In the Beneplan Annual Report 2016, we had announced a new complimentary “HR Support at Beneplan” concept to support member owners with an exceptional HR consulting service.The “HR Advice by Beneplan” service function was introduced as a value add service for existing and new clients in March 2017. It was offered at no additional cost, as part of the Beneplan HR Toolkit for clients.In the subsequent nine months ending December 2017, we noted a steady rise in client HR advice cases addressed, as we continued to raise awareness of this value add service and more clients took advantage of it.A tactical report was developed concurrent with the launch of this service for the purpose of tracking evolution of cases and to develop potential additional resources for clients, in conjunction with this service function.We ended the 2017 calendar year with 70 unique clients taking advantage of the “HR advice by Beneplan” service and generating 210 unique advice queries logged and answered.The averages to note are:
- Over 23 unique cases handled per month,
- Over 1 unique service case per business day worked in 2017, since launch date.
- There is a dip in cases handled in September 2017 due to a life event & vacation absence for a major of the month.
- 81% of cases were related to Employee Lifecycle, Compliance issues or Separation of Employment.
- Employee Lifecycle includes cases covering Benefits, Disability, Leaves of Absence, HR Resources, Performance Management, Hours of Work, Policies & Workplace Accommodation.
- Compliance includes cases covering AODA, WSIB, Bill 148 changes, Payroll and the ESA.
- In mid-2017, based on ongoing analysis of case trend metrics, Beneplan introduced a monthly HR blog for clients, covering relevant topics that include the changing HR landscape, managing risk, and enriching the employee experience.
- In November 2017, to further engage clients, and encourage preparedness for legislative changes due to bill 148, Beneplan hosted a 2017 HR & Employment Law Conference Workshop at the Toronto Airport Center.
- The event was well attended by clients with presentations by the Beneplan GM, Beneplan’s Sr. HR Manager & eminent Toronto law firm Sherrard Kuzz & Assoc. among other partner vendors.
More information and slide-deck’s for the conference workshop are available on the Beneplan blog at http://beneplan.ca/annual-hr-conference-slide-decks/
HR Advice 2018
Employment ContractsThis often overlooked document sets the tone for the employment relationship, and outlined key parameters for the employment relationship. Having a robust employment contract with an attached job description, for all employees, ensure un-ambiguous role classification and creates a solid basis for subsequent policies and procedures that follow in the course of employment.Company PoliciesConcisely documented & clearly communicated company policies, in line, or better than Employment Standards, which cover key employment relationship aspects like vacation scheduling, hours of work, conduct, and other role expectations for the workplace provide a strong accountability framework, built on the employment contract.Employee FeedbackA regular & objective feedback mechanism for employees, driven by the above sections, provides a clear onus for employee ownership, and gives employers an opportunity for encouraging/commending desired behavior and offers a basis for corrective actions. The “No News is Good News” approach typically perpetrates a work environment where employees feel that “My Manager Only Speaks With Me When I Do Something Wrong.”Documentation, Follow up, Follow ThroughAll of the above are moot if plans and action items are not appropriately documented and followed up on in a timely manner. This provides a point of refence, strengthens the accountability framework and contributes to a fair and efficient work environment. In some cases it will form the basis of further actions as necessary.A basic HR audit can help you identify gaps in your organization with any of the above.
