ISN Canada Group Inc.

Head of Human Resources

Acuity Brands

Senior Human Resources Manager (North America) 

Alphanumeric Systems

• Work proactively with global stakeholders utiilizing HR data and analytics to provide insights and recommendations on HR strategies and initiatives. 
  Conduct data-driven analysis of workforce trends, turnover rates, and employee engagement to inform 
  decision-making.
• Spearheaded the development and leadership of the Organization's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 
 program.
• Keep abreast of employment legislation, regulations and health and safety best practices. Ensure 
   compliance with legal requirements and mitigate human resources risks.
• Play a pivotal role in defining company culture/values, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
• Utilized extensive employee relations experience to create and implement sustainable solutions.
• Provided thought leadership and training in areas such as complaint handling, escalation, and conflict 
  resolution.
• Develop, implement, and update human resources policies, procedures, and programs, ensuring 
   compliance with legal requirements and industry best practices. Review and revise policies in light of 
  emerging trends or changing organizational needs.

Human Resources Manager

Amazon

Partnered with operational leaders and employees, providing HR guidance to improve working relationships and enhance productivity.
Served as the main point of contact for employees on HR-related matters, such as benefits, WCB, and policies.
Managed complex employee relations issues, conducting internal investigations and implementing resolutions.
Analyzed trends and metrics, generating reports to identify areas for improvement.
Collaborated with Health and Safety to ensure compliance with employment laws and regulations.
Participated in various HR projects to enhance employee engagement.

Human Resources Generalist

Home Care Assistance

Conducted full-cycle recruitment for hourly and office personnel, actively participating in job fairs and recruitment events.
Coordinated orientation and onboarding sessions, maintaining employee files and tracking performance reviews.
Addressed employee inquiries related to work schedules, pay increases, and system-related matters.
Maintained relationships with candidates and generated recruiting metrics.

Human Resources Specialist

Oxygen Development

HR  & HSE Manager

Hi, I'm Mariel,

With 10+ years in HR, I've developed a leadership-first approach that builds scalable, people-centered systems for growing companies—from startups to global organizations like Amazon.

At ISN Canada Group and in previous roles, I focus on:

1. Retention strategy → Identifying hidden risks before top talent walks out the door
2. Compassionate transitions → When changes are necessary, handling them with dignity and clear process
3. Growth-aligned HR → Building compensation and career frameworks that scale with business objectives.

Results I've delivered:

→ Prevented $50K+ in turnover costs through proactive retention strategies
→ Maintained team engagement during organizational restructuring
→ Built HR systems that supported rapid scaling with clear performance metrics

Currently leading people operations as Head of HR, where I'm passionate about turning HR challenges into competitive advantages.

Love connecting with other leaders navigating people challenges—feel free to reach out!

Employee: I’m frustrated about my pay.

Manager:   HR said I can’t do anything.

HR:              Excuse me? 😦 🤬 🥴 


When managers deflect, HR becomes the scapegoat.
It breaks trust,  and makes our job harder.

But this isn’t a training problem.
 It’s a clarity problem.

When people leaders don’t know how to lead tough conversations, they avoid them.
And HR is left cleaning up the mess.

Here's a real-life guide you can use to coach them through it:

How to Handle “I’m Underpaid” Conversations:

1. Acknowledge the concern
 Say: Thanks for bringing this up, I know it’s not easy.

2. Provide context
Explain this: “We review salaries in [month/quarter], using a framework based on role, performance, and market data.”

3. Shift toward growth
Exlplain this: “Let's look at how you're adding value and what could strengthen the case for next time.”

4. Commit to follow-up
“I’ll check with HR and circle back in 2 weeks.”

Managers don’t need to pass the baton.
They need structure, and support.

Share this with a new manager who needs a script.

Follow Mariel Peralta, CRHA for more content like this.

Mariel Peralta, CRHA

HR Leader | I help growing companies avoid legal risk, keep great people, and lead better, without DIY templates or costly mistakes

You can’t train someone to be kind.
But you can train them to act kind.

