Lloydminster has the particularity of straddling between Alberta and Saskatchewan. You literally can change provinces by crossing a street.

So it’s no surprise that Ron Kelly has been looking at both provinces’ programs to find subsidies to train two existing employees so they could get their Class 1 licence and perform broader functions at Border City Concrete (BCC), the excavation, aggregate and concrete delivery company he manages there.

In the end, he found the solution through Trucking HR Canada’s Career ExpressWay program, which offers up to $10,000 per person to get their Class 1 licence training.

“With the federal program, it was only one party, and I could do multiple things with it,” Kelly says.

The first employee who obtained the professional driver training was an equipment operator. Now that he has his Class 1, he doesn’t need a colleague to move his equipment around anymore and he can also haul gravel. “It opened up a lot of opportunities for him,” Kelly says.

The other had a Class 3 licence before the Career ExpressWay experience, which allowed him to do some trucking jobs. “But he was missing out on a lot of the long hauls and the bigger jobs because he didn’t have his Class 1,” Kelly notes.

“These are individuals who couldn’t afford it on their own. Having the subsidy really helped have these two individuals more engaged within the company and for the company to be more successful, for sure,” he says, underlining that Trucking HR Canada’s subsidies covered 100% of the training fees.

Kelly mentioned that Career ExpressWay has allowed him to do “multiple things”, referring to the fact that, in addition to the two drivers’ training, he hired an apprentice mechanic by using the Employer Wage Support for Youth program, which paid the first $10,000 of the young man’s wages.

“Times are a little different right now than they were maybe five or six years ago. Everyone’s watching their pennies and their cents. So hire a new guy and train him for a brand new role and get some help right off the bat to get him going until they can do more work on their own is really nice,” Kelly says about Trucking HR Canada’s financial support.

And managing the program was pretty simple for BCC. “Dealing with Trucking HR Canada I found was very easy; they responded quickly and they are courteous. They helped me through things when I had questions and we got things done pretty quick,” Kelly says.

Young and willing to work

20 year-old Nicholas Wenger is the apprentice mechanic BCC hired for its Paradise Hill (SK) Hardy Services division. Nicholas’ dad, Leon, has been a truck driver for as long as he can remember, so he was exposed to trucking at an early age.

Yet, his real passion is mechanics and there’s plenty for him to do at BCC since construction applications can be hard on trucks and heavy machinery. He enjoys the variety of tasks he’s performing. “They’re really good in getting me to all sorts of jobs and getting me familiar with as many things as possible,” Wenger says about his employer.

Wenger is eager to make a career in the trucking and logistics sector. “I’m really enjoying it so far. I can see myself going along this route for years to come, for sure,” he says.

That’s certainly music to Kelly’s ears. “Getting the additional new hire wage support subsidy helps to offset some of the training costs. It gives us the opportunity to hire local, to hire someone who’s young, keen, willing to work, willing to learn and to grow within our company,” he says.

Kelly adds that he’s pleased by young workers on different aspects, including their ease with technology. “Things are getting to be more digital and that helps out through the company when you start to use more application programs for safety, pre-trips or time sheets. It’s nice to have that younger workforce to guide some of the more senior guys,” he says, insisting on the importance of building partnerships with young workers.

Not only would Kelly repeat the Career ExpressWay experience, he’s spreading the word about it to other companies. “I’ve recommended it because I thought it was a good way to get younger involvement and to help companies with some of their staffing shortages. It’s a great program,” he concludes.

To learn more about the wage subsidy and subsidized driver training programs, and how you too can benefit from this opportunity, please visit THRC Career Expressway or e-mail [email protected].

This represents the industry’s highest number of vacancies ever recorded since Statistics Canada started tracking vacancies in 2015. Even more concerning is that 49% of these openings remain unfilled for 90+ days.

