Female police officers sign of gains in workplace equality

It still amazes me that women were once shut out from public life; we couldn't vote, we were barred from advanced education and we couldn't enter into some professions such as medicine. In some provinces, women couldn't hold property and, in fact, women were not even defined as persons. Thanks to the hard work of a determined rights advocate named Nellie McClung, women in Manitoba gained the vote as early as 1916 while women in the rest of Canada had to wait four more years.

Too much lyin', cheatin' going on

I don't ever recall paying much attention to changes and growth in our English vocabulary, but I was surprised at how quickly new words were created after the Lance Armstrong confession spilled over to the news waves. These new words, doprah, liestrong and livewrong, will stay with us for some time and will continue to be a symbol of the deep corruption seemingly found in the area of cycling sports.

Small- and mid-sized businesses need to develop a workforce strategy

Recently, economic statistics have shown that the provincial economy showed modest growth in 2012, unemployment is down and salaries increased moderately. At the same time, the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce small business survey suggests a clear increase in business confidence.

I know from watercooler conversations that many people -- employees and business leaders alike -- are indeed feeling a sense of optimism. In fact, I personally feel a great sense of excitement. However, I can guarantee that all this optimism will quickly fade for our small business leaders and employees alike if effective strategic and workforce planning fails to set corporations up for success.

It's the time of year when owners and organizational leaders are busy setting their own business resolutions for the year 2013. According to many surveys, these include goals such as placing a new or renewed focus on retaining employees, developing the next generation of leaders, developing a culture of engagement and training leaders to be coaches.

Every workplace experiences some sort of drama, yet, believe it or not, I seem to receive more complaints about workplace conflicts in the winter months than at any other time of the year. I'm not sure of any reason other than the fact employees can't easily go outside to let off steam. Perhaps it's the stress of the upcoming Christmas season, or perhaps the stress of one's over-extended credit or perhaps the long, very foreboding cold days of January and February. Excuses, excuses!

When was the last time your company's job descriptions and organizational structure were reviewed?

Typically, these important organizational elements aren't seen as priority items unless new leaders join the organization and look at things from fresh eyes. The result is that years will go by before problems are recognized as serious enough to take action.

Well, fall is definitely here. The leaves have all but disappeared and the unexpected recent snowfall reminded us that winter isn't far behind. Signs of fall are also seen at the local farmers markets, as hundreds of families anxiously seek just the right pumpkin for their Halloween festivities. Other families are busy harvesting their remaining garden produce or attending those famous local fall harvest dinners.

As you learned from one of my recent articles, occupational fraud is a growing phenomenon in Canada. In fact, the Certified General Accountants Association (CGA) recently reported that one-quarter of all small- and medium-sized enterprises were victims of at least one instance of workplace fraud in 2011.

I don't know if it's just me, but it seems that fraudulent and other questionable employee behaviour is on the rise as there isn't one week that goes by where a troubling incident isn't reported.

Hiring an expert to coach executives benefits both individuals and their companies

Use sports, cultural events to build teamwork instead of grousing about your employees' 'theft'

As technology, market conditions and other factors evolve, it makes good business sense to redesign a company's structure

Every business and organization has at one time or another faced what it considers to be a crisis. Yet, few of us will ever experience the horrifying crisis being faced by a group of citizens as well as the employees and owners of a local Colorado movie theatre where a PhD university student allegedly went on a killing spree.

I truly love Winnipeg's slogan -- "A great place to live, work and play" -- yet many of our workers would say they literally have no time to play! In fact, many would also say it was difficult to achieve good life/work balance.

The objective of a recent survey of human resource professionals was to identify the potential skills gaps that might occur as younger and older workers enter and exit the workforce. It was interesting to learn that 52 per cent of the HR professionals say their most serious concern is the lack of professionalism and work ethic.

