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HOTLINE TO HR Inc. Announces Appointment of Ralph Sickinger

2012-02-21T12:31:00.000-05:00

HOTLINE TO HR Inc. Announces Appointment of Ralph Sickinger

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thornhill, Ontario, February 20, 2012 – HOTLINE TO HR Inc. (CNSX: HTH) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ralph Sickinger as Director of Operations to the Company.

Mr Sickinger is presently acting as President of Greenlight Capital. Greenlight Capital is a Toronto based firm specializing in assisting with the growth of micro-cap companies, both private and public, with respect to management, operations, financing, and the identification of synergistic opportunities. Greenlight has played critical roles in the strategic positioning of its clients within the public securities marketplace and helped to shepherd many of them through the “going public” process.

Prior to co-founding Greenlight Capital, Mr Sickinger acted as C.E.O. of Carma Financial Services Corporation {"Carma"}. Under Mr. Sickinger’s direction, Carma leveraged its collection and commercial information services business and expanded it into asset (receivable) based lending. With offices in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver, Carma became one of the premier commercial accounts receivable lenders in Canada and the country’s preeminent commercial construction business information company.

Carma went public in 1999 and was a product of an amalgamation of number of companies, which transaction Mr. Sickinger both conceived and executed. In 2003 Carma entered into a Reverse Takeover Transaction {"RTO"}, which was ultimately valued at $27,000,000.

Mr. Buonpensiero, Vice-President of HOTLINE TO HR Inc. commented that: "Mr Sickinger brings with him a unique combination of hands on business and marketing experience, together with a deep understanding of the micro-cap public securities markets. He will be invaluable in assisting the company to grow its business in the context of and utilizing the opportunities provided by the junior markets.”

About HOTLINE TO HR Inc.

HOTLINE TO HR provides Human Resources solutions for small to large sized companies. HOTLINE TO HR assists companies of all sizes efficiently manage their Human Resources systems, compliances and processes. HOTLINE TO HR delivers Human Resources solutions such as real time up to date current information as well as any HR related documentation all via our toll free number and through our e-based HR technology.

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. In particular, factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include, our inability to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms, risk that our products and services will not gain widespread market acceptance; continued consumer adoption of digital technology, inability to compete with others who provide comparable products, the failure of our technology, inability to respond to consumer and technological demands, inability to replace significant customers; seasonal nature of our business and other risks detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made and are not guarantees of future performance. We undertake no obligation “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” “plan,” “should,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “potential,” and similar expressions may be used to identify forward-looking statements.

Contact:

Frank Buonpensiero Phone 416-619-7867

Vice-President E-Mail: frank@hotlinetohr.com

HOTLINE TO HR Inc.

www.hotlinetohr.com

HOTLINE TO HR Inc. Announces Extension of warrant expiration

2012-02-16T13:53:00.002-05:00

HOTLINE TO HR Inc. Announces Extension of warrant expiration

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thornhill, Ontario, February 16, 2012 – HOTLINE TO HR Inc. (CNSX: HTH) is pleased to announce the Company's Management and Board of Directors, have approved an extension in the expiration date of the 4,323, 500 common shares purchase warrants (the “warrants”) issued by the company on August 26, 2010. The expiration date of the warrants is to be extended by 18 months, from February 20, 2012 to June 20, 2013. Each warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one common share in the capital stock of the Company at a price of $0.15 per share.

The Warrants will remain subject to an acceleration clause which provides that the Company may, by delivery of written notice, require the holder to exercise some or all of the warrants held by such person, in the event that the common shares of the Company trade at a closing price of $0.25 or more for 5 or more consecutive business days.

The holder shall have fifteen days in which to exercise the Warrant, failing which the Warrant shall expire. The Company may not exercise its right to so require exercise until the 21^st day of June, 2012.

About HOTLINE TO HR Inc.

Contact:

Frank Buonpensiero

Vice-President

Phone 416-619-7867

E-Mail: frank@hotlinetohr.com

HOTLINE TO HR Inc.

www.hotlinetohr.com

Effective Hiring for Smaller Businesses

2011-10-17T12:13:00.000-04:00

Is the candidate you are considering the right person for your job? Due to haphazard hiring procedures many small businesses have a 20% chance of hiring the best person. Considering how expensive and time consuming it is to hire employees, those are not good odds.

There are really two key challenges to the hiring process: getting access to people and then evaluating those people. The latter is something that small businesses often don`t do very well.

I spoke with a successful recruitment professional, off the record, to learn the secrets to hiring successfully. At the end of the interview I had an outline of a structured, highly effective five step process that can double the likelihood of success in the small business hiring process. Here is how it works.

Step 1: Write an effective job description.

It takes time to write a job description, but this step in the hiring process must not be skipped. You are making a significant financial investment in the person you hire; it is well worth it to take the time to establish a position-specific job description that outlines the scope and parameters of the job.