A colleague, Helene Caura, taught me this distinction. In French, there’s gentillesse, bienveillance, and compassion. Each carries a different weight.

The feeling is internal.
But the behavior is learnable , and that’s what your team experiences.

Kind actions in leadership look like:
 • Listening without interrupting in tough discussions
 • Asking “What support do you need?” before offering solutions
 • Acknowledging effort publicly, even when results miss the mark
 • Explaining the why when priorities suddenly shift

I’ve watched warm leaders fail because they didn’t structure their kindness.
I’ve seen reserved leaders excel because they practiced consistent kind behaviors.

So how do you make these behaviors stick?

 Turn them into practice with a 4-week framework:

Week 1 – Daily recognition: Acknowledge one contribution each day. Focus on effort, not just outcomes.

 Week 2 – Active listening: Weekly check-ins. Listen fully before solving.

 Week 3 – Transparent communication: Always explain the “why” and share context.

 Week 4 – Support systems: Clear pathways for help. Always follow up.
Your team doesn’t need you to feel warm and fuzzy.

They need you to act with intention.

Maybe bienveillance is the better word: benevolent attention. Practiced, not just felt.

This isn’t soft leadership. It’s smart business.

Staying put isn't always the brave choice.
Sometimes, the boldest move you can make
is walking away from what no longer challenges you.


But in my career, I’ve seen this guilt play out too often:
- Professionals stuck in roles they’ve outgrown
- Leaders afraid to look “ungrateful” for wanting more
- Teams mistaking tenure for growth

Here’s the truth:
- You’re not flaky for leaving a role that’s run its course
- You’re not disloyal for wanting new challenges
- You’re not too ambitious you’re just aware

Growth isn’t always linear.
But it should always feel active.

The best professionals I’ve worked with ask themselves:
“Am I still learning here?”

And if the answer is no, they make a move, with purpose.

Let’s normalize growth.
Let’s normalize ambition.
Let’s normalize career moves rooted in strategy.

Because staying stuck?
That’s the real risk.

Everyone says: People are our greatest asset.

Until someone asks for:
- Clear growth path
- A proper onboarding plan
- Feedback more than once a year.

Funny how we say we want engaged employees,
but avoid the actual systems that create engagement.

Pro tip:
If your people strategy is just good vibes and pizza Fridays
You don’t have a strategy.

You have a retention problem waiting to happen.

I help SMEs build the clarity, structure, and leadership habits that turn good intentions into strong teams.

Because culture isn’t what you say.
It’s what you repeat.

Here’s the #1 communication lesson every manager needs:

You’re not speaking to a policy.
You’re speaking to a person.

That means:
– Clear expectations
 – Straightforward language
 – Zero corporate fluff

Because policy speak doesn’t build trust.
Real talk does.

You know those long all-hands emails no one reads?
Throw them out the window. 

Employees don’t grade your message.
They skim it.
 They feel it.

And if they don’t get it in 10 seconds?
You’ve already lost them.

Great leaders keep it simple:
– Human tone
– Clear takeaways
– No jargon, no guessing

Stop managing like a rule enforcer.
Start leading like someone people want to follow.

Because your team isn’t made of checklists.
It’s made of people.

And clarity is how you earn their trust.

What’s the clearest leadership message you ever heard?

15 uncomfortable HR truths every  employer needs to hear
 (Especially if you’re scaling fast and hiring)

These aren’t best practices.
They’re what I see every week working with managers, and burnt-out teams.

Understand these now
Or pay for them later.

