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October, 2010

A recent survey on job attitudes

I just read an interesting article that found only 44% were satisfied with their jobs, about 32% were somewhat satisfied and 24% were not very satisfied or not at all satisfied. That is a significant number of people (56%) who did not answer “very satisfied” about their jobs.

 

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Freaky AND functional – the robots are here!

When a robot is capable of multiple types of manual labour, is able to work twice as long as a human and will never complain about working conditions, many human workers have got something to worry about, even if that robot comes with a giant price tag. With no worries about harassment complaints, no fear of strikes, no backtalk and no vacation to worry about, many employers will look at independent robots as model employees.

 

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Entering Canada as a business visitor

HR professionals are frequently asked whether a foreign national, who seeks to enter Canada in order to perform a specific task on behalf of their company, will require a work permit. If the proposed activity falls within the parameters of the business visitor category, no work permit will be necessary.

 

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General employment, health and safety information is not legal advice

I recently received feedback from a reader stating “I checked with the Ministry of Labour and you don’t need two separate policies to meet your workplace violence and harassment obligations. Your information is wrong.” Always question information you read or are given, double check it, triple check it and then make up your own mind about how you are going to proceed. However, it does not make the information in itself wrong.

 

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Will poor management decisions mean the end for American Apparel?

You’ve probably heard of American Apparel, the Los Angeles-based clothing manufacturer and retailer that’s so popular with the kids these days, they of the semi-controversial billboard advertisements and almost-certainly-controversial CEO Dov Charney…

 

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The underrepresentation of women in the workplace

I just read an interesting report about women in the workplace. Essentially, the report suggests that women remain underrepresented relative to their male counterparts, even though they form a highly educated and skilled labour pool in the market. Given the skills shortage that is expected to occur in the near future due to mass retirements of senior baby boomer workers, this is an unsettling finding. But why is this happening?

 

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CIC announces new bar-coded temporary resident visa application form

Effective October 14, 2010, a new Application for Temporary Resident Visa Made Outside of Canada [IMM 5257] form and related forms will be made available to all clients. This new form will be accessed electronically and applicants will be able to save their partially completed form. Once completed, the final form will contain bar codes that will facitate data entry into Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s new Global Case Management System.

 

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Drug and alcohol testing again

I recently had the pleasure of speaking at the 2010 National Construction Labour Relations Alliance Labour Relations Conference. I participated in a panel that provided an update on drug and alcohol policies.

 

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Loss of benefits under employer-provided pension plans

Much has been written about our aging workforce and the implication for employers of the coming tide of retirements. The premiers and Prime Minister recently met to attempt to deal with those workers who do not have company pension plans by enhancing the benefits available under the Canada Pension plan, unfortunately without success. Clearly, retirement planning and the funding for that retirement are hot issues.

 

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Women in the workplace Part II: why is Canada lagging in wage gap ranking?

I have been reading some interesting articles recently regarding women in the workplace. A recent report put Canada at number 20 in a global measure of equality between men and women. Canada was actually rated number 33 in the world concerning earned income gaps. Why is this still happening?

 

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Health and safety related criminal charges laid in scaffold deaths

The Toronto Star recently reported that Vadim Kazenelson, 35, of Gormley, Joel Swartz, 51, of Toronto, Benny Saigh, 52 of Toronto, and Metron Construction Corporation have each been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm, and four counts of criminal negligence causing death for workplace fatalities. The charges carry…

 

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Upcoming Ontario employment law related changes

On October 5, 2010, the Ontario government introduced Bill 110, the Good Government Act, 2010, an omnibus bill that, if passed, would amend various pieces of legislation, including the Employment Standards Act, the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act. The changes include general housekeeping measures, as well as some technical improvements and modernization measures. Specifically, regarding the employment law related changes, schedule 7 of Bill 110 makes the following key changes…

 

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Workplace violence in self-defence: what does the law say?

Although some readers believe that any kind of workplace violence is inappropriate, there was a consensus that acting within reason to protect yourself is okay—nobody should be expected to “stand there and take a beating”.

 

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Thanksgiving day – public holiday

Thanksgiving is a public (statutory) holiday in all provinces and territories, except for the Atlantic provinces. Employees get a day off with regular pay or public holiday pay (depending on the province or territory of employment). If the employee is required to work on the holiday, the employee must be paid regular wages and get a substituted day off with pay at a later date (depending on the province or territory of employment). In the Atlantic provinces, retail business holidays legislation requires certain retail businesses to close on Thanksgiving day.

 

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OHS compliance orders issued against metal company where employee crushed his arm

I recently read an article about how the Nova Scotia Department of Labour issued seven compliance orders against a metal works company in the province after a 24-year-old worker was seriously hurt.

 

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