How HR Professionals in Alberta Can Champion Black History Month: Strategies for Recognition and Support

Author : Rachael Lusk 

Black History Month (BHM) is an annual celebration held every February in North America.  It is a month of reflection when all persons, regardless of heritage, honor and recognize the achievements of persons of Black ancestry.  It is a celebration of both past and present events and achievements.

More than this, though, BHM is an opportunity for people to learn from each other and, in doing so encourages an environment where authentic inquiry not only emerges organically but thrives.  Intentional dialogue on race and ethnicity is the result.  This lends itself to healthy and well-intentioned conversations on BHM and other related themes of inclusion and diversity.  

This can include topics that have been traditionally viewed as challenging and, as a result, avoided because they are too political.  BHM, in this context, serves as a catalyst where people feel more empowered to admit they may not have all the answers.  They do, however, possess a desire to seek answers through meaningful conversation.  In the workplace, this focus on healthy dialogue increases employee engagement and, in keeping with this spirit, transcends to a greater emphasis on collaboration. 

Many forms of recognition of BHM may be considered by the employer.   Whatever the focus, employee participation is important.  If each event is viewed as just an “HR Thing” or something recognized by a few, the significance is lost.  In keeping with this mindset several ideas are cited here.   

Bring in a speaker or even several speakers who can speak about the topic of BHM.  This, by extension, lends itself to presenters who can speak on the overall theme of diversity.  BHM, by its very nature honors uniqueness and, by extension, celebrates diversity in all of its many forms.  

In this regard, as a suggestion, perhaps once a week during the month of February a new speaker is brought in on the topic of inclusion.  One speaker may speak about notable achievements within the local Black community.  Similarly, another individual may come in the following week to discuss what it means to be a member of a new community where, although they may not possess black ancestry are a visible minority because they are new to Canada and have an accent.  BHM opens the doors to many types of conversations on inclusion and the goal of embracing all persons regardless of our differences.

By extension, a speaker series may translate nicely to a workshop on inclusion with a focus on BHM.  In this environment, there is potential for the participant to engage at a level that extends to the active learner.  There are many workshops on diversity and inclusion.  For example, one such theme may be the idea of blind spot training.  Specifically, how our personal biases may inadvertently limit us in both our personal and professional lives and thereby limit our opportunities for collaboration and partnership with others.     

Other unique ideas can include a monetary donation to an organization that embraces and supports persons of black ancestry.   A related idea is to allow employees the opportunity to volunteer at an organization of their choice that supports the black community whether locally or nationally. This can also, by extension, include other similar charitable organizations that embody the same spirit of inclusion. 

A book club during the month of February is a great way to encourage conversation.  Each week during the month of February a round table is hosted where different chapters of the book are reviewed and discussed by the group until the entire book is completed.

BHM is an excellent opportunity to commence innovative ideas that can be employed during the month of February and beyond.   In this regard, the excitement that is achieved during the month can be leveraged across many other diversity and engagement-based initiatives and platforms thereby ensuring the momentum continues well beyond the month.  

Considering this, BHM can be used as a great starting point for concepts that, although commencing in February, are recognized throughout the entire year.  This can include a global diversity map with interesting facts about the different countries where your Employees are from, or a wall calendar with distinct cultural themes are addressed by month.

Rachael Lusk, BA Hons., M.Sc., CHRP, SHRM-SCP, Certificate in Professional Management

Rachael Lusk, BA Hons, M Sc, CHRP, SHRM-SCP | LinkedIn

rachael@hammerheadbs.com

Current Experience
VP Operations, Fractional HR Consulting, Hammerhead Business Solutions, June 2023 to current

About :

An enthusiastic and results-orientated Human Resources (HR) and Organizational Development (OD) Professional, Rachael Lusk of Hammerhead Business Solutions, is committed to building strong relationships through collaboration. Operating successfully with an emphasis on agility and a commitment to organizational objectives, Rachael has worked in various industries across both Canada and the United States, including Fortune Five Hundred companies, unionized and non-unionized, and the private and public sectors.