1. A raise won’t fix the damage once they’ve already quit.

2. You don’t have a remote work issue you have a trust issue.

3. People leave managers. Not roles. Not companies.

4. Culture isn’t snacks and swag. It’s how your team feels on a Monday morning.

5. If “I disagree” feels dangerous to say, your culture’s already broken.

6. Underpaying talent? You’re funding their job search.

7. Feedback once a quarter isn’t feedback. It’s damage control.

8. Micromanagement isn’t hustle. It’s fear  and it’s costly.

9. Requiring 3 years' experience for an entry-level role? You’re not fooling anyone.

10. Your values mean nothing if your managers ignore them.

11. Needing a sick day shouldn’t cost someone vacation time.

12. Treat your people well. Watch them treat your clients better.

13. No onboarding = No performance.

14. One tolerated toxic employee can undo 3 years of culture work.

15. Think a fair salary is expensive? Try replacing someone good.

Want to know which of these is quietly eroding your business?

I help SMEs audit what’s not working, and fix it.

Follow Mariel Peralta, CRHA for real world HR that actually supports your business.

Stop praising your hardest workers.
They might be costing you more than you think.

It’s not that effort is bad, but when you equate hours with value, you reward the wrong things.

Here’s what happens when you measure hours:
1. Average performers optimize for visibility → long Slack hours, “always on.”
2. Top performers feel insulted → Is my impact reduced to chair time?
3. Real results get buried under busywork.

The truth is, productivity doesn’t scale with hours.
 Research shows output per hour drops sharply after ~50 hours a week.
 Beyond that, you’re trading impact for exhaustion.

The companies that win don’t glorify late nights.
They ask better questions:

- What shipped this week?
- Which meetings drove results?
- How does this move us forward?

That’s why Google built one of the world’s most valuable companies by measuring results, not hours.

Try it tomorrow:
In standup → What metric are you moving today?
In reviews → Show me impact, not time spent.

Because the more you reward hours, the less real work gets done.


----
Repost to help others if this resonated with your team.
Follow Mariel Peralta, CRHA for more posts like this.

7 Things I Learned in 30 Seconds of being let go.
 (From the Head of HR who lived both sides)

The teams call dropped mid-sentence.
 Access denied.
 30 seconds that changed everything.

In less than a minute, my career, and my identity, disappeared.

1. Your title isn’t your shield
 I was in HR teaching others about transitions.
 Then I became the transition.

2. The exit story lives forever
 I don’t remember the severance details.
 I remember the missing “thank you” and the avoided eye contact.
 
3. Silence is louder than words
 “We’re restructuring” tells you nothing.
 The feedback you withhold hurts more than the feedback you give.
 
4. Your network isn’t your net worth
 Some colleagues vanished instantly.
 Others showed up without being asked.

5. Identity dies harder than income
 Losing the job was easy.
 Losing who I thought I was took longer.

6. Speaking up pays off later
 The voice that cost me the role also opened the next door.
 
7. Recovery isn’t linear
 Some days you write a resume.
 Other days you rewrite your story. Both matter.

Today, when I handle terminations, I remember:

Behind every business decision is a person’s entire world.

The day I lost my job taught me more about HR than any certification.

What’s one career setback that made you better at what you do?

__
If you’re in HR or navigating a career transition, my DMs are open.

I made this mistake early in my HR career.
And I see companies still repeating it today.


I assumed fairness meant treating everyone the same.

One policy.
One style of communication.
One way to lead.

But that approach backfired, hard.

- What energized our younger employees felt overwhelming to others.
- What reassured the Boomers left Millennials feeling micromanaged.
- What Gen X valued in autonomy, Gen Z saw as silence.

HR isn’t just about building programs.

It’s about designing systems that meet real people where they are.
Because leading people today isn’t just a skill.
It’s an evolving practice.

Some teams need daily clarity. Others thrive with async freedom.
Some employees crave structured feedback. Others want open-ended growth.

Some value titles. Others just want purpose and autonomy.
That shift changed everything for me.
 
And it changed how I guide companies in building sustainable, human-first HR.

If your policies feel fair but still aren’t working...
It’s not a culture issue.
It’s a context issue.

Curious, how have generational shifts shaped how you lead today?

What do you do when the most unethical person in the room is your HR leader?


