As individuals the majority of us find comfort in knowing what’s expected of us, what the rewards are and what negative consequences may be.

Transitioning into my own business and now focusing on working with evolving businesses, I have found two aspects very different from larger corporations and they are the lack of structure and guidelines and the family friendly environment. While these are very welcoming and refreshing, they can actually cause significant turbulence in your company making it necessary to be very cautious when potential issues arise as you may overlook the concerns for the very reasons that make your business special and different. This could have the negative effect of derailing your focus and productivity!

We’ll review them in more detail, the positives and negatives to help you become more aware and then how you can overcome the challenges.

In an evolving business, you hire for the skills you need to get the work done and you need your staff to be there for you every day. You also have significant advantage with the ability to make your team feel like family. Your work environment is typically casual, with few guidelines and a friendly, social atmosphere. When your employees have an idea it goes directly to the person in charge, with little hierarchy to consider. You can make positive change with little bureaucracy. Your employees are a name, not a number and in many cases you know your team members personally, their family and sometimes you’re even good friends and were before you started working together. They work really hard to help you become successful and you in return have much trust and respect for them.

You potentially make guidelines or policies up as you go such as hours of work, pay, flexibility, expectations of how to get the work done, personal interactions, time off for personal matters etc. You may be able to juggle these situations for years quite well, catering to individual needs, managing them effectively but as your company grows and your staff increases, monitoring this could become much more complex and you could find yourself with some of these situations:

• Concerns over productivity levels of employees and not sure why they are happening or how to address them
• Catering to individual needs is now coming back to “bite you” as employees think favouritism is happening with gossip and/or negative feelings are brewing
• Personal situations enter into the workplace causing disruption and you’re not sure what you should do about it
• Excessive “innocent” time off begins to happen and you’re not sure if you should pay it or not
• Communication issues are starting to arise
• You’ve had computer viruses that are causing significant down time and cost to repair. You know it’s coming from one person but not sure what you can do about it
• Have heard that company business is being discussed outside of company time and the news coming back is either confidential or negative
• Absenteeism is becoming an issue and you don’t have anyone to back fill causing you to work many more hours than you already are
• Concerned that you might lose some of your productive team members
• Not sure you can give a pay increase and how to handle that

What are you going to be about these situations?

1.  Ignore them and hope they go away.
2.  Leave them until they reach a point of significant disturbance to you and your team.
3.  Deal with them as soon as the problem arises and put measures in place to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

If you are like most “family friendly” business owners, you would probably choose 1 or 2. In some cases, everything would work out, however, in my experience with small business choosing 1 or 2 will at some point come back to haunt you. Ignoring situations has the potential to destroy friendships, disrupt work environments, take significant time, energy and focus away from your business and could also be financially harmful.

To overcome some of these challenges, as part of your regular business planning, recognize “potential” situations and take steps to alleviate business disruption becomes the best risk avoidance measure you can take. When dealing with people, taking the time to create a solid foundation and framework helps you focus on your business as it grows and not on administrative burdens.

By following the 7 steps outlined below, you will establish a solid HR framework for your organization.

1.  Create policies & procedures that support a productive and engaged workforce
2.  Develop job criteria for each role that helps you and your employees know what’s expected
3.  Take the time to hire right, including developing proper interviewing criteria, employment agreements and     orientation
4.  Manage performance effectively and regularly so your stars know they are stars and your team members that need support get it before trouble occurs
5.  Create rewards and recognition knowing what’s meaningful, affordable and sustainable
6.  Manage stress related illness and absenteeism effectively; early intervention is critical
7.  Know termination best practices; it’s the toughest business decision you may make but it is also important to know the signs of when it’s time and make the decision to support your company

By taking the time create a solid HR foundation, your business will be much more productive and responsive to changing business needs.