Driving roles are not the only roles going unfilled. The Canadian Truck Transportation industry has been seeing a steady increase in vacancy rates across the sector since the first quarter of 2021. The sector is currently recording the second highest vacancy rate in Canada at 8.7%. These job vacancy rates describe the industry’s proportion of all vacant jobs. This specific piece of labour market data gives us a glimpse of the challenges faced by our employers in securing the workers needed.

But it’s not all doom and gloom.  THRC has leveraged our labour market information to develop innovative solutions addressing the current challenges and supporting our employers.  Let’s take a look:

Career ExpressWay

Over the past two years, THRC has helped 100+ employers access wage and training subsidies through our Career ExpressWay program. The program offers support for employers who are actively recruiting students, young people, persons with disabilities, new drivers and more.

The program offers a range of subsidies for employers. Since July 2020, we have helped employers onboard over 500 youth and students in driving and non-driving roles.

Our progress?  To date, 95% are still employed and 25% are women, which is higher than the industry average of 15%.

The Student Work Placement Program initiative connects employers with the next generation of our non-driving workforce while supporting their wages. We are increasing the job readiness of students and graduates while helping employers grow their talent pipeline directly from the post-secondary candidate pools. Employers can access a maximum of 50%, up to $5,000 for new students hired.

The program also offers a job board, “Job Connect”.  We collect student job opportunities from participating employers and distribute/promote them directly to our post-secondary partners who are working directly with students eager to join our industry.

For more information on how to take advantage of the Career ExpressWay, reach out to [email protected]

Women with Drive Hits the Road

Our employers are also working hard to find new and creative ways to build and support an increasingly diverse and inclusive workforce. We saw record attendance at our Women with Drive Leadership Summit on June 2, 2022, in Toronto, and now with the support of Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) we are re-launching our Women with Drive Hits the Road events. We will be hosting Women with Drive events across the country, highlighting solutions, supports and strategies to increase women’s participation as well as their opportunity for internal advancements within our sector. Delivered in partnership with various regional and provincial partners, these events will focus on the intersectionality of experiences of women and other equity deserving groups. You will have to keep an eye on the THRC Event page and our social feed when we will be in your area next for a WWD event.

Ukraine Response

With the ongoing war in Ukraine, Canada has become a safe haven for many families fleeing the violence. Our sector is well positioned to offer support and opportunity to these newcomers. Craig Faucette, Chief Program Officer of THRC has recently authored a blog with resources and opportunities for our sector to provide support and opportunity while also addressing some of our recruitment challenges. You can read the full blog on the THRC Website.

NEW HR Resources

This fall 2022, THRC will be adding to its suite of resources, releasing five guides that offer a deep dive into HR management areas relevant to our industry employers. The guides will cover topics in the following areas:

• Compensation
• Flexible workplace practices
• Diversity, equity and inclusion
• Workplace wellness
• Leadership best practices

The Guides are supported by a new suite of practical tools: templates, samples, assessments and more. These 2-to-5-page downloadable documents help employers’ action recommendations found in the Guides. If you need some tips for creating a total rewards statement, compensation philosophy and/or need an example of a flexible workplace policy, these guides can help get you started

Our industry leaders are always looking for the next opportunity to support their employees through strong HR policies put into practice. That’s why THRC is honoured to host our annual Top Fleet Employers at the annual Awards Gala every year. This year’s gala will be held on October 13, 2022, in Toronto, at the Palais Royale. A total of 81 Fleets will be recognized for their outstanding efforts to continually raise the bar of HR excellence within the trucking and logistics sector. These fleets are also anxiously awaiting to find out who will be named HR Leader of the Year. An industry honour that showcases an individual’s contribution to our sector. Tickets for the Gala are selling fast. Be sure to buy your tickets soon to save your seat. We can’t wait to see you there!

The team at THRC is here to help.  For information on any of our initiatives – feel free to reach out to [email protected] and stay in touch by subscribing to our newsletter.

