HFC welcomes Labor Relations Specialist Kaylee MacLean

HFC recently hired Kaylee MacLean as its new Labor Relations Specialist.

MacLean, of Windsor, succeeds Raya York, who has been promoted to Assistant Director of Labor and Employee Relations at the College and now serves as MacLean’s supervisor.

“I’ve always been fascinated with how people think and how they act,” said MacLean. “I stumbled into labor relations as an offshoot of everything I was working on in industrial organizational psychology. When I was a student at the University of Calgary, I was the chief negotiator and vice president of finance for the Graduate Students Association. I really enjoyed the bargaining aspect of the job.”

In this position, MacLean’s duties include:

• Serving as a liaison between the College and its five labor unions.
• Working on Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations.
• Drafting collective bargaining proposals.
• Processing union grievances.
• Keeping Human Resources’ systems updated.
• Participating in HR investigations.

“Kaylee's experience in dispute resolution, mediation, and collective bargaining makes her a valuable addition to the HR team,” said York. “Her thoughtful approach to relationship-building and problem-solving will be an asset as she partners with stakeholders across the College. I look forward to the impact she'll make in this role.”

The whole life cycle of a problem

MacLean earned her bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in educational psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. She later earned her master’s degree in experimental psychology from the University of Calgary, where she is also working on her doctorate in industrial organizational psychology. MacLean is a certified mediator through the state of Texas.

“Being in HR allows me to see the whole life cycle of a problem,” she said. “It’s enjoyable because it’s sometimes like a puzzle. Complex problems come up, and the solution isn’t always straightforward, which tests my creativity and problem-solving skills. What we do affects not only one point in time, but sometimes many years, so you have to be able to see how everything connects and predict future consequences.”

MacLean continued: “HFC has five bargaining units and a rich labor history. I’m getting to meet so many hardworking professionals with a lot of experience and dedication in what they do. It’s exciting to be able to work in labor relations and grow my skills so quickly.”

MacLean is grateful to have colleagues who have been guiding her through the learning curve of HFC systems and services.

“I really enjoy being in the HR department and collaborating with everyone here,” she said. “I had a great onboarding experience and interview process. I got to see the ABIDE Talent Management Strategy initiatives firsthand on the interviewee side and become the receiver of techniques I tell people to use as an I-O psychologist, including evidence-based methods and performance predictors. This shows me the people at HFC care about the best way to do something. Every little bit of information they were giving me and how they were reaching out to me throughout the whole process made me feel very reassured and welcome.”