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Elements of Total Rewards include all aspects of:

• Compensation such as base pay or incentives
• Benefits that an employer uses to complement the compensation an employee receives
• Work-life initiatives with a specific set of organizational practices, policies or programs that support employees achieve success in their professional and personal lives
• Performance and recognition in which performance is the alignment and assessment of individual and team efforts measured against the achievement of business goals, while recognition provides attention to employees actions, behaviours and/or results for meeting objectives
• Development and career opportunities comprise of learning experiences designed to enhance an employee’s skills and competencies which in turn support their career opportunities to support the evolution of the company and the employee’s career goals

Compensation appears to steal the limelight and most likely is the biggest expense to business owners. However, Benefits is an aspect of Total Rewards that employees and employers may take for granted and they deserve significantly much more attention as they provide us and our loved ones with current and future protection.   Communicating all aspects of Benefits to your employees helps them understand the value that Benefits bring and how you are supporting your employees in your desire to be “Employer of Choice”.

For maximum communication benefit, the information provided to employees should identify that Benefits are designed to provide income protection.  There are aspects you think of instantly and those you may not communicate at all.  The ones you think of instantly include:

• Health information – such prescription drugs, paramedical, medical supplies, vision, out of country, health care spending account, dental or any other aspect of your core benefits plan.
• Insurance – this could include life insurance, spousal and/or dependent life insurance, AD&D, long term disability (LTD) and short term disability (STD) and any other insurance your offer.

You may not always think of communicating the government related benefits you pay for as an employer but you should even though these benefits are regulated and mandatory as they provide future protection for your employees at shared or no cost to them.  They provide a good reminder and a very positive message.  These benefits include:

• Government related benefits such as OHIP, WSIB, EI, and CPP.

As we all live longer, develop new cures for illnesses and have busier lives, Benefits become more important to us.  Developing your Benefits plan as part of your Total Rewards Strategy and communicating them effectively enhances your ability to attract, motivate and retain talent and provides employees with the full knowledge and appreciation of what they are receiving.

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With that, employees who have been by your side through these tough times will be making decisions about whether to stay with your company or to leave to find something more suitable to them. Do you know what their decision will be? Chances are if they have been with you through the storm, they are very valuable to you and you don’t want to lose them now.

While there are many ways in which a company can feel the pulse of their organization, Performance Management (PM) is a key factor for not only connecting with employees to get their input but when done correctly, it is the most effective way to ensure your organization is progressing the way you want it to progress to meet organizational goals. Effective Performance Management also cultivates continuous improvement and can foster cultural change.

Many of us have had horrid experiences with PM so here are a few tips to help ensure it is used effectively as a solid business tool (not an HR nightmare!).

1. Never lose sight of the purpose. PM is the business tool that translates business strategy into actions for all employees. If it becomes a nightmare, it’s time to relook at it.
2. Develop clear performance objectives at the beginning of the year so employees and management know what their specific responsibilities are. Having a performance review only at the end of the year without setting clear goals at the beginning doesn’t allow employees to course correct if they are struggling or provide clear focus for them.
3. Ensure your leadership team knows how to develop, deliver and monitor effective performance. Part of the nightmare is how it’s delivered. Effective PM cascades from the top down. Providing coaching to leaders on how to develop effective goals is the first step. They must also know how to speak to employees about how their role connects to the overall business strategy in order to deliver well. Monitoring is not a once a year or twice a year assignment for leaders. If you have a leadership title, you have an obligation to assist your employees all year long. PM is about regularly connecting with employees, encouraging and supporting where they are struggling and being a cheerleader and gently nudging top performers to exceed their expectations. Our world of work is very fluid so leaders have to ensure the goals established at the beginning for the year, stay relevant throughout the year.

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Understand Your Talent – Make the Right Cuts

This is one time that having an effective performance management system is critical. Really understanding who does what and how vital each role is, is critical to managing this properly. All too often employees are let go, only for companies to find they didn’t know that the employee performed a very special aspect of their business and a significant gap is created. Understanding who does what also allows you to develop a contingency plan prior to having to terminate someone.

Decide If Termination Is the Right Option

Sometimes we think termination is the only option but considering other options such as reducing work weeks, asking for voluntary departures, or entering into government sponsored work share programs can work too. Our teams typically understand tough times within organizations and are willing to sacrifice to keep everyone intact. If considering these options it could impact benefits and other aspects of the working relationship so getting the proper counsel is important before moving forward with this option.

