Sheh Shojaee, CPHR
director, HR operations
Stevens Virgin Law Corporations,
Vancouver

An enthusiastic HR professional, Sheh Shojaee, CPHR, is the director of HR and operations at Stevens Virgin Law Corporations. Sheh has over 13 years of experience in HR, operations and talent management in the legal and retail industries. She is also an avid volunteer and a mentor in the HRMA Mentorship Program. Her interests include organizational development, executive coaching, employee relations and engagement, while her true passion is helping professionals find and meet their true potential.

Primary, is the retention of an engaged and committed workforce. Today’s challenges in the market demand improved talent management and organizations that are able to align this effectively with their strategy have more chances of a success story.

Onboarding and development is costly—protecting that investment requires balancing the employer and employee needs, but also providing internal opportunities to encourage superstars to remain and grow. Those employees will not only feel increased job satisfaction, but are more likely to become ambassadors for the organization, attracting other great talent and clients, all benefitting the bottom line.

Effective talent management today requires a coach rather than a manager. It is often as simple as providing employees with the tools and coaching required to succeed, getting out of their way and allowing them to shine. To truly be engaged however, they have to feel like they are part of the organization’s success story.

Joel Rivera, CPHR
director, HR
The Westin Bayshore Vancouver

Joel Rivera, CPHR has over 15 years of experience in HR. Currently he is the director of human resources for The Westin Bayshore Vancouver with Marriott International. His career has enabled him to practice HR in five provinces and three territories both  federalyl with CBC/Radio-Canada, as well as in the private sector with several major hotel brands at both the property level and above-property level. He is passionate about learning and development.

The primary benefit of talent management done well is profit. Successful organizations need to show a good bottom line and as a business partner, HR practitioners assist in driving revenues through a well defined and fully deployed talent management strategy.

While HR is not a “revenue generating” department, it should assist the departments that are, while also reducing expense in specific areas when when needed. For example, the business can minimize cost through reduced turnover / high retention which included additional HR resources and programs such as on-going training and development, orientation and on-boarding, engagement, succession planning, etc.

A successful talent management strategy should encompass all areas of HR. It should be reflected in the organizations total reward strategy (i.e. compensation and benefits including wellness, perks, and even health and safety.) Talent management done well speaks directly to the employers best asset and largest cost, their workforce.

Sarah Gregory
HR manager,
Kingfisher Boats, Vernon

As HR manager at KingFisher Boats in Vernon, Sarah Gregory is responsible for leading initiatives ranging from policy design and performance management to recruitment, training and benefits. With over 15 years of diverse HR and management experience, her formal education includes a Diploma of Technology from BCIT in HR Management, a Commerce Degree from Thompson River University and a Certificate in Corporate Training from SAIT. In 2017, she joined the Southern Interior CPHR BC & YK Advisory Council.

The primary benefit of talent management done well is a more competitive business. Organizations that have developed a great talent pool produce superior services and products versus organizations with mediocre or average employees.

A robust talent management program enables organizations to get the right people in the right job, retain their top talent, make better hiring decisions, understand the needs of their employees better and make enhanced professional development and performance management decisions. Employees will end up understanding how their goals connect to and support the organization’s strategic goals, allowing everyone to move in the same direction. Every employee uses and grows their talent, expertise, and experience to drive business results for the organization.

For many industries, the only tangible business differentiator in today business environments is the company’s employees. Competitors basically produce very similar products and services, but what separates them is the talent.

Cara Watmough, CPHR
talent acquisition leader,
First West Credit Union, Langley

Cara Watmough, CPHR, has been a member of the people services team at First West Credit Union, which employs more than 1,700 people and provides financial services to members across B.C.,  for the past 10 years. With more than 15 years of experience in human resources and specifically talent acquisition, she is passionate about the practice of talent management.  

First West’s strong talent management culture is the key to its success. There are several benefits to talent management, but the primary benefit is retaining top talent. When you have alignment between an individual’s strengths and interests, both productivity and job satisfaction are increased. First West’s strategic focus is to promote internally wherever possible and support career growth, which is one reason why our organization has 32 per cent of employees with more than 10 years in the organization.

As demand and competition intensifies, organizations must improve acquisition efficiency and deepen their reach to include both employee and candidate social networks. To ensure our candidate experience reaches these audiences, First West implemented a state-of-the-art talent acquisition software in January 2017. The Taleo platform delivers automated workflow processes and robust online, mobile and social recruitment platforms. It empowers employees to both apply and share jobs on social media with their networks, which will further ensure First West is able to attract and retain the best talent.

Holly Flinkman
HR and health sustainability manager,
District of Lake Country

As the HR and health sustainability manager for the District of Lake Country, Holly Flinkman is responsible for all things HR with a primary focus on strategy and health sustainability practices. With a Business Degree in HR from what is now TRU, and over 10 years’ experience as an HR generalist, Holly has seen how several industries manage their talent and gained insight on comparable performance management practices in the private and public sectors.

Done well, the primary benefit of talent management is that as an HR professional, our work environment is made better. Successful organizations start with hiring the right people. Be selective. Take the time to review. Create a multi-system process to determine individual fit with the organization and the role early in the screening process.

Complete a phone interview before bringing a candidate in can confirm skills and identify is the person is a fit for the role prior to hiring. Also, never feel bad about not hiring someone. If you are not 100 per cent certain that they are the right candidate, then don’t hire. It is okay to post again. Always strive to hire the best.

Once an employee is hired, it is important to follow their success, remove barriers and create avenues to keep them feeling valued and empowered to bring new ideas suggestions forward.