A good job description will clearly state what you are looking for. It will also attract the best candidates, so acts as a marketing tool. Your job description should include position responsibilities, background and skills as a minimum standard. Some companies also include a company description to help attact candidates.

The job description is particularly important if more than one person will be involved in the interview. However, even if there is only one person doing the interview the job description forces you to evaluate each candidate to a constant standard.

Ideally you will use a grid to evaluate candidates against your hiring criteria. This helps you maintain your objectivity and will help you back-up your hiring decision if anyone ever claims that you discriminated against them during the hiring process.

A job description continues to have value once a person is hired, as it can be used in an HR capacity by providing a clear and documented outline of what is expected of the hiree.

Step 2: Conduct a structured, effective interview

When a candidate arrives for an interview, there are three things you need to address.

1. The candidate's career background.

2. The candidate's skill as they relate to the skills you are looking for.

3. The reasons a good candidate should want to accept a position at your firm.

Too often question one is the whole interview in smaller companies, when it should only take up a small part. Ideally, you would structure a one hour interview to spend 15 minutes on question one, 30 minutes on question two and 15 minutes on the promotion of the company. Leave an extra fifteen minutes at the end to make notes after the candidate has left.

Here are some questions and considerations for each stage of the interview.

First 15 minutes:
Your goal is to understand the candidate's career background and some of their career motivations. Questions are broad in scope and touch on key aspects of the resume.

"Take me through the context of your career."
"Why did you make this career shift?"
"Why did you decide to pursue [this particular education]?"
"Why did you leave [company name]?"

Next 30 minutes:
Here you want to focus on the skills you are looking for. Your goal is to find out if the candidate has the skills needed to be successful in the position. Ideally, you will look for concrete examples from their past work that demonstrate their capabilities.

"Give me an example of how you grew revenue at the company you currently work for."
"Your resume shows that you have strong project management skills. Tell me about a project that you think best demonstrates how you were able to use those skills in your current position."
"Give me an example of how you responded to a client who was angry about [a relevant problem]."

Clearly the questions need to be tailored to the specifics of the job you are interviewing for, but this type of open ended questioning really gives the candidates the opportunity to shine – or to let you find out if they really don't have the skills they included on their resume. Some candidates may not have direct experience, but will provide another example from a similar situation, which gives you the opportunity to evaluate them against their next best example.

Don't be afraid to ask really tough or honest questions. Candidates who have been through this tough process will be more motivated, because it will make them feel that your company takes its recruiting seriously. People are attracted to a challenge and will value a position when they have had to prove they deserve it. However, avoid questions that are too "out of the box".

The final 15 minutes
In a small business, if you like what you heard from the candidate in the first two parts of the interview then you need to use the final part to sell. This is the time for you to explain why your company is great and why the person should be interested in accepting the position. It is better to leave this to the end, because then you can target your information and answers to the candidate.

For example, you may have heard that the candidate is looking for a new job that will cut his or her commute time. You can then emphasize this during the final fifteen minutes.

Step 3: Hold a decision meeting

Let's face it, in many smaller companies the decision meeting consists of the company founder saying "This is how it's going to be." While that is not unusual, neither is it ideal.

A grid is great for discussion. You can have everyone involved with the interview fill in a grid in advance and then compare them. This should never be done in front of the candidate. Discuss the candidates, considering their skills, needs and how they would fit into the culture of your organization. At the end of the meeting you should have a short list of possible hires.

Step 4: Check out your short listed candidates

Never assume that the information a candidate put down on his or her resume is correct. Check their education credentials. Check past employment (but not their current employer) and check their references. Some employers will call the current employer to confirm the person's title and email, but that is a bit sneaky and may be a warning flag to the current employer in a smaller company.

A much better way to check references than relying on two or three names submitted by the candidate, is to ask for a list of the candidate's bosses, peers and direct reports. Keep in mind that you cannot call the current employer, so this assumes that the candidate had other jobs. You can ask if there is someone you can speak with from the current company.

You would then select randomly from that list to conduct your reference check. The key thing is that you want choice in who you ask about the candidate. References should be viewed not as a disaster check, but rather an opportunity to gather valuable information on someone.

The reason this approach works so well is that you get third party confirmation of the candidate's abilities. Keep in mind that this approach tells you about both the positive and negative aspects of the candidate. Look for references to be balanced, but none are perfect. Comments on the person's development needs can help you turn a strong candidate into a fantastic employee. What you want to be cautious of are negatives that become thematic and look like they could be a serious issue if you hire the person.

When you do a reference call, you need a script that lists the 4 to 5 things you want to focus on. These should come from the job description, considering both the hard and soft skills that you need for the position. This approach takes time. If you are not willing to do it properly, don't do it at all.

Step 5: Making the offer

The first part of the offer should be verbal. Before you speak to the person, you should know what they are currently earning. Most candidates will provide this information during the interview.

