Human Resources Posts

Adopting extended leave policies to encourage greater candidate diversity

A number of B.C. municipalities are trying to make it easier for their elected officials to take maternal and personal leave. This past summer, the ...

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10 tips for building your municipal career

A wide range of diverse and exciting leadership opportunities exist in municipal government across all departments, including human resources, finance, operations, building and planning, and ...

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Ergonomic issues and solutions for hybrid work

The work environment is more than the physical space Before the pandemic, traditional ergonomics focused on the physical environment in the workplace. Ergonomics examined the ...

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Creating safer and brave spaces in the municipal environment

Spaces where everyone can be their authentic selves are crucial for a thriving local democracy In the recent past, safe spaces have been a controversial ...

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AMO forum offers insights into women’s leadership, COVID recovery

At a time when the call is to bring more women into the political realm, the reality is that too many are being pushed out. ...

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Is “The Great Resignation” real?

After a year of remote work, large numbers of employees are unwilling to return to the office The third wave of the pandemic is largely ...

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Three tips for improving recruitment

Ageing workforce and looming retirements feed demand for modern approach to recruitment Municipal employers are falling behind private sector organizations in the recruitment of young, ...

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Unraveling the mystery behind employee retention

Seven big strategies for employee attraction and retention To many employers, employee retention remains about as much of a mystery as it is a widely ...

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Exercising political acumen at work

Four things new hires should know about navigating organizational politics Surviving and thriving in a politically charged environment can be challenging, certainly. But there are ...

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Building a respectful, dignified municipal workplace

Seven simple ideologies that show employees just how valued they are Many employers may believe developing a plan to actively protect your employees against harm ...

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CAO performance evaluation

Tips and strategies for reviewing the chief administrative officer Consider this scenario. You are in charge of a multi-million dollar corporation with hundreds of employees. ...

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Four “buckets” of working from anywhere

How to ensure a safe, productive, and beneficial work-from-anywhere program for the employee – and the employer From the onset of the pandemic, municipal employers ...

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Thinking big and the importance of visionary leadership

Whether you’re a city manager or an intern just starting out, being curious and asking the right questions can help make good things happen Local ...

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Time to take a break

Even taking just 10 minutes can improve your decision-making ability We work too much. More accurately, we work too many hours without a break. We ...

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Five ways to avoid fatigue with employee surveys

Receptive employees are key to the success of the employee engagement survey An employee engagement survey can create an understanding of the organization and, ultimately, ...

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Municipal work and the death of the watercooler culture

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed how municipal staff work. Before global lockdowns, staff predominately worked from municipal buildings. This typical model inverted during lockdown measures ...

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New strategies to recruit youth talent

With an ageing workforce, municipal recruitment practices are in need of a reset With an ageing workforce, employers are dependent on younger workers. This is ...

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Keep women in the workforce

What is a “shecession”? And what needs to be done about it? The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global recession that has surpassed the ...

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Implicit bias uncovered

Implicit bias and microaggressions are terms that often trigger fear, anxiety, and defensiveness among employees as they try to make sense of what these terms ...

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Life after work – Success or bust!

So, you’re thinking about retirement! Sitting at your desk or standing by your machine, you picture waking up in the morning when you’re ready, lounging ...

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Humour in the workplace: the ultimate HR resource

While HR is usually not the place people think of when they need a good laugh, humour can add value to a workplace – and ...

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Eight strategies for building a culture of health and safety

No one knows an organization to the extent of the human resources department, and the role of HR is continually shifting and expanding. While HR ...

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Helping employees prepare for retirement – a win/win approach

With many people retiring earlier, whether by choice, through organizational restructurings or downsizings, or unexpected personal events such as failing health, we may find we’re ...

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Communicating with employees during COVID-19

When COVID-19 hit, the City of Mississauga, like other municipalities, had to adjust its workplace to allow many employees to work from home. The primary ...

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Will working from home continue in the post COVID-19 municipal workforce?

Historically, the reasons municipalities cited for not allowing more employees to work from home sidestepped the issues of control and trust and focused on technology ...

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Hidden obligations for employers during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has literally changed the way we live and work. For many municipal employees, it is a case of changing where they work. ...

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Four mistakes to watch for in respectful workplaces – and how to fix them

“Do more with less.” When demand for more and better services at the local level coincides with calls for lower taxes and expenditures, municipal government ...

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What's going on with Stan? Coping in the era of exhaustion.

You and I need to talk about Stan: “He’s losing the thread in meetings.” “Why’s he so impetuous these days?” “Stan’s just not connecting the ...

