Friday, February 26th, 2010
Upon first thought, employers may not be sure what to do when a prospective employer calls asking for a reference on a former employee. Is it safe to provide a reference when a prospective employer is conducting a background check on one of your former employees?
Read the rest of this post »Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
Anyone who thinks that the days of individual and systemic racism in Canada are behind us should think again. It might not be nice to think about, but across the country, Canadians and visitors to Canada face racism every day.
Read the rest of this post »Monday, February 22nd, 2010
Recently, I was sitting on a bench in the park near my home. Regular readers know that I spend lots of my spare time in this beautiful park and I derive many “a-ha” moments of inspiration there. Anyway, this day I sat down and noticed that there were a number of empty soft drink containers littering the area around the bench. Soon after I sat down on the bench, a young child walked by, stopped in front of me and began pointing at all the empty pop cans.
Read the rest of this post »Thursday, February 18th, 2010
Here’s a training tip I share with my workshop participants: Human rights sensitiviy training will probably not change racist opinions. Training will however let employees know how to file a complaint internally. This mechanism allows you to deal with the issue before it gets to the Human Right Tribunal. LEARN–DON’T LITIGATE.
Read the rest of this post »Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
I think most people recognize that racism—even overt racism—is still a factor in Canadian culture, but these strategy and news item make it clear: we’ve come a long way and can now openly say that racism exists and is something we want to eliminate; but we have also a long way to go yet before the Canadian dream of a multiculturally diverse society moves beyond mere tolerance toward true acceptance and equality.
Read the rest of this post »Monday, February 8th, 2010
Across Canada, mandatory retirement has been all but completely phased out. Recently, all Canadian jurisdictions in Canada, except for federally regulated workplaces, have enacted legislation to amend their human rights laws and end the practice of mandatory retirement at age 65. This means…
Read the rest of this post »Friday, February 5th, 2010
With the technology at employees’ fingertips, employers worry about whether their employees are engaging in personal Internet use during work hours.
Read the rest of this post »Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Have you experienced theft at your business? Who did it—an outsider, a new hire or the long-term employee you’d never have suspected? It could be any of them, and you shouldn’t be surprised if it’s the latter.
Read the rest of this post »Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
Employees can be dismissed for cause, and therefore without notice or severance, when their misconduct or performance is so egregious that the employment relationship has been irreparably harmed. In assessing this issue, employers must adopt a contextual approach, which considers not only the misconduct in question, but the entirety of the employment relationship.
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Andrew Taillon:
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