High-performing teams start with intentional hiring. Learn how success profiles, structured interviews and clearer hiring criteria can help organizations recruit for performance instead of relying on gut feel.

The Importance of Clarity in Employment Relationships Dear Toby, I am a small business owner, and honestly, everyone who works with me is a contractor. When I started, it made sense. I was small, cash flow mattered, and I did not want to deal with payroll, source deductions, vacation pay, CPP, EI, and all the things I know I would probably mess up. Contractors felt simpler. But now I am freaking out! A friend of mine who also runs a business just got audited by the CRA. They

High-performing teams are not found. They are built. And the first place organizations feel the difference is in hiring. For small and growing businesses, one mis-hire does not just slow things down. It changes how leaders spend their time. Instead of building the business, they compensate. They coach basic expectations, fix errors, redistribute work, and quietly lower standards just to keep momentum. The stress does not come from one person. It comes from the ripple effect a

Welcome to our column, Dear Toby. We take real life HR questions and give real HR advice. Have a question or topic you'd love covered in our column? Send us an email at info@aandaconsulting.ca "Dear Toby, We just had our company Christmas party and overall it was great - until it wasn’t. One of my employees had way too much to drink and started making comments that crossed several lines. They weren’t malicious, but they were absolutely inappropriate. A few people laughed

Dear Toby, I keep hearing about businesses switching to a 4-day work week, and I’m wondering if that’s something a small business like mine should consider. What are the real benefits, and how can I make sure it works without hurting operations? — Curious in Canmore Dear Curious, Fantastic question — and one a lot of small business owners are asking right now (usually around Thursday afternoon when the weekend still feels far away). The 4-day work week has gone from “interest

If I asked you to describe your workplace in one word, would “joyful” come to mind? Most leaders wouldn’t say yes — not because they don’t want it, but because “joy” feels like something that belongs at a birthday party, not in a boardroom. After all, work is about performance, deadlines, and budgets… right? Here’s the thing: joy isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a competitive advantage. When people find joy at work — through purpose, connection, and belonging — they don’t just f

On May 28, 2025, the Ontario government introduced Bill 30: The Working for Workers Seven Act . If passed, it will make changes to three...

When was the last time you reviewed how your compensation stacks up against the market? If you can’t remember, you’re not alone. Many...

Firing someone “for cause” might sound like a straightforward way to end a difficult employment relationship without severance pay. But here’s the reality: it’s rarely that simple—especially in Canada. In fact, trying to terminate for cause without meeting the strict legal threshold can backfire, leading to costly wrongful dismissal claims and reputational risk for your business. So, when can you terminate for cause? What red flags should you watch for? And why is the bar

It Depends on the Province Note: The advice in this blog is now out of date. Please check out our most up-to-date review of IT overtime exemptions by clicking here. When it comes to employment standards, IT professionals occupy a murky middle ground — sometimes exempt from overtime, sometimes not. If your business operates across multiple provinces or hires remote tech staff, you might be surprised how different the rules can be from province to province. To help you stay co

Big changes are coming to employment law in Saskatchewan—and small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) need to get ready. As of May 13, 2025,...

Dear Toby, We just launched new project management software, and the team’s response has been… let’s just say underwhelming. Some are...

Let’s be real: change is hard. Not because people are stubborn or the change is a bad idea—but because humans are wired to stick with...

Dear Toby, I’ve got someone on my team who’s not doing anything wrong on paper, but their tone is harsh, they roll their eyes in...

Welcome to our column, Dear Toby. We take real life HR questions and give real HR advice. Have a question or topic you'd love covered in...

Hiring independent contractors can be a great way to bring in expertise without the overhead of a full-time employee. But what if that contractor is actually an employee in disguise? The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has been cracking down on misclassification, and getting it wrong can cost you—big time. Here are five red flags that your contractor might actually be an employee: 1. You Control How They Work If you’re telling them when, where, and how to do their job—down to

Incentive programs are meant to drive performance, boost morale, and keep employees engaged. But when they go wrong? Well, let’s just say...

Welcome to our column, Dear Toby. We take real life HR questions and give real HR advice. Have a question or topic you'd love covered in...

Welcome to our column, Dear Toby. We take real life HR questions and give real HR advice. Have a question or topic you'd love covered in...

This is part 4 of a 4 Part Mini-Series On Resistance to Change: What it Looks Like and How to Recognize it. Implementing change in any...