muniBLOG: Human Resources

Physical Security Risk: know how to assess it

 

Many small to medium sized business (and even large enterprise businesses)  and government, have limited budgets, let alone spending a lot on risk and security.

Before you do go and spend a lot of capital on risk and security mitigation measures (aka security cameras, access control, bars and locks, lighting, training, fencing, etc.), you need to know what you’re buying for.

That is, you need to know what risks you are addressing.

Risk dial

Having a Risk Assessment completed on your municipality narrows the focus of your spending and aligns your purchasing with the specific types of risk and security mitigation measures you need.

To get a little technical…Risk assessment is the overall process of risk identification, risk analysis and risk evaluation. It involves the process of identifying internal and external threats and vulnerabilities, identifying the probability and impact of an event arising from such threats or vulnerabilities, defining critical functions necessary to continue the organization’s operations, defining the controls in place necessary to reduce exposure and evaluating the cost of such controls.

That is a mouthful. Let us break this down a bit.

If you have a threat, but there is no vulnerability, then there is no risk.

If you have a vulnerability but no threat, no risk.

Perhaps something many can relate to, you went online and purchased some products, and they are set to be delivered to your home. And no, we are not going to discuss online security…a topic for another day perhaps.

The packages are delivered to your home. But because of your daily routine, errands, off to the office, or shop, you are not always home. The shiny object is the packages just delivered. The vulnerability or sometimes referred to as a gap, is you are not home, and the packages now sit on your front step unattended. The threat, someone will take those packages right from your front step.

So, going back to the assessment. The key is once you know what your largest threats are (and yes you need to be able to determine that), it is important that you take action (implement risk and security mitigation measures) to lower your vulnerability.

Why not eliminate the vulnerability?

Great question, thanks for asking.

Eliminating the vulnerability may not always be possible.

Some business sectors and industries simply have built-in threats. But, if we focus on lowering the vulnerability, we lower the risk of a loss.

The assessment is complete, and we have identified risks. The next important step is finding the risk and security measures that are going to be the most effective in mitigating the identified risk. These measures come in all different shapes and sizes, video surveillance, locks and safes, lighting, security focused training, etc.

Where in doubt, reach out to us or find your trusted Independent Risk and Security consultant.

Yes, we highlighted Independent. That is definitely a topic for another day.

It all starts with a conversation.

We can Help.

Plan the Work. Work the Plan.

Should your Municipality need assistance, contact Michael White Group today, and we will be happy to answer your questions or provide quotations.

 

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Are You In the Zone?

Interpreting the Province’s Covid-19 Safety Zones

Everyone is becoming more familiar with the Ontario government’s colour-coded system to illustrate the level of restrictions being implemented in each region’s public health unit to limit the spread of Covid-19.

The province and public health units are doing a great job providing guidance, communication, and online resources to understand these requirements. However, it can still be confusing to navigate as each health unit independently moves its region through different restriction levels and in some cases adds additional requirements beyond the baseline measures established at the provincial level.  This is creating a changing landscape of restrictions which will vary based upon industry and/or location. 

In the case of municipalities with community centres, recreation facilities and arenas, additional distancing, safety plan and hygiene measures are required. And in some instances, a regional health unit may issue additional ‘recommendations’ that are not otherwise required in equivalent safety zones but are urged to promote safety.  For example, some health units are now recommending that municipalities introduce measures to prevent attendance by organizations and persons from areas with higher rates of COVID-19 transmission than their own region.  For example, the Peterborough Public Health unit (currently a Yellow Zone) has issued such an advisory to municipalities in its region urging such a restriction on organizations booking facilities from outside their Zone (this would cover anyone looking to book a facility who is coming from a Zone currently designated by public Health authorities as Orange, Red or Grey).

A common requirement for employers in Yellow or higher levels of restriction is the implementation of a “Safety Plan”. While it is only required if your organization fits into a specific category (namely, restaurants, bars and food or drink establishments, sports and recreational facilities, meeting and event spaces, retail businesses located in malls, personal care services, gaming establishments, cinemas and performing arts facilities), we have already seen this requirement expanded in some regions.

For example, if your organization isn’t within one of the above categories, a Safety Plan is not strictly required, however some public health units (such as Durham Region) have required Safety Plans for all retailers in their Red Zone, not just those within shopping malls.  This is a higher standard than the provincial baseline but one that employers must remain informed about.  Of course if your region enters a Grey (Lockdown) Zone you must have a Safety Plan in place regardless of sector.