Janine Welch doesn’t miss a single issue of Trucking HR Canada’s e-bulletin called “HR Insights”. That’s actually how the human resources manager at Emterra Group learned about the organization’s Career ExpressWay initiative and the different wage subsidy programs available.

The Canada-wide waste and recycling company has now hired over 15 new workers with the support of wage and new driver training subsidies available through the program. “We also use the program for different logistics positions,” Welch says to illustrate that, in addition to drivers and the people loading the refuse trucks, the Career Expressway contributed to the successful hiring of staff for roles in multiple departments such as mechanics and mechanic apprentices, dispatchers, operations specialists and marketing & communications experts to name a few.

Evaluating a candidates’ eligibility for the financial support brought by these Trucking HR Canada programs “up to $10,000 in wage subsidy for a worker aged 30 and under; up to $10,000 to pay the training fees of a new truck driver” has become second nature at the fleet. “As we hire people through our recruitment process, if a potential worker meets the hiring criteria, we submit their name to the program for approval,” Welch says.

With recycling being at the heart of Emterra?s mission, the money saved with Career ExpressWay is reused to find even more new talent. “The financial support is very helpful. It allows us an opportunity to consider and explore different recruitment and attraction strategies. The subsidy offers a fantastic opportunity for young workers to enter the industry and allows Emterra the financial flexibility to hire and train more employees,” says the HR expert who cherishes the concepts of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Besides, the process is seamless. “It was very easy to navigate, and the turnaround time for processing a claim is minimal,” Welch says.

Getting access to young workers represents a considerable value in itself, according to the Emterra Group’s spokesperson. “The shifting demographics make it even more important to attract and retain a young workforce, the wage and the training subsidy programs are very important for companies like Emterra to take advantage of,” she says.

“Young workers bring new ideas and perspectives. They’re always confident to share their ideas and provide feedback. They have a natural attraction and understanding of technology, and a strong desire to make a positive impact in the world. These traits are beneficial in supporting Emterra?s mission of enabling people and businesses to become stewards of the environment.”

Curbside appeal

At 28 years old, Kyle McGlynn-Bye already has several years of experience in the waste and recycling business. He used to be the one running behind the refuse truck to load it. Now he’s the one behind the wheel, as Career ExpressWay funded the training that led him to get his Class 1 licence.

“My dad has been involved with recycling and garbage collection since he and my mom got together, so I’ve been around trucks my whole life,” says the young man from Peterborough, Ontario. But he’s still learning every day, building on his past experience, which gave him an edge as a driver. “I already knew what the job involved. There?s always more to learn, though, with doing this job because there are always new houses, new roads. There’s always something that can make things change in a moment,” he says.

Driving a refuse truck is certainly a unique kind of trucking that requires special skills. It’s a constant stop-and-go and the driver needs to stay focused at all times in case someone pulls out in front of his vehicle. There’s also the challenge of navigating in narrow streets with cars parked on both sides, a situation that gets even worse in wintertime.

Nonetheless, it’s still trucking, a heavily regulated industry. “I didn’t really realize how many rules and regulations there actually were for bigger commercial vehicles than there are for cars. There’s a lot more that you need to pay attention to,? McGlynn-Bye says, referring to what he learned during his subsidized driver training.

“It’s not always easy, but I work with a great group of guys,” McGlynn-Bye summarizes about his new career as a truck driver.

And thanks to Trucking HR Canada?s Career ExpressWay, that group could very well expand soon, according to Janine Welch. “It’s really an excellent program. It’s got lots of opportunities for those young people to get into the trucking and logistics sector. Emterra has been really pleased to be part of the program and we do look forward to continuing our support and participation,” she concludes.

To learn more about the wage subsidy and subsidized driver training programs, and how you too can benefit from this opportunity, please visit THRC Career Expressway or e-mail [email protected].

In trucking, a successful game plan for recruiting and retention includes coaching. A great coach can get the best performance out of an individual or team by providing just the right mix of guidance, instruction, and support.

