Hubert Lacroix spoke yesterday at the Canadian Media Guild’s biannual convention. It marked the first time that a CBC/Radio-Canada President and CEO spoke at a CMG convention.

Lacroix said poor communication between the senior executives and guild representatives underscored an urgent need to rebuild a proper relationship. Lacroix’s said his mission since he joined the CBC 18 months ago has been to build a greater level of respect and transparency at every level of the organization.

Lacroix called for a “paradigm shift” (yes, he actually said “paradigm shift”) in thinking to incorporate more pride and positivity. He added that he knew the job was hard because the same executives are in the same place as they were during the 2005 lockout. He also highlighted that each member of his senior management team had been fully briefed on the importance of the CBC/CMG relationship, and “failure is not an option” to them.

Lacroix also spoke of the changing media environment, particularly of the BBC’s move to up their budget for their web services from $200 million to $800 million US annually. He used this as a pointed example; “[Mark Thompson, director-general of the BBC] is going to take almost one-half our total annual budget for CBC/Radio-Canada and invest it in Web services and Web-related initiatives,” Lacroix told delegates, pointing to the challenge of working in an industry that is constantly requiring us to rethink our existing strategies. “How can we keep being relevant in this environment if we can’t talk? If our own labour and management team can’t change this, no one can.”

Lacroix has also started up a key initiative, “Challenge Us!”, which brings together 65 CBC employees from all levels and all areas of the country, in order to examine the employee/employer relationship and change it to a healthy and productive one. He recognized the inputs from key members of the Canadian Media Guild, and finished by once again reiterating that failure was not an option, and that the relationship must improve from both sides.

	6 Comments »	See also: Executives, Human Resources, Labour/CBC Unions
	Email this	Posted at 12:48 pm (26 May 2008)

Over at the Canadian Media Guild, they are talking about a new policy brought down by management that CBC employees will not be reimbursed for passport fees when travelling for work. Employees are encouraged to still file the expenses and then take it up with the union if expenses are denied.

Good arguments could be made for both sides in this issue.

• On one hand, there really aren’t that many companies that would reimburse passport expenses, as the passport has personal as well as business use.
• On the employee side, some employees actually do only go out of the country on business and choose to spend their vacation and other time in Canada only - the CBC may arguably have more employees that are inclined to do this than other organizations.

There is also the good old “we’ve had it and now it is being taken away”, which doesn’t sit well with anyone. Kind of like having a nice holiday party every year and then being told you have to pay for admission.

What do you think about the new passport policy? Fair? Unfair?

Photo by HJL used under Creative Commons licence.

	8 Comments »	See also: Human Resources
	Email this	Posted at 2:05 am (01 May 2008)

Spark producer Dan Misener is getting married shortly. So when he headed over to the H.R. section on the CBC intranet… er, portal… er, iO! to get some information about benefits and time off, he was surprised to find this:

Have you ever had any strange Mothercorp experiences as a result of your own nuptials?

This week on Spark, Virginia Postrel explains the cultural currency of type (full interview) and a chance to play Font, Coffee, or Baby Name? and using zenware to focus on your writing (full interview).

	1 Comment »	See also: Human Resources, The Odd File
	Email this	Posted at 11:19 am (23 Apr 2008)

Here’s a fun little game to brighten your Monday (it’s dreary and drizzly here in Vancouver, so we’ll take all the light we can get).

Here are two job listings for sports positions. One is from the CBC. The other is from the Score Media channel. Can you figure out which is which?

LISTING #1

• Minimum 3-5 years on-air experience in broadcast journalism
• Superior writing, vetting and editing skills
• Able and willing to effectively engage in lively ad lib conversation with program hosts
• Experience with radio studio operation
• Flexibility to work overnight and / or evening shifts from time to time
• Interest and knowledge of a broad range of news and current affairs issues including sports, business, and arts
• Skilled in digital audio editing
• University degree or equivalent

LISTING #2

• Know your s**t
• Know how to put a story together
• Have energy that works on camera
• Don’t take yourself too seriously
• Hustle
• Are fearless (obviously no one is, but some balls would be nice)
• Can shoot (with a camera, of course)
• Are not conditioned to speak in an unnatural way
• Clichés anger you
• Want to be part of something revolutionary

Please, no wagering.

	8 Comments »	See also: Fun Stuff, Getting a Job, Human Resources
	Email this	Posted at 11:54 am (17 Mar 2008)

The CBC’s largest union, the Canadian Media Guild, says the CBC is employing “temporary” workers far longer than what it agreed to.

Under the collective agreement, the CBC can hire temporaries to replace absent employees, to use in emergencies or when special circumstances or events warrants. The CMG says it has spent more than a year uncovering abuses of this where use of temporary employees goes well beyond what it says is permitted under the agreement.

“The CMG has allocated an unprecedented amount of money for research and other resources to resolve this grievance,” said CBC branch president Marc-Philippe Laurin. “Beyond helping individual employees fix their job status problems, we realized it was necessary to get to the root of the culture of abuse of temporary employees at CBC.”

Arbitrator Innis Christie has been brought in to mediate the dispute.

The Guild and the CBC held a series of meetings over four months but says the discussions “did not produce a timely path to resolving the dispute.”

	2 Comments »	See also: Human Resources, Labour/CBC Unions
	Email this	Posted at 11:48 am (11 Feb 2008)

Earlier this week, Net Pub Eng (the CBC email address that sends out all-staff announcements within the English service) sent out an email saying a change had been made to the H.R. policy. It provided an intranet link to the new policy, but didn’t spell out what the changes were.

I asked CBC’s human resources department for some clarification about what had actually changed.