When you speak with your choice candidate, explain your reasons for the offer. This is an opportunity to put the offer in context with what the position means to your company.

Try to get a verbal understanding before you put the offer on paper. Paper is just the formality. If things are all good you can send the written offer with the start date and get a signature back. Congratulation; if the process worked well you will have just added an excellent person to your team.

HOTLINE TO HR Inc. Appoints New Chief Financial Officer

2011-09-30T13:25:00.000-04:00

News Release

HOTLINE TO HR Inc. Appoints New Chief Financial Officer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 30, 2011

Thornhill, Ontario, September 30, 2011 – HOTLINE TO HR Inc. (CNSX: HTH) is pleased to announce that Mr. Richard Goldstein has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer. “I’m excited to have been granted the opportunity to have overall leadership responsibility for the strategy and operations for all of the Company’s finance and control functions”, said Mr. Richard Goldstein.

Effective immediately, Mr. Richard Goldstein will assume the role of CFO, replacing Mr. George Hatzoglou who resigned as CFO of the Corporation effective August 28th, 2011.

Mr. Richard Goldstein received his Business Commerce from Concordia University in Management and International Business and his MBA in Finance from McMaster University.

In his career, he has completed financings raising more than $50 million for early stage computer software companies, as well as completing a number of Capital Pool Company (“CPC”) and Reverse Take-Over (“RTO”) transactions for a variety of businesses.

Mr. Richard Goldstein has also raised equity for a variety of technology and health science companies including Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc., Altek Power, and Vector Wind Energy.

Recently, he served as Lead Underwriter and syndicate participant on three financings for Agtech/Alliance Grain Traders. After an initial IPO of $5 million, Richard completed a financing in excess of $23 million (2007); a further equity raise of over $15 million (2008) culminating in a $100 million “bought deal” led by Genuity Capital Markets in 2009.

Mr. Richard Goldstein was Founder and President of First Republic Securities Corporation which at the time of its sale was a Canadian Investor Protection (CIPF) and Investment Dealers Association (IDA)member and registered in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario. He subsequently became an Equity Partner and Head of Investment Banking at Fraser Mackenzie where he worked closely with a life sciences analyst. During this time, Richard served as Lead Underwriter and “deal team leader” which completed a $41 million equity financing for BioMS, a developer of therapeutics for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.

Early in his career, Mr. Richard Goldstein managed Suncor’s $200 million pension fund as Secretary of the Pension Fund Investment Committee (PFIC).

“We are excited to have Mr. Richard Goldstein join our executive team, his knowledge, plus his experience in fast growth environments combined with his broad-ranging financial and compliance expertise will be instrumental as we drive towards HOTLINE TO HR Inc`s. long-term growth objectives”, says Frank Buonpensiero, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

About HOTLINE TO HR Inc.

HOTLINE TO HR Inc. is an internet technology based company focused in Human Resources with a social media network program. As one of North America's leading provider of Human Resources administrative solutions for small to large sized companies, HOTLINE TO HR Inc., assists companies of all sizes efficiently manage their Human Resources systems, compliances and processes. HOTLINE TO HR Inc. delivers Human Resources solutions such as real time up to date current advice, best practices and a any HR related documentation all via our toll free number and through our e-based HR technology.

Contact:

Frank Buonpensiero Phone 1-416-619-7867 / 1-877-959-8647

Vice-President E-Mail: investor@hotlinetohr.com

HOTLINE TO HR INC.

www.hotlinetohr.com

Strengthening Workplace Health and Safety

2011-09-27T13:42:00.000-04:00

Strengthening Workplace Health and Safety

McGuinty Government Implementing Recommendations of Expert Safety Panel

Ontario is transforming the province's health and safety system and increasing protection for workers.

In the largest revamp of Ontario's worker safety system in 30 years, a series of new amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Workplace Safety and Insurance Act have passed. These amendments are in response to the recommendations provided by the Expert Panel on Occupational Health and Safety and will:

· Establish the Ministry of Labour as the lead for accident prevention, transferring it from the WSIB.

· Appoint a new Chief Prevention Officer to coordinate and align the prevention system.

· Create a new prevention council, with representatives from labour, employers, and safety experts, to advise the Chief Prevention Officer and the Minister.

The changes also give the Minister of Labour oversight of the province's Health and Safety Associations as well as the education, training and promotion of workplace health and safety.

LEARN MORE

HOTLINE TO HR Inc. is convenient and easily accessible website, 24 hours, 7 day a week therefore allowing us to serve small, medium, and large businesses and individuals all over Ontario (ON),Quebec (QC), Nova Scotia (NS),New Brunswick (NB),Manitoba (MB), British Columbia (BC), Prince Edward Island (PE),Saskatchewan (SK),Alberta (AB),Newfoundland & Labrador (NL), Northwest Territories (NW),Yukon (YK), Nunavut (NU).

www.hotlinetohr.com

When is an Independent Contractor an Employee? Defining a worker.