For these reasons, you may want to draft a Safety Plan even if your organization does not require one at this point in time.  While health authorities always try to give advance warning, sometimes the rapid development of a region’s transmission rate or transmission pattern requires action with very little notice. A downloadable Safety Plan template is available here: https://www.ontario.ca/page/develop-your-covid-19-workplace-safety-plan.

While the recent arrival of vaccines brings hope, the road to safe recovery still remains long.  In the meantime, we are all well advised to follow the Scout’s motto.  Be prepared.

Not sure if your Municipality is Protected?

We look after your Policy Manual, Employment Agreements, government-mandated compliance training and more.  We have you covered – we are Your HR Department.  SHRP provides full-service Human Resources support including Job Evaluation and Pay Equity planning in addition to best-in-class HR solutions and management consulting services on a project, or ongoing basis.

Contact us anytime.

Matthew Savino, B.A., LL.B., C.H.R.E.

Managing Partner & Senior Consultant

SHRP LIMITED

925-550 Skyway Drive (Airport Road)

Peterborough,  Ontario  K9J 0E7

705-400-7145

[email protected]

www.savinohrp.ca | www.hrlive.ca

 

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A Municipality’s Culture: Performance-Values Management

This cloud-based Human Resources Information System (HRIS) platform is two dimensional.  Specifically, the municipality’s Performance Expectations and also the municipality’s Cultural, Behavioural, and Values Expectations.

This HRIS platform measures and focuses on an employee and/or manager successfully achieving the municipality’s performance expectations and also their alignment with the culture, values, behavior expectations of the organization.

This, information-rich HRIS provides a centralized, user friendly, comprehensive system of employee information to provide managers and employees with several dimensions of support and develop progress information such as their individual action plan and goal management; 360 degree feedback; individual modifications required; recognition and celebration of their achievements; and several other key performance indicators (KPI) critical to achieving one’s fullest potential in the organization as an employee and/or manager during their employment journey or during onboarding.

The result is to achieve continuous feedback to facilitate clarity of purpose, understanding, and the integration of a plan of action between a manager and an employee; inspiring staff since they feel engaged, supported, and coached on becoming more successful; employees feeling that their viewpoints are respected during a development and coaching process; increases employee workplace satisfaction; increases retention of high performers; identification of areas where an employees needs support to become more successful within the organization; and provides a “Performance-Values Matrix” diagram showing an employee and their manager where the employee is positioned on achieving the performance expectations and the cultural/values/behavioural expectations of the municipality.

 

 

If you would like more information, feel free to contact me or visit the Cultural Tools tab of our website https://crossculturalconnecting.com where additional information is provided as well as a link to a demonstration video.

Bill Dennis, B.Com., MBA, CSP(Distinction)

President & CEO, Cultural & Generational Training                                                         

Burlington, Ontario     

[email protected]    https://crossculturalconnecting.com   

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Part 3 – How much Space is enough?

girls with masks beside each other

How much Space is enough?

It was hot and humid day in Bujumbura, Burundi.

The mini-bus was loaded and we were ready to drive to our destination in Ijenda. 

To our surprise the bus stopped to pick up some more passengers even before we left the city. The air in the bus got warmer as we crowded together.

We continued our trip upcountry.

Over the next few hours the bus made multiple stops. More people got on, but nobody stepped off.

We were amazed how many passengers managed to squeeze into that bus before we arrived at our destination. The bus was way beyond fully loaded. The closeness cramped our North American sense of personal space.

Growing up, we all learn about appropriate physical space.

COVID-19 has expanded our personal space even more.  Two meters is the new normal. This brings new challenges.

With Social Distancing policies in public areas we have lost what is called Personal Distance Space.  Generally, the North American sense of space suggests the following rules apply:

    Intimate Distance (touching to 45cm)

    Personal Distance (45cm to 1.2m)

    Social Distance (1.2m to 3.6m)

    Public Distance (3.7m to 4.5m)

Previously we would have conversations in public within the Personal Distance Space.There are some key reasons this is such a vital space. Here we can better hear the other person, pick up expressions and notice their eye movements in more detail. The use of handshaking was a way of appropriately entering into this Personal Distance Space in order to initiate a more personal connection.

Here are two key concerns to be aware of in the present reality:

Without the handshake we need to establish a connection without entering the Personal Distance Space.

