Using a range of projection scenarios, the labour force is projected to grow to between 20.5 million and 22.5 million by 2031. In 2010, the labour force numbered about 18.5 million.

All scenarios suggest a slowdown in the rate of growth in the labour force, primarily because of the retirement of baby boomers. The overall participation rate, that is, the percentage of the total population aged 15 and over that is in the labour force, is also projected to decline.

Between 1971 and 1976, when the large baby-boom cohorts were entering the labour market, the labour force increased at an average rate of just over 4% a year. This growth rate slowed to about 1.4% between 2006 and 2010. By 2016, growth is projected to be less than 1% on average in all scenarios. Projections show it could slow even further to between 0.2% and 0.7% in the period from 2021 to 2026.

In four of the five scenarios, the growth is projected to stop slowing after 2026, once most baby boomers have left the labour force.

The projections also suggest that, if recent trends continue, the labour force will become older and increasingly ethnoculturally diverse. Close to one person out of four in the labour force could be aged 55 or over by 2021. There would also be higher proportions of foreign-born people and people belonging to a visible minority group (as defined by theEmployment Equity Act) in the labour force.

Projections also show that the overall participation rate would decline and the diversity of the labour force would increase in every province.

Overall participation rate declines in all scenarios

As the growth of the labour force loses momentum, the population of seniors aged 65 and over is projected to grow increasingly rapidly as a result of population aging and the entry of the baby boomers into this age range.

Consequently, according to all scenarios, the overall participation rate is projected to decline during the next two decades.

In 2010, the participation rate was 67.0%; by 2031, it is projected to range between 59.7% and 62.6%, which would be the lowest observed since the late 1970s.

The projected decline in the overall participation rate over the next two decades would be largely attributable to demographic phenomena, such as the aging of the baby-boom cohorts, increasing life expectancy and a fertility rate below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman.

Nearly one person in four in the labour force projected to be 55 or more

The aging of the baby boomers, which is largely behind the projected decline in the overall participation rate, has had a major impact on the aging of the labour force. Between 2001 and 2009, the proportion of people in the labour force aged 55 and over rose from 10% to 17%, an increase of 7 percentage points in nine years. The first baby boomers reached the age of 55 in 2001.

This increase is projected to continue from 2010 to 2021, when the succeeding cohorts of baby boomers in turn reach 55. By 2021, according to three of the five scenarios, nearly one person in four in the labour force (roughly 24%) could be 55 years of age or over, the highest proportion on record.

Also, by 2031, the ratio of people in the labour force to seniors aged 65 and over not in the labour force, that is mostly retired people, is also projected to decline.

In 1981, there were roughly six persons in the labour force for each retiree. By 2031, or 50 years later, this ratio is projected to decline to less than three to one, according to all five scenarios. The ratio is projected to decline in every province.

About one person in three in the labour force projected to be foreign born

By 2031, roughly one in every three people in the labour force could be foreign born. Between 1991 and 2006, the percentage of foreign-born people in the labour force rose from 18.5% to 21.2%. If recent immigration levels were to continue, that proportion is projected to reach almost 33% in 2031, according to most scenarios.

For more than 20 years, Canadian immigration has come mainly from Asian countries. Consequently, between 1996 and 2006, the proportion of people in the labour force belonging to a visible minority group rose from 10% to 15%. According to most scenarios, this proportion could more than double to 32% by 2031.

Even if there were no immigration between 2010 and 2031, the proportion of people in the labour force belonging to a visible minority group would increase to about 23% in 2031.

This would be the result of two factors: first, the age structure of the visible minority population is younger than the general population, which means that fewer visible minority persons would retire by 2031. Secondly, the children of recent immigrants would gradually enter the labour force.

In addition, between 2006 and 2031, an increasing proportion of persons in the labour force belonging to a visible minority group is projected to be Canadian born. In 2006, Canadian-born visible minorities accounted for about 17% of all visible minority people in the labour force; by 2031, their proportion is projected to rise to roughly 25%.

Again, this increase is mainly a result of two factors: first, Canadian-born visible-minority people tend to have a high level of education, so more participate in the labour force. Second, the children of immigrants who have arrived since the early 1990s will gradually enter the labour market.

