Calendar of Events

Why is it that so many people in the business world don’t seem to understand what a Human Resources professional does, what we can do for them and how we can add value to the organization? We often hear: “People don’t understand what we do”. It seems like we are constantly fighting to get the recognition the Human Resources profession deserves. Why not make 2013 the year when the Human Resources profession makes its big leap forward in the New Brunswick business world. Join us for a delicious buffet breakfast and meet Susan Jones, who will show us what we need to do to better to market the Human Resources profession and get the brand recognition that the profession deserves. Susan will share some marketing secrets that will help you sell your HR skills, your ideas and your overall contribution to the organization. Although this is not a networking focused event, you will learn tools that will help you improve your networking skills and get what you want out of your career. Bring your Human Resources team and get the ideas flowing following this energetic and inspiring presentation.

Even the most experience HR professional could be overwhelmed with health and safety requirements and worker’s compensation. We used to call it Workers’ Compensation and now we call it WorksafeNB. But, how long ago was this compensation system created? Where? And, what was the intent of this insurance? Has it evolved over time? Join us for a delicious breakfast and learn a lot about WorksafeNB, your rights and responsibilities and how you can better serve your interests when working with WorksafeNB on claims. Mike McGovern will take us back to the basics and bring clarity to the world of worker’s comp!

Our quest for talent is becoming more challenging. Employees are looking for more from their employers than a pay cheque. Work is often seen as an extension of the self and employees want to know they and their employer are making positive contributions to their community and beyond. Come learn how a recognized leader in Corporate Social Responsibility is making an impact while attracting and retaining employees in this competitive market for talent and learn what you can do to get started or build on your program.

HRANB Moncton in partnership the Frye Festival is pleased to host Sandra Martin. Often called the “obit” queen of Canada, Sandra argues that her work as a writer is about life not death and that there is no such thing as an uninteresting life. She proves her point with her recent book Working the Dead Beat as it provides the reader with absorbing and passionate portraits of pivotal individuals including Pierre Trudeau, Louis Robichaud, and Maurice “Rocket” Richard, who have shaped the country we call home. Sandra Martin’s presentation about her career as an obituary writer will not only offer you an intimate view of life on the “dead beat” but also leave us with a new perspective on our life, our work and how our life choices can shape our legacy. Join us for a delicious breakfast buffet and meet Sandra Martin!

We are pleased to announce that the HR students from the HR Management Program at NBCC Moncton will be our guest presenters at the May 21 breakfast meeting. They will make several presentations on the results of their research conducted during their industry project over the past few weeks. Topics to be presented include: Bullying in the Workplace A look at the various forms of bullying in the workplace. How to identify bullying; how to treat it; and how to prevent it. We also look at the physical and emotional effects of bullying on employees, managers, and the organization. Creating Tomorrow’s Leaders How can HR build leaders to achieve organizational success? Taking a look at how HR professionals can use HR programs and practices to optimize their Human Capital. Embracing Abilities: The Autism Advantage We will create awareness to autism. We want you to have a better understanding of the capabilities of autistic people; provide an outline of the benefits for employers to have autistic people in their workplace. This is one meeting you will not want to miss. After the presentations the students will be available to chat with you about their findings and do a bit of networking. Come out and meet these future HR leaders. They are anxious to share with you some of the HR knowledge and tools they have learned and researched over the past few months.

The Moncton Chapter of HRANB is pleased to offer this great half day professional development opportunity. Two respected experts will provide us with a clear understanding of what is currently happening legally with harassment and bullying and they will then translate it in terms of what it means for us in our organization and how to appropriately manage the before, during and after. Our first speaker, George Raine will discuss legal trends, current cases, changing legislation and other related items that may impact the way we approach bullying and harassment issues in our workplaces. Following will be Sally J. Wells who will speak on the harassment policy in the workplace, what should be included, and how to write an effective harassment policy. She will provide an in-depth look at handling a harassment investigation once a complaint has been received and discuss when to handle the investigation internally, and when outside assistance should be sought. For the past seventeen years Sally has owned and operated a successful practice as a Workplace Consultant in Atlantic Canada. She specializes in workplace assessments, mediation skills training, workplace harassment investigations, and respectful workplace policy and education. George Raine, CHRP, is president of Montana Consulting Group. Over his 34 year HR career he has demonstrated depth expertise in labour relations, organizational culture transformation, workplace assessments, and human rights. George has developed and taught Harassment Advisor and Harassment Investigator courses for DND and teaches labour relations and conflict mediation for the Canada School of Public Service. He has conducted countless harassment investigations, workplace investigations, and workplace assessments for a wide array of clients. As a non-lawyer HR professional who combines a thorough understanding of labour and employment law with an understanding of workplace realities, he has presented nearly 60 arbitration cases, many involving complex human rights issues, with a 95% success rate. The issue of bullying, violence, and harassment in the workplace is a growing area of focus in our practice and George has frequently spoken on these and related topics at many labour law and HR conferences. This will be a practical and interactive session where the speakers will be available to answer your questions. We encourage you to email your questions before June 7 to Solange Gagnon and they will be passed on to the presenters who will do their best to include the answers in their presentation.

