AUGUST - 2023HR TECH OUTLOOK8In MyOpinionIn my experience, one of the most fulfilling aspects of human resources is creating and revising organizational policies. I love seeing an idea come to fruition, from an initial thought, to a written document, to the positive impact on employees, the organization, or (ideally) both. Strong policies can engage employees, and take an organization from good to great. As HR professionals, it's critical to ensure our organizations are great: with historically low unemployment rates, and an unprecedented re-evaluation of one's priorities brought on by the pandemic, the war for talent is becoming more and more fierce. Job candidates have become savvier and more cognizant of their negotiating power. Employees are constantly reassessing their "fit" with their employer, not just in terms of salary and benefits, but also from an org. culture standpoint. Externally, consumers have become more critical of ­ and more vocal about ­ companies that are perceived as offside with the evolving social justice movement. From all angles, our organizations are under increased scrutiny. In other words, it has never been more important to ensure your policies are up to date. If it's been a while since you've reviewed your policies, now is the perfect time to revisit. Here are some potential areas of focus:1. Are your policies inclusive of an increasingly diverse workforce? Employee demographics have shifted significantly in recent years. Are your policies keeping pace? Some considerations include:· Does your bereavement time policy accommodate non-traditional definitions of "immediate family" as well as non-western cultural practices around death? If not, consider expanding your definition of family, or incorporating flexible language to look at employee circumstances on a case-by-case basis.· Does your leave of absence policy allow for banking of vacation time, or extended unpaid time off for the purpose of travel? With much of the workforce consisting of new Canadians, permitting an employee to periodically visit their home country is important.· Are your policies written using gender-neutral language? Not that long ago, making policies gender-neutral meant changing all the references from "him" to "him/her." The term gender-neutral now encompasses inclusion of all genders. All policies should be reviewed to ensure not only the use of gender-neutral pronouns, but also inclusive language for definitions of a spouse, circumstances of parental leave, references to "opposite sex" in harassment policy, etc. Matt Becker, Senior Director, Human Resources, Red River Co-opByBUILD EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT WITH EMPLOYEE-CENTRIC POLICIESMatt BeckerMatt Becker is the Senior Director, Human Resources at Red River Co-op, a retailer of food and fuel in Winnipeg, MB. Red River Co-op has been recognized as one of Manitoba's Top Employers since 2021, based on the strength of their employee-centric policies.
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