Increased distance and masks are making it difficult to pick up the nuances of what the other person is communicating. This means we will need to ask more questions.

Listening has become more important with the loss of the visual cues.

Since public speakers are even further removed from their audiences they need to adjust in a number of ways. It may be necessary to adapt some of these techniques in order to communicate across the gap. For example:

            – our gestures may need to be more pronounced

            – be aware that our words don’t have the supporting facial expressions

            – speak more clearly, watch our tone and increase volume

            – appropriate eye contact is going to be essential

            – be more patient with each other, as we are learning to communicate in a new way

By the way, we thoroughly enjoyed the trip. The atmosphere on the bus was positive and people were enjoying themselves.

This is a reminder that it is possible to adjust to new spaces and still communicate effectively if we have the right attitude and skills.

Is your team being challenged by social distancing?

If you want to improve your communication and presentation skills, let’s talk.

We offer great team building workshops to improve your communication.

Eduardo Heinrichs

[email protected]

 

 

 

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muniSERV and LXM LAW LLP Announce Partnership

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For Immediate Release – November 25, 2020

muniSERV and LXM LAW LLP Announce Partnership to bring enhanced membership value to clients of both organizations!

muniSERV.ca and LXM LAW LLP have joined forces to bring even more value to our respective customers and members by providing them with enhanced access to municipal procurement expertise as well as integrated savings!

Both companies offer powerful resources that have been developed to help municipalities throughout Canada. By working together, muniSERV and LXM LAW LLP are able to foster connections between municipalities, help build procurement capacity and provide unique opportunities and savings to muniSERV members.

Our partnership will provide a platform for muniSERV members to share lessons learned and best practices in municipal procurement while offering muniSERV members discounted rates on services. 

LXM LAW’s monthly open call-in shows will provide muniSERV members exclusive access to experts to answer their specific questions on procurement. 

Watch for dates and times of these upcoming call-in opportunities in the Events section on muniSERV.

For more information about muniSERV.ca and LXM LAW LLP, contact:

Lise Patry, Partner

613.601.6333| [email protected]

www.lxmlaw.ca   

 

Susan Shannon, Founder & Principal, muniSERV

855.477.5095 | [email protected]

muniserv.ca

ABOUT LXM LAW LLP

LXM LAW LLP is a multi-disciplinary Canadian law firm that offers legal and consulting services for procurement and contracting needs.  LXM LAW LLP has in-depth experience in Canadian municipal procurement through our experienced professionals.

Our legal and consulting professionals have been on the frontline of public procurement for decades. We’re exceptionally well-versed in both the legal and business aspects of procurement and contracting, including policy and procedure development for organizations of varying sizes and scale. 

ABOUT muniSERV

muniSERV is a uniquely original online platform that masterfully connects Canadian municipalities and the municipal businesses that serve them. Our membership continues to grow with now over 1,800 municipal and professional members across Canada.

Drawing on the 25 plus years of experience of the owner as a municipal administrator, puts muniSERV in the unique position of understanding how to bring an innovative business perspective to municipalities while at the same time helping the private sector gain a better understanding of municipal operations.

 

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The Communication Advantage Part 2

2 men talking

Have you ever heard the words, “Watch your tone!”?

Are you sending the right message?

Are people hearing what you mean to say or are they only hearing how you say it?

In our last blog we looked at how our facial expressions communicate. (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/working-improving-your-communication-watch-what-you-dont-ed-heinrichs/)

In this article we will look at Paralinguistics and how they can help or hinder our communication.

 

Pitch: Does your voice tend to go up if you are nervous or angry? You can develop the ability to control the pitch of your voice to maximize effective communication.

Each of us are able to speak within a vocal range, and vary the pitch. This ranges from the higher, nasal tones to the richer resonant tones that come from within the chest. Many studies indicate that speaking from the lower range instills greater confidence in the listener.

Pace: Are you speaking at a reasonable rate or does it sound rushed? Are you slowing down or
pausing at appropriate points in your presentation? Reserving the increased pace to bring additional
energy and suggest passion will enhance your speech.

Are you intentionally adding moments of silence? These pauses can be as powerful as the
words spoken. Think of the rests between the notes in a piece of music.

Volume: What do we do when someone whispers? We instinctively lean in to hear what is being
said. A whisper can be amazingly powerful since it connotes a secret or special knowledge.
How can you use this as a way to draw in the audience?