Choose the Right Time

This is a difficult one as there really never is a right time but experience has shown that it’s best to terminate someone mid week as it gives the departing employee(s) time to work through their emotions and get the help they need prior to the weekend. End of day is also a good time so the individual can leave right away.

Offer Support

Transition support is one of the best gifts you can give a departing employee, on the day of termination and afterwards to help them get back on their feet. If no one in your organization is able to help them on the day of departure, outside support is an option. The role of outside support (known as on-site support) is to ensure your departing team member(s) leave the work location safely for themselves and the remaining employees and ensures they get home safely. Transition support afterwards is a great option for employees as well as helping them move on quickly to another job. Offering transition services is a supportive way for an employer to demonstrate that you care even with the difficult circumstances. It can be customized to the company request and employee(s) needs.

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As HR Practitioners, we are truly transforming into Business Professionals with an HR Acumen. In the turbulent economic times we are getting a rapid lesson in Finance where we have been required to cut into the core of traditional HR programs including significant levels of staff to meet the financial bottom line of the organization. Moving forward, Marketing will be a significant focus as we rebuild and promote our offerings to remaining staff, ensuring they remain engaged and stay with the company in the future.

As we begin to see new light and the “death from a thousand cuts slows” we can get on with business as usual …right!!?? Not! It won’t be business as usual for a long time for as the economy settles, the top performing employees who have been “spared” are taking on much more with fewer or no extra rewards. They know and we know they will always have a range of options. They are becoming more savvy about their expanding talents. It’s up to us to work diligently at ensuring that their choice is to stay or they will look elsewhere or even be lured away without much effort on their part. It’s critical that we take note now and develop a comprehensive plan because the future pain of losing them could be more severe than what we are facing now.

A “Total Rewards” marketing approach supports any proactive culture. It enhances motivation and retention and it’s a great attraction tool for the future. We all have some or most of the aspects highlighted in this article but making the most of them and “marketing” them could be new but the edge that’s needed as we move forward. Tangible rewards are the ones that typically cost the most and at the forefront of our minds. However, it’s the intangible ones that are gaining the most importance to many of us very quickly and will have the greatest motivation and retention factors.
Tangible Total Rewards

Compensation and Benefits are the tangible rewards that we think about and are taking the biggest “hit” right now. For the most part, employees understand the need for the changes but as key attraction tools, these programs are still important to market and communicate as part of the Total Rewards offering.

While most employees know what incentive measures they are compensated for, not all employees understand how their base pay is determined. Developing a communication strategy around your job evaluation system, such as how ranges are developed, how you benchmark against your competition, where levels and titles fit in and why and how employee’s progress through the ranges makes everything transparent and fully supports a performance driven culture.

Although Benefits is a smaller component of the overall cost than compensation, it is growing exponentially in relation to compensation and not typically sustainable in the long run. Employers have taken this opportunity to critically review their benefit plans, cut and restructure. Communicating what you have in your plan, various plan options, how to access it and how it can support ongoing health is imperative for ongoing sustainability. People want to be good consumers in all aspects of their lives, so providing the knowledge and clear understanding of all aspects of the benefit programs and the cost drivers in the plan is a critical part of the HR function. This marketing effort takes the focus away from potential cutbacks and gives employees the feeling of contribution.

Given the ongoing stressors in the working world with compounding personal pressures and government downloading, Benefits will continue to have sustainability issues…but it’s truly a golden opportunity to review true costs driving your plan and take a long term, proactive and transparent approach to change and ensure positive reactions and outcomes that translate into better returns for the company and employees.
Intangible Total Rewards

Fully understanding, embracing and utilizing Total Rewards is a critical component of your influence and contribution to your business as an HR Practitioner. By initiating and/or marketing intangible rewards along with traditional compensation and benefit programs you will be supporting your employees need for appreciation, respect and demonstrates the company’s commitment to them and their wellbeing. A proactive rewards strategy will have a positive influence on performance and behaviour, which influences, retention, company costs, leadership, training and customer satisfaction which ultimately influences profit and shareholder value. Whether you are looking to enhance your company culture or shift what you have now, initiating and /or marketing the intangible factors of Total Rewards make good business sense, especially in these times of economic uncertainty when what we all want and need is – more time, to feel respected & valued.

