Michael Embury, Human Resources Manager

A strong foundation

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"My advice to kids in school planning a future in Human resources would be to make sure that you have a strong foundation. While Human resources deals with a lot with people, you're also dealing a lot with numbers and reporting.

"So keep your course selections things varied. This will really help in your future."

Images from my workplace

Archway's business

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"Archway Marketing Services handles all marketing components for major corporations. We have a division that will handle things such as trade fulfillment.

"The division I work in is customer service. We have representatives who handle incoming customer service calls for a wide-variety of clients; anywhere from food services to large companies, such as donut or major juice companies.

"People contact us and ask nutritional information. They'll inquire about various promotions their clients may have going on, or they may have some concerns about a product or service they've received. Our representatives handle those kinds of incoming calls. When you look on a product and you see a 1-800 number, it's coming into an organization like Archway."

Inbound calls

Archway is unique as contact centres go because we only do inbound calls. We're not one of those companies that calls you at your home while you're having dinner. We are inbound customer service currently and I think that sets us apart from other companies in our industry.

We're also very active with the Manitoba Contact Centre Association and distinguished ourselves with every annual contact centre association award they offer.

A wonderful space

The company has a really wonderful space. We did renovations about three years ago and since then it is state of the art. The colours are really warm and inviting and very comfortable.

And the people who work for us make it even more comfortable. It's a lot of fun. We can laugh everyday while getting the job done. It's a great place to work and I'm very happy to be there.

HR management

I specialize in Training Performance Management, which involves things like helping our representatives and employees with development, career pathing and succession planning.

It also involves creating a succession management process, which includes performance evaluations, corrective action goal planning and goal setting.

Not a McJob

One of the myths about contact centres is that it's a high turn-over industry with little opportunity for advancement. Some people think of it as a "Mcjob" where you work in a sea of work stations.

I admit I was guilty of believing that misconception at first. But once I entered the industry, I realized that it all depends on the company you work for. With Archway, because it is all inbound customer service, you're working at a desk in an office environment. You're providing customer service support and answers. I'm very proud to be a part of that.

Support and encouragement

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"I grew up in a family of five: Myself, a brother and a sister. I am the oldest. My parents are still married. They've been married for thirty-three years now. So I had a pretty stable upbringing.

"My parents were always making sure that if there was something that if was interested in, that I pursued it and encouraged me.They never really provided me direction, which I admire now looking back.

"They allowed me to make choices and supported me in whatever choice I made. And so that allowed me to try a wide variety of things."

Leaving Brandon

I was born and raised in Brandon. It's a great place to live and had a lot to offer but there was always something calling me to the big city. The day after I graduated from high school, I loaded up my car and moved to Winnipeg. I've always been fairly independent so it didn't surprise my parents. They knew I wanted to go to university and live in a bigger city.

Initially, my ambition was to live in Toronto or Vancouver. But once I got to Winnipeg I found it had everything that I needed. Compared to Brandon, Winnipeg is very fast-paced and has a lot to offer. There's always something to do, so I didn't need to move anywhere else.

Mom's influence

My mom is the manager of customer service with TD Canada Trust, so she works in a banking environment. I think I get my love of people and working with employees from her. That's what she has always done and has been her passion.

She spent some time at home with us initially when we were young, but then re-entered the workforce. She's been working for the same organization for about seventeen years now and really loves what she does.

An active lifestyle

In my time off I take classes through the Winnipeg Leisure Guide. I've done pottery there and really enjoy attempting different things. I also do hot yoga in a room that is kept above 40 degrees. It's challenging.

I've done some wall climbing here in the city and take frequent walks along the Forks riverwalks. It's very safe so you can go out and walk or jog or rollerblade. The summers are incredible so you want to enjoy them as much as possible.

Several passions

I'm a bit of a shopaholic. Having worked in retail for a while you get a passion for clothing. So I have multiple closets and quite a big wardrobe. Sometimes you need to just buy yourself a little happy.

I also have a great passion for music, theatre and the arts. If there's a large musical passing through I'll see it. The last one I saw was Rent. I loved that. I go to lots of concerts as well.

There are so many things you can do here and that's one of the things I love about living in Manitoba. We've got fringe festivals, music festivals and all kinds of cultural events throughout the year. It keeps me busy, especially through the summer.