2011-09-26T14:47:00.000-04:00

When is an Independent Contractor an Employee? Defining a worker.

A worker is anyone you employ in your business under a contract of service or apprenticeship. In this relationship you will, for example, set:

· The nature and place of work

· When it is performed, and

· How it is performed.

In some cases an unpaid employee may still be considered a worker (e.g. training participant).

A family member, including spouse, children and other relatives, employed under a contract of service and receiving earnings is considered a worker. Their earnings must be included in the premium calculation.

Workers can be employed either full-time or part-time, including:

· Seasonal, temporary or occasional employees

· Students, apprentices and learners

· Training participants.

· Domestics working for you for more than 24 hours a week.

Contractors hired under a contract of service may also be workers. Please see the section onContractors.

Executive officers

The WSIB considers executive officers to be a select group of individuals who control the direction of the entire organization rather than just a department or branch. The WSIB has the authority to determine who is an executive officer. For a complete list of positions eligible for executive officer, see below.

If you are incorporated and you consider one (or more) of the individuals on your payroll to be an executive officer, you must be able to demonstrate that the individual in question:

· Holds a position (as corporate officer or director) listed on the chart under “Limited liability companies” and is named in your corporation’s minute book as holding this position; and

· Does in fact perform the duties and executes the responsibilities of an executive officer, as defined by the WSIB.

Individuals confirmed as executive officers by the WSIB are not considered workers unless they have optional insurance.

An individual such as a sole proprietor, a partner, or an independent operator who incorporates, is not considered an executive officer.

2011-09-19T11:22:00.000-04:00

Keeping the Right People - Exit Interviews

When an employee leaves your organization, an exit interview is a helpful tool to:
·         Identify what your organization is doing well
·         Pinpoint areas where you can improve in your organization
·         Confirm the skill sets, experience, and attributes needed for the job
·         Capture useful knowledge, contacts, tips, etc. from the exiting employee
·         Understand why the employee is leaving
·         Say good-bye on good terms

If your organization is large enough to have an HR staff person, he/she would typically hold the exit interview. Otherwise, the supervisor of the exiting employee would conduct the interview.
Exit interviews can be conducted face-to-face, be in the form of a written survey (hard-copy or electronic), or held over the phone. Only face-to-face and telephone interviews allow you to explore responses and gain even more insight. You can help the exiting employee feel more comfortable by starting with friendly discussion and then easing into the more probing questions. Always start by explaining the purpose of the exit interview. However, some exiting employees may be more forthcoming with information if they can write, rather than say, their feelings.
Exit interviews are an important HR tool and the option should be available to all exiting employees; however, participation in an exit interview must be voluntary.

Potential exit interview questions
1.       Reason for leaving
2.       Why have you decided to leave the organization?
3.       Did anything trigger your decision to leave?
4.       Was a single event responsible for your decision to leave?
5.       Have you shared your concerns with anyone in the company prior to deciding to leave?
6.       Did anyone in this organization discriminate against you, harass you, or cause hostile working conditions?

Job satisfaction
1.       What was most satisfying about your job? What was least satisfying about your job?
2.       What would you change about your job?
3.       What did you like most about this organization? What did you like least about this organization?
4.       What would you improve to make our workplace better?
5.       Did your job duties turn out to be as you expected?
6.       Were your job responsibilities characterized correctly during the interview process and orientation?
7.       Did this organization help you to fulfill your career goals?
8.       Were you happy with your pay, benefits and other incentives?
9.       Did any organization policies or procedures (or any other obstacles) make your job more difficult?

Supervision and support
1.       Do you feel you had the resources and support necessary to accomplish your job? If not, what was missing?
2.       The quality of supervision is important to most people at work. How was your relationship with your manager? What could your supervisor do to improve his or her management style and skill?
3.       Did you have clear goals and know what was expected of you in your job?
4.       Did you receive enough training to do your job effectively?
5.       Did you receive adequate support to do your job?
6.       Did you receive adequate feedback about your performance day-to-day and in the performance development planning process?

Other
1.       Do you have any tips to help us find your replacement?
2.       Based on your experience with us, what do you think it takes to succeed at this organization?
3.       Would you consider working again for this organization in the future?
4.       Would you recommend working for this organization to your family and friends?
5.       What is your experience of employee morale and motivation in the company?
6.       What does your new company offer that encouraged you to accept their offer and leave this company?
7.       Can this organization do anything to encourage you to stay?
8.       Any other comments?

An in-person exit interview can be a good time to collect keys, identification badges, equipment, etc. from the exiting employee. End the meeting on a positive note. Thank the exiting employee for their service to your organization. Let them know that the exit interview information is helpful and wish them the best in their new venture.

Need Human Resource help, please feel free to contact us at www.hotlinetohr.com or info@hotlinetohr.com

Canada Work Share Program

2011-09-16T12:43:00.002-04:00

Canada Work-Sharing

Facing difficult times?