The study “Projected trends to 2031 for the Canadian labour force” is included in the June 2011 Internet edition of the Canadian Economic Observer, Vol. 24, no. 6 (11-010-X, free), from the Key resource module of our website under Publications.

For further information regarding Canada’s labour force projections, contact the National Contact Centre (613-951-8116; toll-free 1-800-263-1136; infostats@statcan.gc.ca). To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-866-767-5611; 613-951-2320; fax: 613-951-2307;demography@statcan.gc.ca), Demography Division.

Related articles

• Canada’s ranks of retired about to go boom (thestar.com)
• Retiring boomers slowing labour force growth: StatsCan (ctv.ca)

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Workplace diversity is a people issue, focused on the differences and similarities that people bring to an organization. It is usually defined broadly to include dimensions beyond those specified legally in equal opportunity and affirmative action non-discrimination statutes. Diversity is often interpreted to include dimensions which influence the identities and perspectives that people bring, such as profession, education, parental status and geographic location.

As a concept, diversity is considered to be inclusive of everyone. In many ways, diversity initiatives complement non-discrimination compliance programs by creating the workplace environment and organizational culture for making differences work. Diversity is about learning from others who are not the same, about dignity and respect for all, and about creating workplace environments and practices that encourage learning from others and capture the advantage of diverse perspectives.

Advantages Of Diversity

Most companies recognize there are advantages to diversity in the workplace.  By integrating workers from culturally diverse backgrounds into their workforce companies become stronger.  However, many firms don’t understand the importance or challenges of workplace diversity. Diversity needs to be seen as an integral part of the business plan, essential to successful products and increased sales. This is especially true in today’s global marketplace, as companies interact with different cultures and clients.

Among the advantages of diversity in the workplace are: increased creativity, increased productivity, new attitudes, new language skills, global understanding, new processes, and new solutions to difficult problems.

1. Creativity increases when people with different ways of solving difficult problems work together towards a common solution. There is no one best answer to any question–the more ideas you can obtain from different people, the more likely you are to develop a workable answer. Other cultures can offer insightful alternatives you might not consider. This is a tremendous advantage of diversity in the workplace.

2. Productivity increases exponentially when people of all cultures pull together towards a single inspiring goal. Foreign executives are extremely successful in the North America corporate world because of globalization and internationalization. People from China and India benefit US firms with their quantitative skills. European citizens–Swiss, Germans, British, and French–do well here in high-level jobs.  Increased productivity is an obvious advantage of diversity in the workplace.

3. New attitudes are brought to the business table by people from diverse cultures. For instance, you may want to consider adopting the perspective other cultures have about time. Our culture believes that “time is money” and “getting to the bottom line” is paramount in business. However, in most other countries around the world “time is for building relationships” and an integral part of getting to know the other party you are considering doing business with before starting a transaction. How much of an advantage would workplace diversity be if you followed this practice more closely?

4. Language skills are obviously needed in today’s increasingly global economy–and diverse workers often have this proficiency. If a company needs specific knowledge or language skills, it may hire foreign nationals for help. In some markets, international job seekers have the advantage. For example, companies breaking into European, Asian or Latin American markets will need foreign expertise. High-tech firms in particular are expanding into countries abroad. We like to believe that English is “the language of the world.” While that may be true for business, our native tongue ranks second in the world behind Chinese and just slightly ahead of Hindustani. To truly build relationships with the other people of the world, we must speak their language. It is a tremendous advantage of workplace diversity if we enable people from other cultures can help us understand not just their words, but also the meaning behind what they are saying.

5. Understanding how North America fits into the world picture is crucial. By relating to people of all backgrounds, you gain a greater perspective on how different cultures operate and experience greater success in global business as a result.The average American believes that the U.S. accounts for about 25 percent of the world’s population. People from outside the US know the figure is actually less than five percent.

6. New processes can result when people with different ideas come together and collaborate. In today’s fast-moving world, there is no longer room for thinking, “We have always done things this way and cannot change.” You must bring multiple skills to the environment, think cross culturally, and adapt quickly to new situations. Those who meet these criteria are likely to do well, regardless of culture–even in tough economic times.