Here are the key changes:

1. Payment of unused leave may now be made unilaterally for Management, Confidential and APS employees.
2. Payment of unused leave will be calculated at the rate the leave was earned.
3. Reinforce Management accountability to ensure leave is scheduled and taken.
4. Preserve Management’s ability to authorize leave based on operational requirements.
5. Contract employees must take their leave before the conclusion of their term, or have the balance paid out if a new contract or extension is issued.

Annual leave guidelines for unionized employees remain as per the applicable collective agreement.

Does this affect you? How do you feel about it?
P.S. This blog lives outside the CBC network. You will not be identified by posting.

	6 Comments »	See also: Human Resources
	Email this	Posted at 7:58 pm (15 Sep 2007)

Cathy Sprague, executive director of H.R. for CBC’s English networks will leave the CBC September 21.

She will take up a new position as VP Human Resources for Coca-Cola Canada.

No single person will fill in until her position is replaced; rather, human resources staff in her department will handle the work.

	2 Comments »	See also: Executives, Human Resources
	Email this	Posted at 11:59 am (24 Aug 2007)

Nope, those aren’t CBC employees on the CBC’s human resources intranet page…

Unless, of course, Microsoft hired them right after the CBC shoot was done…

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	Email this	Posted at 1:07 pm (21 Aug 2007)

I’m sure you saw this in your Groupwise, but in case you missed it, the Corp has developed a splashy new web site and campaign called My Total Rewards.

On the CBC intranet, there’s even a Flash video [internal link only] with happy generic stock-photographer workers.

The intranet site is a central location where staffers can check in to find information about their salary, benefits, pension, etc.

Clearly, CBC is ramping up its efforts in recruiting now that the workforce is shrinking.

But not everyone is thrilled. As one CBC staffer emailed me:

“Am I really the only one who finds the concept of re-branding our paycheques as “rewards” insulting?

I’ve searched around and can’t find any reaction. Perhaps people have just become numb to those emails and didn’t notice.

But are we enrolled in an airline rewards program I didn’t know about? Does working at the CBC help you fly to those far distant locations you’ve always dreamed of?

I was under the impression that CBC paid me because of the work I did. Since when is this bi-weekly paycheque considered a reward?”

What do you think? Have you visited the site? Do you find it helpful?

	19 Comments »	See also: Human Resources
	Email this	Posted at 12:08 am (21 Aug 2007)

Playback Magazine is reporting that the headhunting firm Egon Zehnder has been hired by the federal government to look for a new president and CEO of the CBC, to replace Robert Rabinovitch, whose second term ends in November.

CBC insiders say Egon Zehnder, which has offices in Calgary and Toronto, has been instructed to provide the federal government with the names of the top three contenders, a break from the usual hiring process, which has been criticized for being overly political. The Prime Minister’s Office will make the final decision.

Rabinovitch indicated in a note to staff that CBC chair Timothy Casgrain “will be actively participating in the search process.”

The magazine quotes Ian Morrison, from the lobby group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, as saying he likes how the process is unfolding. “This kind of thing never happened when Rabinovitch was hired unilaterally by the government.”

Rabinovitch has been president and CEO of the CBC for the last 15 eight years.

A CBC official wouldn’t comment on the search process, saying “It’s a federal appointment, so we’re really not involved in the process at all.”

	1 Comment »	See also: Executives, Human Resources
	Email this	Posted at 11:15 pm (01 Aug 2007)

Ouimet, the anonymous management blogger, has posted some specific questions on her blog about the upcoming Access to Information Act:

Nearly a month ago, the President sent everyone an email telling us that the CBC will soon be subject to access to information requests. The email caused a bit of panic and everyone had 1000 questions…. The answers to these questions were supposed to follow, but they never followed.

Perhaps the information is classified?

I had similar questions, so I posed Ouimet’s questions to Pierre Nollet

Does it start from September, or is it retroactive?
It affects all documents we have whether created before or after September 1st.

What about all the stuff I already threw out?
The Act comes into force September 1st.After that date you want to make sure you comply with the law.

Can the post-it notes on my computer monitor be subpoenaed?
If they still exist at the time of the request they could.

What about phone calls?
Call logs could have to be produced. The call itself is not fixed on a media and therefore is not a record.

Groupwise purged my emails. Am I going to be in trouble?
Not you personally. Only the CTO…just kidding. Purge is not happening before warnings so make sure you preserve documents that need to be.

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	Email this	Posted at 7:22 am (09 Jul 2007)

Call it “Sensitivity 101.” CBC employees are currently undergoing training via a four-hour workshop called Respect in the Workplace. Attendance is mandatory.

The idea for the session came from a recent report and series of surveys (Wellness, Employee, even a CMG survey) that pointed to a general lack of respect for colleagues.

The session examines the current environment, what (if anything) people would like to change and how to do that, what role the individual plays in contributing to a more respectful workplace, and some discussion of how to cope with being on the receiving end of disrespectful behaviour. (Note to self: Making fart noises under my armpit, giggling, and running away is no longer an acceptable response.)

So far, at least one review is pretty positive. John Paolozzi, CBC Radio 3’s blogger, wrote:

The seminar wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I was concerned it was going to be a PC love-fest, which would have been sort of insulting to a group of people who are generally so liberally minded, but as it turns out… it was about respect in the work-place.

Now, with the possible exception of the pile of dishes on my desk, my habit of shouting to people in other cubicles, using profane language, showing up on time for meetings, blaming others for errors I’ve made, and going bare-foot in the office, I don’t really see how this applies to me.

CBC employees: Have you attended one of these sessions? What do you think? (Note: Comments for this post open only to CBC employees who post from inside the CBC.)

	3 Comments »	See also: Human Resources
	Email this	Posted at 1:53 pm (19 Jun 2007)