The Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés awards the Quebec world of work a grade of B- in its first edition of HR Barometer, a profile of four issues business leaders consider to be top HR priorities: leadership, culture and commitment, talent management and cost control.
According to the Ordre’s analysis of data collected from 575 employees and 831 organizations, organizational culture, the level of employee commitment, managerial leadership and employees’ interest in development activities are the major assets of Quebec organizations, in contrast to talent management and cost control, which appear to be the main weaknesses holding them back.
Highlights
Leadership: B
The analysis of leadership focuses on the employee management skills of immediate supervisors. Although 2/3 of employees see their immediate superiors as competent, lack of recognition remains a problem. One organization in two considers that its managers don’t sufficiently recognize their employees’ work.
The Ordre moreover initiated the Semaine des ressources humaines(Human Resources Week) from April 25 to 29, 2016 to invite Quebec organizations to take the time to highlight the value of everyone who contributes to their success.
While employees seem satisfied with communication with their immediate superiors, organizations significantly underestimate their managers’ ability to clearly communicate their expectations and overestimate their ability to allow their employees to express their opinions.
Culture and commitment: A
Eight in ten workers are proud to work for their organization, satisfied with their jobs and consider their work environment promotes teamwork. However, the modernization of performance management practices and work/personal life balance remain areas to watch.
Although 78% of employees feel they contribute to their organization’s success, only one in two organizations evaluate whether this is actually the case. “The lack of tools to measure the impact of individual performance on organizational objectives raises questions about the performance evaluation practices currently in place,” points out Manon Poirier, CHRP, President and CEO of the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés.
Also worthy of note, some 70% of organizations and employees believe their work conditions are conducive to work/personal life balance.
Talent management: C
One in two workers feels their organization doesn’t offer any advancement opportunities. For their part, just 40% of organizations report they have a succession strategy for key positions, a figure that is troubling to say the least. This percentage falls below 25% for businesses with fewer than 100 employees.
“Although employees are interested in development opportunities, they don’t see what their work environment has to offer as satisfying or tailored to their needs,” adds Poirier. What’s more, when organizations (86%) do offer development opportunities, many workers appear to be unaware of them.
Cost control: C
There clearly remains a lot to be done in this area. “Few organizations employ HR measurement tools,” comments Poirier, “which limits their ability to make accurate diagnoses and thus take the necessary steps to optimize performance.”
Less than half the organizations measure voluntary turnover and disabilities. Mental health problems are a cause for concern since psychological disabilities (45%) are now nearly as common as physical disabilities (55%).
Of those organizations that measure voluntary turnover rate, close to 50% are likely to see nearly half their employees change within three years.
To learn more
For more information see the complete HR Barometer.
For an interview with Manon Poirier, contact Noémie Ferland-Dorval at 514 879-1636, ext. 217.