Workplace diversity can make companies more productive and profitable. They also bring differences that we must understand and embrace for those benefits to be realized.

Related articles

• A Forbes Study Finds Diversity & Inclusion are Good for Creativity and Innovation (alicia-arnold.com)
• Diversity = Productivity Redux (advertisingtobabyboomers.blogspot.com)

Today’s workplace has four distinct generations working together:

• Traditionalists or Veterans (born approximately 1922–45)
• Baby Boomers (1946–60)
• Generation X (1961–80)
• Millennials or Generation Y (1981–?)

Use the following suggestions to help you get along with co-workers of different generations:

Be self aware.

Think about how people of different generations may view your behaviour and pay attention to your own beliefs and values. For example, Boomers have had to work many long, hard hours in order to stand out among the huge numbers of their generation in the workforce. Gen Xers and Millennials may think that Boomers don’t care about life outside of work because they are focusing on the Boomers’ behaviour rather than the forces that shaped it.

On the other hand, Gen Xers entered the workforce during a time when organizations were downsizing and restructuring. They’ve learned to rely on themselves and to place a high value on their life outside of work. Veterans and Boomers who kept their jobs during the restructuring handled the situation by working harder. To them, Gen Xers may appear too focused on the “life” side of the work-life balance.

Keep an open mind.

Challenge your assumptions. For example, the Veteran who wears a business suit and seems uncomfortable with technology may be highly creative. The Gen Xer who leaves early and files reports from home may not be out partying all night but may be sharing child care with a spouse.

Focus on the goal.

If everyone on the team does their share, it may not matter whether Veterans work at their desks during office hours, whether Boomers work after hours, whether Gen Xers work at home on the weekend or whether Millennials work on laptops in cafés between jobs.

Value diversity.

Accept each generation’s different experiences and perspectives. Veterans and Boomers have the kind of experience that comes from years in the workforce—when it comes to the ups and downs of working life, they really have seen it all. Gen Xers and Millennials can benefit from their experience.

Gen Xers have developed the skills to be independent and self-directed. Millennials learned their teamwork skills in day care. Both have grown up working and playing with technology: cell phones with cameras, text messaging, wireless connections from hand-held computers to company networks. Millennials and Gen Xers use all available technology effortlessly to work at any time, from anywhere. What may sometimes look like youthful arrogance is more likely competence and confidence—Veterans and Boomers can benefit by recognizing the difference.

Support and learn from each other.

Co-workers from each generation have much to offer each other. For example, Gen Xers and Millennials can share their technology skills with Boomers and Veterans. The older generations can mentor the younger. Each generation has something to learn from:

Veterans’ perspectives on loyalty
Boomers’ dedication to the goal
Gen Xers’ skills at achieving work-life balance
Millennials’ comfort with diversity

Discover common interests.

Sports, hobbies, films, favourite TV shows, volunteering—people from different generations may share more interests than they realize. What starts out as small talk in the coffee room may develop into an appreciation for a different point of view or a chance to explore a new skill.

Veterans, Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials all bring a wide range of skills, outlooks and experiences to the workplace. When generations recognize and respect their differences, they stay open to the opportunity to learn from each other.

Given all the time you invest in recruiting and hiring the perfect employee, it may feel like the hard part is over once the perfect employee has showed up for his first day on the job. But nothing could be further from the truth. Your perfect employee’s first few days on the job are the days that you should be willing to invest your time and effort anew. After all, to keep the perfect employee, you need to make sure he feels that your business is the perfect environment for him and that he adds value to your company. Here are eight keys to keeping the perfect employee once you’ve hired him.

1. Balance the Work. One of the most difficult aspects of adding an employee to your team is the fact that work needs to be redistributed. Those training the new employee won’t be able to keep up with their workloads, and that can cause hard feelings and resentment. Make sure you’ve distributed the work evenly among your employees, and do the lion’s share of the training of the new employee yourself. Your perfect new hire will be glad to get the chance to know you, and your existing employees will feel like you’re looking out for their best interests as well.

