Champlain Seafood

Rachelle Gagnon

Rachelle Gagnon is the Vice President of People and Culture at Champlain Seafood. Over her 25-year career, she has held the positions of VP of Administration and Client Experience, VP and Chief of HR, Organizational Development, and Sales Compensation at Assumption Life, located in Moncton. She has gained extensive experience in both the public and private sectors. Additionally, she serves on various boards and committees and even holds a maritime chair at the International Committee of Directors. In an exclusive interview with Manage HR Canada, Rachelle Gagnon shared her valuable insights on improving efficiency and morale through communication and transparency among employees.

How the fundamental requirements of your present position at Champlain Seafood are different from the insurance industry and what tasks do you perform on a day-to-day basis?

I am frequently asked how I cope with the transition from the insurance industry to the seafood industry, which are vastly distinct from each other. Irrespective of its industry, size, number of employees, and geographical location, a company is bound to encounter challenges in managing human resource. Due to these reasons, despite working in the insurance industry for 25 years, I reconsidered my decision when approached by Champlain Seafood. It was a VP HR position called “People and Culture” with approximately 2000 employees spread across eight different companies.

The essentials of my current role are to solve HR problems and make the supervisor’s job easier. It is my responsibility to mitigate issues regarding difficult employees, missing employees, hiring new people, dealing with conflicts, recruitment issues, retention issues, and everything in between. In addition, I put together risk management programs, strategies to develop, deliver training and manage today’s workforce problems, ensuring consistency and best practices.

Once you reach the executive level, planning for the future often takes precedence over managing day-to-day tasks. Planning for succession, preparing for upcoming retirements, ensuring business continuity, recruiting, training, and preparing supervisors to handle situations are the fundamental requirements my daily duties.

What are some of the prominent challenges you face in the HR space while retaining the workforce and recruiting new talent?

As part of my role, the task that poses the greatest challenge is the formulation of a robust succession plan for the future. This plan encompasses several critical aspects, including the identification of a sufficient pool of qualified candidates, the recruitment of suitable individuals, and the provision of comprehensive training programs. In addition, I ensure that temporary foreign workers are engaged to bridge the talent gap resulting from the declining local workforce in rural areas due to employee retirements.

Another major challenge is the systematic management of performance, culture, and communication in our organization. Ensuring alignment between a company’s culture and its ethics and values, as well as supporting them with strategies and goals, is crucial. Effective communication among employees is also paramount to addressing issues promptly and effectively.

Can you describe some of the most recent technological advancements that have assisted you in executing your duties efficiently?

Looking from an HR’s perspective, technology can be utilized to facilitate required services or programs. In the course of the pandemic, we discovered that everything can be accomplished virtually if the appropriate tools are available, such as team meetings and shared calendars. Using these tools has made it easier to work and also recruit people globally, especially in administrative roles.

" Having an understanding of the multitude of roles and responsibilities within HR, along with a flexible and adaptable approach is essential "

In the early days, we had a different approach to work, as the seafood industry was more oriented toward production and labor. Presently, we rely heavily on automation and recruit individuals with expertise in utilizing these technologies. Although technological advancements help us improve the efficiency of our work, maintaining an organization’s dynamic while ensuring effective communication, fostering positive work relationships, and conducting performance analysis remains a challenge.

In your experience, what tactics have proven most effective in boosting morale and keeping your workforce engaged?

It was important for us to understand the employees’ job satisfaction and determining their essential needs, and thus we conducted interviews and collected diverse forms of feedback. This enabled us to gain insights of the strategic and cultural alignment of the company and its unique elements. Using these elements, we prepared a summary video and displayed it to our employees for an honest communication. As part of the strategy process, the employees were briefed on the company’s future direction, purpose, and their role in accomplishing the objectives.

Furthermore, we engage different groups, departments, and plants together. As a result, our employees gained an understanding of the competitive landscape and were exposed to people outside of their company. The ability to communicate with different departments promoted a diverse workforce and boosted their morale. In addition to motivating our employees, communication across departments contributed to our recognition as one of the best places to work in Atlantic Canada.

Are there any tips you would like to share with young professionals seeking careers in human resources?

The domain of HR encompasses various facets and responsibilities. To effectively handle tasks like managing programs, benefits, staff, and training, a professional must possess diverse attributes and skills. Tackling challenges without being limited to a specific role or attribute can be highly rewarding.

Additionally, it is essential for an individual to acknowledge that strategies followed by others may not be effective for the challenges in their own organization. Analyzing the best practices of various organizations can provide valuable insights into the industry. It is also necessary to customize various strategies and decisions according to specific circumstances and requirements. By doing so, organizations can continuously improve and maintain a competitive, engaging, and motivating workplace environment.