Four areas that have great impact, are cost effective, sustainable and fulfill our needs are:

Career Development
Recognition
Coaching
Wellness-Work/Life
Communication

Career Development

During these stressful times, it’s easy for the employees to become resentful for having to take on extra work of terminated colleagues with little or no extra compensation. However, with some careful planning, additional responsibilities can be presented as opportunities for growth and development ensuring that the change will be more successful. HR can create an additional focal point for new skill development (technical and/or leadership) in the current performance development plans (or just highlight it if you have one already) so it stands out and employees can clearly see the new skills they are developing. Ideally this should be started at the onset of new work so the employee will understand the link. Sometimes, however, we are all thrown in it without notice, so as soon as the new skill opportunity is recognized, the leader should take the extra time to acknowledge the new skill development, support and encourage it.
Recognition

For some, taking on new opportunities may be enough however, for most it’s not. If employees are not recognized, it’s easy for them to become disengaged or even indifferent which can result in the misuse of company time, programs and property. It can also negatively impact retention strategies and future costs. Being proactive and taking recognition a step further can include formal training or mentoring around the new skill development to enhance on the job learning, special bonus or reclassification to a new role if appropriate.

Building confidence through recognition is a very strong business advantage and supports employee engagement in 3 separate ways.

It demonstrates the company’s commitment and support for the extra effort
It encourages continued extra effort
It feeds the employees need for appreciation and belonging

Start by examining all current recognition programs (company wide and individual group) including costs and recognition reasoning to determine their relevance and impact to the current business environment. Whether it’s eliminating some, changing or enhancing others, ensuring recognition is meaningful and tied into corporate goals can be a critical strategic advantage.
Coaching

For many of us the busyness of our working lives leaves us less time for our personal lives which are in themselves getting more complex everyday. While becoming a professional coach does take formal training, being a good coach is innately in leaders because in most cases leaders take on the roles so they can enhance their technical skills and develop leadership skills.

The most important aspect of coaching which is listening, gets lost because of all the “noise” surrounding us. Leaders need to spend quality time with their team coaching them, which in the simplest of terms is spending one on one time, “clearing the decks” and truly listening. To ensure effective listening, leaders need to be present more than just physically. Leaders shouldn’t necessarily solve the problem of their employees but listen fully and ask simple questions like “How can I help you with this?” or “What solution can you think of?” More times than not employees want to release their concerns and feel heard. By asking simple questions you are allowing them to take accountability for the concern. By adopting the coaching methodology the leader is giving time and supporting with brainstorming but the employee owns the outcome, therefore, the balance of the work remains with the employee and not the leader.
Organization Wellness

For many HR Practitioners selling organizational wellness has been an uphill battle. The current economic climate is the perfect time to look at it as an important business retention strategy and long term cost saving initiative. Not only are rising benefit costs an issue but the somewhat hidden costs of workers compensation, harassment, wrongful dismissal and presenteeism (at work physically only but mentally not working) rise in turbulent economies and have long lasting impact on an organization. Many organizations have wellness initiatives within their framework and can enhance them by adding in elements that support employee personal wellbeing such, as workplace flexibility, convenience services, sabbaticals or vacation bonus. EAP providers are also a fantastic resource for many wellness needs. To sell the concept, all ideas are only valuable to the executive team if you are able to measure results and tie them into the overall business strategy. Preparing comparisons of recent years benefit and hidden costs vs. these years should be a great support with this effort.
Communication

Although communication is traditionally a business strategy, now more than ever it is directly related a retention strategy. It’s much easier to communicate when there’s an easy message to share but when times are tough, it’s even more important for employers to communicate more with their team. Keeping on the pulse of what’s going on with employees is a critical aspect of their engagement. Reviewing your overall communication strategy or developing one at this time can be a great investment. Whether its newsletters, face to face, email, voicemail or another method suitable for your culture talking about the good, the bad and the ugly will give employees a chance to understand, vent, feel heard and positively support the business in moving forward. In most cases, employees understand the business realities and the need for compensation and benefits cost cutting when explained properly but when given the chance, they are more than happy to be part of the solution. If the leadership team doesn’t fill the void, employees will fill it …with whatever they fear the most and that will lead to a huge increase in presenteeism.