2. Welcome By Committee. This committee will be compromised of everyone on the new employee’s team. Ask the perfect new employee’s team to meet with him, to prepare appropriate training materials, and to generally make him feel welcome. This will cut into their productive time, but efforts on the front end will only pay off later.

3. Use the Buddy System. Introduce the perfect new employee to his buddy almost as soon as he walks in the door. This buddy will be responsible for getting the perfect new employee to meetings on time and for answering all of the questions he may have about company protocol and culture.

4. Welcome Them At the Door. Make sure someone is standing at the door, literally, to welcome the perfect new employee on his first day. This shows him that you’re excited to see him and gets the relationship off on the right foot from the very beginning. If you really want to go out of your way, you could meet him at a coffee shop before work starts to visit with him and escort him to the building.

5. Set Up the Work Area. Make sure that the perfect new employee’s work area is perfectly prepared for him as soon as he walks in the door. Don’t scramble around to clean it up while he’s waiting to sit down in his new area. Make sure the computers are networked, email accounts are set up, writing equipment is available, and a desk chair is clean and ready to go.

6. Provide a Training Schedule. It should be one of the first things your perfect new employee receives when he arrives. It will help orient him and help him feel like he has productive things to do with his time for the first few days.

7. Give Him Food. Always take the perfect new employee to lunch within the first few days or work. If the first day isn’t optimal for everyone, then go within a few days. Try to get the whole team to go if possible. If not, make sure his buddy can go with him. One of the most anxiety-inducing situations in a new job is not knowing the company culture surrounding meals. Help reduce that anxiety by going out to lunch.

8. Announce Arrival. Issue an internal press release that includes a picture. Highlight the perfect new employee’s experience and gifts. Also announce it to your vendors and business partners. The perfect new employee will feel much more comfortable interacting with partners and vendors if he knows that they already know who he is.

About the Author: Seomul Evans is a senior Search Engine Marketing consultant specializing in Meta Video Search Engines and SEO articles.

Related articles

• How to Hire With Fit in Mind (businessbybailey.wordpress.com)
• Finding that perfect fit (preemploymentscreening.wordpress.com)

Here they are. The people we hate. Short and sweet.

10. Stop Sign
I want to slap him every time he dumps on my great new ideas.

9. FlimFlam
How does he keep tricking me into doing his work? Damn you, Flimflam!

8. Bulldozer
If only I could stick a muffler on his mouth.

7. Smiley Face
Maybe it’s not a phony smile on his face. Maybe it’s just Botox. Whatever it is, I hate it.

6. Liar Liar
I don’t have enough time left in the day to figure out who isn’t lying.

5. Switchblade
The only thing I can count on from this jerk is trash-talking me to the boss.

4. Minute Man
Dude’s grabbed so many minutes of my time he could build a week out of them.

3. Know-It-None
Blogs, Wikipedia, reality TV. This clown couldn’t tell fact from fiction if they were wearing name tags.

2. Spreadsheets
I’d like to cram his rulebook where the sun don’t shine.

1. Sheeple
I hate them because they make brainless meetings, sorting e-mail, and mind-numbing tasks appear so productive that I’m tempted to become one with the herd.

©2009 Jonathan Littman & Marc Hershon, authors of I Hate People!: Kick Loose from the Overbearing and Underhanded Jerks at Work and Get What You Want Out of Your Job

Author Bios
Jonathan Littman, is the author of I Hate People! and numerous acclaimed works of nonfiction, including The Fugitive Game, The Watchman, and The Beautiful Game. He is also the coauthor of IDEO’sThe Art of Innovation and The Ten Faces of Innovation. He is a contributing editor for Playboy and a columnist for Yahoo! Sports.

Marc Hershon is the coauthor of  I Hate People! and a branding expert who helped to create the names for the BlackBerry, Swiffer, nüvi, and many other influential products. He is also a comedy veteran who has worked closely, with Dana Carvey, Bill Maher, and Robin Williams.