Flexible schedule

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"My schedule is fairly flexible. I don't have a set start time or set end time but I tend to schedule myself around the core business hours. Sometimes I'll be in at seven o'clock in the morning and leave at four-thirty or five o'clock.

"Other days, I may come in at eight and not leave until six or six-thirty. So, it is fairly flexible, which allows me to be able to schedule more effectively around the organization."

On call

I am normally on-call 24-7. Usually it's just a call with a question about how to handle a situation. Occasionally I'll have to come in. We've had a few situations where there may be an urgent situation that has taken place, like a seizure or something serious.

It might also be a call just to notify me that that has taken place, so that I know to look for the incident report the next day and review it. But I haven't had to come in too often.

Constant pace

The pace and pressure of the job really depends on your own relationship with stress. I tend to handle stress fairly well. The pace at Archway is very fast and it's constant. Your phone is always ringing or there's someone at your door. You may be required in a variety places at once.

So if you're not good with a fast pace, or having to think-on-your-feet, Human Resources may not be the best option for you. But I don't feel stressed that often.

Point of contact

As one of the primary contacts for the facility, I have to make sure that we have cleaning staff and if anything breaks down in the building, I'm the point of contact.

Quite often I also get quite a few phone calls and inquiries from customers. My interaction with staff, the public and our customers is regular and ongoing. You really have to free free-flow about your day.

A juggling act

Striking a balance between my work and home life can be a careful juggling act. It's easy to spend all day at work, go home and then want to log back in and do a few more things. So I just make sure I am very aware of how many hours I'm dedicating to both.

I think you need to approach your home life the same way you do your work life and try to schedule things as much as possible, even if that means scheduling some time to sit out in the yard and read a book. That's what you have to do sometimes just to make sure you have time for you.

Quite often, in the summer, I will take a vacation day in the middle of the week with no plan other than a trip to the beach to read a book

Creativity

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"You have to always think outside of the box. And I think that the contact centre industry really forces you there. You never know what your day is going to be like when you open that your email, you never know what you're going to find. So being creative, being able to think on your feet, I think is really important, in human resources.

"You go into a meeting with an employee and you think it's going to be about one thing and it ends up being about another. I have a theatre background so I'm able to adlib and think on my feet and be more creative in my approaches."

Skills

Communication Skills

- Oral communication
- Listening and comprehension
- Documentation and writing
- Internet and wireless communications
- Presentation skills

Applied Skills

- Analytical skills
- Math and numbers
- Word processing and data entry
- Creating and maintaining policies and procedures

People Skills

- Interpersonal management
- Sensitivity and conflict resolution
- Social and cultural diversity awareness
- Motivation and leadership
- Understanding and working with different personality types

My team

I am responsible for managing a staff that includes H R administrators, H.R Consultants, administrative support at the reception desk as well as clerical staff who report to me directly.

I have to manage this team on a day-to-day basis so that we can keep the ship running. This involves ensuring that a variety of employers are receiving support and employees are getting paid.

We're a very "flat" company, which means it isn't overly hierarchical. It's difficult sometimes to determine who is a peer and who is not because we do work so closely on so many levels. But the majority of support functions within my department are managed from above.

Collaboration

My job involves a lot of collaboration. Every decision can impact the organization so I need to consult with others and communicate with people at all levels and all departments.

I collaborate with others to make sure that everyone is on board with initiatives, and in various work cells or departments.

It's important to ensure that I'm not negatively impacting one department while benefiting another. That's a difficult balance sometimes.

Coping with stress

I'm fortunate because my parents gave me a lot of coping skills and mechanisms for dealing with stress. For example, I'm the first one to want to have a laugh when things get difficult. Laughter just seems to be able to take it all away.

Anyone who works with me knows that when things get stressful that's a cue to try and have a good time, let go and have a laugh. I also go for a walk, run or attend a yoga class. Those are the things that I do most of all.

Education Path

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"After I graduated, I moved to Winnipeg and spent some time working in retail management while I was trying to decide what direction I wanted to go in my career.

"I started working in the contact centre industry after I got out of retail because it applied my skills. I used the tuition reimbursement program with the organization I was working for and did my certificate in Human Resource Management.

I am currently working towards completing my Bachelor of Arts in Administration Studies."

Make a list

One of the things I did that helped me decide on my career path was to make a list of the things I liked and disliked about some of my past jobs. When I looked at my list, I realized it was all about people.

The list was interpersonal but it still had a lot of business and reporting components from my previous jobs. So when I was looking at careers, HR kind of jumped out at me.