Many of our Top Fleet Employers have seen the benefits of coaching programs first-hand, including higher employee retention, better workplace morale, and positive impacts on safety.

With COVID-19 presenting new challenges and changes to our workplaces, a coach or mentor can focus on ways to connect with employees who may be feeling isolated or unmotivated.

With leaner budgets, and in some cases leaner teams, having a coach can be a cost-effective way to improve morale, increase productivity, and support overall employee well-being.

Let?s take a look:

Adapting your approach

Traditionally designed to help achieve organizational goals, we?re seeing a shift in coaching to focus on the employee and their overall performance and success.

Being a coach or mentor is different from being a manager who assigns tasks and monitors the work. Coaching is simply the act of listening, asking questions, and providing feedback so employees can be their personal best. Although coaches can be external to the organization, you can look to current staff to act as coaches as well.

Coaching tends to focus on performance and short-term skills, but a coach can also be an invaluable guide for employees who are dealing with changes that may be out of their control.

Support on-boarding

Coaching is often part of an effective on-boarding process. Experienced employees, for example, can spend time with new hires and personally answer questions about company practices, safety procedures, and more.

Virtual work arrangements mean more challenges for new hires. On-boarding procedures haven?t changed much, but the experience certainly has.

First impressions matter. How you welcome new employees and bring them into your company has an enormous impact on how engaged they are and how quickly they reach their full potential and productivity.

Incorporating coaches and mentors in the onboarding process will help.

Coaching your coaches

All roles are changing as the effects of the pandemic continue. Your managers and senior executives need to be equipped with the skills needed to perform at their best, too.

This may require providing professional development to your current managers to ensure they have the knowledge and comfort level with addressing these new challenges we are facing.

Investing in your employees is always a good thing to do. As we cope with COVID-19, it is becoming simply the right thing to do if we want our teams and teammates to perform their best.

The new year will bring important changes to the Canada Labour Code. Come January 1, 2021, employers will need to ensure they maintain compliance with new Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations (the Regulations).? Part of ensuring compliance involves adequately and clearly communicating the regulatory changes to employees. This entails adhering to HR best practices of being transparent about these relevant changes.

Amongst other obligations, employers will need to develop a new company policy on harassment and violence, provide on-going education to employees, and develop a process to address and report claims of harassment and violence in the workplace. Employers should be mindful of the three main elements of the new anti-harassment and violence legislation contained in Bill C-65:

• Prevent incidents of harassment and violence
• Respond effectively to those incidents
• Support affected employees

Here are our top 3 tips to help you get started:

1. COMMUNICATE THE CHANGES

• Share the message visually in the workplace; display policies in common areas – such as lunchrooms or other staff common areas
• Send out digital as well as hardcopies of new policies in the form of internal handbooks or guide updates
• Hold a mandatory virtual staff meeting to communicate policy updates

2. PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FEEDBACK

• Significant policy change requires a more immersive communication process so that employees understand the change at hand
• Offer opportunities to follow-up or offer more guidance as necessary

• Allow for open-ended sessions where employees can vocalize their feedback, and allow for anonymous feedback and questions after training sessions
• Provide a welcoming environment for employees to feel safe and to be able to vocalize all their questions, concerns, or general comments
• Address employee feedback openly, frankly, and in a timely manner

3. LEVERAGE YOUR TEAM

• A good way to communicate a new policy or procedure is by identifying leaders within your team who can be ?champions? amongst their peers
• Leveraging leaders on your team can help make sure that employees can raise any questions or concerns
• Supervisors or managers with a solid understanding of new policies and procedures are better placed to help employees and can ensure that appropriate protocols are being followed

Employers have increased responsibilities in matters of workplace health and safety and a duty to prevent, respond to, and support employees in matters of harassment and violence.

While communicating crucial information and change in the workplace is challenging, it can be simplified with the proper tools and resources to support you.

