Anthem for the Small Business Owner

Its 6:30 am on the morning after my Executive Chef’s wedding. I can hear the partygoers slowly dying off as I’m slowly waking up for yet again another 14-hour workday. As I sit here sipping on my venti, non-fat, sugar free, no whip, caramel macchiato and watching the sunrise over the mountains, I find myself …

Planning a Passionate Career Path

Janet Salopek, President of Salopek & Associates, with original members of Salopek’s consulting team in 2006, the year Janet started the business, which has grown to a team of 15 consultants across Canada today.  For as long as I can remember I have always said and completely believed that as long as I had a Plan I …

Working With What You’ve Got

Realizing continued growth by maximizing current resources. The state of Alberta’s economy has settled in, and organizations are starting to realize that it is likely here to stay for some time. Our hopes of a quick rebound have dissipated, and companies are now faced with the challenge of figuring out how to survive a downturn …

Strategies to Consider During a Downturn

As oil dips below $30 a barrel and the dollar dives to the lowest it’s been since 2003, it is hard to see clearly through the downturn doom and gloom. It is a critical time for organizations to assess their operations, budgets and teams and strategically consider their options for weathering the economic storm while …

The Evolution of HR

In recent years, Human Resources has gained increasingly more involvement at the strategic level. We have seen the introduction of new titles (VP and Director of HR), representation at the Board level, and the concept of competitive advantage through incorporating HR into the strategic plan. So. What does this mean? This is drastically different to …

HR Metrics – What to measure?

Measuring the success of business plans, processes and programs is essential within every department of an organization. However, metrics for Human Resources are often less tangible and therefore more difficult to measure. This can make it challenging to illustrate and prove the department’s value and can also lead some people to believe that measuring HR …