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Good Leadership: A vaccine for the organizational flu

Little did the taxpayers know they were paying an extra five percent for the multiplex site servicing work in their small town. Why? Because bidding ...

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Creating a successful municipal employee mentoring program

An employee mentoring program is a useful tool for municipalities to foster career growth and development and have a positive impact within your organization. Mentoring ...

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Is it time to stop the unicorn races?

A whimsical analogy for a real-world HR problem Over the past decade, I’ve noticed a growing trend in both the public and private sector, with ...

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CAMA supports municipal administrators with new toolkit

Municipal administrators work at the crossroads of management and politics. Their job is a delicate balance between the formal and informal influences that shape decision ...

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Keeping summer students safe on the job

It is the time of year when many municipalities hire students for summer employment. These young, enthusiastic, and oftentimes obliging short-term employees can provide a ...

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Avoiding the costs of a bad hire: How intake strategy sessions can improve your hiring process

We’re all aware that bad hires are costly. And, it’s not just the money, which can often be a six-figure loss considering time, training, onboarding, ...

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Understanding ergonomics and pain in the workplace

As of April 2019, municipalities across Ontario will be undergoing review and inspections from ministry ergonomists. Recently, the Ministry of Labour implemented – with the ...

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Preventing pain in the workplace

As of April 2019, municipalities across Ontario will be undergoing review and inspections from ministry ergonomists. Recently, the Ministry of Labour implemented – with the ...

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7 common traps for new hires

It’s relatively easy for a newcomer to join an organization and learn the reporting relationships; the budgeting processes … all the structural things. It’s not ...

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Artificial intelligence & HR

In this era of social media and instant access to millions, everyone and everything seems to be in transition. Job postings often attract hundreds of ...

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Three predictions for the municipal workplace of the future

On February 21, 1967, Look magazine published an article entitled “The Class of 1989.” It contained a number of fascinating predictions for the work environment ...

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Respect & dignity - creating a psychologically safe and healthy workplace

We are witnessing a significant shift in workplace culture and accountability across North America. We are only now starting to move away from a time ...

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Top 10 Feature Stories for 2018

It's no secret that there were many important issues on the table for Canada’s local governments in 2018. Municipal World’s top 10 online feature stories ...

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What really motivates employees? (It's not what you think)

Much has been written of late about “drive,” engagement, and humans’ inherent tendency to seek novelty and challenge. We like to explore and learn. We ...

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Is your municipality ready to attract and retain top talent?

The war for talent is on, and municipalities are feeling the pinch – as are others in the public and not-for-profit sectors. The pressing question ...

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Office Politics with Honour

Most people respond to the topic of office politics with a monologue that goes something like this: “I hate office politics! It is a synonym ...

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2018 Report: Candid look at top issues keeping Canada’s CAOs up at night

According to a new report, municipal Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) are a reflection of their country: vastly diverse. Even so, CAOs from across Canada share ...

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Leadership coaching the new hire

Minimizing risk while maximizing potential On-board coaching helps the newly hired or promoted individual expedite their assimilation into the role, organization, and to become productive ...

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Back to values

Strategically managing employee-to-employee (mis)conduct Over the past several years, elected officials, executives, and senior managers of various local governments in Canada have expressed a high ...

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Respect and dignity

Creating a psychologically safe and healthy workplace We are witnessing a significant shift in workplace culture and accountability across North America. We are only now ...

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Top 10 strategies for employee attraction and retention

To many employers, employee retention remains about as much of a mystery as it is a widely discussed topic. Why is that? Organizations know that ...

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Building a people-first organizational culture

Feeding the beast There has been no shortage of ink spilled on think-pieces about what contributes to creating a great organizational culture. Peter Drucker is ...

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Councillors behaving badly

Is there an epidemic of municipal councillors behaving inappropriately? In recent years, news stories have told increasing tales of offside behaviour by councillors and heads ...

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Romance in the office

At this very moment, across Canada, there are a number of instances wherein a relationship is either developing between a member of council and a ...

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On being a CAO in Canada

I have long been concerned with the proposition that not only public servants, but also all citizens, are necessarily “independent moral actors.” The phrase derives ...

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Recruitment and retention

For many organizations and their hiring authorities, the recruitment and selection of qualified candidates is a constant struggle. What surprises me is how many postings ...

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Seven steps to civility in the workplace

Communication is not simple. If it were, there would not be thousands of books and articles written on the subject. Yet, communication is the key ...

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Micromanagers deliver micro-results

It continues to surprise me how many people end up in leadership positions while they lack the necessary people skills. They rise through the ranks ...

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