HR Professional - February/March 2008 - (Page 36)

COVER STORY action such as making pre-tax commuter benefits part of a benefits package, according to the results of a recent survey conducted among human resources professionals. Sometimes corporate environmental initiatives start with employees and then bubble up to management. “In some sectors—high-tech, for example, where the labour pool is tight—environment and corporate social responsibility is becoming a way to attract and retain employees,” says Makower. Green meetings are fast becoming the norm. CCR Solutions is an AV Staging Company in Toronto Could YOUR ORGANIZATION benefit from a CPA membership? Front-Line Information Stay ahead of issues, trends, compliance and legislation CPA members benefit from unlimited access to front-line information, including: ● ● Networking Keep your skills and knowledge up-to-date Make valuable industry contacts by joining a community of 13,000 organizations and individuals committed to the advancement of the payroll profession: Professional Development Series (PDS) The CPA holds more than 400 PDS seminars and workshops across Canada each year to address key payroll topics. Conferences Payroll à la carte—June 10-13, 2008 at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. National Payroll Week (NPW) Held annually in September, NPW recognizes the mission-critical role payroll professionals have in Keeping Canada Paid TM—Today, Tomorrow and Every Pay. Payroll InfoLine telephone and e-mail "hotline” The CPA’s website at www.payroll.ca, including JobConnectTM, Payroll Tip of the Week and other members-only resources Member publications like DIALOGUE magazine and the CPA E-SourceTM newsletter. ● Certification Demonstrate your professional excellence The CPA’s certification program offers two certifications: the Certified Payroll Manager (CPM) and the Payroll Compliance Practitioner (PCP). Advocacy Know what’s around the corner The CPA is your advocate at the federal, provincial and territorial levels; we work with senior government officials to represent employers’ payroll interests. The Canadian Payroll Association 1600 – 250 Bloor Street East Toronto, ON M4W 1E6 Toll-free: 1-800-387-4693 Tel: 416-487-3380 Fax: 416-487-3384 Certification | ext. 272 cpm@payroll.ca Payroll Infoline | ext. 773 infoline@payroll.ca Membership | ext. 118 membership@payroll.ca www.payroll.ca and a member of the Green Meeting Council that provides audio-visual equipment and services primarily to the association and corporate conference market. A green company for many years, their involvement with the Kyoto Conference galvanized their commitment to help transform the event industry, where waste and excess is prevalent. “Our customers have been very appreciative of our efforts,” reports company president Bill Guest. “Most of them were already very aware of the issue and were looking for ways to green their meetings. Another benefit of CCR committing to green was that our customers have helped us look beyond what we’ve already done. Based on customer feedback, we are now looking at using 100 per cent green energy provider Bullfrog Power and carbon offsets.” Once the provenance of the counter- culture, green is now main-stream and here to stay. “One of the questions I’m frequently asked is whether this is all a bubble—whether the greening of business will die down if energy prices drop or other issues loom larger. I don’t think it’s a bubble. This is a bell you can’t un-ring. Once you squeeze out the waste, inefficiencies, toxics, energy and carbon intensity, and substitute them with cleaner materials and processes, you don’t go back,” says Makower. “True, a lot of this will fade into the woodwork, becoming ‘normal.’ Remember the quality movement of the 1980s and 1990s? We don’t hear about it much, but quality didn’t go away; it became a normal part of doing business. That’s already happening with green issues, and it’s destined to continue in that mode for some time to come.” Elizabeth Kelly is a freelance writer based in Ontario. February/ 345116_TheCanadian.indd M1a r c h 36 2008 11/22/07 7:01:20 PM HR P R OF E S S I ON A L http://www.payroll.ca

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of HR Professional - February/March 2008

HR Professional - February/March 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Contributors Leadership Matters Boards By the Numbers Did You Know Sustainability Education News: E-Recycling Communications News: HR Study FYI Ethics World Watch News: Legislation Legal Compensation Focus Strategy The Colour of Money Sustainable Skills From Brown to Green HR Trends: From Winners to Also-Rans Branding Human Capital HR 101 Interview with David Suzuki Off the Shelf The Last Word

HR Professional - February/March 2008

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