Have a Burning Business Question? Ask the Expert: David Ossip. Our expert this month is looking to take your questions pertaining to HR – everything from hiring to managing employees and letting people go.
By Andrea Huspeni •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
What are the best hiring practices? Are you properly handling employee complaints? What is the best approach to take when you need to let someone go? All of these tasks fall under the huge HR umbrella, a key area to help keep a company running smoothly. But not every entrepreneur knows how to handle the nitty-gritty details that go into managing human resources. Fortunately, we have David Ossip as our expert this month.
As the CEO of Ceridian, a company that provides human-resource software to businesses, Ossip knows a thing or two about what it takes to run a tight HR ship. In his position, Ossip is committed to helping companies – big and small – save time and money while improving engagement and productivity. And this isn't his first HR rodeo. Prior to Ceridian, Ossip had founded several human-resource focused companies including Business Machine Interface, a company that developed employee time-and-attendance software and Workbrain, a business that performed similar functions and was acquired for $227 million.
Related: Google's Head of HR: It Doesn't Matter Where Candidates Went to College
Because of his success, he has received many accolades including Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Canada's Top 40 under 40 and Canada's Best 50 Managed Companies Distinction, among many more.
Ossip has taken his learning and helped startups by serving as coach for Creative Destruction Lab at the University of Toronto. This initiative works with scalable tech-based companies that have the "potential to transform our social, industrial, and economic landscape." Ossip also serves as an advisor to various companies including Thalmic Labs and WealthSimple. Today, he's looking to help other entrepreneurs.
"Guidance and the voice of experience are crucial in developing the patience and perseverance it takes to survive the early stages of building a business," he says. "Through mentors, entrepreneurs can learn how to manage the stress of that experience – both within the business and in their personal lives."
As our expert for the month of May, Ossip is eager to take your questions about human resources. Feel free to ask him anything about hiring, managing employees, letting people go and maintaining workplace productivity. Also as an entrepreneur and CEO, he can speak on other topics including building a founding team, developing a business model, scaling and culture.
Submit your questions in the comments section below or tweet us, using the hashtag #ENTexpert. One topic will be selected by the editors of Entrepreneur and addressed by Ossip in a weekly writeup.