Please join us in attending McInnes Cooper’s presentation on new and current legal developments affecting HR professionals. Lucie LaBoissonnière and Dominique Fontaine will present summaries of recent cases from across Canada and discuss how developments in the law may affect you in your day-today duties. A few big cases have made headlines in the legal community in 2013, such as the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision on random drug testing and the Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision on the definition of “workplace” pursuant to occupational health and safety legislation. There are other decisions which have not been quite so groundbreaking but that provide guidance on thorny issues that HR professionals regularly face. Lucie and Dominique look forward to presenting a selection of interesting cases at the breakfast meeting of September 17, 2013.

Does your organization need a formal Rewards and Recognition program? The answer is no. However, managers, business owners and HR professionals from small businesses to large organizations need motivated and engaged employees. Can rewards and recognition programs improve your bottom line in measurable ways? What is included in reward and recognition programs? How do generational differences factor in reward and recognition programs? As one of Canada`s top employers, Assumption Life has considered all of these factors in its strategy. Rachelle Gagnon, Chief of Organizational Development, will be presenting and facilitating group discussions on what it takes to recognize employees and more specifically top talent.

Join us on November 19th for a great breakfast and to learn more about the role of HR and the human factor during process improvement initiatives. We all know that people are the cornerstone of every initiative in the workplace, however, we don’t always know how to create the proper environment to facilitate the change. During this presentation, Marc-André Alary from Direcsys will talk to us about the performance equation and the human element required to meet the objective of a process improvement initiative. How can you influence and change behaviours in a way that will produce the desired results? Learn why and how process improvement initiatives start with change management; how flexibility will allow you to engage your people in the initiative; how to recruit with process improvement in mind. Marc-André, has more than 20 years of experience helping companies achieve their goals. Building on a strong foundation as a Certified Project Manager, Black Belt in Lean Sigma and Train the Trainer, Marc-André is passionate about helping business leaders improve their quality and productivity while eliminating waste within their business processes. Diversity, depth and discipline are keywords that describe Marc-André’s background. He uses his enormous personal energy to generate contagious enthusiasm for change. He has applied Lean and Six Sigma methods to achieve improvements for custom and mass production environments in manufacturing and service industries.

Join us on Dec 10th for a great breakfast and to learn more about succession planning and driving a talent plan to success. Despite the best intentions, painstakingly crafted talent plans often fall short of achieving their goals and building capacity. During the presentation, Knightsbridge Robertson Surrette (KBRS) consultants, Tony Case & Ashley Leopold, will shine a light on the obstacles many organizations face in executing their talent plan. Drawing on extensive leadership development experience gained through the active support of leading organizations, we will examine how to assess an organization's ability to support talent plans, monitor talent development, measure progress, and recalibrate. KBRS consultants will present the results of theory in practice by recounting real world examples Atlantic Canadian organizations can relate to. Knightsbridge Robertson Surrette (KBRS) works with organizations to strengthen their most valuable asset, their people. We help our clients seamlessly recruit, develop and optimize talent to create competitive advantages, improve performance and achieve business objectives. We specialize in: - Talent Attraction - Organizational & Leadership Development - Career Management & Transition - Assessment & Coaching In addition to offices in Halifax, Moncton and St. John’s and over 50 professionals located in the region, we are part of Canada’s leading integrated human capital company – Knightsbridge. Through our partnerships and extensive network, we offer our clients the vast resources of an international firm with a tailored approach that fits our community. Knightsbridge Robertson Surrette has the people and services you need when you need stronger people.