Intelex Blog - Environmental, Health, and Safety Management

LA's plastic bag law, fatality stats out of Alberta, EPA's brownfield revitalization and more on EHS This Week

Fri, 25 May 2012 21:36:00 -0400

This week Kristy and I discuss alarming safety statistics in Alberta, Canada, new plastic bag legislation out of Los Angelas, California, EPA's brownfield revitalization and more.

Note: The audio quality wasn't its usual self this weel due to a technical glitch, but we're still bringing you the top EHS stories from the last seven days. We'll return next week with in full stereo.

Don't forget to write us with your feedback at paul@ehsthisweek.com.

EHS This Week May 25.mp3

Beyond orientation: the essential advantages of onboarding

Wed, 23 May 2012 09:33:00 -0400

If you are an Intelexian, you can’t go far without seeing onboarding at work! And if you’re not an Intelexian, here is our insider perspective:

What is Onboarding?

Onboarding is an opportunity to get all new Intelexians set up for success in their new company and their new role. Onboarding is more than orientation. Orientation is meant to familiarize new Intelexians with the organizational structure and important policies; it takes only half a day here at Intelex. For us in the Professional Development Office (responsible for onboarding), onboarding is the first chance to reveal the Intelex Platform and Products as well as (equally important) expose new employees to the culture and vision Intelex aspires to achieve.

Why do we Onboard?

Most new employees will decide on staying with a company within the first 45 days of employment. This reflects the importance of a planned onboarding program that helps employees through these difficult days. The benefit of even having onboarding puts us on par with other leading software companies in the world such as IBM (which harnesses e-learning tools) and Facebook (which gets new hires working on bugs immediately). Onboarding is often cited as an important Intelex benefit that helps attract top talent, but it also comes with a slew of other important effects including:

Increased team morale and performance.
Higher employee satisfaction.
Lowered stress.
Improved role effectiveness.
Higher organizational commitment.
Lower employee turnover.

While it is hard to measure the bottom line impact of onboarding, the indirect effects (considering benefits such as these) are felt not only in the short term but across the lifetime of an employee’s career with Intelex.

How do we Onboard at Intelex?

Intelex is a growing and diverse company. We hire new employees weekly to help us stay on top of dynamic industry standards, keep up with an increasing client base, and drive continued software innovation. Onboarding begins at Intelex every two weeks. For 10 days, new Intelexians learn about industries we serve (including how and why), platform & applications features, best practices in project implementations, sales approaches, and soft skills that will help you be effective with your teams, clients, or prospects. We do this by providing a collaborative environment where the system is tested through its limits and questioning is encouraged and explored. Our training environment provides a protected condition where we ensure concepts are well understood, resources are uncovered, teamwork is emphasized, and innovative solutions are devised. All of this while keeping the work load off home departments!

In the interest of Intelex’s own focus on continuous improvement, onboarding @ Intelex is currently being reviewed to ensure it is relevant and reflecting the current needs of the company. Please feel free to let us know if you have any questions or comments about what onboarding could or should look like to you!

Next time in our Professional Development series of blog posts, published every second Wednesday, Professional Development Manager Anthony Cogliano will cover the importance of soft skills training.

Does your organization have a strong safety culture?

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:24:00 -0400

Your safety culture reflects your organization's collective response to workplace safety and is evident in shared beliefs, behaviours and values your employees exhibit surrounding safety. A solid safety culture is a good indicator that your workplace injury prevention programs are hitting home with your employees, and while this at times can be difficult to measure, Mark Middlesworth, founder of Ergonomics Plus, provides a quick guide to help you gauge your own safety culture. Check out his slides below:

25 Signs You Have An Awesome Safety Culture

View more PowerPoint from Ergonomics Plus

GAO report on safety incentive programs, OSHA's new whistleblower committee, report on safety inspections and bottom lines, and more on EHS This Week

Fri, 18 May 2012 18:34:00 -0400

This week Kristy and I discuss interesting news on the effects of safety incentive programs, the fascinating impact of OSHA safety inspections on both the safety performance and bottom lines of organizations, OSHA's new whistleblower protection advisory committee, and more.

Don't forget to write us with your feedback at paul@ehsthisweek.com.

EHS This Week May 18.mp3

Q&A: What an Intelex internship looks like

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:44:00 -0400

Recently, up-and-coming developer David Jun Cai wrapped up his three-month internship as a developer in Intelex's Online Communities department. As a 19-year-old University of Waterloo Computer Engineering student, David got first-hand, front-line experience helping Intelex work on new and innovative projects, including Intelex's amazing internal digital newsletter, IntelexPress.

I sat down with David before he left to discuss his time here, what he learned, and what he found unique about the Intelex experience.

Hi, David. So, what were you doing before coming to Intelex?

I was learning Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo.

How did you find out about this Internship?

I found out about this internship through University of Waterloo’s job search site for students going on their work term.

What attracted you to take this position at Intelex?

The position attracted me because I was always interested in how websites were made and how they worked. Also I thought I would learn the most here at Intelex compared to other co-op jobs.

How did you find your time at Intelex?

I really enjoyed my time here at Intelex and the free breakfast on Thursdays.

What did you spend most of your time doing here?

I spent my time working on projects and improvements for the Intelex-Exchange community portal.

What special projects did you work on?

I created a Google map that shows the city location of all the companies that use Intelex-Exchange and I made the online version of IntelexPress.

What unique features of the company did you notice after coming here?

I would say free breakfast on Thursdays.

What did you learn at Intelex?