Team meetings play a vital role and should be tailored to the company size, culture, how information is shared but in stressful times, face to face is best. Traditionally, if not much company information is shared; this could be the perfect time to revisit this as a culture shift opportunity to one with more transparency.

Meetings should be company wide cascading down to individual team meetings and most importantly, should be regular. Individual leaders hold the bulk of responsibility to continually meet increasing expectations. They need to have their finger on the heart beat of their team because they will be the ones struggling the most if their people leave.

Company wide meetings should include information such as overall corporate changes, opportunities arising, challenges being faced, existing business and an open forum where employees have the opportunity to vent and provide input for positive change. While individual management meetings can re-iterate this information, these meetings should focus specifically on work objectives, how to meet them, focus on employee development, recognize great effort and demonstrate understanding and appreciation for the extra effort. In stressful times, we naturally withdraw so keeping the team together and talking can spark the innovation and creativity that may be missing.

In chaotic times, we are constantly scrambling with little time to focus on the future but that future day will come very soon when the financial “belts are still tight”. Great employees are beginning to leave for better opportunities now, so there is no time to spare to strategically realign how you engage your best talent and keep them with you.

Recognizing that the bulk of responsibility falls on HR for the creation of change and leaders for the execution of it, appropriate training and support is needed in these areas to realize the most impact. Cost effective solutions may require some capital investment but the good news is that these costs do not need to increase exponentially as base pay and benefits do. None of the suggestions in this article are mutually exclusive and can be tailored to the needs or your culture quite easily.

Who knew when you began your career in HR you would get extensive experience in Finance and Marketing as well!

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There are five elements of total rewards, each of which includes programs, practices, elements and dimensions that collectively define an organization’s strategy to win the war for talent. Following are these elements:

• Compensation
• Benefits
• Work-life
• Performance and recognition
• Development and career opportunities.

The elements represent the “tool kit” from which an organization chooses to reward employees for their time, effort and talent, creating value for both the organization and the employee. An effective total rewards strategy results in satisfied, engaged and productive employees, who in turn create desired business performance and results.

Recognition is a Big Part of Total Rewards

Recognition is emerging in this changing universe as a critical linchpin in the rewards platform. Employees work for more than just a pay check; they want to be recognized for their efforts. Well-designed recognition programs that support organizational goals are meeting these expectations and significantly impacting productivity.

Employee recognition is being utilized as a more strategic tool in attracting and retaining today’s shrinking workforce.

Now might be a good time to ask: Do you have a recognition strategy?

Knowledge-Based Performers Respond to Recognition

Today, rewards are generated by what you know rather than the job you hold.

Workers used to sign up with a company for the duration of their careers and simply wait to be promoted. With rare exception, people accepted reward plans and increases based on position.

A number of surveys report that today’s college graduates will change jobs anywhere from four to 10 times during their lifetime. This group exemplifies the theory, “If you’re not the lead dog, the scenery never changes.”

Regardless of the company, the most motivated employees are those with a line of sight to the goal and some level of decision-making authority to achieve it. However, much of work today is still not discreetly defined in that way. The further down the organization chart, the harder it is for employees to “lead” a direct effect on strategic goals.

Here again, recognition programs can figure prominently in waging the battle to retain good talent.

Appealing to a Diverse Workforce Appetite

Total rewards plan design has become a moveable feast. The successful menu will include a selection of recognition plans that appeal to a diverse workforce appetite while recognizing the uniqueness of each individual. While recognition alone can be a very effective tool to motivate and retain talent, many recognition plans include a rewards aspect such as a gift card, movie tickets or preferred parking. One advertising agency took it a step further and allowed its employee of the month to drive the president’s car—which happens to be a Masserati— for the entire month. While many companies give preferred parking to recognize employees, this innovative company went above and beyond by giving not only the parking spot, but the car along with it.