Someone recently asked me:
“What if the Chief People Officer is unethical, and you report to them?”

That question hit me hard.
Because it’s real.
 It’s raw.
 And it happens more than we admit.

Too many HR professionals are expected to model integrity,
while quietly absorbing the damage from the top.

You can’t escalate.
You can’t speak up without consequences.
You’re told to “stay professional”… while being professionally silenced.

But how about when the people you’re supposed to trust are the ones breaking that trust?

It shakes everything.
Your role.
Your values.
Your future.

So if you’ve been there, or are there now:

You’re not weak for feeling stuck.
You’re not alone for staying longer than you should.
And you’re not overreacting for wanting to walk away.

Sometimes the bravest HR decision isn’t fixing the system.
It’s protecting yourself from it.

Your integrity is your greatest asset.
Don’t let someone else’s title take it from you.

Ever been there?
What helped you through or what would you say to someone who is?

Let’s talk about the hard parts of this work.

It’s how we start to change it.

There is no perfect moment in your career.
 Only the one you choose.

When I moved to Canada, I waited before taking action.

One more course. A tighter résumé. More proof.

I already had 9 years in HR leadership.
I still played small. It slowed me down.

The truth is the right experience always feels incomplete.

Confidence follows action, not the other way around.

Do this this week:
 • Apply to one focused role, not ten.
 • Ask two warm referrals for a 10-minute chat.
 • Prep one real story for each interview case.

If you feel stuck, you’re not alone.

You don’t need to be perfect. You need motion.

I’m building a self-paced training for HR pros in Canada, 
résumé and LinkedIn, outreach scripts, interview cases,
and your first 90 days on the job.

Comment ‘HR’ if you want the interview Q&A and early access. I’d love to help you move forward.

Don’t follow this HR advice…

➜ “You don’t need HR until you’re 40+ employees.”

It’s one of the most expensive myths growing companies believe.

Because here’s the truth:
HR isn’t about policies.
It’s about building the foundation your team needs to grow without burnout, confusion, or chaos.

When I work with SMEs, we don’t start with handbooks.
We start with real questions:

1. What’s slowing your team down?
2. Where are decisions getting stuck?
3. What’s missing that would help your people thrive?

That’s how you build systems that actually support growth, not just check compliance boxes.

One company I worked with delayed hiring full-time staff for a year… because they feared “Hiring risk.”

After we mapped a simple structure?

They hired 3 employees in 3 months, and finally feel in control of their growth.

So no, clarity doesn’t start with a 50-page manual.

It starts with the right questions.

Educate. Don’t over-engineer.

P.S. What’s one “official” HR task you’ve been told to do, but secretly question?

5 feedback traps managers think protect trust
(they destroy it).

Most managers avoid tough feedback because they want to:
 • Protect relationships
 • Maintain morale
 • Keep the peace

But the reality is, your people already know when something’s off.
And silence speaks louder than words.

Here are the 5 traps:
 1. Sugarcoating the message → Leaves people confused, not clear.
 2. Delaying feedback → Loses 90% of its impact after 48 hours.
 3. Avoiding tough conversations → Small issues grow into big problems.
 4. Making it personal → “You’re unreliable” breaks trust instead of building it.
 5. Withholding context → “Speak up more” feels like criticism, not coaching.

The numbers don’t lie:
 • 69% of employees say they’d work harder with better feedback
 • Only 26% of managers give it regularly

Here’s how smart managers turn feedback into trust:
 • Make it specific and immediate
 ❌ “You need to be more reliable”
 ✅ “You missed 2 deadlines this month — what’s getting in your way?”

• Tie it to business impact
 ❌ “You need to speak up more”
 ✅ “When you stay silent in planning, we risk delays in execution”

• Turn problems into partnerships
 ❌ “Just fix it”
 ✅ “What support would help you collaborate better in handovers?”

Your team doesn’t want a perfect manager.
 They want an honest one.