When employers face difficulties beyond their control and are forced to reduce their company’s activity, they may have only two courses of action:

· to lay off employees; or

· to make an agreement with affected employees to participate in a Work-Sharing arrangement.

What is Work-Sharing?

The Work-Sharing Program enables employers to deal with business cutbacks and still avoid laying off employees. Under a Work-Sharing agreement, employers can shorten their employees’ work week by one half day to three days and pay those employees reduced wages. For the hours, days, or shifts that employees do not work, Service Canada arranges for those employees who are eligible for Employment Insurance (EI) to receive benefits, which helps to compensate for the lower wages they receive from the employer.

Win-Win situation

Employees who participate in a Work-Sharing agreement:

· avoid the hardship of being laid off; and

· keep their jobs and maintain their work skills.

Employers who participate in a Work-Sharing agreement:

· retain valued, skilled employees; and

· avoid the expense of hiring and training new employees when work activity returns to normal.

Working together

The employer and the employees must agree to participate in a Work-Sharing agreement and must apply together.

Both the employer and the employees must sign the application and the resulting agreement with Service Canada. All parties must sign the agreement before its start date.

During the period of the Work-Sharing agreement, the employer, the employees, and Service Canada have the right to terminate the agreement at any time.

Duration

Work-Sharing agreements must have a minimum duration of six weeks.

For new agreements beginning on or after April 3, 2011, the maximum initial Work-Sharing agreement duration is twenty-six weeks with a possible extension up to twelve weeks.

Additional Temporary Work-Sharing Extension:

A temporary Work-Sharing measure has been put in place providing an additional sixteen weeks to employers with an agreement that began prior to April 3, 2011 and is either currently active or has recently ended. These extensions must end no later than October 29, 2011.

Work-Sharing agreements generally do not affect employees’ rights to regular EI benefits if they happen to be laid off after the agreement ends.

No waiting period for benefits

Participants do not have to serve a two-week waiting period to receive Work-Sharing benefits; however, it may take a few weeks for the first cheque to arrive.

Who can participate?

Permanent full-time or part-time employees of a company are eligible to participate in the Work-Sharing Program. To receive Work-Sharing benefits, employees must be eligible to receive regular EI benefits. To set up a Work-Sharing agreement, there must be at least two participating employees.

How can employers qualify?

To be eligible, employers must have been in business in Canada year-round for at least two years. They must also be able to show that the need to reduce hours is temporary and unavoidable, and is not a seasonal situation.

As part of the application process, the employer must also submit a recovery plan which includes the activities the employer will undertake to recover within the period of the agreement.

Service Canada cannot approve a Work-Sharing application for an employer involved in a labour dispute.

ROE Web

The easiest way for employers to submit Records of Employment (ROE) once a Work-Sharing application is approved is through ROE Web.

Using ROE Web, employers can:

· complete one or hundreds of ROEs in minutes at the touch of a button;

· view, retrieve, and amend ROEs anytime;

· eliminate mailing costs;

· save time and increase productivity; and

· reduce calls and requests for payroll information from Service Canada.

For more information about the Work-Sharing Program visit:

Our HR service is convenient and easily accessible website, 24 hours, 7 day a week therefore allowing us to serve small, medium, and large businesses and individuals all over Ontario (ON),Quebec (QC), Nova Scotia (NS),New Brunswick (NB),Manitoba (MB), British Columbia (BC), Prince Edward Island (PE),Saskatchewan (SK),Alberta (AB),Newfoundland & Labrador (NL), Northwest Territories (NW),Yukon (YK), Nunavut (NU).

www.hotlinetohr.com

CNSX - New Listing - Hotline to HR Inc. (HTH)

2011-05-11T13:40:00.000-04:00

Bulletin: 2011-0501

TORONTO, May 9 /CNW/ - The common shares of Hotline to HR Inc. have been approved for listing on CNSX. The Company has 23,466,333 common shares outstanding with a public float of approximately 14 million shares.

Hotline to HR is a human resources marketing company whose principal business will be the development of a niche market in outsourcing of human resources services in areas such as recruitment and staffing, compensation and payroll, employee benefits, talent management and employee relations, training and development, compliance, consulting services, and ERP/ATS solutions.

Listing and disclosure documents for Hotline to HR Inc. will be available in the CNSX Listings Disclosure Hall.

Trading Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Symbol: HTH
CUSIP: 441476 10 8
ISIN: CA 441476 10 8 6

VOTING LEGISLATION

2011-04-27T13:55:00.000-04:00

Voting in any type of election, from local elections to Federal elections, provides an important way to voice your opinions regarding elected leaders and overall policies; voting also helps you decide your own future by electing a person who might reflect your own views. The ability to vote exists as one of the most cherished Rights that many fought for, and died for over the centuries.

The federal election will take place on May 2, 2011.

