40% of Canadians Report Working Longer Hours Due to Mobile Technology

According to an Angus Reid poll from 2015, Canadians are working longer hours due to mobile technology. In fact, 40% of Canadians report that they have increased their working hours. Checking and responding to text messages, voice mail and email during off hours accounts for the majority of the extra working hours. Despite the added hours, the majority of Canadians report they are ok with this use of their smart phones. The flexibility offered by using mobile technology seems to outweigh any downside of working additional hours during personal time.

Up to 21% of Canadians check email after hours every day. While another 20% check email regularly. Younger workers in the 18 to 24 age group were more likely to report after hours work than older age groups.

What is the impact of all this “checking in”?

We need to be careful not to take advantage of the 24/7 availability of employees. Employers need to set boundaries and ensure people have sufficient breaks away from work. Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that over work results in a decline in productivity and quality.

Resist the temptation to get a quick answer or to share your great new idea that pops into your head at 11 pm. Instead, send yourself a note to follow up in the morning. Just because we are entering a new era where people demand instant feedback does not mean we cannot limit our expectations.

The upside of mobile technology is the increasing flexible workday. Many jobs are no longer tied to the traditional 9 to 5 office hours. Some work can be done at any time of day and allows employees to make effective use of their work and personal time. Many people find their most productive work times are late in the evening or very early in the morning. Others want to take time out during the traditional work day to exercise or to participate in their children’s activities. These employees are willing to work in the evening or on weekends to ensure the flexible schedule benefits everyone.

Interested in more details from the Angus Reid Research?

 

One year delay announced for implementation of the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP).

On February 16, 2016, Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa announced the province will delay the implementation of the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP) by one year. Large corporations will be required to register with the ORPP by next January 1, 2017, but will not be required to remit premiums until January 1, 2018. The delay will give employers more time to prepare for the ORPP.

Minister Sousa also announced the province has reached an agreement with the federal government on administrative support for the ORPP. The federal government has agreed to facilitate retirement plan registration and will work with the province on collecting employer and employee contributions.

The ORPP, which was passed into legislation in 2015, has come under tremendous criticism from business leaders. Although many are against any form of pension plan reform, others believe a nationwide CPP expansion is what Ontarians and Canadians need. The delay will give the federal government and the other provinces more time to “engage in a national dialogue about the enhancement to the Canada Pension Plan” according to Mr. Sousa.

For a summary of the ORPP, read the Fusion Blog from September 2015 – ORPP Implementation and the guide to the ORPP for Employers.

Want to read more about the announcement – Ontario Retirement Pension Plan Delayed – read the latest ORPP news release.

Improve Your Staffing Process by Avoiding these 5 Hiring Mistakes Managers Make Too Often

Finding and keeping great employees is tough. If your company has experienced a costly hiring mistake, you will know exactly what I am talking about. Hiring the wrong person can cost your company a lot – lost productivity, production delays, damage to customer relations, impact on staff morale, costs and time to re-hire, and termination payments are just some of the potential costs.

Below are 5 hiring mistakes that managers make too often. These actions will negatively impact the hiring process and may cause you more headaches as you try to explain to senior management why the new hire did not work out. Avoid these hiring mistakes:

1. Slow Hiring Process: Many managers miss out on hiring great candidates because the hiring process takes too long! Competition for good employees is a reality. Take a close look at your hiring process and figure out the average time from application to job offer.  On average how many weeks does it take to hire someone new at your company? If it is an unreasonably long process, find out where the delays are happening? Are good candidates moving on because they receive no feedback or feedback occurs too late? What can you do to avoid delays and speed up decision making? Delays can’t always be avoided, so how can you keep a good candidate engaged? Communication is essential. If you can provide candidates with a simple explanation, you have a good chance of keeping their interest.    
2. Outdated Job Descriptions: Lack of planning and the reliance on outdated job descriptions is a frequent hiring mistake. Basically, this mistake boils down to managers who don’t know who or what they are looking for. In the rush to get the job advertised and get a person on board, managers are not taking the time to really think about the problem, the skills needed and the right fit. Jobs change and evolve over time and in many cases you don’t need to hire someone exactly like the last person who held the job. Managers don’t take the time to clearly describe the job responsibilities or they make the mistake of delivering a laundry list of job requirements, without identifying the essential skills, knowledge and personality needed. What happens next is managers are presented with candidates who might be a perfect fit for an old job description from 2015, but can’t deliver on solving problems and issues today.
3. Focus on Talent Needed – Forget to “sell” the Company and Role: Recruitment has transitioned into a marketing function. Companies that are able to attract top talent have carefully developed their company brand and are marketing to candidates in many different ways. Too many managers focus solely on what they want and forget to “sell” the company and the role. Hiring someone new is a partnership. You are looking for a certain person with the skills, knowledge, experience and personal fit. But you are also offering more than just a job, you are offering a culture, atmosphere, training, future development opportunities and more. The recruitment process should involve some effort to present the company and role to prospective candidates – in the job ad, during telephone screening, at the interview stage and at the time of offer. Candidates are becoming more accustomed to being “wooed” by prospective employers. If you miss the opportunity to present the benefits of working for your company you could lose a potentially great candidate.  Even worse is failing to present a realistic preview of what it is like to work in your company, and hiring someone who is not the right fit.
4. Too many Steps: Hoops, Gates, Bars, and other Roadblocks to Pass. Does this describe a typical hiring process at your company? If you set up too many steps in your process you will lose great candidates. Too many steps usually means a slow process which is Hiring Mistake #1.  Candidates that are asked to complete too many steps, especially if they are not relevant to the role, will likely move on to more promising job opportunities. These candidates may move on before you even have a chance to interview them. Companies set up steps in their hiring process for valid business reasons. Unfortunately, they often make the mistake of asking all job candidates go thru all steps, even when it is not necessary for the role. Design evaluation tools that meet the needs of the individual job. Get feedback from recent candidates and hires about your process and try to eliminate unnecessary steps to speed up your process.
5. Unstructured Interview: You need a structured interview process. What happens when you just wing it? Usually you end up talking too much and not learning enough about the candidates. Interviews have been proven to be very poor predictors of hiring success. But since they are still so widely used and relied upon, you can at least improve the outcomes by having a structure to follow. Without a structure you might end up hiring the person who is most like you or who makes the best first impression. What is a structured interview? 
   • Identify the essential requirements of the job – skills, knowledge, experience, personality, and cultural fit.
   • Draft interview questions that will give you information about the essential job requirements.
   • You likely have a list of “nice to have skills” too. Draft questions about these points as well, but remember when making your decision to put more weight on the “essential requirements”.
   • Read the candidates resume and draft some specific questions about their skills sets and experience.
   • Take time to really listen – pause before you ask the next question and often the candidate will fill the void, giving you more in-depth answers.
   • Try to find out a little about the candidate’s motivation for changing jobs and interest in the role.
   • Make notes – this will help you with decision making.
   • Know about bias and try to avoid making biased decisions – hiring someone like you; first impression bias; favouring either the first person interviewed or the last person interviewed; or similarly putting too much weight on either the first or last thing a candidates says.

