Job Summary:

In accordance with the Mission, Vision and Values, and strategic directions of PHSA safety, including both patient and employee safety, is a priority and a responsibility shared by everyone at PHSA’s Agencies/Divisions/Services, and as such, the requirement to continuously improve quality and safety is inherent in all aspects of this position.

The Workplace Consultant, Human Resources, Workplace Experience Network (WEN) reports to Team Leader, works in a matrixed human resources (HR) team, and is accountable for providing a full range of HR services to operational partners including management staff and line employees for an assigned Agency/Program area(s). The Workplace Consultant is the first point of contact for operational partners within their assigned portfolio, consults on a wide variety of issues including organizational development, recruitment and selection, labour relations (LR) including collective agreement and policy interpretation and staff training and development, works closely with WEN team and centralized HR partners. The Workplace Consultant is a strategic partner to an operational group, promoting and fostering a consultative and proactive problem solving employee relations/labour relations approach and contributing to the overall strategic design and implementation of work processes that enable client groups to achieve their business outcomes. The Workplace Consultant also participates on leadership teams and in HR special assignments, projects and events that have PHSA and Agency wide application.
The Workplace Consultant provides leadership to others by providing advice and guidance in situations requiring interpretation and judgment. Represents the organization at labour management meetings, negotiates resolutions both locally and provincially to labour relations issues independently and/or in conjunction with centralized HR partners. Works collaboratively with the team to ensure consistent application of relevant policies, collective agreements and terms and conditions of employment. Decisions are made through creative problem solving and independent judgment while keeping the organizational goals of both Agency level and PHSA wide in mind. Contacts involve negotiating and facilitating consensus to guide and lead others in making sound human resource decisions and to bring closure and/or resolution to outstanding issues.

Duties/Accountabilities:

• Builds effective partnerships within assigned client groups including developing a strong understanding of the client’s services, encouraging development of the client’s business strategic plan to maximize the potential of available human resources. Promotes human resource strategies, corporate initiatives and services to facilitate understanding and cooperation.

• Consults with clients on an ongoing basis to determine evolving human resource requirements. Analyzes requirements and develops strategies and options to enable clients to achieve required business objectives in addition to increasing accountability for HR processes within their own groups. Provides coaching and advice to clients on the selection, implementation and management of human resource strategies and evaluates and measures the effectiveness of selected strategies.

• Utilizes operational partner feedback to continually improve delivery of services. Supports the development of human resource related quality indicators in day-to-day operations such as continuous quality improvement. Models behaviour that is consistent with the strategic direction of the organization.

• Identifies needs for specialized HR expertise in areas such as LR, classification and compensation, recruitment, retention, employee wellness and safety and organizational development and brings together clients and human resources partners from their workplace network or centralized HR teams or other corporate supports.

• Promotes, educates, coaches and supports management/supervisory staff in developing expertise in human resource practices. Provides information and advice to clients on change management processes working with HR and other corporate/centralized HR partners to assist them to understand change and make informed decisions. Facilitates effective organizational change, using effective change management processes.

• Utilizes/develops targeted communication strategies for unions, employees and other stakeholders to support change initiatives. Supports alignment and achievement of the organization’s/agency’s vision and business strategy through the change initiatives of specific client groups.

• Interprets, coaches and advises operational groups regarding collective agreement interpretation, government legislation and organizational policies and procedures and other legal obligations affecting HR issues, including providing direction on issues of ambiguous/conflicting nature and terminations/severance. In collaboration with HR partners, coordinates LR implications of organizational changes with union. Keeps management current on industry issues, union/management initiatives, collective agreement changes, legislation and jurisprudence.

• Supports the dispute resolution process up to step 3 of the grievance process including investigating issues/grievances, maintaining documentation, engaging in discussions with management and union representatives in an effort to achieve effective resolution and representing the employer at union/management meetings. Encourages the development of positive and proactive union/management relations and collaborates with centralized HR partners and related community of practice groups as required. Provides leadership to management in the development and implementation of essential service plans working in collaboration with HR/LR partners.

• Advises and coaches operational partners on recruitment issues including effective internal and external recruitment and selection procedures, encouraging total compensation and fiscally responsible mindset, and the interpretation of the collective agreement obligations. Collaborates with centralized HR partners on specialty recruitment, compensation and retention initiatives as required.

• Participates in HR and operational projects, industry committees and tasks groups through methods such as attending meetings, advocating for the organization’s interests, influencing change and assessing trends and changes to human resource practices, communicating relevant information to HR team and identifying processes and interpretations which require change.

• Remains current on human resource trends, issues and best practices through literature review, contact with peers at other organizations and attendance at seminars, workshops and educations programs.

Qualifications:

A level of education, training and experience equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources plus seven (7) to ten (10) years of progressively more senior experience in a unionized setting and in dealing with conflict resolution.
Working knowledge of standard human resource policies and practices and related employment legislation. Models a commitment to service and being a strategic HR business partner within a complex organization. An accomplished communicator and active listener with a demonstrated ability to negotiate and influence within a collaborative framework. Demonstrated ability to work as an effective member of a team and to work independently. Demonstrated initiative to analyze and resolve problems quickly and efficiently. Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal skills. Demonstrated ability to mentor and engage others to ensure success in the workplace. Demonstrated ability to build strong, positive relationships and effectively work with various stakeholders and colleagues/staff in a consultative manner. Ability to communicate ideas and concepts and to prepare correspondence, reports, minutes and summaries. Comprehension of the importance of the balance of confidentiality and disclosure necessary for effective communications and requirements of collective agreements. Commitment to the value of continuous learning and an open curiosity for new ideas and innovation. Ability to make formal presentations. Ability to use related equipment including HR information systems, word processing, spreadsheet, database and internet tools.