The following summarizes an employer’s obligation to provide an employee time off, under the Canada Elections Act

· Any employee eligible to vote is entitled to three consecutive hours from work on election day

• Time off provided is at the convenience of the employer

· Time off provided must be paid. An employer cannot make a deduction from wages or impose a penalty on an employee for time taken off to vote

• There is no obligation to provide paid time off if an employee has three consecutive hours free from work within voting hours. For example an employee employed in Ontario (eastern Time Zone) scheduled to start work no earlier than 12:30 p.m. or who will finish work by 6:30 p.m. is not entitled to additional time off to vote.

If the right to vote no longer existed, the country would no longer survive as a democratic nation, but completely totalitarian. By not voting, you give away your right to influence the government overall.

• An employer is not required to provide three consecutive hours off during the middle of the day. To satisfy three consecutive hours, an employer may allow an employee to arrive at work later then the usual or to leave earlier.

Polling Stations will open and close ay the following local times:

TIME ZONE VOTING TIMES

Central Atlantic and Newfoundland 8:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Eastern 9:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Pacific 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Mountain 7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.

If you need assistance or further information, do not hesitate to contact one of our Human Resources Professionals at HOTLINE TO HR, to assist you.

HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING

2011-04-12T14:12:00.000-04:00

HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING

Employers must have an overall safety program including relative site specific safety information where applicable. The safety training program should cover topics such as, but not limited to:

• Accident Prevention and Safety Promotion
• Safety Compliance
• Accident and Emergency Response
• Personal Protective Equipment
• Safety Practices
• Equipment and Machinery
• Chemical and Hazardous Materials Safety
• Workplace Hazards
• Employee Involvement
• Legislation

Employers must document all training. Creating a training matrix will help keep track of who has been trained, when they were trained, the training topic, and when it is time for refresher training. Employees must also sign an official sign-in sheet provided by the employer that can serve as proof that employees received proper training. The sign in sheet must have a broad description of what is being covered in the training. Tests or quizzes on the presented material can help gauge employee understanding of the material and highlight topics that need to be reviewed.

The non-English speaking population is consistently growing in many industries and it is important that employers provide training for those workers, as legislation requires that all employees be properly trained. The training program can also help a trainer keep the required mandated safety training courses organized and up-to-date.

Safety training classes help establish a safety culture in which employees themselves help promote proper safety procedures while on the job. It is important that new employees be properly trained and embrace the importance of workplace safety as it is easy for seasoned workers to negatively influence the new hires. That negative influence however, can be purged with the establishment of new, hands-on, innovative effective safety training which will ultimately lead to an effective safety culture. A 1998 NIOSH study concluded that the role of training in developing and maintaining effective hazard control activities is a proven and successful method of intervention.

Proper training will also show due diligence with the Ministry of Labour, and can be the difference between jail time or no jail time.

Do not hesitate to contact one of our Human Resources Professionals at HOTLINE TO HR, to assist in the following:
• safety policy templates
• health and safety forms
• task analysis
• job description templates
• training information
• legislation information
• training matrix
• sign off sheets

Disobedience

2011-04-12T13:52:00.002-04:00

Disobedience

Workplace disobedience refers to an employee not following the rules and regulations of their employer. It may also include any laws or acts whose rules may govern the employee’s conduct.

Disobedience is, in most cases, best dealt but through progressive discipline. The only way that a single act of misconduct can be seen as immediate grounds for termination is if it meets all of the following criteria:

· It is deliberate

· The employee fully understood what they were doing

· As a result, there is substantial harm to the employer

Courts are reluctant to find just cause in dismissing an employee whose disobedience is an isolated occurrence. If the court finds that the act of disobedience may have reflected poor judgment rather than true intention to disobey, it will be reluctant to side with the employer (Dooley vs. Philippine Airlines Inc.).

Additionally, if the instructions that an employee is given are vague or unreasonable, breaking them does not constitute grounds for termination nor does it signal the presence of just cause (Cheba v. ED Inc.).

A successful progressive discipline method includes the following steps:

1. Verbal Warning

2. Written warning

3. Suspension

4. Termination

If after suspension the employee continues conducting themselves in a manner deemed inappropriate, the employer has now built up a record of disciplinary measures leading up to, and may proceed with the next step therein; termination.

Cheba v. Ensign Drilling Inc. (2002) AJ no. 1052; 116 ACWS 93d) 382 (Prov. Ct.).

Dooley v. Philippine Airlines Inc. (1985), 10 OAC 217 (CA).

Meaning Is the New Money (Harvard Business Review)

2011-03-29T13:22:00.002-04:00

Meaning Is the New Money (Harvard Business Review)

Over the last year, I've been doing a lot of research on how organizations will need to evolve to meet the demands of the 21st century. The central premise of this work is that new technologies, most of which have appeared only within the last decade, greatly amplify our abilities to interact simultaneously with large numbers of people. The frontier of human productive capacity today is the power of extended collaboration — the ability to work together beyond the scope of small groups.