We can help you make sense of these new regulatory changes.? Our landing page has industry-specific tools and resources to help you learn more about anti-harassment and violence obligations. Starting in early January 2021, Trucking HR Canada will also offer affordable training that is industry specific and designed to help you meet the requirements in the new Regulations. Click HERE for more.

As an unsettled 2020 comes to an end, let?s look at what 2021 will have in store for our trucking and logistics workplaces.

The modernization of Canada?s Labour Code

In what our own Policy Analyst Marisha Tardif has likened to a ?legislative tsunami,? recent amendments to the Canada Labour Code include new labour standards, wage-fairness rules, and occupational health and safety requirements.

Many of these regulations took effect in September 2019 but several are yet to come. Notably, the amendments of Bill C-65 and the accompanying regulations which protect against harassment and violence in the workplace.

The Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations, published in June, make a long-awaited detail official: new anti-harassment and violence provisions will take effect on January 1, 2021.

The regulations will apply to all workplaces covered under Part II of the Canada Labour Code, including many trucking and logistics employers.

NOC updates

Canada is now conducting its 10-year review of the National Occupational Classification (NOC), the federal system for categorizing job types in the country, including truck driving.

The next release includes new job-skill classifications that address concerns about how the federal government incorporates formal and informal training, education, and work experience into the NOC.

In early 2021 we will see how truck drivers are classified in the new system, and how it will affect federal programs.

Training and wage subsidies

With the events of 2020 clearly demonstrating how important this industry is, Trucking HR Canada was able to access federal funds for training and wage subsidies for jobs in trucking and logistics.

Our Career ExpressWay program has successfully supported the training and onboarding of close to 100 young people across the country, in driving positions, logistics, IT support, administration, and more. It provides up to $10,000 for driver training and up to $15,000 in wage subsidy per employee.

Our hope is that we can expand our program in 2021 to better connect our industry to Canadians of all ages looking for meaningful work in a sector with loads of career opportunities.

Diversity and inclusion

No longer buzzwords, workplace diversity and inclusion will remain a focus of Trucking HR Canada as we help employers expand the pipeline of talent into our industry.

One key initiative is our 2021 Women with Drive Leadership Summit, planned for March 10^th. ?With an international flair, we look forward to learning from and virtually connecting with a global network of women who have stepped up in their respective countries in responding to the challenges of COVID-19.

Driver shortages

Whether you believe it or not, we are on track for more acute driver shortages.

That is why Trucking HR Canada is planning to bring together industry stakeholders to define the root causes of our recruitment and retention challenges, from compensation structures to the nature of long-haul trucking driving itself.

The shortage of qualified drivers is an enduring issue. But there are always new approaches and new ideas that can inform innovative and practical solutions.

Growing our Top Fleet Employers

Now in its eighth year, our Top Fleet Employers program has grown steadily.

Our Top Fleet Employers are leaders in promoting a positive image of trucking and logistics and offering great places to work. By sharing sound HR policies and practices, they set an important example as we reach out to young people, women, and other job seekers.

Each year trucking and logistics companies undergo a rigorous application process but only the best are recognized as Top Fleet Employers. Applications close January 28, and you can click here to learn more: https://truckinghr.com/top-fleet-employers/

COVID-19

Where things will go in 2021 is anyone?s guess, but we know for sure that trucking and logistics will be pivotal to ensuring all essential goods?from food to fuel, and even more importantly, vaccines?get to all Canadians.

Rest assured that Trucking HR Canada and all of our partners are here to support you in ensuring you have the skilled workforce you need to make that happen.

Cheers to 2021.

Canada is overhauling the National Occupational Classification (NOC) — the national reference on occupations in Canada.

The NOC provides a systematic classification structure that categorizes the entire range of occupational activity in Canada for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating occupational data. ?Every 10 years, the government conducts a major review of the NOC for the purposes of labour supply and demand analysis, skills development, occupational forecasting, and other programs and services.

