Health and Safety
May 22, 2013 Stringer LLP Employee Relations, Health and Safety, Human Resources, Human Rights, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Wages and Compensation,
In Thompson v. 1552754 Ontario Inc., the applicant was employed as a counter person at the respondent’s coffee shop. The applicant alleged discrimination based on disability when her employer refused to allow her to return to work after a three day absence. The employer would not allow the applicant to return to work without providing it with specific medical clearance that she had returned to her “prior state” of health.
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May 2, 2013 Yosie Saint-Cyr Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, Human Resources, Human Rights, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Recruiting and Hiring,
The three most viewed articles on HRinfodesk this week deal with the drafting of termination clauses to exclude benefits, a collision involving two employees in the employer parking lot entitling them to WSIB benefits and the right of employers to hire employees with certain language skills.
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April 29, 2013 Marcia Scheffler Employee Relations, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Training and Development,
Companies have had almost 3 years to implement violence and harassment prevention in the workplace provisions under the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act , OHSA (also known as Bill 168). Like other items in the OHSA, obligations on employers to prevent workplace violence and harassment with written policies and programs require ongoing commitment, training, and review. A few highlights of some of the requirements that employers with five or more employees must demonstrate include:
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April 26, 2013 David Hyde Employee Relations, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Privacy and Security, Training and Development,
It’s been a month marred by violence and disruption. In recent days we have witnessed the troubling arrests of alleged terrorists in Toronto and Montreal, the heinous Boston Marathon Bombing, a violent takeover robbery and double-shooting at a Toronto bank, the assault of a Port Coquitlam, BC security guard, and sexual assaults at a Toronto community college to name a few. Each of these incidents had (or would have had) an impact on the workplace.
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April 25, 2013 Yosie Saint-Cyr Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Training and Development, Union Relations,
The three most viewed articles on HRinfodesk this week deal with dishonesty as cause for employee termination, the new CSA national OHS training standard and how ongoing tardiness and breach of trust justified termination for cause
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April 24, 2013 Stringer LLP Employee Relations, Health and Safety, Human Resources,
The saga of Ontario (Ministry of Labour) v. JR Contracting Property Services, Lootawan and Haniff case has finally come to its conclusion (at least on the merits). Employers would be well-advised to learn from the case how not to engage with Ministry of Labour inspectors in the aftermath of a workplace accident.
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April 22, 2013 Clear Path Employer Services Health and Safety, Human Resources,
Think workplace safety concerns only impact employees in traditional industries? Think again. Even well-known Hollywood stars can be impacted by a lack of due diligence in their workplaces. Here are some of the celebrities who have been involved in a serious workplace accident.
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April 18, 2013 Yosie Saint-Cyr Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, Human Resources, Human Rights, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Source Deductions and Reporting, Union Relations, Wages and Compensation,
The new Saskatchewan Employment Act clearly defines the rights and responsibilities of employees, employers and unions… The new Act will improve Saskatchewan’s labour legislation to better protect workers, promote growth and increase accountability
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April 18, 2013 Yosie Saint-Cyr Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Source Deductions and Reporting, Union Relations, Wages and Compensation,
The three most viewed articles on HRinfodesk this week deal with how a probation period is an opportunity to demonstrate skills, an employer’s failure to prevent workplace harassment. and a Human Rights Tribunal decision to reinstate a terminated employee after the employer failed to accommodate.
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April 16, 2013 Simon Heath Accessibility Standards, Employee Relations, Health and Safety, Human Resources, Human Rights, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Source Deductions and Reporting, Standard for Employment, Wages and Compensation,
In the recent decision Fair and Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal provides a useful guide for employers to follow in determining how to return an employee to the workplace after an extended absence.
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April 8, 2013 Alison J. Bird Employee Relations, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Union Relations,
While employers may believe that they have a broad right to regulate what employees wear in the workplace, this is not the case. The question of what requirements an employer can impose on an employee’s appearance can actually be quite complex because the imposition of dress codes create a tension between an employee’s right to look the way they want and the employer’s business interest in regulating appearances. Unless an employer can provide an objective explanation of why the dress code is necessary, arbitrators typically find in favour of employees’ interests in self-expression.
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April 4, 2013 Yosie Saint-Cyr Accessibility Standards, Employee Relations, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Standard for Employment, Training and Development, Union Relations,
The Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace standard was released on January 16, 2013, by the Canadian Standards Association. Canadian companies and employees across the country can turn to a new national standard to help them identify and address psychological risks and mental health issues in the workplace. We wanted to know if employers were aware of any cases of psychological risks or mental illnesses in their workplaces. This is why our last poll asked readers: Have you encountered employees who suffer from psychological risks or mental illnesses (i.e., depression, bipolar) in your workplace?
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April 1, 2013 Michele Glassford Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Recruiting and Hiring, Wages and Compensation,
The recent decision by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer to ban working from home for “Yahoos” has been both widely criticised and applauded. The decision has been criticised for undermining the growing trend toward telecommuting and other flexible work arrangements which enable employees to better balance work/life challenges, especially important to women with children [...]
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March 28, 2013 Yosie Saint-Cyr Employee Relations, Health and Safety, Human Resources, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Training and Development,
The three most viewed articles on HRinfodesk this week deal with whether a taxable benefit arises from the reimbursement of the cost of computer equipment, an update on the 2013 Federal Budget and how an employer was on the hook for damages due to a work reprisal.
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March 25, 2013 Adam Gorley Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Training and Development,
When a workplace supervisor accessed pornographic, racist and other inappropriate material via a work computer and circulated it to employees and employer contacts, the employer had just cause to dismiss him. The employee claimed he was wrongfully dismissed, but the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench was not convinced and acceded to the employer’s request to dismiss the employee’s claim without trial.
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Hi John, Thanks for your comment. Check out paragraph 67 of the decision: "Accordingly, none of what I have written above is to suggest or... – May 22, 4:38 PM
This is really spin doctoring the decision. My firm appeared at the Court of Appeal for an intervenor the University of Saskatchewan. Whatever the Supreme... – May 22, 1:00 AM
HRinfodesk Poll result and commentary: The presence of psychological risks or mental illnesses in the workplace
April 4, 2013 Yosie Saint-Cyr Accessibility Standards, Employee Relations, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Standard for Employment, Training and Development, Union Relations, 0
The Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace standard was released on January 16, 2013, by the Canadian Standards Association. Canadian companies and employees across the country can turn to a new national standard to help them identify and address psychological risks and mental health issues in the workplace. We wanted to know if employers were aware of any cases of psychological risks or mental illnesses in their workplaces. This is why our last poll asked readers: Have you encountered employees who suffer from psychological risks or mental illnesses (i.e., depression, bipolar) in your workplace?
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