Employee Handbooks for Your Golf Course

www.hrnc.ca

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           When were they last updated?  Is it time to dust them off and see if they are still relevant?

·         Are different handbooks made for seasonal/full-time, clubhouse/grounds crew, management?

·         Do they include salaries/set hourly rates, calculation of OT and vacation pay rates? What about the pay periods?  Do new employees have easy access to the information they need most - When is payday?

·         Are OT calculations different for different departments?  Have you checked with the Employment Standards Act before making your handbook so that you are paying your staff correctly?

·         Are holiday work policies included; are these different for different departments?

·         Is there a set procedure for reporting sickness/absences?  Who does the employee call?  Is the procedure different for the grounds maintenance crew than it is for the banquet room serving staff?

·         Are grievance or discipline procedures described?  Have employees been informed of their rights and their responsibilities?  

      The golf course is a beautiful place to spend leisure and casual business hours.  Let's make sure that the experience that the members have is the very best customer service possible.  

     

      This starts at the top.  The leader is just that - the leader.  He leads by example and by having the correct policies in place to manage his greatest asset - his human capital.  

      The sun is shining today, soon the birds will sing and it will be the time to check out your golf swing.  Which golf club will you choose?

HRNC creates Employment contracts and Employee handbooks

Employment contracts ensure that there is a “hard copy” of the terms of the employment relationship between employee and employer and that both parties will abide by these terms. HRNC will be able to draft an employee contract that is not only simplistic but comprehensive and will outline the necessary information needed to hire an employee. The contract will include the information for your company as well as link the handbook into the contractual agreement so as to ensure that the terms of employment also relate to policies outlined in the employee handbook. www.hrnc.ca

HRNC ASK US A QUESTION … REGULAR SERVICES PROVIDED

HRNC

ASK US A QUESTION …  REGULAR SERVICES PROVIDED:

            HIRING

·         RECRUITMENT, INTERVIEWS AND SELECTION

            COMPENSATION& BENEFITS

·         ORIENTATION & RETENTION

·         PAYROLL

·         COMPENSATION

·         BENEFITS

·         PENSIONS

·         EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

            COMPLIANCE

·         ACCOMMODATION/DISABILITIES

·         DISCIPLINE & TERMINATION

·         DIVERSITY TRAINING

·         HARASSMENT, BULLYING & VIOLENCE

·         EMPLOYEE & LABOUR RELATIONS

            HEALTH&SAFETY

·         WSIB – FORM 7 ISSUANCE & ADJUDICATION ASSISTANCE

·         RETURN TO WORK

·         WORKPLACE SAFETY

·         ERGONOMICS, MSD & WELLNESS

·         PANDEMIC PLANNING

            ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

·         PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS METRICS

·         TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

·         COACHING & MENTORING

·         CROSS-TRAINING

·         SUCCESSION PLANNING

            HUMAN RESOURCES INFORMATION 
                 & MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

            QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

www.hrnc.ca

Including Contract workers in workplace policies and training

HRNC assists employers with what is the best fit for their company.  Workplace policies should address the contract worker as opposed to a full-time employee.  Contract workers have the potential to be both an asset and a liability for the company.  They are more likely to leave after training has developed them.  However, if there is a slow down for the company - they make it easier to deal with than terminations.  If they are willing not to receive benefits that reduces costs as well.  I understand that the information technology sector has difficulty keeping full-time employees because workers prefer contracts only.www.hrnc.ca

A most interesting solution to human resources sharing has been met by Hannah McKinnon, of www.peoplepooling.ca.  If companies sign up for membership to share some of their employees during slow times - they also have the opportunity to share another company's employees when they have an extra project. What a great way to keep our human resources maximized!

Who is a Human Resources Professional?

Anyone can call themselves a Human Resources Professional.  However, the HRPA of Ontario is the regulating body for HR professionals.  You can find out if someone is a member of this association by going to www.hrpa.ca.  Just check their name under the listings and you will know for sure.  The CCHRA issues the exams and the HRPA issues the designations which HR professionals value highly - their C.H.R.P.  You can also find out if an individual has this designation on HRPA's web-site.  This gives you confidence that the individual you are considering hiring as an employee or as a consultant really meets the Canadian and Provincial standards set out by their regulating body.  It doesn't mean that they are perfect or know everything as there are so many specialists within the HR community.  But - it should be a qualification that you definitely need to be aware of and look for.  It is a long, hard road to achieve this designation - therefore, respect the education and experience that those have earned.
Joy Vas, CHRP

Balancing Act: Internet and Social Media Use At Work

                      With social media outlets such as Facebook and Google+ being so popular and things like fantasy football leagues becoming a staple for many during the winter months personal computer use and even online shopping and banking are inherently going to creep into your employees minds, especially with the ease of receiving email updates on smartphones and wireless internet available nearly everywhere now. So this brings up the question of how employers should address this issue. Is it something that’s been constantly eating away at productivity, is it merely a minor distraction or is it even an issue at all. As the employer you have to ask yourself is it a problem worth addressing? what will the reaction be? And what is the best case scenario or improvement that could come of banning these distractions all together? In doing some online reading reports have suggested ideas on both sides of the spectrum; employees personal internet use is taking up hours of time each day and others saying that yes internet use is common in the workplace but productivity is almost no lower on account of that. My take is distractions are going to creep into the workplace in most cases, internet use is just one of these. Extended lunch breaks, chatter amongst employees and at times foolish games or pranks invented to add a bit of flavour to a sometimes mundane day are common at work. Taking away personal computer use, the one contact they may have outside of work in an 8-10 hour day could cause some unrest with your employees, especially the younger generations who are seemingly tapped into their network of friends, online social groups and hobbies at all times. My opinion is don’t impose a policy eliminating this practice altogether because internet use for personal interests is going to happen. I would encourage employees to do this on their breaks, lunches and at home as much as possible and suggest if it becomes a problem then some disciplinary or internet limiting policies may find their way into the workplace as a result of low productivity. What are your thought on the topic?

Occupational Health and Safety: Your Thoughts?

                The Ontario government seems to release changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Act more often than even the most astute followers of this legislation can keep up with and certainly faster than most business owners can or even care to keep up on. I sometimes wonder if these changes are a) necessary b) valuable and c) followed. What I’ve gathered is that most small business owners give only a fleeting thought to the Health and Safety laws in Canada and it’s not because they don’t care about the objectives set forth in the legislation or the safety and welfare of their employees. In fact in most cases I’ve seen the opposite; most employers are good, morale people who would hate to see anyone seriously injured or in the worst case scenario die on the job but really just don’t see the need for the in depth policy and procedure stipulations set forth in the OHSA. There are many reasons these laws aren’t followed to the letter. A couple common reasons are that, “I’ve never had a serious injury before and if one ever does occur I’ll deal with it then” OR, “my salespeople/office workers aren’t in danger and imposing these laws and rules are time consuming and costly, besides MOL inspectors are rarely around and I’ve told everyone here to work safely”. My questions are - how seriously do you take the OHSA? Do you feel it actually protects workers from injury? Is it an easy enough to implement in your workplace? Do you think the government provides enough resources for you to follow the OHSA or do you think outside help from H&S specialists or HR professionals would be beneficial?