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Calgary Leans In

Jamie — Tue, 14 May 2013 01:24:16 +0000

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Has Flex Work Gone Too Far?

Jamie — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 03:31:08 +0000

Debby Carreau MBA,CHRP

We have all read the benefits of flex work and telework, but is there a point of diminishing returns?

As an HR professional and a mother of two young children I fully understand and agree with many of the benefits of flexible work arrangements such as employee retention, work life balance, cost savings and in certain circumstances improved productivity but it has a dark side as well. How about when a Fortune 500 CEO makes a business decision to change their policy to improve business performance and it makes headlines in every major paper, or when employees get caught moonlighting on company time and your organization can’t terminate them for cause or when you walk into a local coffee shop only to have the guy sitting next to you all set up with his hard drive, computer keyboard, mouse, 23” monitor and talking loudly on a business call?

As CEOs and managers, can we no longer make employee schedule decisions or hold our employees accountable for their time on the clock? On our time off, can we no longer go to a coffee shop for a coffee without having someone’s office clearly operating out of the table next to us? (Are you sure you really want the public at large overhearing every phone call your employees make?)

Flexible business arrangements are a business decision, not a gender or family status issue and they are not an entitlement.

If your company does encourage flex work, it can be a great thing but make sure: It is on your terms, it is the right business decision at the right time for your organization and is executed as such.

Decide in advance how you will measure business performance
Where and when you expect the work to be done
How you want your business represented in these arrangements
Always reserve the right to revise your policies. After all, it could hit the front page of the paper if you upset your employees.

When the automobile was first invented it was a free for all, there was no speed limit, no road signs or traffic violations but the time came to add some rules and limits for everyone’s protection. The time has arrived to do the same with flex work.

Inspired HR Leans in

Jamie — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 19:31:27 +0000

Inspired HR Leans In………

Debby Carreau, our CEO and Founder is thrilled to be a Master Moderator for Lean In. Through her board role with Young President’s Organization she is Leaning In to the launch as a platform partner.

Inspired HR is helping set up Lean In Circles in Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver this spring.

Circles are small groups that meet monthly to share and learn together. Our Circles meet ten times a year, starting with a Kickoff Meeting and then alternating between what we call Education Meetings and Exploration Meetings.

Successful peer groups commit to confidentiality, open and honest communication and active participation. Our Lean In Circles will have a strong foundation for developing the relationships and trust to encourage and support each other. And that is what’s important.

 No judgments or advice, just personal experiences and thoughtful conversations about meaningful topics.

If you are interested in joining one of our circles please email us at info@inspiredhr.ca. Tell us why you are interested in joining a Lean In circle.

Hire more women, increase your profits

Jamie — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 23:27:55 +0000

Alberta’s low gender diversity has a lot to do with outdated thinking

Jamie — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 19:08:26 +0000

Beth Reimer-Heck, Counsel at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, left, and Debby Carreau, CEO of Inspired HR, argue most corporate leaders are unaware of Alberta's low ranking in gender diversity.

The subject of board diversity is everywhere these days, with most of the focus on the “glacial” change in the number of women in board positions. In Alberta, women are noticeably absent from the boardroom table, occupying just 8% of corporate board seats, compared with 14% nationally and 15% in the United States.

Alberta has one of the most productive and innovative business sectors in the world, so why is it so far behind in terms of board diversity?

As two professionals who advise corporate leaders on board governance, best practices, and risk mitigation, we would argue that the majority of our corporate colleagues are largely unaware of this province’s low diversity ranking, and of research that links board diversity with higher returns on equity, lower debt, higher stock valuations, and higher growth. In our experience, the under-representation of women in Alberta boardrooms is symptomatic of some outdated thinking about what makes a great board member, and what great boards need to do. And that thinking is not unique to Alberta.

For many, a gender focus still connotes quotas at the expense of quality, a notion that will never fly in most corporate circles

Traditionally, board members and recruiters have favoured nominees with direct CEO/CFO experience — or with skills gained along conventional corporate career paths. They may want to elect more women to their boards, but can’t find enough of them with that traditional, and fairly limited, skills set.

But a change is coming: progressive companies are recruiting outside of their networks and searching for directors with sector-specific knowledge and a stronger consumer orientation. By targeting a different talent base, these companies are enlarging the ranks of qualified women on boards while maintaining a focus on quality. Others are creating advisory boards featuring diverse ages and social backgrounds. Both approaches are helping companies avoid “group think,” promote innovation, and build more globally competitive companies.

To go beyond conventional wisdom surrounding talent, many companies also need to enlarge their thinking about effective board governance. More than managing financial risk, boards need to be aware of the broader organizational and strategic issues that put many companies at risk for underperformance at one end, and takeover and layoffs at the other. By and large, these risk are mitigated when corporate leaders gain knowledge from a diverse pool of talent that can challenge traditional thinking, and reflect the viewpoints of a variety of stakeholders, especially customers and shareholders.

But perhaps the biggest reason Alberta lags in board diversity is because of the language we use to promote it. For many, a gender focus still connotes quotas at the expense of quality, a notion that will never fly in most corporate circles, especially Alberta’s. Perhaps that’s why we’re seeing a lukewarm response.

To our colleagues in women’s board-focused professional groups we offer this: if we want to see more women on boards, we need to lead with the talent argument and let gender diversity be the outcome, not the goal.