For more information please visit www.IHatePeople.biz

Let’s Talk: A guide to resolving workplace conflicts (pdf 3807 KB)

TORONTO, Oct. 2 /CNW/ – The authors of the annual list of Canada’s Top 100 Employers have released their 2009 winners and this year’s results are remarkable. “Even amid the market uncertainties we’ve seen over the past year,” says Managing Editor Richard Yerema, “forward-thinking employers are redoubling their efforts to improve working conditions for employees who help them weather these economic storms.” The result is an exceptional list (shown below) of employers that lead their industries in attracting and retaining top talent.\

Now in its 9th year, the annual Canada’s Top 100 Employers competition recognizes employers that are industry leaders at attracting and retaining employees. The competition is organized by Mediacorp Canada Inc., the nation’s largest publisher of employment-related periodicals and online directories.

To develop this year’s Top 100 list, Mediacorp examined the recruitment histories of over 75,000 employers across Canada that it tracks for its popular job search site, Eluta.ca. From this initial group, Mediacorp invited 10,000 of the fastest-growing employers, plus 6,000 other companies and organizations in industries that Mediacorp editors wanted to examine more closely, to apply for this year’s competition. Employers were asked to complete an extensive application process that included a detailed review of their operations and HR practices. Over 2,000 employers started this year’s application process.

In reviewing each employer’s application, Yerema and his editorial team reviewed eight key areas: (1) Physical Workplace; (2) Work Atmosphere & Social; (3) Health, Financial & Family Benefits; (4) Vacation & Time Off; (5) Employee Communications; (6) Performance Management; (7) Training & Skills Development; and (8) Community Involvement. These criteria have remained consistent throughout the nine years of the Canada’s Top 100 Employers project.

The editors’ internal grades for each of these eight areas – with supporting reasons – are now published on Mediacorp’s popular job search site, Eluta.ca. “Publishing detailed reasons for selection,” says Publisher Anthony Meehan, “is a distinguishing feature of the Canada’s Top 100 Employers competition. Besides providing transparency, it allows other employers to discover what these special organizations are doing – and to emulate these best practices.”

In choosing the finalists, Yerema and the editorial team considered how each employer compared to others in its industry and region. This year’s list includes large and small employers from a range of industries, offering varying benefits and working conditions. What is common to all winners is that each is an industry leader: from architectural firms to community housing agencies, the employers chosen this year are leaders in their industry in attracting and retaining quality employees.

“This year was the most competitive since starting the Canada’s Top 100 Employers project almost a decade ago,” says Yerema. “We received a record number of applications from employers and our benchmarks for the areas we consider have increased in all industries and regions. These employers are leading the nation.”