But doing this successfully turns out to rub up against a number of assumptions that are deeply embedded in the ways most organizations still operate today — assumptions that are no longer valid, but are so deeply buried that we fail to question whether or not it makes sense to do things the same way.

Here's one assumption many organizations live by: “If you can see your employees working, they're productive. If you pay them more, they'll work harder.”

Working in a world of extended collaboration asks individuals to contribute through a different and, in many ways, more complex set of activities. Workers must deal with rich content that flows through infinite links. Individuals must make intelligent, well-informed decisions about what to share with whom (and what not to) with less guidance from the hierarchy to simplify the patterns of interaction. And they must dig deep within themselves to form innovative ideas and put their best thinking forward.

To a large extent, the conduct of these activities is not something managers can prescribe or even monitor. Unlike process-based work, in which the goal is to perform synchronized tasks consistently and reliably, extended collaboration occurs asynchronously and is often aimed at discovering or developing something new. Rather than requiring everyone to be in the same place at the same time, extended collaboration can occur virtually. In process-based work, quality can be assured through in-process inspection and performance judged on conformity to process specifications, while the quality of collaborative work can typically be assessed only by the results achieved.

Perhaps most significantly, extended collaboration requires high levels of discretionary effort. People have to choose to do it and have to want to do it well. Leaders can create a context in which that is likely to happen, but collaboration cannot be mandated. It requires high levels of employee engagement.

My research has clearly shown that high levels of engagement, and the associated discretionary effort, occur when our work experiences reflect a clear set of values that we share. For many today, meaning is the new money. It's what people are looking for at work. Clear company values, translated into the day-to-day work experience, are one of the strongest drivers of an engaged workforce, one primed for successful collaboration.

When employees are engaged, they are excited and enthusiastic about what they're doing and enjoy pondering current challenges. They invite others in and are emotionally contagious. Engaged employees identify proudly with the organization and their work. These are the conditions that drive individuals' desires to collaborate in business.

As the old assumption that managers can "oversee" the quality of people's work and pay more to motivate more falls away, the role of leadership shifts from adopting and enforcing best practices to crafting unique experiences that reinforce the organization's values. It becomes less important to be all things to all people and more important to attract and retain people who value what you have to offer. Rather than offering a little of everything, companies must shift to excelling in specific areas that align with their unique values.

By strengthening meaning and increasing engagement, firms can connect with and motivate employees whenever and wherever they work.

Do not hesitate to contact one of our Human Resources

Professionals at HOTLINE TO HR, for assistance in getting more information regarding:

HOW TO MOTIVATE

HOW TO ENGAGE EMPLOYEES

SUPERVISOR TRAINING

SALARY INFROMATION

COMPENSATION PLANS

REWARD PLANS

Health & Safety Policy

2011-03-24T09:42:00.001-04:00

A written health and safety policy helps promote an effective safety program. Such a policy should reflect the special needs of your workplace and should be reviewed and updated annually.

There are several reasons why workplaces need a health and safety policy or program, including:

to show employees that safety performance and business performance are compatible;
to clearly state the company's safety beliefs, principles, objectives, strategies and processes to build buy-in through all levels of the company;
to clearly outline employer and employee accountability and responsibility for workplace health and safety;
to comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act; and
to set out safe work practices and procedures to be followed to prevent workplace injuries and illnesses, and to comply with Legislative Standards

To be effective, a policy must: involve senior management and representatives in the preparation of the policy, be seen as consistent with the workplace's objectives of operating in an efficient and predictable manner, be relevant to workplace's real needs, not adopted from another workplace, and be accepted as equal in importance to the workplace's other policy objectives.

No matter how well written, a policy is no more than empty words if a plan does not exist to put the policy into effect throughout the organization.

The policy can only be put into effect where: responsibilities are clearly defined and assigned, methods of accountability are established, proper procedures and program activities are implemented, adequate provision of financial and other resources are provided , and responsibilities for carrying out the policy objectives are clearly communicated and understood within the workplace.

RESIGNATIONS

2011-03-07T10:19:00.002-05:00

RESIGNATIONS

Our complex workplace laws, and human behaviour means that businesses are still required to document many, if not all, aspects of people management. Far from making it easier, each government change seems to result in a need for more documentation. Neglecting your people management documentation exposes your business to unnecessary stress caused by disputes. Unfortunately, the verbal resignation is not an unusual occurrence. When a business owner or manager receives an employee resignation, it is important to ask them to document their resignation fully. If they fail to do this, it can result in all manner of disputes about how much notice was given, or lead to disputes about other details. If the employee fails to put things in writing, it can possibly turn into a constructive dismissal if not handled properly. The way to protect yourself is to ensure you have written evidence is to acknowledge the employee’s resignation in writing.

