Being Proactive When It Comes To Performance Management,
By Fiorella Callocchia, BA, CHRP

We all know and can see the significant impact the current state of the economy is having on productivity, morale and teamwork in the workplace. Companies are desperately looking for ways to do “a lot more with a lot less” while trying to keep the remaining employees engaged and motivated.

But what do employees really need right now from their companies and managers to stay positive, productive and focused? The short answer: regular communication, feedback and information from their managers along with ongoing support.

According to a recent study cited in the February 2009 issue of HR Magazine (Society for Human Resource Management), almost 3/4 of employees say their productivity has dropped since their organizations let people go.

Some companies spend a lot of time preparing an office manual only for it to become outdated, irrelevant or ignored. Other companies don’t spend enough time on it, or don’t have one, which can result in confusion or, to a greater risk to the company, legal issues for the company at some later date.

This article will cover some tips to keep in mind if you’re preparing a new office manual for your employees or if you’re updating an existing one.

Overview
An office manual should generally contain information about a company’s standard policies and procedures for the successful operation of the business. The manual should be viewed as a tool for managers and employees to refer to in the event that there is a question on how something in the company should be handled. It should also be used for training purposes for both new and existing employees.

April 11th, 2009 – Statutory Holiday

Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday and it is a federal statutory holiday across Canada.
This year Good Friday will fall on April 10th in 2009.
Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring (after March 21st) which can occur as early March 22 and as late as April 25. Read More.

Increase in Minimum Wage – March 31st, 2009 - $9.50 per hour

MCGUINTY GOVERNMENT INCREASING BENEFITS FOR LOWEST PAID WORKERS TORONTO
With the passage of the 2007 Ontario budget, the McGuinty government is helping our most vulnerable workers, increasing benefits to injured workers and speeding up resolution of employment standards claims, Labour Minister Steve Peters announced today. Read More.

Current Unemployment Numbers – February 2009

Employment fell for the fourth consecutive month in February (-83,000), bringing total losses since the peak of last October to 295,000 (-1.7%). The February employment decrease pushed the unemployment rate up 0.5 percentage points to 7.7%. Read More.

The Ontario Human Rights Code is a provincial law that recognizes the dignity and worth of every person. The Code defines the situations where discrimination is not allowed.

The Code protects women from discrimination and harassment because of sex, including pregnancy, sexual harassment, gender identity and family status – the relationship between a parent and child. The ground of family status protects non-biological parents and child relationships, including adoption, step-parent relationships, foster families, and non-biological lesbian and gay parents.

In Ontario, it is against the law to discriminate because a woman is or was pregnant, because a woman is trying to become pregnant or because a woman has had a baby.