By Ken Todd

Although small in numbers, they are mighty in spirit… that was the common sentiment from an action-packed day of HRMA outreach events in Whitehorse on Thursday, November 27.

The day kicked off with a networking breakfast, attended by nine Advisory Council and general members. Besides the usual breakfast nosh, there was some great conversation about the need to include work experience in the CHRP re-certification process. “Generalist” HR professionals working in business and the non-profit sectors are exposed to such diverse areas as collective bargaining, payroll, performance management–sometimes all in one day. It’s recognition of this breadth of experience that could entice more in our profession to renew their designations, once they have done the work to attain the CHRP in the first place.

Another big topic of discussion, of no surprise to anyone north of 60, is that of recruitment and retention. There was some creative brainstorming on how to attract and keep qualified health professionals in small communities, with practical suggestions for a specific Yukon example.

The breakfast wrapped up with a presentation by Barrett Horne of YG’s Staff Development Branch, on some innovative leadership development initiatives underway with Yukon Government – HR Directors Leading Change, and Master Classes in Technical and Managerial Classes. The former involves a 360 impact tool that provides on-going feedback to the leader. The latter is distinguished by the application of current cognitive science approaches in developing technical and managerial expertise, in growing the cadre of new public servants.

Fast-forward to the end of the day, with networking still the focus: this year’s Yukon HRMA Christmas soiree, aptly named “Brew-tiful Holiday Social”, hosted by Yukon Brewing.

The evening included a brewery tour, sampling of some award-winning beer and spirits, lively conversation, and a talk by co-owner Bob Baxter on Yukon Brewing’s HR practices. Like many small businesses, being the owner means involvement in all aspects of the business, from rolling up your sleeves to install new equipment to ensuring that payroll is accurate and on-time. From Bob’s perspective, leading by example is key to maintaining a positive work environment, where employees want to do a good job and are focused on the customer.

Another Yukon Brewing trick to keeping their people connected and engaged is to encourage innovation, coming up with their own concoctions that sometimes work and sometimes… well, we all learn by trial and error. According to Bob Baxter, they have learned a lot. It’s all part of the Yukon Brewing story, and we had a wonderful time with Bob Baxter, Jasmine Sangria and Andrew Tilgilbutowicz as our hosts.

Kudos to Roxane Larouche CHRP, Colleen Kormos, Brian Bonia and Susan Pearse for organizing this most excellent Christmas social!

Ken Todd has been a change practitioner in the North for the past 25 years, having lived and worked in all three Territories and northern Labrador, in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. He is currently the Business Transition Consultant for Northwestel, working with teams to successfully navigate process, systems and organizational changes designed to improve the customer’s experience.