An example of this approach came when Dawn received a verbal resignation from Sally. Initially, Dawn was happy for Sally to work out her notice period, but two days into it, Dawn began to receive complaints from clients and other employees. Dawn decided it would be better to pay Sally out her notice period and told her she was not required to attend work. Sally left immediately and all employee entitlements were paid. Weeks later, Dawn received advice that Sally had lodged an unfair dismissal claim, stating she had been terminated. Dawn had no proof of the verbal resignation and had to request that her employees make witness statements verifying Sally’s resignation.

The outcome of this was a mediated settlement with Sally, costing Dawn several weeks extra in pay and many weeks of stress. Orderly resignations are extremely important for both Employer and Employee. Employer should take the opportunity to get this signed Resignation Form from the Employee.

All supervisors should be prepared for how to conduct themselves when receiving resignation notice, orally or in writing, so they execute Company policy appropriately. In the simplest mechanical terms, you should have a set of documents prepared for this contingency. This letter plus the Employee Release Form is generally sufficient; the health plan continuation is a matter of formality. Resignations are complicated for employers because the employee determines the time, not the employer, and the employer has a multiple set of objectives to accomplish to make the transition effective.

The final goal should be to get the return of all Company property immediately. This is usually problematic for offsite equipment. Just do the best you can in this regard. If they have equipment at home, first get the sign off on these documents and then direct them to go home immediately and bring everything back. If you create an immediate sense of urgency, you will stand the best chance of getting everything back.

Steps to Handle Resignations:

1. Have the employee fill out the Resignation Form and the Acceptance letter (if necessary) and make multiple copies.

2. Get the key or keys back in the initial resignation conversation by the Employee.

3. Change all access codes as soon as possible without insulting or inciting the resigning Employee.

4. Get the Employee off the premises as soon as possible without insulting or inciting the resigning Employee. There are cases where that immediate termination is better than letting the Employee linger on premises. In this case then the Resignation Acceptance Letter needs to be issued. This letter plus the Resignation Form is generally sufficient. Note that in this case, Health Benefits Premiums need to be extended for the notice period. If the employee pays a portion of the premium, and they do not wish to continue, then the benefits can be terminated immediately as well.

5. If possible, arrange for a going away event at a convenient time and place prior to the Employee leaving (this should be part of your normal termination package).

6. Consider this activity the most important priority of the day it occurs. If you give it immediate precedence, the event will go off better than otherwise and you will vastly reduce any lingering byproduct. In addition, your other Employees will also be put on notice as to the procedure and prepared for if they eventually resign—and will not feel singled out, and so on and so on.

If you need assistance in handling an employee’s resignation, do not hesitate to contact one of our Human Resources Professionals at HOTLINE TO HR, to assist you.

2011-02-22T15:16:00.000-05:00

Employee Leave

Why Good Employees Leave
In any employment market, good companies want to keep their best people. But when labor becomes scarce, employee retention becomes an increasingly critical priority.

What, then, can companies do to retain the people they worked so hard to recruit? From an informal survey that was conducted by Workopolis, of more than 100 executives recently in a career transition, several important facts emerge.

Compensation
What You Can Do:

Use industry surveys and other data tools to stay informed on wage trends.
To benefit both company and employees, they increased pay to meeting specific goals aligned with business objectives.
Collect data from exit interviews to document trends from your departing employees, and then use this data to make a business case for increasing salaries across the board.
Survey employees to find out what perks, benefits and forms of compensation other than money will help keep them on board.

The Issue: While just 31 percent of respondents indicated making more money was their primary reason for job hunting, it's evident that paying competitive salaries is an important retention tool.

Management and Retention
What You Can Do:
Improve managers' leadership, communication and interpersonal skills through coaching, training and feedback. Rate these key skills in their evaluations, and tie compensation to performance. Create a safe environment and process for employees to bring up concerns with their managers. Address problems quickly.

Communication
What You Can Do: Consider this sampling of ideas from the survey, and compare how your own company and its managers operate:

Provide clear vision, strong and consistent communication, teamwork and respect for workers' efforts.
Share the company vision/mission clearly and regularly.
Collaborate, communicate and listen. Happy employees accomplish amazing things.

The Issue: In the survey, comments about poor management abounded. For 29 percent, the fact that they "did not like, respect or get along with their manager" were a significant factor in their decision to leave.

The Issue: When asked what advice they would give management to keep talented staff on board, survey respondents repeatedly mentioned better communication of company goals, performance expectations and value/appreciation of staff work.

Be Proactive
Rather than finding yourself in a serious staffing shortage a few months or years down the road, take the time now to address retention issues at your company. You can create strategies to improve your company's ability to carefully preserve and develop its most valuable asset: its people.

Do not hesitate to contact one of our Human Resources Professionals at HOTLINE TO HR, for assistance in getting more information regarding:

Wage Surveys

Exit Interviews

Employee Surveys

Health and Safety

Management Coaching