Workplace Challenges
Seminars cover key HR strategiesFrom evaluating soft skills, to helping new hires relocate, to promoting work-life balance in the workplace, to effectively resolving conflicts, this year's annual HRPAO conference will cover everything HR professionals need to know to do their jobs well. |
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 [ 2008-01-30 ] |
The three-day event, which starts today and takes place in Toronto, includes dozens of presentations on the most pressing HR issues and trends of the day, delivered by the biggest movers and shakers in the world of organizations.
Is Your Crystal Ball on the Fritz? delves into the often thorny challenge of adequately assessing job candidates.
FINDING TALENT
Michael Gravelle of The McQuaig Institute, an international organization that helps companies assess, select and develop talent, will teach participants how to enhance traditional selection methods to thoroughly evaluate candidates while at the same time reduce time-to-hire and interviewing costs. It also includes information on six leading-edge tools to help assess high performers.
Workplace conflict is something almost every HR professional has to contend with from time to time, but it can be something manageable, insists Gary Harper, a conflict resolution and communication expert.
In The Joy of Conflict, Harper will reveal how to understand both sides of a story in any disagreement, and how to apply basic communications skills to uncover the root of a conflict and shift from confrontation to collaboration.
An emphasis on collaboration is also the thrust of Team-ing With Success, which deals with the increasing emphasis by organizations on work teams to stay ahead of the competition.
Presenter Lorraine Ukens, a performance improvement consultant who specializes in team building and experiential learning, says training is key to creating successful teams. Her session will present a three-stage team training model that takes a comprehensive, systematic and action-based approach and employs experiential learning as a central training technique.
DIVERSITY
Also integral to the success of many forward-thinking organizations is creating a diverse workforce -- a subject that will be tackled by Irshad Manji, author of the best-selling The Trouble with Islam Today.
Manji says embracing diversity is not just about race, gender or culture. We first have to acknowledge our own uniqueness as individuals, live more authentically and understand how our individuality benefits our workplace.
Savvy HR execs understand the importance of promoting an organizational culture that promotes work-life balance.
In Work/Life Means Business, Kathleen Lingle will share seven categories of employer support for addressing work/life conflict, and show how these must continually evolve in response to changing social, labour, economic and demographic challenges. Participants will gain an intimate understanding of workplace flexibility, and learn the importance of a leadership strategy that optimizes employees' control over their work.
Focusing on innovative ways to attract talent is The Green Magnet: Leveraging the Sustainability Advantage for HR Excellence.
Led by Anthony Watanabe, who specializes in commercializing green and socially responsible products and services, this session demonstrates the bottom line benefits an organization can reap by embracing environmental and social concerns. Participants will learn how to leverage sustainability to attract, retain and develop their human capital, and to energize and engage their workforce.
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