The Ontario Government Announced new details this week about the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP).

On January 26, 2016,  Premier Kathleen Wynne and Minister of Finance Charles Sousa announced new information on the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan update. ORPP details include information regarding the structure of ORPP benefits, compliance and enforcement, plan comparability and member participation.

There was some speculation, before the new year, that the ORPP might be put on hold and replaced by a Federal overhaul of the CPP. We now know this is not the situation. The Ontario Government will be going ahead with the ORPP implementation beginning January 1, 2017 for large employers.

For a summary of the ORPP, read the Fusion Blog from September 2015 – ORPP Implementation.

Looking for more on the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan update, read the latest ORPP news release, information on additional design details and guide to the ORPP for Employers.

 

Requests for Workplace Accommodation can be confusing and challenging for Managers

Requests for workplace accommodation are becoming more commonplace. Not sure whether you must accommodate a specific employee request? Find out more about accommodation and your duty as an employer under the Human Rights Code.

Human Rights Code

The Human Rights Code (HRC) provides for equal treatment in employment and protection against discrimination and harassment. The following are protected grounds under the HRC: age, ancestry, colour, race, citizenship, ethnic origin, place of origin, creed, disability, family status, martial status, gender identity/expression, record of offenses, sex, and sexual orientation.  

Accommodation

What is workplace accommodation? Sometimes people need individual arrangements so they can do their job equally – this is called accommodation under Human Rights Code. A request for accommodation may be for a short period of time or it may be required on an on-going basis.

Workplace Accommodation may include:

• modifying duties, standards or rules
• changes to facilities or workstations
• use of assistive devices
• alternate work arrangements or time off work

Workplace Accommodation is not:

• creating a new job
• assigning non-productive work

Most employee requests for accommodation under the Human Rights Code will be based on disability, family status or creed grounds. For example:

Person with a Disability: Employee who is returning to work after an illness requests a chair at the service counter so they can sit down for part of the day.

Family Status: Employee requests change in hours of work (start and end day ½ hour earlier) in order to pick up children from daycare.

Creed: Employee requests a day off work to celebrate a religious holiday.

Responding to a Request for Workplace Accommodation

Not all employee requests will be covered by the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Consider the Request

Each request should be carefully considered based on your employee’s individual circumstances. Often you can make simple changes in the workplace that will satisfy your employee’s needs. The changes may result in improved productivity and employee dedication. Treat your employee fairly and respectfully at all times.

Is the request covered by the Ontario Human Rights Code?

Carefully review your employee’s request for workplace accommodation to determine if it is covered by the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Solutions

There are often multiple solutions that will meet the accommodation needs of your employee. You do not have to immediately accept the solution proposed by your employee. Meet with your employee and ask questions. Consult with medical or other professionals if needed.  Explore a variety of options before making a final decision.

Decision

Before making a final decision ensure that you:

• understand the law – Ontario Human Rights Code,
• treat each request in good faith,
• consider your employee’s individual circumstances,
• work with your employee to collect information,
• explore a variety of solutions,
• consider Health and Safety requirements,
• choose a solution that best meets your operational needs and meets your employee’s need for accommodation.

The information provided is an overview. Your situation is unique. Refer to the Human Rights Code or contact Fusion Career Services for advice.