When employers hear the term risk management, they more than likely think about identifying, assessing and prioritizing areas of financial risk arising out of such things as a business acquisition, major purchases, equipment failure and/or the crash of a major information technology support system.

The popular old saying, "why wait till Christmas?" is really a poke at someone who procrastinates in their decision making and/or is slow to act. While the comment might be directed to individuals, the same holds true for organizations, especially when it comes to adapting to changing business trends.

Spring is always a great time of year for newly released research papers and sure enough, the U.S.-based Society for Human Resource Management has just released its latest study on workforce planning.

So, should I be surprised to learn that only 40 per cent of organizations have conducted a strategic workforce planning assessment or identified their skills gaps? No, frankly, I am not surprised, but I am certainly disappointed. After all, as a human resource professional, I've been touting the message of succession planning for many years. However, as with other pending challenges, some organizations just don't seem to deal with things until a problem smacks them squarely in the head.

While the history of several professions such as the legal and medical fields is well known and documented, the history of the administrative assistants and/or secretarial profession is much more obscure.

Why is it that when conflict erupts in the workplace, some managers immediately think about training or counselling? They organize a team-building session, send individuals to communication skills training or offer coaching on how to manage interpersonal conflicts.

When was the last time your human resource policy manual was reviewed?

Well, if you're like many organizations, I'll bet your HR policy manuals are out of date. For instance, have you updated the manual to include the new Manitoba flextime rules? Do you have a policy for armed forces reservist leave? Has an employee inquired about and/or requested use of the compassionate care leave provisions? These are just a few of the changes made over the past few years.

According to recent news, Winnipeg has scored No. 15 in the list of most romantic cities. This so-called accomplishment is based on an analysis of retail sales for romance novels, romantic comedy DVDs and CDs, as well as sex and relationship books.

We've all heard the word alignment. It's a concept that is quite common we think about sports or dance. In this case, alignment refers to the synchronized movement of our body so that we are fast or graceful. If there is misalignment, people will try new strategies and practise, practise, practise. On the other hand, if the concept of alignment is applied to a car, it generally refers to the importance of the wheels and the suspension angles. If this is out of alignment it creates a safety issue that needs to be rectified right away.

The 99th Grey Cup game is over and another football season is at an end. During the game, coaches, media and fans alike were busy analyzing the game.

Without proper focus, planning events become worthless time-wasters

Anyone who regularly chairs a meeting has certainly heard about the well-known video called Meetings, Meetings, Bloody Meetings, starring the famous John Cleese.

Q: I have moved around a lot in my hospitality career and in an effort to be truthful, I list all of the jobs on my resume. However, during some recent interview feedback, the potential employer made a comment that suggested I was a "job hopper." What can I do to overcome this impression and create a more positive impression?

Congratulations, you've been promoted!

While many loved ones celebrated Valentine's Day with a specially worded card and perhaps a delightful dining out experience followed by warm hugs and kisses, there are others who did not.

February has always been known as the month to celebrate relationships. Friends, family and loved ones share cards and various celebrations. Spouses and partners kiss, hug and enjoy the touch and feel of a warm, loving relationship. Yet Valentine's Day, for some reason, also reminds me of all of the progress women have made in the workplace as well as the dangers that still lurk.

In today's environment, you often hear the term connected. Typically, this refers to living and working in a 24/7 global world and being connected through Internet technology.

Much has been written in the past few years about the need for a psychologically healthy workplace, and I am thankful this issue is finally gaining recognition for its importance and value.

Great news! The recent November 2010 Labour Market bulletin was full of good news for Manitobans. So, if you are feeling a bit depressed as a result of all the snow and cold weather; think again.

As the festive Christmas season moves along this week, families are basking in the joy of gift-giving, feasting on their favourite foods and enjoying their closest friends.

What happens at the office party stays with you for a long, long time.

Many occupational groups are regulated by associations that don't have the legislative teeth to properly protect the public

Economic uncertainty no time for anxiety, indecision at the top of your organization.