The next release, scheduled for early 2021, includes a new structural approach.? Let?s take a look:

New ?TEER? approach

Reflecting changes in the economy and the nature of work, the?NOC 2021?revision will overhaul the “skill level” structure by introducing a new categorization representing the degree of training, education, experience, and responsibilities (TEER) required for an occupation.

The new TEER categorization considers the type of education, training, and experience required for entry, as well as the complexities and responsibilities typical of an occupation. This new structure has a scale of 0 to 5:

• TEER 0 is defined as high-level management.
• TEER 1 occupations usually require a university education or previous experience and expertise in subject matter knowledge from a related occupation found within TEER 2.
• TEER 2 usually requires post-secondary education, apprenticeship, or occupations with supervisory or significant safety responsibilities.
• TEER 3 occupations require less than two years of post-secondary education or on-the-job instruction.
• TEERs 4 and 5 usually require a high-school diploma or no formal education.

Better representation

The federal government says the TEER system better reflects the way people develop their skills and knowledge.

The revisions introduce changes that will make the new classification system more representative, useful, and achieve a more balanced representation of occupation groupings within a given classification. It will also address many existing concerns about how skill levels are categorized under the existing system.

Milestone dates

With a new NOC on the way, here are some key dates to consider:

• December 2020: Publication of the spreadsheet with the revised NOC codes.
• Early 2021: Release of the full classification for the NOC code (including the leading statements, main duties, employment requirements, example titles, inclusions, exclusions, and additional information).
• Spring 2022: Government programs and departments will implement the new NOC at their discretion. While Statistics Canada will implement in early 2021, Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is planning on Spring 2022 implementation, which will impact the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

At this point, we don?t know of any specific changes to NOC 7511, how truck drivers will be classified in the TEER system, or if the new classification will result in changes to affected programs.

Stay tuned. Trucking HR Canada, the Canadian Trucking Alliance, and your provincial trucking association will have updates as they become available.

New Anti-Harassment and Violence Obligations for Federally Regulated Fleets

July 7, 2020 by Marisha Tardif

Many fleets in our employer community have been following developments surrounding Bill C-65 ? a piece of federal legislation that amends the Canada Labour Code by introducing new guidelines on how harassment and violence can be prevented in the workplace, and how to address it if and when it occurs. While Bill C-65 received Royal Assent in 2018, specifics surrounding employer obligations and compliance timelines remained to be confirmed. But as per recent updates, there is now new information surrounding detailed requirements that federally regulated employers will have to meet.

On June 24, 2020, the federal government published the?Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations. The new framework will apply to the federally regulated private sector as of January 1st, 2021. Transportation companies that provide international and interprovincial services are regulated by the federal government and are therefore subject to these updates.

New rules will thus soon come into effect that will increase employers? responsibilities in matters of workplace health and safety. The new Regulations set a framework of obligations centered on three elements: the prevention of workplace harassment and violence, the delivery of a timely and effective response to incidents, and the provision of support for affected employees. Based on these three pillars, the new Regulations bring changes in the following main areas:

• Workplace harassment and violence prevention policy
  • Employers will be required to make available a workplace harassment and violence prevention policy that aligns with new Regulatory requirements.
• Workplace assessments
  • Employers will have to conduct assessments that identify risks of harassment and violence in the workplace and implement preventative measures to protect the workplace from these risks.
• Emergency procedures
  • Employers will be required to develop emergency procedures to be followed in situations where an occurrence of harassment and violence poses and immediate danger to the health and safety of an employee(s).

• Training
  • Employers will be required to identify and develop harassment and violence training and ensure it is delivered to all members of the organization, including to employers themselves but also to employees, and to the designated recipient of harassment and violence complaints in the workplace. Training will need to align to specific guidelines proposed under the Regulations, and will be delivered once every three years, including in the onboarding of new employees.
• Support measures
  • Employers will be required to make information available regarding support services that employees may access should they experience an incident of workplace harassment and violence.

