Question: Hire a Contractor or Employee?

Answer: It Depends.

I was asked recently for my advice about whether to hire a contractor or an employee to fill a role required at a small business.  I know the business owners were hoping I’d have a pat answer for them.  I didn’t.  I gave them an “it depends” answer instead.  Several items should be considered before getting to an answer. First things first.  You have to be clear on the difference between a contractor and an employee.  Alberta Employment Read the full article…

Written by Deanna Hunter

On the category of HR Consulting + Human Resources

Is it Time to Purchase HR Software?

Signs that your small business needs HR automation

I’ve been asked by small business owners about the right time to purchase an HR software system.  In general, HR software systems help to centralize & automate work flows and manage employee information & history.  Every small business needs to do this – whether with paper, spreadsheets and filing cabinets, or with software. In my mind there are two big signs that indicate it might be time to invest in an HR software system. The Read the full article…

Written by Deanna Hunter

On the category of HR Consulting + Human Resources

Preparing for a Termination Meeting

Getting your Ducks in a Row

Most managers take a lot of time and expend a lot of energy in ensuring that they have done their due diligence when deciding to terminate a poor performing employee.  Important stuff for sure.   Paying some attention to the actual termination meeting itself is also important but often overlooked. The goal should be to get through the meeting without anyone feeling tortured or beat up, and with all parties leaving with their dignity intact.  Here Read the full article…

Written by Deanna Hunter

On the category of Human Resources + Performance Management

Case Study: Conducting a Pulse Check Survey

To identify the way forward for a small company

The CEO of a small company I have been working with was interested in what his employees were thinking and whether there were any hot button issues that could be resolved in order to keep his team engaged.  The organization had just doubled in size, from 11 to 24 in less than six months, and was continuing to grow. The CEO knew that retention of his current high performing team was critical to achieve some incredibly top Read the full article…

Written by Deanna Hunter

On the category of Case Study + Human Resources + Talent Retention

FAQs: working with Ridgegate Consulting…

Everything you wanted to know &
WEREN'T afraid to ask!

I’ve met with a lot of very interesting business people over the last few months.  Over a cup of coffee, we’ve talked about all kinds of things.  The best way to double the size of a company in three months.  How to handle a sticky ‘sick leave’ situation with an employee.  How the slow-down in the economy is impacting their business.  And why the heck millennials are such a pain in the !@#$!@#. Those same Read the full article…

Written by Deanna Hunter

On the category of HR Consulting + Human Resources