What’s one feedback conversation you keep avoiding?

It doesn’t take a genius to be top 5%.
Ever feel like you're not qualified enough to stand out?

Think again.

Here are 6 habits that cost $0, but say everything:

1 - You follow through without reminders
 It shows you’re reliable, and earns trust faster than talent ever will.

2 - You show up prepared
 Respecting people’s time tells them you take your role seriously.

3 - You stay out of the drama
 Being the calm one builds credibility, especially when others spiral.

4 - You take feedback like a pro
 You don’t deflect or defend, you learn, adapt, and improve.

5 - You offer help before it’s needed
 Initiative sets you apart. It’s what every team wants more of.

6 - You actually listen
 When people feel heard, they trust you,and want to work with you.

These habits don’t require credentials.
 But they’re the reason people say:

 “We need more people like that.”

What would you add to the list?

Sometimes the best part of posting on LinkedIn isn’t the reach.
It’s the response.

Recently, I shared a truth about HR’s invisible work:
Some days, I don’t want to show up.
 In HR, the work is often invisible, the wins are quiet, and the burnout is loud.

The team at La cabane RH endorsed the post and added something powerful:

Caring for HR means caring for everyone at work.

They reminded us that supporting HR isn’t just about recognition. It’s about wellbeing practices for HR professionals and structural support from organizations.

✅ Daily wins, mindful breaks, trusted peers.
☑️ Treating HR as strategic partners, not superheroes.

This kind of dialogue is exactly why I share here.
 Because when HR is supported, everyone wins.

Thank you La cabane RH for amplifying this message.

I’d love to keep this conversation going.

What’s one small but impactful way you’ve supported HR teams in your organization?

JSESSIONID

li_at

Talks about #leadership, #hrconsulting, and #humanresources

La cabane RH

Ayda Girgis

Disagreements don’t ruin teams.
 Disrespect does.

We often think intelligence is about what you know.
 But it shows up most clearly in how you disagree.

Respectful disagreement isn’t HR fluff.
 It’s a competitive advantage.

Take Graham’s Hierarchy of Disagreement:
The higher teams operate on this pyramid, the better their decisions.
The lower they slide, the more expensive their mistakes.

When leaders model civil discourse, three things happen fast:
- Critical thinking improves → people attack ideas, not people.
- Decision quality rises → real risks surface before they explode.
- Retention strengthens → top performers stay where they feel heard.

Here’s a simple 4-step framework for better disagreements:

1. Separate person from position → “I see it differently because…” not “You’re wrong.”
2. Understand before arguing → “Walk me through your reasoning.”
3. Make space for processing → not every conflict needs resolution in the moment.
4. Model recovery → teams learn more from how you handle missteps than your wins.

Civil discourse isn’t avoiding conflict.
 It’s having better conflicts that move business forward.

What’s one tough conversation that led to breakthrough results in your team?

If this resonates, share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Un mauvais gestionnaire ne fait pas seulement partir un employé.
 Il fait douter ta meilleure personne avant qu’elle parte.


Et voici ce que ça coûte vraiment à l’entreprise :

• 140 000 $ en élan de projet perdu
 • 3 mois à trouver quelqu’un pour le remplacer
 • Une baisse de moral dans l’équipe qui ne s’est jamais vraiment remise

La plupart des PDG ne réalisent pas que ce n’est pas un  problème de personne .
C’est un problème d’investissement en leadership.

Tu ne mettrais pas un CFO non formé à la tête des finances.
Alors pourquoi placer des gestionnaires non formés à la tête de ton talent?

Tu veux savoir si tes gestionnaires créent une érosion silencieuse?
Pose-leur ces 3 questions :

1️⃣ Quand as-tu eu ta dernière vraie discussion de carrière avec chaque membre de ton équipe?
 2️⃣ Quelle force as-tu contribué à développer chez quelqu’un ce trimestre?
 3️⃣ Comment mesures-tu la confiance dans ton équipe?

