While HR professionals report new challenges
during the pandemic, many Canadians remain unaware of HR's
role
TORONTO, Sept. 23, 2020 /CNW/ - Hiring and
recruiting, handing out paycheques - these are some of the tasks
that often come to mind when we think about HR, but human resources
teams handle so much more. If you're like most Canadians, you may
not be aware of the increasing complexities and challenges today's
HR professionals face. A new study from ADP Canada and Maru/Blue
found that over one-third of working Canadians surveyed have no
idea what HR does all day long. While over half of respondents
recognize the role of their HR team has become more difficult
during the pandemic, there remains a lack of understanding of the
complexity and importance of HR's role.
The survey, which compared insights from both working Canadians
and Canadian HR professionals, also found, not surprisingly, that
61 percent of HR professionals believe their role has become more
difficult during the pandemic. According to HR professionals, new
challenges caused by COVID-19 include protecting the health and
wellbeing of employees, ensuring business continuity and staying on
top of rapid policy changes. Over half of HR professionals surveyed
also cite supporting the transition to remote work and supporting
employee mental health as significant challenges. Given these new
challenges, 43 percent of HR professionals feel the
role of HR has changed because of COVID-19.
Although most Canadians believe the primary functions of HR
include recruitment and hiring, overseeing payroll and benefits and
planning for long-term staffing, less than half recognize
responsibilities like conducting performance evaluations and
creating workplace policies, training new and current employees,
providing recognition for performance or scheduling fall under HR's
authority. Bearing this in mind, it's not surprising that 48
percent of Canadians do not know how their workplace would be
impacted if HR were to leave suddenly.
"HR's role has become increasingly challenging over the last
several months, yet a lack of understanding and awareness of the
important role of HR persists in Canada. The role of HR professionals is so
much more than just recruitment and payroll – HR is critical to
building a positive workplace culture, maintaining employee
engagement, and to the success of every organization," says
Heather Haslam, Vice President,
Marketing at ADP Canada. "The role of HR professionals is
multifaceted and demands thoughtful, hardworking, and perceptive
people who can solve both short and long-term challenges through
strategic solutions. At ADP, we recognize that HR's role is
constantly evolving, and we strive to design a better world of
work for HR teams and employees to ensure their hard work and
efforts are recognized."
To celebrate and recognize hardworking HR professionals across
the country, ADP Canada is launching the HR Appreciation Contest
for the second year in a row. Between now and November 13, ADP
encourages Canadians to visit HRAppreciation.com to
nominate a member of their HR team as an "HR Superstar". Each HR
Superstar will receive a small token of gratitude and will be
entered in a draw to win a grand prize to put towards a weekend of
well-deserved relaxation in a local hotel and spa.
Other key findings from the survey include:
- Appreciation of HR in Canada remains relatively unchanged:
-
- Half (53%) of Canadians feel that HR is appreciated in the
workplace
- 16% feel that HR is underappreciated
- Millennials (25%) are most likely to believe their HR team is
very appreciated compared to the overall working population
(18%)
- HR challenges related to remote work:
-
- 66 per cent of HR professionals said that ensuring staff have
functioning technology at home is a challenge during the pandemic,
along with ensuring staff are appropriately engaged remotely (61%),
or managing productivity and performance at home (58%)
- Challenges of remote work were more prevalent among older HR
professionals (55+)
- When HR calls, some Canadians still brace for bad
news:
-
- 15 per cent think they will be told about changes in the
workplace
- 9 per cent think they will be asked to fill out forms
- 8 per cent think they are in trouble
- 6 per cent think they will be asked to do something new/above
their role
- Only one per cent believe they will receive recognition for
good work
About the
Study
The Maru/Blue poll was conducted
between August 10 and 20, 2020, on behalf of ADP Canada. For
this survey, a sample of 1,538 Canadian employees (full time or
part time), aged 18+, who work for a company with an HR
professional / HR
department was completed online using
Maru/Blue's online panel, including 301 self-defined HR
professionals.. The margin of error for this study
was ±2.4 percentage points, 19 times out of
20.
About ADP Canada
Designing better ways to work through
cutting-edge products, premium services and exceptional experiences
that enable people to reach their full potential. HR, Talent, Time
Management, Benefits and Payroll. Informed by data and designed
for people. Learn more at www.adp.ca
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registered trademarks of ADP, Inc.
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owners.
Copyright © 2020 ADP, Inc. All rights reserved.
SOURCE ADP Canada Co.