Timbre: Timbre refers to the quality of the sound as it is perceived by the listener. It is often
used to describe musical instruments and is distinct from pitch or volume. As an example, compare
Kermit the Frog’s voice to the voice of Morgan Freeman.

Are you using ‘upspeak’ and is it undermining your communication? Raising the voice at the end
of a sentence can transform a statement into a question.

The Power of Prosody! This is the application of all these elements into engaging and effective
communication. Dreary dull, unvaried or monotonous delivery of what could be great content is
going to effectively undermine the entire presentation. A varied, energetic tone can serve to effectively
help communicate ideas.

Remember when you were told to “Watch your tone!”? Those are words worth paying attention to.
What is the next right step in your ascent toward your communication advantage?

We are here to help you succeed.

NB: For a more in-depth consideration of this topic check out:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-paralinguistic-cues-can-help-you-to-persuade2/

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Municipalities Build Back Better With Whole Person Care

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a lot of talk about a Build Back Better approach in our communities during the Covid 19 pandemic.  One strategy that helps address those in need is a Whole Person Care approach using a digital platform to collect and measure outcomes for wrap around programs which can be fully funded under the new Canada Healthy Communities Initiative.

With the arrival of Covid 19, the amount spent on healthcare is increasing in every community. While the amount invested in healthcare is increasing, municipalities are spending up to 25% of their healthcare costs to support non-value add aspects in their healthcare system. Value-based care models help optimize what is spent to get the best outcomes. How do communities do more with less as Covid 19 increases health and economic risk? In the short term we will need to work together with what we have and find ways to get better outcomes for less.

We know that Covid 19 is accelerating value-based healthcare approach in communities. Whole-person care is not far behind.

Whole person care describes a wrap around approach that addresses complete physical health, behavioral health and social wellbeing. Communities that work together as a team to provide care for individuals with poorly managed conditions including diabetes, heart disease, obesity and COPD are better equipped to improve health outcomes for less. Helping to manage care for this population most at risk relies on seamless information exchange, tele-health, care co-ordination and consumer engagement. All of these conditions are closely related to the social determinants of health.

Post acute care including home health, hospice and senior living facilities and human service including community mental health centers, addiction treatment centers and social service agencies in every community need to have the technology and skills to work as equal partners. Every community now has a chance to build back better with whole person care. 

Whole person care gets even better when amplified with data science and analytics that are driven with a prescriptive approach to patient care. To prepare our communities to deliver better outcomes during the pandemic, municipalities need to look at systems that offer interoperability – a framework that supports bidirectional exchange of data across systems and providers of care, a network to network bridge, policy agreements, discrete data and support for client consent and sharing that consent with others.

Consumer engagement with a patient portal makes it easier for hospitals and physicians to work with clients. Automated referrals, tele-health and patient information integration create a public care eco-system that serves the public in Covid 19 times. Building Back Better with the help of funding from the Canada Healthy Community Initiative makes it possible to accelerate the care you need in every community. Let us know if you need help with your digital transformation as you build back better in your community.

 

Learn more: Contact Athena Software

 

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What is Virtual “Just-in-Time Learning”?

Virtual “Just-in-Time Learning “Training

Virtual Just-in-Time Learning is a new, timely training approach – especially during these challenging COVID-19 times.

Whether an employee is working on the road, at home, or at the office, each municipal employee can access “Just-in-Time” Learning training from a computer or their smart phone whenever they feel compelled to acquire the training.

This training approach provides municipal employees on-demand, flexible, agile training that enables them to acquire need-related training exactly when they need that training’s information.

It is a virtual training approach which closely aligns with today’s knowledge-driven, speed-oriented world where people want “just in time” information quickly.

Since there is no one right time to provide a group of municipal employees training on a topic, the resourcefulness of virtual Just-in-Time Learning will be appreciated by municipal employees since it provide them in-the-moment, relevant, real-time training exactly when they need that training.

Also, having experienced a need for that real-time training, they will likely retain the training longer.

The topics of this training approach are delivered in modules. Not only can employees initially learn the module’s training, they can also revisit a module, or a section of a module, time and time again, for tips, solutions, and training reinforcement.

Virtual Just-in-Time Learning also enhances a municipal employee’s productivity by providing them real-time performance support when they are experiencing a situation calling for that municipal support.

