The diverse lineup of BC HRMA’s 2008 Conference offered attendees an opportunity to brush up on labour relations knowledge. The session Tips & Tricks for the LR Practitioner Panel: How Can I Possibly Handle All These Issues? presented by Carmen Grant, John McConchie and Mike Arbogast focused on practical tools for dealing with a range of labour relations issues. It was informative, practical and fun.

The session presented nine tips for progressing through a labour relations issue and then proceeded to break these down into practice through a series of case study exercises. This combination of ideas and then practical application brought the value of tips to the fore.

Tip 1 – Hit the pause button. Through a couple of shared anecdotes Arbogast highlighted the importance of not rushing to resolve an issue the second you hear about it. Too often people reporting a situation demand an immediate answer. We were reminded as responsible professionals that we have the right to learn fully about the details, different perspectives and the range of solutions before jumping to an answer.

Tip 2 – Use your language carefully. Language can be misinterpreted, or perceived very differently by different parties. This tip emphasized neutral and calm language focused on the situation or issue and to avoid adopting and defending a position. Grant reinforced the value of this tip through stories of how personal language or untested assumptions can swiftly escalate a minor misunderstanding into a full blown crisis.

Tip 3 – Atomize your contracts and policies. This tip was brilliant for its simplicity. McConchie walked us through breaking down policy statements into logical sequences using a simple formula. If X is true and Y is true, then P is the result, except if condition Q is met. This formula was applied to examples such as: If Joan is a permanent employee and Joan has been employed for more than a calendar year then she is entitled to work flex time, except if she works in the call centre. The trick in this process is how much easier it is to interpret policy correctly once it has been broken down or atomized.

The experience of the presenters, the practical case studies and group work and linking everything back to easy to remember tips made this one of the most enjoyable and useful sessions of Conference 2008.

Ian J Cook is the director of HR knowledge and research at BC HRMA. Ian is using his global HR consulting experience and business knowledge to grow a function which delivers informative, relevant and timely comment.