Meet Rij, our HR Manager

 
Over the last four years many Canadian small and medium-sized business leaders decided to continue to operate in hybrid-remote work environments. As a Managed Service Provider (MSP) one of our key roles during this transition was to ensure that SMBs had the right technology and security in place to operate and excel remotely. The widespread shift to remote work, however, presented another challenge for businesses (including us): how to maintain an incredible culture, nurture employee happiness, and foster engagement in remote environments. We sat down with Rij our HR Manager to learn about his role and what we are doing at Nucleus to foster a healthy workplace culture.
 
What sets Nucleus apart from other sectors you worked in?  
 
From an HR perspective, no matter what industry you get into, you will always be dealing with people! However, what sets Nucleus apart from the other businesses I worked at is the team’s agility when it comes to decision-making and the level of care the leadership team has for its employees. Employee surveys are often done and approached with intent. We don’t just sit on the results and agree to it, we take action! 
  
What’s your typical day like at Nucleus? 
 
My day varies from week to week. We are currently focusing on recruitment as we work on filling critical roles within the company. Job interviews, email exchanges, coordinating interviews, and coordinating with our recruitment partners overseas, recruitment is a big part of the role. 
 
Once an applicant chooses to join Nucleus, then a series of onboarding activities kick in to welcome and ensure that new hires are well-supported. We would typically give them a tour of the office, introduce them to colleagues, grab a quick cup of coffee while we tour the rest of the Bentall building. After that, we would go out for lunch within the first week and spend most of the time reviewing training materials. 
 
To keep up with the ever-changing HR landscape, I also make sure that the team is aware of upcoming employment legislations that may affects us, such as the recent Pay Transparency Act which puts certain requirements on employers to follow such as including pay ranges on advertised jobs. Policies are often reviewed and updated to ensure that we stay relevant, and it continues to serve our employees.  
 
Additionally, working closely with the leadership team to provide support and guidance when it comes to employee related matters is also part of the gig. Striking the perfect balance between the two is not always easy, so this is where I step in to ensure that we’re doing what is best for both the employee and the company. 

As a hybrid workplace, we invest a great deal of resources and time in maintaining a positive culture. We use a service called Confetti to host monthly virtual games to help with teambuilding. At the beginning of each year, we plan the annual social events for both remote and on-site employees. For instance, this coming February 14, we are throwing a pastry day in the Vancouver office to give that team an opportunity to reconnect over delicious goodies, in addition to having upcoming fun in-person activities scheduled for each location! 

What is your most memorable work moment?  
 
We are over 90 employees strong located in Victoria, Vancouver, Prince George, Calgary, Toronto, Manila and a few cities in between. Being in Vancouver myself, it’s not always possible to meet colleagues who are in other cities. However, a cool thing that Nucleus does, is hosts regular annual holidays parties where we would fly everyone to Vancouver. The most recent holiday party in 2023 gave me an opportunity to put faces to the names for the first time. Everyone had an amazing time and I’m looking forward to the next one! 

What’s your favourite aspect about working at Nucleus? 
 
I enjoy the opportunity to make positive changes within my role. One key task I am working on is improving the new employee onboarding experience. I’m excited to work with the leadership team to improve the experience and make joining Nucleus fun and valuable for anyone.  
  
What are you most passionate about when it comes to technology? 
 
I really enjoy learning about cybersecurity and how the world is slowly becoming aware of the dangers of simply being online. After completing my regular Curricula training, I am amazed to see the number of ways bad actors try to get into our devices! 
  
What are a couple of the most popular HR policies? 
 
Definitely birthdays off, and we’ve recently updated our vacation policy. We shortened tenure requirements to get more vacation time and we have added a new tier for team members employed for more than 10 years.  

Tell us about YOU!

When you’re not at Nucleus what are you doing?  
 
When I’m not working, I am usually hanging out with my partner and our dog at a local dog park. We also try to do our best to travel outside the country at least once or twice a year. Last year, we traveled across Europe, and we can’t wait to go back! 
  
How do you balance work/life? 
 
It’s important for me to have set boundaries when it comes to work/life. These boundaries keep me honest with what I can/cannot accomplish in a day, and I make sure that I work with my manager in terms of letting them know whether I am able to take on more work or not. I think respect for your time and the company’s time is very important, so it’s critical that these types of conversations happen right from the start. 
  
If you could pack up and travel somewhere tomorrow, where would you go? 
 
My partner and I have been postponing our trip to Japan for a while now. If I could go anywhere tomorrow, it will have to be Tokyo! 
 
Interested in learning more about Nucleus team members? Visit our culture section on our blog.