career progression in
specialist HR
Page 23
Career progression in specialist HR
Ask yourself which role you aspire to and choose an end
goal
Move across HR as well as upwards to develop your
experience
Bear in mind that most HRDs are largely generalists who
have gained experience in a small number of key areas
Keep your learning up to date in the areas that interest you
Try to get a role in a larger organization with a well-
resourced HR department
Page 24
HR audits
Page 25
HR audits 1 of 3
COMMON FINDINGS
Improper acceptance and retention of resumes
and applications
Illegal questions on applications or during
interviews
Improper information retained in primary
personnel files
Inadequate or improper background and reference
checking forms
Page 26
HR audits 2 of 3
COMMON FINDINGS
Improper classification of exempt and non-exempt
employees
Noncompliance with immigration law
Improper classification of independent contractors
Inadequate job descriptions
Illegal pay deductions from exempt employees and
not paying non-exempts for all time worked
Page 27
HR audits 3 of 3
COMMON FINDINGS
Out-of-date or non-applicable employment law posters
used
Inadequate employment-at-will disclaimer in handbook
Improper mandatory language in handbooks
Insufficient policies on privacy, electronic
communications, social networking, etc.
Inadequate performance and compensation
management tools
Page 28
Relational climates
Page 29
Relational climates
Market pricing
Equality matching
Communal sharing
Market pricing-compliance based
Equality matching-collaborative based
Communal sharing-commitment based
Page 30
Knowledge, skills, abilities
& other characteristics
Page 31
Knowledge, skills, abilities & other
characteristics 1 of 2
COGNITIVE “Can do”
General cognitive ability
Knowledge
Skills
Experience
Page 32
Knowledge, skills, abilities & other
characteristics 2 of 2
NON-COGNITIVE “Will do”
Personality
Interests
Values
Page 33
Issues in the public sector
Page 34
Issues in the public sector
Focus on boosting employee engagement as a strategic
priority
Review people management development to ensure
managers at all levels are equipped with the necessary
skills to support employee engagement, new ways of
working and service delivery improvements
Develop organizational development capability
Review HR structure and consider the scope for HR shared
services and/or outsourcing
Page 35
Stages in HR
transformation
Page 36
Stages in HR transformation
Knowing external business realities
Serving internal and external stakeholders
Crafting HR practices
Building HR resources
Assuring HR professionalism
Page 37
HR planning
Page 38
HR planning 1 of 5
BENEFITS
Helps the organization predict future labour and
management needs.
Addresses the impact of social, economic, legislative and
technological trends that impact HR.
Allows the organization to manage change more
effectively.
Job growth may occur at two ends of the job spectrum: in
high-level, high-skilled knowledge work and entry-level.
jobs, leading to polarization of occupations and incomes.
Page 39
HR planning 2 of 5
COSTS OF POOR OR ABSENT HR PLANNING
Good HR Planning provides the opportunity to select the
best possible resources to fill the organization’s needs.
Organizations may be challenged to find quality employees
when they are required to hire quickly.
Ensuring a present and engaged workforce may provide
organizations with a competitive edge over similar
businesses in the market.
By staying attuned to organizational needs, businesses will
be able to respond to client needs more efficiently and
effectively.
Page 40
HR planning 3 of 5
COSTS OF POOR OR ABSENT HR PLANNING
Similarly, by staying attuned to the needs of the employee,
organizations will increase the levels of employee
motivation and engagement. They will be able to provide
employees with meaningful and challenging work. This
increases employee retention and reduces the costly
requirement to recruit and train new employees.
W
•ith proper planning organizations are better positioned to
take on new workloads, and to respond to common
business challenges such as absenteeism, illness and
leaves of absence.
Page 41
HR planning 4 of 5
DOCUMENTING THE HR PLAN
It is a continuous process that requires constant review &
assessment against the organization’s goals/objectives.
Most organizations review and document the HR Plan on a
yearly basis.
The HR Plan is a brief document that outlines the HR
initiatives and strategies that respond to the organization’s
needs and overall direction. It states the key assumptions
and identifies who has responsibility within the organization
for the various strategies.
Typically the HR Plan includes timelines for implementation.
Page 42
HR planning 5 of 5
COMMUNICATING THE HR PLAN
The HR Plan must be communicated throughout the
organization and should include:
How the HR Plan serves to meet the goals and objectives
What changes in policies, programs, practices and systems
How the changes will impact the employees, when the
changes will occur, how each staff member can contribute
and support the HR Plan and how the HR Plan will impact
the organization in the future.
The HR Plan should be supported and agreed to by the
CEO and senior managers.
Page 43
Drill B
Page 44
Drill B
Page 45
Case study A
Page 46
Case study A
Page 47
Case study B
Page 48
Case study B
Page 49
Conclusion & Questions
Page 50
Conclusion
Summary
Questions
Page 51