CIRA Annual Report 2007-2008

“ Frocks.ca is more than ourdomain name. It is a meetingplace for our customers,a source of inspiration forbrides, and an opportunity forsisters and friends around theworld to connect, sit back, andchat about while enjoying theirown glass of wine.”2007–2008 CIRA Annual Report27server hardware which were not available onFloor 11. The choice to keep CIRA in a downtownbuilding, enjoying a central location and highenergysurroundings, reflects management’s wishto maintain a dynamic workplace environmentfor staff and to promote CIRA as a nationalinstitution, located in the heart of the capital.STANDARDIZING OUR RELATIONS WITH STAFFTraditionally CIRA had handled Human Resources(HR) as part of general office administrationunder its Corporate Affairs Manager. With therapid growth of the company through 2007,management recognized that a dedicated HRdepartment was needed for recruitment, policy,and staff relations. In August 2007 CIRA createdand filled the HR Manager position.During the seven remaining months of fiscal’07–’08, HR revised CIRA’s Human ResourcesPolicies and Procedures to standardizeCIRA’s staff environment. The new procedureintroduced an orientation program andprobation period for new hires, exit interviewsfor departing employees, and enhancedrecruitment practices. HR also introduced aPerformance Management and Review system,including incentive bonuses and annualperformance reviews. Although officiallyintroduced in May 2008, these procedures werelargely developed during fiscal ’07–’08.EMPHASIZING WORKPLACE SAFETYFor any good employer, no concern standshigher than staff health and safety. Accordingly,CIRA established a worker health-and-safetyprogram that is compliant with Ministry ofLabour standards. Recent CIRA safety initiativesinclude fire-emergency and first-aid training,weekly workplace-safety message emails, theupkeep of first-aid resources, and individualizedergonomic assessments and fittings of each staffmember’s work environment. CIRA also adoptedthe Healthy Workplace Initiative of the NationalQuality Institute (NQI), to implement workplacehealth and safety practices.