• Resolution process
  • Employers will be required to respond to every notification of an occurrence of harassment and violence in their workplace, but also to structure their response around a more detailed web of specific requirements (including prescribed timelines, processes, and procedures).
• Records and reports
  • Employers will be required to keep records relating to harassment and violence in their workplace. They will also be required to submit annual reports to the Minister, as well as report on any fatalities that occur as a result of workplace harassment and violence.

It is clear from the above that the new Regulations will require major adjustments to policies, programs, and processes for many employers. Given new requirements, it is important for both employers and employees to understand the nature of these changes and how it will impact them and their workplace.

Trucking HR Canada is committed to providing trucking sector-specific resources to support the needs of the industry in adapting to these new changes. Central amongst these tools will be a bilingual suite of online and in-person training modules for employers, employees, and designated recipients of workplace harassment and violence complaints. Pamphlets that clarify employer and employee rights and obligations will also be made available, in addition to other forthcoming resources centered on best practices in workplace anti-harassment and violence. These supports will be made available in time for the January 2021 entry into force of the Regulations ? follow our website and social media channels to find out more.

Covid-19 has affected our industry and workforce in unprecedented ways.

Seemingly overnight, trucking and logistics firms transitioned from busy offices and terminals to remote work and virtual meetings. We shifted from acute labour shortages and packed trailers to layoffs and uncertain times for businesses and workers, all the while, this industry has kept essential goods moving.

Canada?s truck drivers have become national heroes. Warehouse workers, dispatchers, safety personnel, accountants, IT staff, and business leaders have also been catapulted to levels of public appreciation that none of us has ever experienced.

HR steps up to the plate

And another group has had to adapt suddenly and significantly too ? our HR colleagues.

HR professionals have had to manage staffing changes, develop new working arrangements, ensure physical-distancing measures, check-in on the physical and mental well-being of employees, and navigate massive business relief programs sometimes all in the same day.

Their role has been and will continue to be essential to staff morale and business continuity.

As May flowers begin to open, it looks like our economy will, too (albeit slowly). Here are some ways that HR managers and their organizations can be prepared.

Remote working

Remote working is a new and perhaps enduring reality for many of us. For businesses, the current situation has shown that it?s possible for employees to be productive without coming into an office. HR folks are busy figuring out how and when to bring people back safely?if at all.

Now is the time to review your HR practices and policies and be ready for requests from employees who want to continue to have a flexible work arrangement.

This includes identifying which jobs and roles are best suited to remote working, and how to manage scheduling, reporting, technology, and issues like the security and confidentiality of information given the blurry lines between work and private life.

New workplace policies

There are legal ramifications to consider when it comes to overtime, leave, workplace safety, and financial arrangements between employers and employees who work remotely.

Self-isolation and quarantines will require new policies for reporting illnesses and returning to work. What are your protocols if an employee tests positive for Covid-19? What are the next steps to ensure the health of the individual and others that he or she may have come into contact with?

And procedures regarding layoffs, furloughs, and pay adjustments should be immediately reviewed in light of the circumstances.

Focus on technology

While employees will demand safe work environments that minimize human contact, so will health authorities. From health-assessment apps to digital documents and no-touch business processes, technology can help businesses be prepared for the predicted second wave and changes to the way we work in the future.

Having technology in place is just one piece of the puzzle.

HR people will need to ensure that the company has skilled staff to assess, manage, and analyze IT systems and processes. All kinds of businesses are scrambling now to hire IT people to support this shift, so be ready to commit the time and resources necessary for your HR team to compete and tackle the problem sooner rather than later.

It?s hard to know when the economy will rebound and more freight start to flow through supply chains again. But trucking and logistics companies that have their HR teams preparing for those days now will be best positioned to respond and profit when it does.

Until then, stay healthy and stay (virtually) in touch.