Rachael possesses a strong and unwavering commitment to helping clients and employers meet regulatory HR compliance and organizational objectives with Fractional Solutions. Providing peace of mind and increased operational efficiency without full-time overhead.

Rachael is delighted to serve as a committed organizational development consultant in support of enhanced talent management and training solutions focused on engagement and regulatory matters. While working full time she is currently enrolled in the Skills for Success Workplace Practitioner Program sponsored in part by the Workplace Connections Project.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post belong solely to the original author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of CPHR Alberta.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post belong solely to the original author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of CPHR Alberta.



Before the Title: HR's Role in Growing Leadership Capacity

By Jessica Jaithoo • August 19, 2026
Author: Kanwaljit Chaudhry We often begin developing leaders after we have given them something to lead. Someone is promoted into their first supervisory role. They join a leadership development program, receive coaching, attend workshops, or are paired with a mentor. All of these can be valuable. But by then, leadership development has already been happening. Long before the title arrives, people are learning how to exercise judgment, influence others, navigate disagreement, take responsibility and make decisions when the answer is not obvious. The question for HR is: Do we have to wait for the title to help those capabilities grow? Create opportunities, not just programs Some of the most valuable leadership development happens through work itself. A stretch assignment. Leading a small project. Presenting an idea to senior colleagues. Coordinating people who do not report to you. Navigating competing priorities. Being trusted to make a decision rather than simply carrying one out. None requires a management title. HR can help organizations look at development as not only as courses people attend, but as experiences people need. That may mean encouraging managers to distribute meaningful opportunities rather than repeatedly turning to the person who is already proven. It may mean designing project work so different employees have opportunities to lead. It may mean making mentoring, coaching or job-shadowing available before someone enters a formal leadership pipeline. The objective is not to make everyone a manager. It is to give more people opportunities to build capabilities that will serve them whether or not formal leadership is their eventual destination. Make room to learn from experience Experience alone does not necessarily create development. Two people can go through similar experiences and take very different things from them. What often makes the difference is the opportunity to reflect: What worked? What didn't? What did I notice about myself? What would I do differently next time? HR can help make those conversations part of development rather than leaving them to chance. A manager checking in after a difficult project can ask more than, “Did we deliver?” A mentor can help someone examine why a conversation went differently than expected. A performance discussion can explore not only what someone accomplished, but how they influenced others, exercised judgment or responded when things became uncertain. These are relatively small interventions. But they help turn experience into learning. Notice leadership before it becomes obvious There is another role for HR: helping organizations broaden what they notice. Potential does not always announce itself loudly. The person who volunteers to coordinate a complicated piece of work may be demonstrating leadership capacity. So might the employee who brings people together when a team is stuck, asks the question no one else is asking, helps a colleague succeed without needing credit, or remains thoughtful when everyone else is rushing toward an answer. If we look for leadership potential only among those who already resemble our current leaders, we may keep finding the same kinds of people.  Creating broader opportunities allows capability to become visible before we decide who has it. Pay attention to what the organization teaches Organizations are also developing future leaders when they are not deliberately trying to. Employees notice who gets promoted. They notice what behaviour gets rewarded, whose ideas receive attention and what happens when someone makes a mistake. They notice whether managers share information or protect it, whether difficult conversations are avoided or handled respectfully, and whether asking for help is treated as good judgment or weakness. These observations become lessons about what leadership looks like here. HR influences many of the systems through which those lessons are reinforced e.g., performance management, recognition, development, succession planning and promotion among them. That makes an important question worth asking: What are our people learning about leadership from the way our organization actually works? The answer may tell us as much about our leadership pipeline as any competency framework. Before the title Leadership development does not have to begin with a leadership program. It can begin when someone is trusted with something slightly beyond what they have done before and supported while they figure it out. It can happen when a manager shares the reasoning behind a difficult decision rather than only communicating the outcome. It can happen when someone gets to lead a project before they have people reporting to them. And it can happen when an employee has someone who helps them make sense of an experience rather than simply move on to the next task. HR cannot manufacture leaders. But HR can help create workplaces where people have opportunities to practise judgment, responsibility, influence and reflection long before a title makes those things part of their job description. Perhaps the question is not only “Who are our future leaders?” It is also: “What are we doing today that gives future leadership capacity a chance to emerge?”