A large U.S.-based loyalty marketing firm characterizes recognition and reward appetites based on generations as follows:

Traditionalists (61+): Are less willing to spend money on themselves, so noncash recognition is key. They prefer flexible schedules, health and fitness opportunities, entertainment venues and technology items.

Boomers (41-60): Want to feel appreciated for the work they do and may leave a long-term employer if their contributions go unrecognized. They have an appetite for travel, luxury and health-related options.

Generation X (25-41): Embraces a balanced lifestyle with time for work and play. Workers value gadgets and high-tech items, flexible schedules and work-life effectiveness, including time off.

Generation Y (14-25): Looks for immediate performance feedback. Workers in this generation have lofty financial and personal goals and fully expect to fill this plate. They seek charity-related options such as time off to volunteer.

While generalizations and stereotypes can help organizations design recognition plans to appeal to their workforce, recognizing the uniqueness of each individual (regardless of generation) is the key to employee engagement and management success. Often times, the more public the recognition, the more powerful the effect. But there are employees who are embarrassed and subsequently demotivated by public recognition. This is one example of where employee preferences vary, and because managers are usually trying to motivate and retain many different types of individuals, they need enough flexibility to adapt the plan as needed.

Minimal Expense and Complexity Required

Recognition plans need not be expensive or complex. The most effective are a combination of formal and informal recognition, immediate and long-term, public and nonpublic, individual and team. Whatever combination you choose, however, the plan will fall short without clear guidelines, regular communication, a timely response and top-down support—including an annual budget. Having an annual budget for recognition programs makes it easier to track and helps ensure sustainability.

Consider taking the following steps to design the best plan for your organization:

• Establish program objectives, measurements and a budget.
• Select the best recognition alternatives—formal/informal, immediate/long-term, public/ nonpublic, individual/team.
• Determine legal requirements and tax liability.
• Integrate recognition into the total rewards program.
• Prepare the action plan.
• Educate managers and train plan leaders.
• Communicate heavily throughout implementation and regularly thereafter.
• Consistently evaluate effectiveness through employee surveys and other feedback mechanisms.

Aligning Recognition Programs with Corporate Goals

In order to be effective, managers must first understand the business priorities behind the recognition program and buy into how the program will influence behavior and drive results. In turn, they need to ensure that employees see the connection. For example, if quality improvement is a corporate goal, then recognition needs to be tied to those behaviors that further the achievement of quality. The same applies if the corporate goal is customer satisfaction or retention.

At one company, one of the organizational goals is greater visibility. One way the business is achieving this goal is to train corporate spokespeople to speak to journalists and educate the press on their particular subjects. To encourage and recognize this effort, the company launched the “Media Darling of the Year” award. The staff person who gives the most interviews (quantity) to top-tier press (quality) wins the award each year. The Media Darling is publicly recognized at staff meetings (attended by the chairman of the board) and awarded a trophy and gift certificate. In addition, spokespeople receive immediate recognition during the year: each time they are quoted in the press, an announcement is sent to the entire organization applauding the results.

Recognition can completely backfire if the criteria are not well established or recognition is too focused on goal achievement rather than encouraging the specific employee behaviors that contribute to organizational success. For example, an employee may be tasked with leading an IT project from inception to implementation. While deadlines are important, the organization believes that resilience and the ability to respond to a changing environment are core values that have contributed to the organization’s success over time. The employee does a spectacular job managing the project, key stakeholders, business users and resources. However, due to circumstances beyond his or her control, organizational priorities change, causing a temporary freeze in the project. Subsequently, major milestones and project delivery dates are not met on time. With an effective recognition program in place, the employee is publicly recognized for his or her dedication, resilience and follow-through. While he or she may receive an additional award for completion of the project, the recognition in particular is an effective tool to motivate this employee, and can motivate others to behave in a similar manner, exhibiting the values that are important to the organization.

Recognize, Motivate, Retain

The horizon brims with potential developments one can hardly begin to imagine. The stakes just keep getting higher as the workforce shrinks, global competition grows and employees see a future with a banquet of opportunity.

With employee preferences and appetite in mind, step back, re-evaluate and include the recognition platter in preparing a perfect complement to your total rewards menu. There is no question flexible, customized plans, carefully aligned with your strategic goals, promote long-term increases in workforce satisfaction and corporate profitability.

