Managing human resources (HR) can be challenging for many businesses, given the increasing complexity and regulatory demands. One effective strategy is HR outsourcing, where companies delegate HR functions to external experts. This approach is particularly beneficial for businesses aiming to focus on their core activities while ensuring that they still have access to efficient HR management. In this blog, we explore HR outsourcing, the services offered by HRO Core and how it can benefit your organization.

One practical and effective mindfulness technique is “Three Breaths.” This simple short practice can be done by any worker in any work environment from a server during a busy restaurant shift to an office worker to someone working on a construction site. This simple yet powerful practice can be done in as short as 20-30 seconds and, as the name suggests, just three breaths! It can be done alone as an individual practice or in a group as a group practice. You can keep your eyes open or close them as the space and setting allows. I always encourage people to take really deep, full breaths, feeling the breath fill up the stomach and chest which serves to calm the nervous system — an important aspect of this practice. If you take only short fast breaths, it’s not as effective. Of course, this depends on your situation and shorter breaths are better than no breaths! The practice focuses the mind, relaxes the body and engages our nervous system and emotional intelligence to guide what to do next. It can be done over and over during the day and is particularly helpful if you are feeling overwhelmed as happens to all of us from time to time. This practice enables us to find focus and ‘what’s important now.’

Mistakes are inevitable, in life and in business. Mistakes aren’t problems but how we respond to them can be, and mindset plays a crucial role in how we respond to mistakes. Mindfulness, emotional intelligence, self-awareness and group psychological safety support good decision making and realizing effective responses when faced with mistakes and challenges.

If you feel a yawn coming on when you hear the words “employee handbook,” you’re not alone! While they may not be the most exciting things you’ve ever read or written, every business should have one. ‍Employee handbooks—also called employee manuals or staff handbooks—support employee attraction and retention. By taking the time to think about policies and approaches to human resource management and spelling them out in an Employee Handbook, you are helping to ensure there are no surprises for owners, managers and employees. Everyone receives the same information and is on the same page!

Remember yesterday when you were mindlessly scrolling through Instagram on your phone? Or that meeting you attended where your body was present for the first 20 minutes, but your mind was elsewhere? Perhaps you finally ‘arrived’ in the meeting, but it took a while. This common scenario highlights a prevalent issue in today’s fast-paced, always-on, technology driven world: operating on autopilot. 

A warm welcome to the new HRO Core website! We are thrilled to launch this new platform designed to bring you closer to the purpose and heart of our work and organization. We already have many features planned to release here soon, so stay tuned!

On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, we unite in the mission to eradicate all forms of racial discrimination, injustice, systemic racism, and hate. It's a call to action for individuals, organizations, and governments to work together tirelessly towards this goal. At HRO Core, we stand in solidarity with this mission. We believe in creating workplaces where every individual is treated with dignity, respect, and equality.

In today’s fast-paced, VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world, where deadlines loom large and targets are constantly shifting, it's easy for the efforts of employees to go unnoticed. Employee Appreciation Day is a reminder to pause and recognize the dedication and hard work of those who keep the wheels turning.

As the calendar turns a fresh page and a new year unfolds, our HRO Core team would like to extend our heartfelt wishes for success, performance, health and wellness to each and every one of our cherished community members in 2024.

What makes teams successful and effective? Google set out to answer this important question in 2012. The initiative was coined, ‘Project Aristotle.’ The name comes from the Greek philosopher Aristotle’s quote – “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

After just the first few hires, a staff handbook is an important document in your business. The handbook is helpful in creating a strong and positive culture, communicating expectations, achieving consistency in approaching various situations, and minimizing risk and conflict.

Assured Access by Blue Cross is a fantastic product that we recommend anyone covered by a group plan consider. It is very affordable - only a fraction of monthly benefits costs and it provides access to a comprehensive personal health plan in the event you no longer qualify are covered under a group benefit program.

During the pandemic, work has shifted and some of that shift is coming to roost now. HR is shifting. Virtual work, increased and new stressors in our world and the transition from pandemic restrictions all make employee wellness so important right now. Also, DE&I has become more important and some organizations still lag in implementing new policies. Does your organization need to consider an update to HR policies and procedures?

From the moment we opened our doors, we have prided ourselves on the innovative and high impact benefits we provide. As standards change, we have enhanced our coverage to ensure the organizations and employees that we work with are well taken care of. Group employee benefits is becoming increasingly important for attracting and retaining employees.

Mindfulness is an invaluable tool which supports the well-being and performance of employees and organizations. Google identified Psychological Safety as the key determinant of high performing teams and mindfulness as the cornerstone of psychological safety. Simply put, mindfulness is,"paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally" and, “with an attitude of curiosity and kindness”. Mindfulness builds focus, creativity, self-awareness, resilience, compassion and empathy.

HRO Core has teamed up with Medavie Blue Cross to bring you a brand new service called "MyPersonalHealthPlan".Most individuals will buy some form of individual health or life coverage in their lifetime. We created MyPersonalHealthPlan to be there to support you through your life journey and to help you find a plan that best fits your needs.