First Reference Talks

Proposed integrated accessibility standards under the AODA

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

On September 2, 2010, the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services published the proposed Integrated Accessibility Regulation (IAR) under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) for public consultation by interested stakeholders. The IAR combines the information and communications, employment and transportation standards into a single, integrated regulation. The proposed compliance timelines are also listed.

Tags: Accessibility Directorate of Ontario, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, accessibility for people with disabilities, Accessibility standards, AODA, compliance timelines, employment, Employment accessibility standard, enforcement, IAR, Integrated Accessibility Regulation, integrated accessibility standards, O. Reg. 629, Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services, policies, policies and procedures, policy manual, Private sector, Proposed Accessibility Requirements, Proposed integrated accessibility standards under the AODA, public consultation, Regulatory Registry, The Information and Communications Standard, the Licence Appeal Tribunal, training, Transportation standards
Posted in Accessibility Standards, Human Resources, Integrated Accessibility Regulation | Make a Comment »

Don’t push the employees – Court of Appeal deals with damages in a wrongful dismissal claim

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

The scope of damages available in wrongful dismissal claims has been steadily widening over the past decade. However, in a decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal, released on May 28, 2010, the Court reversed this trend by rejecting tort liability of an employer for intentional infliction of mental suffering arising from a dismissal.

Tags: bad faith in the matter of the dismissal, constructive dismissal, damages, discipline, Dismissal, employer code of conduct, employment law, intentional infliction of mental suffering, Ontario Court of Appeal, performance review, personal liability on a manager, terminations, tort liability, tort of negligence in the employment context, torts of battery, vicarious liability, vicariously liable, wrongful dismissal, Wrongful dismissal claims
Posted in Employment Standards, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

September 6, 2010, Labour Day, Public Holiday

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

Happy Labour Day! The history of Labour Day is connected…

Tags: employment standards act, employment standards code, general holiday, history of Labour Day, Labour Day, Labour Day in Canada, labour standards act, labour standards code, Public Holiday, Public Holiday Pay, Statutory Holiday
Posted in Employment Standards, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

Employers may not be able to conduct Facebook checks on prospective employees

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

I just read an interesting article saying that Germany may be the first to pass a law making it illegal for prospective employers to spy on applicants’ private postings on Facebook. Do you think this type of law could ever be passed in Canada?

Tags: background checks, balance between employee rights to privacy and employer rights to know, Employee privacy rights, Employment background checks, employment law, facebook, Facebook checks on prospective employees, Germany, Monitoring, privacy, Privacy in the workplace, selection process, social media, social media activities at work, social networks, spy on employees, surveillance
Posted in Human Resources, Privacy and Security, Recruiting and Hiring | Make a Comment »

Does your company use a human resources management system?

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

Human resources management systems (also known as human resources information systems) exist “at the intersection between human resource management and information technology.” Usually, this means taking previously disparate HR information and automatically integrating it in such a way that users can gain a clearer picture of what is happening in the company—in a more efficient way than if HR had to gather all of the information from its various sources, and analyze it manually.

This diverse information includes payroll, work hours and overtime, benefits administration, recruiting and development, training and learning, performance records and more. You’ve probably already automated one or more of these services, either internally or via an external service provider; companies commonly outsource payroll and benefits functions, for example. But even so, can you imagine what you could do if all of those functions were integrated and all of that information could be compared with little effort? That’s the promise of human resources management systems.

Read the whole story on HRinfodesk.com.

Tags: automation, business intelligence, HR metrics, HRIS, HRMS, Human Resources Information System, human resources management, human resources management system, information management, information technology, IT, IT controls, record keeping, tracking employee absences
Posted in HR Analytics, HRMS, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

Update on damages arising out of bad faith in the course of dismissal: Soost vs. Merrill Lynch Canada Inc.

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

The Court of Appeal in Alberta has just ruled that there was no basis to award “The Damages Formerly Known as Wallace” in Soost v. Merrill Lynch Canada Inc., dramatically reducing the value of the award.

Tags: bad faith, bad faith damages, canadian employment law, Court of Appeal in Alberta, damages arising out of bad faith in the course of dismissal, Dismissal, employment law, Honda Canada Inc. v Keays, just cause for dismissal, moral damages, punitive damages, Soost v. Merrill Lynch Canada Inc., terminations, The Damages Formerly Known as Wallace, Wallace damages, wrongful dismissal, wrongful dismissal claim
Posted in Employment Standards, Human Resources | 1 Comment »