Research and Resources
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For more information on Queen’s IRC’s practitioner-focused research, please contact our research team at: ircresearch@queensu.ca
Latest ARTICLES

Fairness in Workplace Investigations: How Much Should Respondents Know?
Workplace investigations are increasingly complex. New workplace investigators often struggle with how much information to share with the Respondent during the investigative process. Questions often arise such as:
How much information is a workplace investigator required to share? How much information should be shared before the Respondent’s interview? What impact will disclosure or non-disclosure have on the outcome of the investigation?

HR Metrics and Analytics: So Many Numbers, So Little Time…
In this article, we will share two structured ways to look at organizing your thinking and your data analysis that will make more effective use of your time and lead to more timely and informed decisions. First, we will overview the HR Metrics Cycle which leads in clear steps from defining the opportunity or problem, to decisions and a relevant action plan. Secondly, we will dig more deeply into the Define step of the cycle. Starting any project with clearly defined goals and agreed terminologies and metrics is critical to a project’s relevance and success.

Leading Human Resources in Transformative Times
The field of human resources has experienced incredible change and transformation over the last five years. These include the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and changing expectations about work, to significant labour market challenges and new views of organizations’ responsibilities related to issues of equity. There has been much to navigate within this context. How do we define ourselves within this context of increased complexity? What are our priorities and critical “must have” skills to support us within this environment? Who are we as human resource leaders and what roadmap should we be using to gain insight into our leadership journey?

Director’s Message – January 2023
As Queen’s IRC’s Director of Professional Programs, I am very pleased to share that a new year brings exciting new things for us! We are delighted to once again be traveling from coast to coast with our professional development programs.

How Do You Determine the Best Work Model for Your Organization or Team?
Any organizations that implemented post-COVID-19 work models (remote, hybrid or in office) should be evaluating their choice regularly, to ensure that they retain their competitive advantage and continue to attract the right human resources. It is my recommendation that a review be conducted after the first six months to ensure that the model continues to support the strategic direction of the organization. 61% of Canadian organizations have moved to a hybrid work environment because this was the preferred model by many employees.

85 Years of Lifelong Learning
Queen’s IRC celebrated our 85th anniversary on October 12, with an afternoon open house. Guests from the University and local community, as well as IRC participants, speakers, and staff celebrated at the Queen’s IRC office in Kingston.
Speeches from the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science, Dr. Barbara Crow, and Queen’s IRC Director of Professional Programs, Alison Darling, highlighted new programs and projects on the horizon for the Centre, and showcased our achievements.
The event also provided the opportunity to reflect on our history and review some of the documents from our past. In many ways, we see how far our training – and the world in general – has come since 1937. We started in a time when industrial relations conferences and training was for “business men”, with men leading the training as well. In 2022, we find that at least half, and often more, of our participants (and facilitators) are women.

How to Lead Your Life with Resilience
Are you feeling tired or frustrated chasing elusive happiness? A full life does come with setbacks. This is a reality we all face. The better able you are at handling these setbacks, the more stable your level of happiness will be. This is why learning how to move through life’s many adversities is important. You can experience consistent happiness while overcoming your life’s challenges by leading your life with resilience. Below are the six holistic essentials from the Circle of LITE personal leadership framework to help you do so.

Queen’s IRC a Winner at the Canadian HR Awards
We are honoured to be the recipient of the HRD Readers’ Choice Award for Best Service Provider! The award acknowledges the contributions of a company or individual with a proven track record of providing the HR industry and/or HR professionals with the superior service, solutions and support needed to perform their duties.

The Talent Management Revolution
Talent management has emerged as a top priority for organizations over the last decade and has only been accelerated by the pandemic as employees were sent home, many displaced, and employers had to radically shift business operations. Human Resources (HR) led the charge in supporting business units to make this transition as seamless as possible – while stabilizing a very disrupted workforce. Not only has HR been thrust into the spotlight over these last few years, but progressive HR leaders have played a significant role in shining a spotlight on a much-needed talent management revolution.
ABOUT OUR PRACTITIONER-ORIENTED RESEARCH
Our research includes a variety of activities that complement our programming. Through surveys, interviews, and articles, we aim to communicate trends in the HR and LR fields.
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