And to our business colleagues in Alberta, we encourage you to let go of the traditional thinking around board directorships and governance because it will hold us back from even greater gains in the long term. While we enjoy one of the most robust economies in the world, we could lose that leadership position if we don’t take the diversity imperative seriously. Better corporate performance through diversity of talent is the innovation the new millennium economy demands.

—Debby Carreau, MBA, is CEO of Inspired HR and an expert in maximizing human capital. Beth Reimer-Heck, QC, is Counsel at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP who has spent 25 years as a corporate commercial lawyer counseling clients on board governance and risk management.

http://business.financialpost.com/2013/01/09/albertas-low-gender-diversity-has-a-lot-to-do-with-outdated-thinking/

Employee Happiness: Why It Matters

Jamie — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 18:16:20 +0000

One of our goals is to make our clients happy - which primarily includes their employees.

According to Harvard Business Review, happy employees are more productive, they show up for work, they're less likely to resign and they go above and beyond. They also attract like minded people to your organization.

Nearly 9 out of 10 employees are looking for a job so by having happy employees, you will create a stable environment and have a significant competitive advantage.

Happy employees are 31% more productive, their sales are almost 40% higher and their creativity is 300 times greater.

Diversity on boards urged

Jamie — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:40:36 +0000

Amanda Stephenson, Calgary Herald

Published: Wednesday, December 12, 2012

The Calgary chapter of the Young Presidents' Organization has joined an international campaign aimed at increasing diversity on corporate boards.

Internationally, the YPO - a global organization of corporate leaders under the age of 45 - as well as its graduate organization, the World Presidents' Organization, have joined in the 2020 Women on Boards campaign. The campaign, taking place across the U.S. and in Europe, aims to raise the percentage of women on corporate boards to 20 per cent or greater by 2020.

Here in Calgary, the local YPO chapter has taken the concept and put its own spin on it. At a breakfast event Wednesday, the YPO and WPO will be encouraging local business leaders to think about diversity in all aspects, not just gender.

"We'll be talking about what key characteristics we need around the board table in Alberta to make us competitive around the world," said Beth Reimer-Heck, a corporate lawyer with BLG and a member of the Calgary WPO chapter. "A more diverse board makes a better decision."

Debby Carreau, CEO of Inspired HR and a member of the Calgary YPO chapter, said the demographic breakdown of corporate boards in Alberta is less diverse than in the rest of Canada.

"When you look at female seats on boards, in Canada, approximately 15 per cent of boards include women. In Alberta, it's only eight per cent. We're almost half of the national average," Carreau said. "We see this an opportunity to get out in front of this issue and look at all the characteristics of effective board members, not just gender."

Carreau said it's time for business leaders to look at ways of expanding the talent pool on boards, whether that involves setting up an advisory board that can encompass different skills and talents than the traditional corporate governance board, or improving sponsorship programs so that people with unique talents can be brought to the forefront.

More information about the Young Presidents' Organization is available at www. ypo.org

astephenson @calgaryherald.com

http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/calgarybusiness/story.html?id=5e9289c0-9835-4668-9500-a9e4dc8b22bf

Diversity more about talent than gender, say Alberta business leaders

Jamie — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 21:29:33 +0000

Beacon Staff Reporter | December 12, 2012 | 0 Comments

Alberta business leaders focus more on innovation and entrepreneurial thinking

Beacon Staff Reporter

Alberta business leaders encouraged to provide mentorship for diverse candidates.

Alberta business leaders from the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) Canada and World Presidents’ Organization are weighing in on the subject of corporate board diversity by promoting a focus on talent rather than gender.

The Alberta business leaders met with an emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurial thinking in order to strengthen Alberta businesses and maintain international competitiveness.

“Talent with a bias toward innovation, creativity, consumer-orientation, and sector-specific knowledge needs to be tapped for long-term business sustainability,” said Debby Carreau, CEO of Calgary-based Inspired HR.

Carreau said this while co-chairing a Calgary event with Beth Reimer-Heck, Q C and Counsel at Borden Ladner Gervais (BLG), on Wednesday as part of an international initiative, known as 12/12/12, to promote board diversity.

The event was sponsored by Women’s International Network, BLG, and YPO Canada.

“Recruiters need to consider a broader range of characteristics – including non-corporate career paths – that can and should be part of the mix at the board table,” she said.

Carreau said that one corporate trend is toward advisory boards that provide corporate leadership access to a diversity of talent, a practice that would benefit Alberta business leaders.

“Alberta is rightly proud of its place on the world stage,” said Reimer-Heck, a corporate lawyer with 25 years of experience in transformational change.

“But we run the risk of under performing if we don’t take the diversity imperative seriously.”

While the talent argument isn’t gender-based, diversifying the talent pool would naturally lead to more women at leadership levels, she added.

Other points that came out of the meeting included; thinking about expanding board mandates to go beyond financial risk management toward broader organizational risk management, a stronger focus on sponsorship of diverse talent by men and women already in the executive ranks, mentorship of diverse candidates and providing support to women’s board-focused professional groups that promote mentoring and sponsorship based on talent.

How Inspired Workplaces Celebrate The Holidays Part 3

Jamie — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 18:39:02 +0000

World Health Edmonton has got the moves!!

Check out this great video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwLjTbN6lwU&feature=youtu.be

Moving day.......Inspired HR's new digs

Jamie — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 23:01:10 +0000

1100, 888 3 Street SW

Calgary T2P 5C5

Come visit us in Bankers Hall