What HR Leaders Are Telling Us Their Organizations Need Right Now

By Marina Perkovic • July 22, 2026
At the CPHR Alberta Conference, we asked HR leaders one question: What leadership capability matters most for the future of your organization? Leaders picked up a star and placed it beside their answer. By the end of the conference, HR leaders cast 131 votes across 16 capabilities. Three stood out, with two tied for first place. Here is what they told us. What the Data Showed The capabilities on the board came from Bright Wire's PLUS Leadership Framework, a proprietary model built to define what effective leadership looks like across every level of an organization and is organized across four dimensions: Courageous Coach-Like Disciplined for Results and Relational The results below reflect the capabilities HR professionals believe matter most. 

The Business Case for Sleep: What HR Professionals Need to Know

By Jessica Jaithoo • July 9, 2026
Author: Robin Daultani Mental health support. Fitness benefits. Stress management resources. Workplace wellness programs have evolved significantly over the past decade. Yet one foundational pillar of employee health and performance remains conspicuously absent from most wellness strategies: sleep. The cost of this gap is staggering. A landmark RAND Corporation study¹ found that insufficient sleep costs the Canadian economy up to $21.4 billion annually, through a combination of absenteeism and reduced productivity. A Gallup study² reinforced this finding, showing that poor sleepers report more than double the rate of unplanned absences compared to other workers. And a 2026 Wellhub study³ found that 83% of employees identify poor sleep as a contributing factor to burnout, a figure that demands attention when nearly nine in ten employees report burnout symptoms annually. Consider what this looks like in practice. A team member who slept poorly scrolls through emails at 7am already feeling behind. By mid-morning, a decision that should take minutes stretches into a 45-minute deliberation. After lunch, focus drops sharply, not because of the workload, but because the brain is running on insufficient rest. By 3pm, a second coffee masks the fatigue but does nothing for the impaired judgment underneath. Research shows that after 17 hours of continuous wakefulness, the equivalent of a normal waking day ending at 11pm, cognitive impairment matches that of someone who is legally intoxicated⁴. This is not an unusual day. For many employees, this is every day. Sleep rarely appears on the wellness agenda, leaving a significant and measurable performance gap unaddressed. The reason is partly cultural. Sleep is still widely perceived as a personal responsibility. But the research suggests otherwise: sleep is not a personal indulgence. It is a performance lever that affects every metric HR professionals are already tracking: productivity, absenteeism, burnout, and retention. The same RAND study¹ that quantified the cost of insufficient sleep also found the flipside: if Canadians who sleep under six hours started sleeping just one hour more per night, it could add $12 billion to the national economy. The returns are not theoretical. They are measurable, achievable, and waiting to be captured. The good news is that addressing sleep does not require a major overhaul of existing wellness programs. Organizations can start by simply putting sleep on the wellness agenda. Most workplace wellness surveys ask about stress, mental health, and physical activity. Adding questions about sleep quality or duration to existing wellness assessments can provide baseline data to identify and measure the scope of the issue within their workforce. Leaders and managers who openly prioritize rest and recovery give permission for the rest of the organization to do the same. Small cultural shifts like discouraging late-night emails or respecting boundaries around after-hours communication can quietly improve sleep conditions across an entire team. None of these require a budget. They require intentional inclusion. Now consider what becomes possible. A team member, after two weeks of consistent, quality sleep, arrives at work already focused. The mid-morning decision is made in minutes. The afternoon dip is manageable, not debilitating. The second coffee becomes optional, not essential. Nothing else about their workload or responsibilities has changed. They show up more empathetic and more present for their customers, peers, and family. The only difference is how well they slept. The performance gap between these two versions of the same employee is not marginal. It is the difference between surviving and thriving. The question for HR professionals is no longer whether sleep affects organizational performance. The research has answered that definitively. The question is whether sleep has earned a place in their wellness strategy. And if not, what that gap is quietly costing their organization.
MORE NEWS