Learning from Canadian Universities: HR in HE

In 2018, I had the pleasure of networking with HR professionals from universities across the Commonwealth. On both occasions, the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) had a part to play. The first was the ACU - HR Global Innovations Study Tour in the UK in May 2018. This tour began at the ACU office in London, then moved to various universities across the country and included attending the Universities Human Resources (UHR) Conference in Bristol. We attended a final debriefing at the ACU office.

During this extremely informative tour, I had the opportunity of meeting Senior HR professionals from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK.  

The second occasion was at the ACU HR in HE Community Conference at the University of Waterloo, Canada in September 2018. I was able to reconnect with HR professionals, some of which I had met in the UK, and meet new colleagues from around the Commonwealth. This included delegates from Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria and Uganda, to mention a few.

Thanks to the ACU HR in HE Community LinkedIn page and post-Conference WhatsApp group, I have maintained contact with most of the 2018 Conference participants on various HR issues.

Due to these networks, I was able to contact two of the HR professionals from the Canadian universities of Waterloo and Western, who were part of the HR Global Innovations Study Tour, to participate in institutional visits during the summer of 2019. My aim was to gain an appreciation of the current development/practices in HR in those institutions.

During the visit to the University of Waterloo, I met with the Executive Director of HR, Kenton Needham, who provided an overview of the institution’s structure, the staff and the HR Department’s business plan. In addition, our discussion focused on themes such as the new HRMIS system, University of Waterloo Talent Acquisition System, training and development, coaching and mentoring and the job evaluation process.

At Western University, the Director of HR Digital and Operations, Louise Koza, and her team provided an engaging session in which there was cross institutional information sharing. They shared their own initiatives, including the HRMIS system, Metrics and Analytics, Total Rewards, the new Clear the air – smoke Free Campus Cannabis, Alcohol and Other Substances Policy, Employee and Family Assistance and Wellness Services, Operational Excellence Training and Development for Administrators, Leadership and other Learning Circles and Excellence in Leadership.

In 2017, the University of the West Indies launched its five year strategic plan, Triple A Strategy 2017 – 2022. At the centre of this plan are three pillars - Access, Alignment and Agility. The role of the HR departments within the university is listed under Agility, which is designed to focus on fostering a creative, caring, accountable, motivated and professional (CAMP) team.

My department has fully embraced this initiative and has begun the process of transitioning from operational to strategic human resources management. This change would allow the Open Campus in Barbados to be more responsive to the needs of our staff.

We recognise that the university operates in a competitive, yet collegial marketplace and that networking with colleagues at international universities can assist in strengthening systems, policies and procedures or the creation of new ones.

The institutional visits to the University of Waterloo and Western University were strategic and timely, as the HR Department in the Open Campus has embarked on a number of initiatives to improve our service delivery. Some of these will be launched during the course of the current academic year 2019/2020.

Find out how you can join the HR in HE Community here.