2009 WINNERS – CANADA’S TOP 100 EMPLOYERS

• Adobe Systems Canada Inc., Ottawa ON
• Aecon Group Inc., Toronto ON
• Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc., Boyle AB
• AMAPCEO, Toronto ON BD Canada Inc.,
• Oakville ON Bayer Inc.,
• Toronto ON Blake,
• Cassels & Graydon LLP, Toronto ON
• Boeing Canada Technology Ltd., Winnipeg MB
• Business Development Bank of Canada, Montréal QC
• CAE Inc., Saint-Laurent QC
• CH2M HILL Canada Ltd., Toronto ON
• Canada Post Corp., Ottawa ON
• Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd., Calgary AB
• Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Ottawa ON
• Canadian Tire Financial Services Ltd., Welland ON
• Carswell, div. Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd., Toronto ON
• Cascades Inc., Kingsey Falls QC
• Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto, Toronto ON
• Cementation Canada Inc., North Bay ON
• Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, Toronto ON
• Ceridian Canada Ltd., Winnipeg MB
• Certified General Accountants Assoc. Canada, Burnaby BC
• Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, Chatham-Kent ON
• College of Physicians & Surgeons of Ontario, Toronto ON
• Compass Group Canada, Mississauga ON
• DeltaWare Systems Inc., Charlottetown PE
• Durham Regional Police Service, Whitby ON
• EPCOR Utilities Inc., Edmonton AB
• Enbridge Inc., Calgary AB
• Export Development Canada, Ottawa ON
• FSC Architects & Engineers, Yellowknife NT
• Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Toronto ON
• Farm Credit Canada, Regina SK
• Gamma-Dynacare Medical Laboratories Inc., Brampton ON
• George Brown College, Toronto ON
• Golder Associates Ltd., Burnaby BC
• The Great Little Box Company Ltd., Vancouver BC
• HSBC Bank Canada, Vancouver BC
• The Halifax Herald Ltd., Halifax NS
• Hamilton Health Sciences Corp., Hamilton ON
• Hewlett-Packard (Canada) Co., Mississauga ON
• Hill & Knowlton Canada, Toronto ON
• HOK/Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, Toronto ON
• Honeywell Ltd., Mississauga ON
• IKEA Canada LP, Burlington ON
• Jacques Whitford Ltd., Dartmouth NS
• KPMG LLP, Toronto ON
• Kodak Graphic Communications Canada Co., Burnaby BC
• L’Oréal Canada Inc., Montréal QC
• Laurentide Controls Ltd., Kirkland QC
• Manitoba Liquor Control Commission, Winnipeg MB
• Mars Canada Inc., Bolton ON
• Marsh Canada Ltd., Toronto ON
• McGill University, Montréal QC
• Meridian Credit Union, St. Catharines ON
• Monsanto Canada Inc., Winnipeg MB
• NB Power Holding Corp., Fredericton NB
• National Energy Board, Calgary AB
• New Flyer Industries Canada, Winnipeg MB
• Next Level Games Inc., Vancouver BC
• Nycomed Canada Inc., Oakville ON
• OPSEU Pension Trust, Toronto ON
• Office of the Auditor General of Canada, Ottawa ON
• Ontario Power Generation Inc., Toronto ON
• Ontario Public Service, Toronto ON
• PCL Construction Group Inc., Edmonton AB
• Patient News Publishing Inc., Haliburton ON
• PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Toronto ON
• Procter & Gamble Inc., Toronto ON
• Research In Motion Ltd., Waterloo ON
• RBC/Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto ON
• Royal Canadian Mint, Ottawa ON
• Russell Investments Canada Ltd., Toronto ON
• SAS Institute Canada, Inc., Toronto ON
• Sapient Canada, Inc., Toronto ON
• SaskEnergy Inc., Regina SK
• SaskTel, Regina SK
• Saskatchewan Gaming Corp., Regina SK
• Saskatchewan Government Insurance, Regina SK
• Shell Canada Ltd., Calgary AB
• Simon Fraser University, Burnaby BC
• Sophos Inc., Vancouver BC
• Spruceland Millworks Inc., Acheson AB
• Stikeman Elliott LLP, Toronto ON
• Suncor Energy Inc., Calgary AB
• TD Bank Financial Group, Toronto ON
• Tamm Communications Inc., Toronto ON
• Toronto Community Housing Corp., Toronto ON
• Toronto Hydro Corp., Toronto ON
• Toronto International Film Festival Group, Toronto ON
• Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc., Cambridge ON
• Trican Well Service Ltd., Calgary AB
• University Health Network, Toronto ON
• University of Alberta, Edmonton AB
• Upside Software Inc., Edmonton AB
• City of Vancouver, Vancouver BC
• Wardrop Engineering Inc., Winnipeg MB
• County of Wellington, Guelph ON
• WorkSafeBC, Vancouver BC
• Yellow Pages Group, Verdun QC

• Establishes the conditions of employment present at the time of hire for example: hours of work, vacation entitlement, sick day payment, retirement age, etc.
• Acts a reference tool for information about the employee benefit plan, payroll, overtime, pay increases etc.
• Use as part of the orientation process to familiarize employee with the employer and the work location.
• Communication tool to pass along organizational history, culture, and chain of command.
• Familiarization with the organization–who does what, identify appropriate avenues for information.
• Reduces litigation because it clearly outlines what is expected from the employee – i.e. code of conduct, dress, language, smoking.
• Establishes rules and regulations (however, it should include a disclaimer that discipline may be issued for behavior not included in the list — list is not all encompassing)