If you have questions or would like to learn more, please check out my profile and/or contact me:

Bill Dennis, 

CEO and President,                                                                                                                      

Cultural & Generational Training                                                                                            https://crossculturalconnecting.com

 

 

 

 

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COVID and Communication Challenges

two girls talking - facial expressions

Watch what you don’t say.

 

I have heard people talk about ‘finding their voice.” But, what do you do if you can’t use words?

 

It was 2 a.m. and we had just arrived at the Bangkok, Thailand airport. We needed to find a cab to our hotel. We discovered how dependent we were on words to communicate. At the same time, we realized the power of gestures and facial expressions. While words are an important part of communication, there is great value in understanding how rich our communication systems are.

 

We generally think of communication in two categories -verbal and nonverbal. We are very aware of verbal communication, but did you know that there are at least nine distinct categories of nonverbal communication? We try to choose our words carefully, but might be unaware of our nonverbal signals, and yet, these speak loudly to our listeners.

 

Each one plays a major role in your presentations, speeches, and general communication. This is an important part of Emotional Wisdom and becomes a powerful part of communication.

 

In a series of upcoming posts, we will look at these categories in more detail. Here is the first

category and some comments on how this might help or hinder your communication:

 

Facial Expressions

This is probably the most easily recognized of the nonverbal communication categories. Within this category are over twenty distinct expressions. It is also helpful to know that many facial expressions are universal in nature. This makes it possible to understand across linguistic boundaries. Facial expressions are responsible for a large part of nonverbal communication. The look on a person’s face is often the first thing we see, even before we hear what they have to say.

 

The challenge with wearing masks is that we lose about 50% of what is being communicated through facial expressions. Due to the design of the human eye, we can easily identify precisely where people are looking.

 

Watch an audience as you are being introduced. The eyes of the audience will shift. They are watching you before you arrive at the podium. Your facial expressions, body language, and general posture are already communicating to the audience before you speak a word.

 

Watch what you don’t say.

 

By the way, we did arrive at our hotel…eventually.

 

If you are interested in finding out more about how to increase your effectiveness as a communicator,

presenter or public speaker let us know.  We are here to help you succeed.

 

Learn more about Enrich Services

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Covid 19 – Federal Funding for Municipal Solutions

The Covid 19 pandemic is creating a massive strain on resources in communities across Canada. Human service solutions in education, justice, social and health were never designed to take on this much for so long. Canadian municipalities are making adjustments to accommodate the surge in demand and the ever changing needs of their community. 

 

Some of our communities are now in the red zone creating the need for further restrictions. Federal, provincial and municipal governments are responding with additional funding and co-operation to help reduce the damage and improve the outcomes in less time. 

 

On August 13 2020, The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities announced the creation of the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative with up to $31 million ($19M 2020-21 & $12M 2021-22) in federal funding to support community-led solutions that respond to immediate and ongoing needs arising from COVID-19 over the next two years.“ The demands placed on families and individuals by COVID-19 have exposed a real need for low-cost, locally-driven ideas to help communities adapt and thrive. The Canada Healthy Communities Initiative will help breathe life into these small projects that can have a big impact as local governments, Indigenous communities and their non-profit partners rethink public spaces and how they deliver services to people.”

 

While Infrastructure Canada (INFC) is providing the funding, there is another organization yet to be announced that will organize, evaluate and distribute funding based on your proposal. This announcement will be made shortly. Your municipality will be able to submit a Covid 19 related infrastructure proposal that is between $5,000-$250,000. Three focus areas are: digital solutions, improved mobility solutions and safe and vibrant public spaces. 

 

A community project that develops infrastructure -related solutions to address changing community needs through the use of data and connected technologies starts with the ability to understand who is affected, what is being delivered and what needs to be done with priority. Measuring outcomes and sharing this information in a secure way becomes the source of truth for social service, health, justice and education partners that are focused on helping those most affected by Covid 19. Any municipality working to solve these complex and rapidly evolving stress points without a case management solution will have overlapping solutions that cost more than required and fail to see the gaps, reducing the outcomes. When you have time and budget, municipalities will continue to manage human services in a way that offers a path with least resistance. 

 

Covid 19 has exhausted both time and budget. Human services in your community need to work together efficiently. Working to save lives today and preparing for the future depends on it. Athena Software is a Canadian company that has experience working with every level of government in 15 countries around the world helping them find a way to do more with less and get better outcomes. Let me know if you would like to see how this can work for your community. 

Learn more: Athena Software

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