HRdownloads Blog

We’ve all been there. You have a tough talk with an employee, then they’re overcome with emotions and begin to cry. For some managers, this display of emotions can make a difficult situation even more uncomfortable. So what do you do with an ‘over-sensitive’ employee?

As an employer or HR manager, you are tasked with managing a wide variety of employee personalities every day. It’s likely that you have worked with highly sensitive employees, and there are many challenges and opportunities associated with developing strong working relationships with these workers. Sensitivity means being aware of others’ needs and emotions, as well as understanding that how others behave affects how we think and feel. What are the first things that come to mind when you think about a sensitive employee?

Canadians worry about money. More than two fifths of Canadians consider money to be their biggest stressor, and stories abound of people struggling under mortgages, bank loans, and student debts, or failing to save money for their future. Commentators ascribe some of this worry to problems of ‘financial literacy,’ the understanding people have (or lack) about money, especially about saving, spending responsibly, and investing.

Many Canadians now find themselves living from paycheque to paycheque, their financial situation so precarious that one emergency could be disastrous. A survey in the United States found that 47 percent of respondents would not be able to cover a $400 emergency, or would have to borrow money or sell something to cover it; another study found that more than a quarter of participants could not come up with $2,000 for an emergency in 30 days, and a further 19% could only come up with that much money in time if they pawned possessions or took out payday loans.

Jim’s the best. Everyone loves working with him and he does fantastic work. He is always happy, friendly, and seems to thoroughly enjoy his work. People often remark that Jim is the only one who knows how everything works around the office. As his manager, you feel so lucky to have Jim on your team and wish all of your employees could be a little more like him. You know Jim has a bright future at the company—until one day Jim walks into your office, hands in his resignation, and there is no convincing him to stay.

This scenario has likely played out for every manager or business owner at some point in their career. Employers have an employee who fits in great with the organization and may even play a big role in a current project or the company’s future plans, but then resigns seemingly out of the blue. These types of resignations can be very disruptive to the workplace.

Stress: an inevitable, ever-present fact of workplace life. Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances. It affects people of all ages, genders, and circumstances.

While it has a negative connotation, stress can be a useful motivator that helps you meet daily tasks and overcome challenges. Stress becomes a problem when there’s too much of it present in one’s life. When this happens, negative effects can arise, such as a weakened immune system, depression, anxiety, and even heart disease. With all the time people spend at work, it’s unsurprising that people name work the greatest stressor in their life.

On November 21, 2018, Ontario’s Bill 47 received Royal Assent, becoming law. Many of the provisions under the Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018 will not come into force until January 1, 2019, but that’s coming up quick, and some provisions are already in effect. These tight timelines mean that it’s crucial for organizations to have the right information on what policies need to change.

Having difficult, and sometimes awkward, conversations with employees is part of a manager’s role. Often these conversations are about sensitive matters and are uncomfortable for both parties. Good leaders address sensitive issues rather than avoiding them. But how an issue is communicated to an employee can greatly affect the outcome of the situation.

Part of the challenge with having these conversations is getting over the fear or discomfort with having to do it. Some of the hardest conversations can be those regarding personal hygiene, performance issues, or very specific situations relating to a person’s habits. While these conversations can be difficult, they have to happen in order for the issue to be corrected.

With the recent legalization of cannabis, questions may begin to arise around your office this holiday season. You are likely aware of the benefits and drawbacks of planning and hosting a company event. Many employers and HR professionals are also aware of the liability issues and dangers of serving alcohol to employees. As a responsible and forward-thinking company, you may already have policies in place regarding company events. However, employers will need to evaluate whether and how cannabis will be incorporated into their company event policies.

For the first time, recreational cannabis is legal for this year’s holiday festivities, company events, and parties. The challenge for employers will be to identify the unique ways that cannabis may factor into these company events. The legislation is still new, but this article helps guide HR professionals in the right direction toward handling legalized cannabis at company events.

A human resources professional may have only one job title, but they almost always have more than one role in an organization. Among the most important roles HR plays are resolving disputes, addressing concerns and complaints, liaising between employees and management, and disciplining misconduct. All of these tasks require emotional sensitivity, patience, and understanding, but these tasks also exact a toll.

Empathizing with a person or being compassionate requires sharing that person’s pain or suffering, and that sharing has consequences. Over time, even the most compassionate person can suffer from compassion fatigue, where their capacity for empathizing with others is diminished. This can feel even more prevalent during the holiday season, which can put a lot of pressure on employees across the organization as both personal and professional obligations ramp up at the end of the year.

Employers across Canada are losing sleep over labour shortages, which are expected to last throughout the next decade. These shortages affect a company’s revenue and growth, increasing costs associated with wages and benefits, requiring existing employees to work longer hours, and influencing competitiveness because of deteriorating quality or unfulfilled services—not to mention a frenzy of recruitment wars.

Labour shortages affect organizations of all sizes but are particularly concerning for smaller employers. A recent survey conducted by Business Development Bank of Canada found that 39 percent of small to medium-sized companies are having difficulty finding new employees. Why? Because a labour shortage leads to a job seekers’ market. Job seekers can place higher demands on employers because the number of job vacancies is high. Job seekers have options and they know it; many employers are fighting for the same talent. So the next question is: what can employers do?

As a manager, you know that you can’t always be best friends with your team. The nature of the manager–report relationship demands a certain decorum, a level of professional distance that makes true friendship almost impossible. Even so, it’s possible (not to mention preferable) to get along with the people on your team. You have to work with these people, and it’s easier on everyone if you all like each other, or at the very least all respect each other.

Sometimes, though, it might seem like your team has turned on you. You might know the feeling. Employees are not openly rude, but you can feel the tension. There are significant glances shared when you speak to the group. It might just be a little dose of paranoia, but maybe it isn’t, and your employees are starting to plot against you. Even if the mutineers are just a clique or subset of employees, it can still be difficult to effectively manage the whole team under these conditions.