Mix it up

While you're still in high school, make sure your course selections are well rounded. If you're good at sciences, get some arts in there as well. I have built on these skills in my career.

My advice is to keep things diverse because you are going to change your mind about your career a few times. What you choose to study in university may not be what you want to do four years from now.

You go through some huge changes as a person between the ages of 18 and 24 so it's important to get a well-rounded base and foundation. So keep things open and mix it up a bit when it comes to your studies.

Find a mentor

I was fortunate enough to work with a woman who really inspired me to go into Human Resources. This woman was my manager in H R. She took a chance on me while I was in still in school and gave me the opportunity to explore human resources while she was doing some recruitment. She told me to always be true to who I am in my career.

I kind of just evolved from there and fell in love with the diverse nature of the position, the fast-pace, the people interaction, the business side of things. It had a little bit of everything, and that's what I love. I didn't have to make any decisions. I still got a little bit of everything, so I have my cake and eat it too.

Be strategic

You've got to be strategic about how you approach your job and your position. You have to think about what category of Human Resources you are interested in. There are different components. Some people may focus more on compensation and benefits, other people may focus more on recruitment.

I chose a more generalist approach, which gave me a little of everything and the opportunity to decide what direction to pursue. Taking the generalist approach eventually led me to Human Resource Management because I have had exposure to every component of Human resources.

Wouldn't change a thing

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"I don't think I would change anything on my path. I look at every experience as an opportunity. If I can walk away with learning, it makes me stronger as a person and as a professional.

"I took sort of a deviated path to get to Human Resources but I think that exposure to different roles in my industry really made me a stronger Human Resources professional in the contact center industry.

"If I were to go to another organization today that wasn't contact center related, I would bring strength to the table."

Five year plan

Eventually I want to be a vice president of Human Resources. That's a couple of levels away from where I am. I think next steps will be director of Human Resources and then VP. I have no doubt that is where I am going to go.

When I set my sights on things, I usually end up being there. And personally, I would like to be married and relaxed and have the white picket-fence, the house, the dog and the whole thing. That's where I plan to be in five years.

HR outlook

I think more and more organizations are discovering that their employees are their number one resource. So organizations are expanding their human resources departments. That has resulted in more positions in HR. I see that happening right here in Winnipeg.

It's not because the human resource professionals are leaving, but because companies are recognizing the value of expanding and the return on their investment. A good human resource department is invaluable to building value in a company.

Contact centre growth

Almost twelve thousand people in Manitoba are employed in the contact centre industry. So my company is looking at potentially expanding throughout the province. Manitoba is a hub for contact centre growth and a fantastic draw for business.

Clients love it because our accent is neutral. People can call in and it's not distinctively east or west coast.

Dedication and commitment

In my sector, employers are looking for people who have dedication and commitment to their job. I think there's a misconception out there about the new generation, that they don't really value a job or a career or understand that you need to be on work on time. I think that is false.

Young employees will be as loyal to the company as the company is loyal to them and many organizations are realizing that now. The number one thing we're looking for is someone who wants to be here and wants to be a part of something big.

Job market info

The official title for Michael's occupation is Human Resources Manager and its NOC* code is 0112

Manitoba Job Futures

Who Hires - Manitoba Labour Market Information

*Each occupation has an official name and unique number called the 'National Occupation Classification' code or 'NOC'.

Education

High School

Useful High School Subjects:*

- English (Communication)
- Math
- Business
- Computer-related courses

*Source: JobFutures.ca

For those out of school, Adult Learning Centres can help you get or upgrade your high school diploma, including adding subjects that are required for work or further education. All Manitobans are normally entitled to 4 free courses.

After high school

University of Manitoba

Asper School of Business - Human Resource Management Major

Continuing Education Human Resources Certificate Program

Essential Skills

The most important Essential Skills* for Human Resources Managers and other related occupations include:

- Reading Text
- Writing
- Oral Communication
- Problem Solving
- Continuous Learning

*For more information on Essential Skills and their importance to this occupation, go to: Essential Skills NOC 0112

Professional resources

Manitoba Customer Contact Association
MCCA is an industry association of Manitoba companies and organizations in the customer contact sector. MCCA addresses specific labour needs for the contact centre sector in Manitoba.

The Human Resource Management Association of Manitoba
HRMAM promotes the human resource profession in Manitoba with useful resources for HR professionals.

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