Si on ne leur a jamais appris à développer les gens…

Ils sont peut-être déjà en train de pousser tes meilleurs talents vers la sortie.
Tes meilleurs ne quittent pas l’entreprise.

 Ils quittent ceux qui leur ont fait douter qu’ils comptaient vraiment.

__
J’accompagne les PME à structurer leurs RH avec clarté et impact.
 Besoin d’un point de départ? On peut en parler.
 
Suivez Mariel Peralta, CRHA pour plus d’outils et de réflexions RH.

She told me she didn’t belong in tech anymore.
That motherhood had set her too far back.


But I’ve seen what happens when moms are given the right room:
They don’t just catch up.
They build differently.
They lead with care, and they lead for real life.

Real life with sick days.
With daycare breakdowns.
With 3 AM feeds and 8 AM meetings.
With careers built between naptime and after bedtime.

And somehow  they still show up with clarity, with courage, and with ideas the world needs.

That’s exactly why Mahsa Rezaei is launching MamaTech AI Studio  during Tech Week Montréal.

A space for moms who want to explore AI.
Without needing to prove anything.
Without pretending they ever left.

If you’ve felt too far behind, or too invisible in this space 
Maybe this isn’t the end of your tech story.
Maybe it’s your return.

And the next chapter?
It might be your boldest yet.

Tag someone who needs to be in that room.

We’re building a future with care at the center.

Link to the event in comments below 👇

"Fake it till you make it” is dangerous leadership advice.

I’ve seen leaders crumble under the weight of pretending. 
And the cost is  $630 billion in turnover every year. (Gallup)

Because people don’t quit jobs.
They quit managers who never truly saw them.

Here are 12 truths that separate authentic leaders from performers:

1️⃣ Trust isn’t built in success, it’s built in failure. Admit mistakes, and people learn it’s safe to be human.

2️⃣ Every conversation matters. Even a hallway chat can send someone home energized or defeated.

3️⃣ Generic praise is invisible. Specific recognition makes effort feel seen.

4️⃣ Your best people carry your failures home. Leadership indecision costs them sleep.

5️⃣ Psychological safety isn’t a policy. It’s your daily behavior.

6️⃣ Your worst leadership day becomes their permanent story.

7️⃣ Loyalty grows in 3-minute conversations that show you actually remember who they are.

8️⃣ How you lead ripples into their home life and self-worth.

9️⃣ People don’t resist change, they resist feeling powerless.

🔟 Your growth sets their ceiling. Stop learning, and they stop growing.

1️⃣1️⃣ Respect and results aren’t separate goals. Valued teams solve bigger problems.

1️⃣2️⃣ True leadership shows in what people achieve after you.

The best leaders don’t “perform” leadership.
They practice authenticity, especially when it’s uncomfortable.

What’s one leadership truth you wish more managers understood?

I’ve never seen perks fix a disengaged team. But I’ve seen one manager’s daily habits change everything.

When 70% of employees feel disengaged, frontline leaders have the biggest opportunity to change that, through actions in the flow of work.

Here’s what engaged ops leaders do daily:

1️⃣ Ask “What’s blocking you?” in shift huddles
 Two minutes can remove hours of frustration.

2️⃣ Celebrate small wins in real time
 Say this: “I saw how you handled that customer issue” builds more trust than waiting for the monthly review.

3️⃣ Give context before requests
 “We need this completed today because the truck arrives at 4 PM.”

4️⃣ Have quick non-work check-ins
 A 3-minute chat about life builds loyalty that policies can’t.

5️⃣ Give feedback that teaches, not blames
 “Two steps were missed in handover, let’s review the checklist together.”

6️⃣ Protect team time like your own
 Cut low-value meetings so shifts can focus on the floor.

7️⃣ Admit when you don’t know
 Honesty beats corporate speak every time.

Ops teams don’t need speeches.
 They need leaders who show up consistently.

👉 Which of these 7 could you try in your next shift?

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