People Engagement Specialist

Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care (Yee Hong) is a recognized leader in senior care dedicated to providing exceptional culturally inclusive services that enhance the well-being of older adults. With a strong reputation for excellence in long-term care community programs and aging-in-place initiatives Yee Hong is committed to supporting seniors in living with dignity independence and the best possible quality of life. At the core of its mission is a focus on compassionate person-centered care tailored to the unique needs of diverse communities.

Yee Hong is one of the foremost providers of culturally appropriate senior care in the country delivering high-quality resident experience and care to Chinese and other Asian seniors since 1994. The organization operates 805 long-term care beds and 308 seniors apartment units with an additional 224 long-term care beds opening in a new home by June 2026. In addition Yee Hong offers four campuses of managed care a hospice residence and a wide range of community-based senior and caregiver support services. Through this comprehensive network the organization serves more than 15000 individuals annually across the Greater Toronto Area.

Position Overview

The People Engagement Specialist plays a critical role within the People & Culture pillar ensuring a consistent values-driven approach to employee experience labour relations and workplace culture across assigned divisions.

Grounded in our values - We Care. We Collaborate. We Commit. - this role is responsible for executing and delivering core People & Culture programs and practices that strengthen workforce stability engagement and performance directly contributing to high-quality person-centred care.

Acting as a trusted partner to operational leaders the Specialist provides day-to-day guidance coaching and hands-on support across the employee lifecycle ensuring alignment with organizational policies collective agreements and regulatory requirements. The role serves as the primary connector between strategy and frontline execution translating People priorities into consistent practical application at the divisional level.

While this role collaborates across all People pillars (Rewards Talent Acquisition Development and HR Technology) its core accountability sits within People & Culture with a focus on:

• Labour and employee relations

• Workplace culture and engagement

• Risk mitigation and compliance

• Workforce wellness and stability

Key Responsibilities

Employee & Labour Relations

• Serve as the primary advisor to leaders on employee and labour relations matters ensuring fair consistent and compliant practices

• Lead and manage grievance processes including investigation resolution and arbitration preparation

• Act as a liaison with union representatives to foster constructive solution-focused relationships

• Support labour relations strategy including research and preparation for negotiations

• Ensure consistent interpretation and application of collective agreements across divisions

Workplace Culture Engagement & Experience

• Drive execution of engagement and culture initiatives aligned with organizational values

• Lead the employee engagement survey process including analysis insights and action planning with leaders

• Support leaders in fostering psychologically safe inclusive and high-performing team environments

• Coach leaders on performance management feedback and employee experience practices

• Identify trends and root causes of workforce challenges and implement practical solutions

Risk Management Investigations & Compliance

• Conduct workplace investigations (e.g. harassment human rights employee complaints) and recommend resolution strategies

• Provide guidance on complex and high-risk employee matters (e.g. terminations accommodations conflict resolution)

• Ensure compliance with legislation (ESA OHSA Human Rights Code AODA privacy) and internal policies

• Partner with leaders to proactively identify and mitigate workforce risks

• Support health safety wellness and return-to-work programs

Workforce Stability & Operational Support

• Support divisional workforce needs across the employee lifecycle including onboarding retention absenteeism and performance

• Provide coaching and guidance to leaders to strengthen people management capability

• Partner with Talent Acquisition Rewards and Development teams to ensure seamless execution of People programs

• Support immigration and workforce planning coordination where required

People Insights Systems & Continuous Improvement

Leverage HRIS (e.g. Workday) to support data-informed decision-making at the divisional level

• Track and report on key People metrics (e.g. turnover absenteeism engagement)

• Identify opportunities to improve People processes consistency and outcomes

• Support change initiatives by providing practical guidance and driving adoption at the frontline

Collaboration Across People Pillars

• Act as a key connector between People & Culture and other pillars:

  • Talent Acquisition (recruitment onboarding experience)

  • People Rewards & Payroll (policy interpretation employee inquiries)

  • People Development & Training (performance leadership capability)

  • People Insights & HR Technology (data systems adoption)

• Ensure an integrated seamless experience for leaders and team members

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelors degree in Human Resources Business Administration or related field

• CHRL designation considered an asset Experience

• 3 - 5 years of progressive Human Resources experience in a generalist or Human Resources Business Partner-type role

• Strong labour relations experience in a unionized environment

• Experience in healthcare or long-term care strongly preferred

Core Capabilities

• Strong knowledge of employment legislation and collective agreements

• Exceptional judgement in managing complex employee relations matters

• Ability to influence and coach leaders in a practical solutions-oriented way

• Skilled in conflict resolution investigation and risk management

• Data-informed mindset with ability to translate insights into action

• Highly collaborative adaptable and resilient in a fast-paced environment

• Proficiency in HRIS systems (Workday preferred) and Microsoft 365

• Ability to communicate in English and Chinese

Impact of the Role

This role is essential to ensuring:

• Consistent fair and compliant People practices across the organization

• Strong labour relations and reduced organizational risk

• Engaged supported and high-performing teams

• Operational stability and workforce readiness particularly in a complex LTC environment

Please apply before:

Salary Range:

INTERNAL APPLICANTS: PLEASE APPLY THROUGH THE JOBS HUB

Our people are our greatest strength and the core of our success. We invest in our employees wellbeing and support their ongoing learning and development. We offer:

• Competitive total compensation package

• Multi-employer pension plan

• Professional development opportunities

• Ongoing learning and development

• Employee education assistance program

• Award winning corporate culture

• Safe inclusive and supportive work environment

Yee Hong is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive barrier-free recruitment and selection process. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage of the recruitment process providing the applicant has met the bona-fide requirements for the open position. If contacted for this employment opportunity please advise if you require any accommodation.

Successful applicants must provide a recent satisfactory vulnerable sector police reference check and medical clearance certificate.

Our hiring process involves the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist with screening of the applicants resume.

This job is posted to fill an existing vacancy.