I learned so much here at Intelex. When I got here I only knew how to write C# code and a bit of html but now I can write JavaScript, css, more html, ASP.NET MVC, SQL Server, and I also improved in C#. I believe that this will definitely help me in the future either for school or for work.

What will you do after leaving Intelex?

I’m going back to Waterloo for my study term.

Anything else you would like to add?

I’m really glad that Intelex was the place I went to for my first work term.

Are you interested in landing an internship at Canada's fifth best place to work? Check out our careers page and reach out to our recruitment team to learn more.

EPA radiation monitoring audit, OSHA citations, fossil fuel subsidies and more on EHS This Week

Fri, 11 May 2012 21:03:00 -0400

This week Kristy and I discuss OSHA citation's, EPA fines, calls for an end to fossil fuel subsidies, electrical safety month and more on EHS This Week.

In addition we touch on a huge EPA audit of radiation monitoring sites across the U.S., as well as an EPA chemist reinstated after a whistleblower suit went before the federal Merit Systems Protection Board.

Don't forget to write us with your feedback at paul@ehsthisweek.com.

EHS This Week May 11.mp3

Special NAOSH edition of EHS This Week

Wed, 09 May 2012 15:50:00 -0400

In honour of North American Occupational Safety and Health Week (NAOSH), held from May 6 to 12 this year, EHS This Week is pleased to present this special edition of our EHS podcast.

Kristy and I sat down earlier today to reflect on what NAOSH week is all about, how it was formed, the key themes for this year's week, and some of the events that are being held across the continent.

So check it out and let us know what you think. And don't forget to check back on Friday evening for our regularly scheduled weekly program. Head to the NAOSH site for more on this annual event.

EHS This Week May 9 NAOSH.mp3

The Top 5 tips for nailing the all-important phone interview

Wed, 09 May 2012 13:15:00 -0400

Intelex's Professional Development Office (PDO) is excited to kick off a series of blogs every other Wednesday that highlight the Intelex hiring and onboarding processes, as well as trends in recruiting and learning and development.

Intelex has received a lot of attention recently. After being selected as a Greater Toronto Top Employer, a Great Place to Work (fifth in Canada), and a three-time recipient of the Deloitte Fast 500 Tech Companies honour, among all the other awards that have come our way in the last 12 months. We think it is important to help individuals who are very interested in the company, through the Intelex recruiting process, and that’s why we’ve launched this series of blog posts.

For this entry I would like to discuss The Phone Interview. Most candidates will be interviewed on the phone prior to being brought in for an in-person interview. The process is generally fairly short, usually no more than fifteen minutes.

Here's our Top 5 tips for nailing the phone interview:

Be Yourself: Our family-oriented corporate culture at Intelex is very central to who we are and what we do, and finding the right people for this environment is a critical part of the recruitment process. So the phone interview is a great opportunity to show us who you are. You know, putting a personality to the resume! While the interview could include some technical questions, in many cases it will feel just like a conversation. We want to get a sense of who you are so let your personality shine through.
Think About Your Future: In addition to getting a sense of the types of roles you have had in the past, the recruitment team at Intelex is really trying to get a sense of what you want to do and where you want to be in the future. Before going on the call, lend some thought to your desired career path.
Get Comfortable: The key to performing well on the phone has as much to do with your experience being in line with the role, as it is with how comfortable you are. If you are nervous, let us know. We want you to perform at your best.
Do Your Research: I believe there is nothing more frustrating for a Recruiter when talking to a candidate, than to have them ask what company this role is for, or what the company does. This is information that is available on the internet, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, Google+, et al. The Corporate Recruitment Office does its best to schedule phone interviews with time for candidates to prepare. It does not take long to look up some facts, to re-read the job description, have a preliminary understanding of the role. So be prepared!
Ask Questions: As Recruiters we often get asked the same questions over and over; tell me about the corporate culture, where is the company heading, what do you like about working with Intelex. All great questions, and a lot of time information that is not readily available. We also love to have questions that challenge us to think!

In the PDO’s next blog we will talk about the importance of Onboarding! If you have any suggested topics you would like us to cover, write me or leave a comment below.

It's the right thing to do!

Tue, 08 May 2012 15:39:00 -0400

We've all heard of a Dental Hygienist, but what about an Industrial Hygienist? Watch this video created by American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) which explains the very important and crucial role industrial hygienists play in maintaining a safe work environment.

This video's timely release coincides with NAOSH Week which takes aim at improving education and awareness surrounding health and safety issues in the workplace.

NAOSH Week now underway in cities across the continent

Mon, 07 May 2012 11:11:00 -0400

It’s NAOSH week! In terms of North American Health and Safety, NAOSH week is kind of a big deal. Hot on the heels of the International Day of Mourning for fallen and injured workers (April 28) as well as International Workers Day (May 1), North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) week is a great opportunity to raise awareness about occupational health and safety across the continent.

As we’ve discussed recently on the EHS This Week podcast, injuries and accidents continue persist in workplaces across Canada and the U.S., and as OSHA head Dr. David Michaels recently reminded us, every day 12 American workers go to work and never come home as a result of workplace fatalities. Most workplace injuries and accidents are entirely preventable, and this week is all about seizing opportunities to make North American work environments safer.

Jointly sponsored by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE), NAOSH week means there is an array of events, activities and ceremonies happening in cities across North America. Find out what’s going on in your community and join in to help prevent workplace accidents and fatalities by checking out NAOSH’s events page and tuning into the Intelex blog for the rest of the week as we devote special coverage to NAOSH, including a mid-week EHS This Week Podcast.