About the Author

Alison Avalos, CCP, CBP, GRP, is a recognition practice leader and content deployment project manager for WorldatWork as well as a former practitioner. She can be reached at aavalosworldatworkorg.

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What it is 

Ontario has taken the lead in Canada in addressing and preparing for widespread accessibility. We are the first province to pass legislation that will create mandatory accessibility standards to be

phased in by 2025. The legislation is coming to the forefront because people with disabilities still have difficulty accessing the goods and services they want and require. They can’t always count on accessibility being available. Not only is this unacceptable for people with disabilities, it’s also missed opportunities for business. For this reason, the Ontario government passed a law in 2005 called the Accessibility for Ontarians Disability Act (AODA). The purpose of the Act is to develop, implement and enforce accessibility standards so that all Ontarians with disabilities will have equal access to goods and services.

Some disabilities are easy to recognize such as physical disabilities but others such as hearing impairments, vision loss, mental health concerns, developmental and/or learning disabilities are not as easy to identify, therefore, understanding disabilities helps us as business owners support people with disabilities more effectively.

Why it’s important

1 in 7 Ontarians have a disability and up to 50% of us take care of someone with a disability. In 20 years, it will increase to 1 in 5 because as our population ages, so too will the number of people with disabilities. Establishing these standards now will prepare us for the future ensuring that Ontario continues to prosper from a living and business perspective. Persons with disabilities come to our province as visitors for conferences and as tourists. They may come with their friends and family and need to travel, shop, access information, services, parks, and buildings. The goal of AODA is to move Ontario forward on accessibility, a future where accessibility can be relied upon on a daily basis, accessibility that is widespread and commonplace. It just makes good business sense to ensure all Ontarians have equal access.

Phases

There are five accessibility standards being rolled out under AODA with Customer Service being
first.

1. Customer Service – The Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, Ontario Regulation 429/07 has a deadline for compliance of January 1, 2012 for private sector businesses and all other organizations that provide goods or services either to the public or to other organizations in Ontario with one or more employees. This includes Not For Profit and Volunteer organizations.  Public Sector organizations were to comply by January 1, 2010.

2. Information and Communications - This standard will help persons with disabilities access information through all means of communication by removing barriers. Emergency procedures, plans or public safety information are considered customer service and will be required in lotte@hrcareertransition.com   www.hrcareertransition.com  accessible formats, such as large print, starting January 1, 2012. Other requirements of this standard will be phased in beyond 2012.

3. Transportation - This standard is about making public transportation more readily accessible on a daily basis. For public transportation providers, this standard came into effect July 1, 2011.  Other requirements are being established and will be phased in up to 2017.

4. Employment – This standard will make accessibility a normal part of employment practices such as recruiting, hiring and communicating with employees who have disabilities. Aspects of this phase outside of Customer Service will be implemented beyond 2012.

5. The physical location (Built Environment) – This standard will address making all buildings and outdoor spaces accessible for persons with disabilities. Physical barriers can include such things as counter height, aisle and door width, parking and signage. This standard will only apply to new construction and renovations. The government continues to work on this standard and it will be phased in by 2025.

Enforcement under AODA

Enforcement of all accessibility standards will be carried out by the Ministry of Community and Social Services through inspections, compliance orders and monetary penalties. Organizations or persons that do not have the required policies and procedures in place by January 1, 2012 could face a fine of up to $50,000 for each day or part-day that the legislated requirements are not met. Corporations could pay a fine of $100,000 for non-compliance (including directors or officers who fail to prevent the corporation from committing an offence). The Ontario government has the power to prosecute (through the courts). The License Appeal Tribunal (LAT) will hear appeals from organizations on compliance matters.

What You Need To Do To Provide Customer Service Standards By January 1, 2012

•  Assess your workplace or volunteer organization to determine how you provide customer service. If any barriers exist for people with disabilities note how to overcome them.
• Create policies, procedures and practices for customer service standards and ensure they are maintained.
• Provide training for staff, volunteers and contractors so they know how to recognize a disability, how to communicate respectfully while maintaining dignity and respect.
• Create a feedback method to ensure people can provide input to your services.
• Arrange for alternate communication methods if needed.
• Provide appropriate notice of accessible service disruptions.