Essentials of a Good Employee Handbook

1. A disclaimer at the beginning of the handbook limits litigation concerning policies and procedures, hours of work, payment, benefits, etc. A good disclaimer will reserve the right of the employer to make changes to the content.
2. A statement of the employer’s commitment to equal opportunity and to providing a harassment-free workplace.
3. Introduction to the organization.
4. Mission statement of the organization.
5. Recruitment practices:
• how jobs are posted
• how positions are filled.
6. Job evaluation methods.
7. Salary Administration Practices:
• merit increases
• performance reviews
8. Working Conditions:
• hours of work
• attendance
• overtime
• training
• retirement
9. Computer/Internet access policy
10. Code of conduct
11. Special Services:
• staff meals
• security
• health & safety
• staff lounge
• smoking room
• parking
12. Human Resources.
13. Complaint/Grievance Procedures.
14. Pay delivery and other payroll services (deductions):
• Savings Plans
• Charitable Donations
• T4
15. Indirect benefits:
• Group Insurance Benefits
• Employee Assistance Plan
• Pension Plan
• Vacation Sick Leave provisions
16. Leaves of Absence:
• Maternity/Parental Leave
• Jury Duty
• Bereavement Leave
• Personal Leave
17. Guidelines for termination of employment.
18. What to do if you cannot report to work.
19. Acknowledgment of receipt of the book by the employee.
20. Statement that the employer may have to treat some employees differently to ensure equal treatment.
21. Personal Information:
• how to update your file
• release of information on your file
• written request required to review your records

Pitfalls in creating an employee handbook:

1. Information is written in language too difficult to understand.
2. Carelessly chosen wording which creates an employment contract.
3. Failure to state information will be updated from time to time (Management can reserve the right to do this).
4. Inconsistency between sections of the handbook.
5. Over promising or setting unachievable standards.
6. Too much information — less is more. It should be short simple English.
7. Hardback copy makes updating extremely expensive and difficult.
8. Too boring, no theme or sense of fun. Employee will not read.

Conducted on behalf of the HR Council by Ipsos Reid, the parallel surveys provide an overall national picture of paid employment in the sector. The Survey of Employers provides empirical evidence about the characteristics of organizations, their recruitment and retention practices and challenges, as well as their skills needs. The Survey of Employees provides new statistical information about the demographic characteristics of the people who work in the sector, what they find satisfying and dissatisfying about their jobs, and their plans and expectations for the future.

“With the results of these national surveys, we are building tangible evidence of the realities of paid employment in our sector,” says HR Council Executive Director Lynne Toupin. “The data collected in these national surveys will help lay the foundation for the development of strategies and plans to respond to those realities.”

The surveys are an integral part of the HR Council’s Labour Force Study, a comprehensive look at paid employment in the sector leading to a first-ever labour force strategy for the sector.

The Study’s third and final report, featuring recommendations shaped by the survey results and strengthened by input from sector stakeholders, will be published in March 2009.

The first two published reports from the Labour Force Study are available online on the HR Council’s website at the following URL: http://www.hrcouncil.ca/projects/council-projects-sector.cfm

There are two types of slackers in most organisations, those who are in over their heads when it comes to getting the job done and those who are just plain lazy. Both types are difficult to deal with and both create morale problems in the workplace.

Regardless of type, slackers have common behaviours:

• They consistently fail to do what they’re expected to do.
• They excel at “busy work”.
• They’re the last to arrive, but the first to leave.
• They try to pass off tasks to other staff members.
• They often claim to be “too busy” to help out.
• They spend lots of time visiting around the office; often interfering with the work of others.
• They lots of time surfing the web, on personal phone calls or personal e-mail/messaging.

Here are some techniques for dealing with slackers:

• Talk with them in private about their behaviour, not in the middle of a team meeting.
• Don’t get angry. Remain calm and objective.
• Focus on measurable productivity. Don’t blame or accuse. Focus on the behaviour not the personality.
• Describe the behaviour’s negative impact on the team.
• Set clear expectations and set up an accountability system to track the expectations. Document the expectations in writing.
• Get a commitment to changing.

Some questions for consideration. Post your answers in the comments below.

1. Have dealt with slackers? How?
2. Have you been a slacker? What were the consequences? What made you change your behaviour?
3. Why is it important to avoid being confrontational?
4. What kinds of skills do slackers need to work on? (E.g.: time management.)