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The question I work night shifts at my company, however, the HR department only works from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I would like to book an appointment with them to discuss some concerns I have about my manager and they say that I need to come in during work hours to meet with them in person. It’s inconvenient for me to come in during the 9-5. Should I be compensated for the meeting time? Does the HR department have an obligation to meet with me during my working hours if I need to discuss workplace concerns? The first answer Marion Blight , associate, Randy Ai Law Office, Toronto I’m sorry that you are having difficulty accessing your employer’s human resources, but there isn’t really a special obligation here for HR to be the one who accommodates your schedule. If you would like to have this meeting, then it can happen on their terms, within reason. However, whoever is required to come in during their off hours to handle this matter should at least be compensated. HR would certainly be wo...

If your career objective is to climb the corporate ladder, then you need to get recognized as a high-potential employee, or HiPo. HiPos have been tagged as the top performers in an organization and are invited to key meetings, asked for input, offered advanced learning opportunities and given plum assignments. And even when economic circumstances lead to layoffs, they are the ones who seem to emerge unscathed. So what does it take to be recognized as a HiPo? While some of it may be who you know, or luck, there are ways to influence how you and your talents are perceived. If you are deliberate and thoughtful about showcasing your strengths and establishing your workplace value, you can, and will, position yourself as a HiPo. Read the full article for seven things you can do right now to become worthy of HiPo status. Stop trying to fix women. Start fixing your organization for gender equality Do women become less “nice” in middle age? It would appear that we think so. And that throws a...

As companies are adapting to new ways of working at varying speeds, there is a need for organizations, teams and individuals to optimize and prioritize along new dimensions: What work is best suited in-office versus remote? What is best accomplished synchronously versus asynchronously? How can we rethink and revitalize meetings so we aren’t stuck in meetings all day with no time to think or do? Many employees are overstretched and overwhelmed, finding there aren’t enough hours in the day to deliver on commitments. According to Microsoft’s September 2022 Work Trends Index , 48 per cent of employees and 53 per cent of managers say they are already burned out. In the same report, it was noted that last spring, meetings had increased by 153 per cent since the start of the pandemic, “double bookings” increased by 46 per cent in the last year and, in an average week, 42 per cent of participants multitask during meetings. This goes to show that, in many cases, there is no slack in the syste...

Hybrid workplaces are now ubiquitous as a byproduct of the pandemic. KAITI SULLIVAN/The New York Times News Service Mary Ann Yule is the chief executive and president of HP Canada. When I was raising my two boys and trying to advance my career in tech, I often faced seemingly impossible choices. Trying to juggle drop-offs, school events, sports and other family activities with travel, meetings and work at the office – it seemed like I could never do enough. That level of pressure can take a heavy toll. I have seen women pass up projects and promotions and even leave promising careers because of the balancing act required. Today, though, hybrid workplaces are ubiquitous as a byproduct of the pandemic. More professional women have an opportunity to re-enter the workplace on their terms, while improving the balance between their work and home lives. As we continue to edge toward a new normal, some particularly loud voices in the tech industry have begun to call for a return to the offic...

Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Patrick Pleul/The Associated Press Elon Musk’s Neuralink, a medical device company, is under federal investigation for potential animal-welfare violations amid internal staff complaints that its animal testing is being rushed, causing needless suffering and deaths, according to documents reviewed by Reuters and sources familiar with the investigation and company operations. Neuralink Corp is developing a brain implant it hopes will help paralyzed people walk again and cure other neurological ailments. The federal probe, which has not been previously reported, was opened in recent months by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Inspector General at the request of a federal prosecutor, according to two sources with knowledge of the investigation. The probe, one of the sources said, focuses on violations of the Animal Welfare Act, which governs how researchers treat and test some animals. The investigation has come at a time of growing employee dissent about Neuralin...

Natalie Archibald, vice-president of people at Clio, in Burnaby, B.C., on Nov. 29. DARRYL DYCK Employees at Clio can take their dogs to work and have access to a flexible paid time-off program. Staff at Schneider Electric Canada can save up their paid time off that the company will augment for a paid leave of absence down the road. And Capital One gives its employees an “Invest in Yourself” day every month to do whatever recharges their souls. These are just some examples of what employers across Canada are doing to prevent burnout among employees and help them manage their mental health. The Burnaby, B.C., headquarters of Clio has a yoga studio, a games lounge, community gardens and libraries. In addition, the company provides every employee with $2,000 a year for counselling services and a monthly wellness allowance. But the jewel in Clio’s wellness crown is the flexible paid-time-off program launched this year. Instead of allotting vacation time by years of service, the legal prac...

As we look to the future, Greater Toronto’s Top Employers 2023 are leading the way in shaping the post-pandemic workplace. While many initiatives are still being piloted, the winners of this year’s competition – selected by Mediacorp Canada Inc. – have been quick to respond to employee feedback about how, when and where they want to work. It turns out people like working from home, at least part of the time, even if the kids are occasionally underfoot. So for any organization competing in the GTA’s fierce talent market, flexibility is de rigueur, with full-time in office, hybrid and remote options on offer where possible to accommodate individual needs for work-life balance. Typically, it’s not the same old office. Many employers used time over the pandemic to reimagine their physical space, redesigning for collaboration and upgrading communication technologies so employees can connect seamlessly with others from wherever they’ve chosen to work that day. For some progressive employe...