Anne Marie Sarrazin, a colleague of mine wrote this article and has been researching AODA so you can be sure with the Lasting Solutions team, you are in good hands.

We’re here to help and make this seamless for your organization.   Contact us today to find out how you can get prepared.

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Tactical 

To remain focused on what’s important, tactical aspects may seem trivial but if not dealt with effectively can cause lost time and frustration down the road.  Three areas you should deal with proactively are:

• Addresses
  T4’s are around the corner. Ensure employee’s information is up to date to avoid delays after T4’s go out.
• Vacation schedule
  Although you may not have thoughts of vacation in your head, your employees are already thinking about it. Before the end of January, determine how you will recognize public holidays for the upcoming year, company floater days, shut down periods etc. Publish this to all employees so they can plan their year. By addressing this now, you will avoid headaches down the road. Vacations should be relaxing and enjoyable times, not frustration in planning. If vacation scheduling has been an issue in the past for any reason, consider reviewing and updating your policy around it. If you don’t have one, create one. As your company grows, you will need this to simplify your days.
• Policies and Procedures
  Having clear policies and procedures becomes more important as your company grows. Typically, in smaller companies policies are created when issues arise. Handling them in a piece by piece manner is unproductive and can cause significant delays when issues do arise. Lost productivity can’t be reclaimed.
  By proactively establishing a true business tool for your company that encompasses, policies, procedures, employment relationship factors and total rewards you will take the guess work out of future issues. This will save you time and effort when you need it most. One guide book, well written, will take the guess work out for you, prevent misuse of resources, demonstrate open communication and provide a clear foundation for the employer/employee relationship.

Strategic

The strategic aspects of HR are those areas that really have an impact on your business success. Each one of these elements is a critical aspect of your business and should be given the time and effort they deserve. Once you set them up with proper procedures and timing, ensuring direct linkages to your business, you can put them on autopilot and refer to them at relevant intervals during your business cycle. Like any strategic aspect of your business, these areas should not be left to chance. Being reactive is much more difficult than being proactive. Important strategic aspects are:

• Align people to the business objectives
  All of the business goals and strategies should channel down from the highest level. Typically, this is done by developing goals for each role. Employees do much better when they know what’s expected of them and what they do matters to the ultimate goals of the organization. They’re happiest (we all are) when we know what we do makes a difference. Engaged employees are productive employees!
  Create specific goals and measure employees against them. If your employees reach their goals, the company will too. This process, also known as performance management is dreaded to so many but shouldn’t be. Performance management when done well, helps you identify your leaders, compensate people properly, assists in succession planning and in some cases determine objectively, who isn’t a “keeper”.
  For more on performance management, please visit my website www.hrcareertransition.com / Free Resources / Why Performance Management is Critical to Your Positive Business Performance.
• Develop leaders and succession plans
  What does this mean for your organization? Everyone can be a leader. A true leader takes accountability for everything they do in their lives. This type of thought process does wonders in any organization. Demonstrate this from the top down, with open, honest communication with feedback methods and your true leaders will emerge. Your leaders are your future. Building capacity in your company is paramount. Once you know who your leaders are, create succession plans to keep the company robust. Skills shortages are emerging quickly all around us and losing one key role could leave a significant hole in your organization and without proper plans in place; it could harm your company.
• Rewarding key employees
  As leaders we typically spend 80% of our time on 20% of our people and it’s not the top 20%. It’s typically the bottom 20% trying to get them up to speed. That means that our top 20% are being ignored and possibly not being rewarded properly. Our top 20% are mobile, have great skills and know with an improving economy they can do better any where else, unless you give them reason to think otherwise. We may not always have money to give our stars but they may not always be looking for it either. Top performers want opportunity and they want to know they make a difference. What can you do to show your key employees they are valued? What’s the risk to your organization if you don’t take the time to do this?

When you take this approach, your strategic HR planning cycle is perfectly aligned with your business -align your people to your business objectives, develop your talent and reward them properly.

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