First Reference Talks

The cost of measurement

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

Once you have a reputation as a “measurement guy” you get a lot of speaking requests. Recently I was asked to speak on a wellness topic. In the end I declined because even though the measurement aspects of the question were clear, I did not have the knowledge of the topic to deliver well. The request got me thinking about the costs of measurement. Often this is an area that is not considered when people get into the question of finding data.

Tags: analysis, cost, costs of measurement, Data, employment, engagement, HR budgets, HR measurement, measurement, survey
Posted in HR Analytics, HRMS, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

AODA Accessibility Standards Compliance Seminar November 9, 2011

Friday, September 30th, 2011

Along with the customer service standard, four out of the five accessibility standards under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act are now law and in place. They are accessibility standards in the areas of Customer Service, Information and Communication, Employment and Transportation. These standards are complex and they require understanding and preparation. Ontarians can no longer ignore them.

Tags: accessibility, Accessibility standards, AODA, customer service, education, employment, information and communication, policies, practices, procedures, Seminars, training, transportation
Posted in Accessibility Standards, Conferences, Human Resources, Integrated Accessibility Regulation, Internal Controls, Standard for Customer Service | Make a Comment »

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) – Learn the latest

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

Employers in Ontario must be aware of the changes that are happening and the requirements that will be placed on them in the very near future under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act …

Tags: 12th Annual Ontario Employment Law Conference, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Accessibility standards, AODA, barriers, built environment, customer service, Disability, employment, employment law, human rights code, information and communication, ontario, Ontario accessible for persons with disabilities, policy, practices, procedures, training, transportation
Posted in Accessibility Standards, Conferences, Human Resources, Human Rights, Integrated Accessibility Regulation, Standard for Customer Service | Make a Comment »

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 »

Fifth worker involved in scaffolding incident sues for damages

Friday, August 27th, 2010

Last week, I wrote about the incident in which five migrant workers fell 13 storeys when a platform collapsed on Christmas Eve, 2009. Four died instantly, but one survived. This fifth worker, who suffered grave injuries, has now launched a civil suit for damages.

Tags: accident, Bill C-45, civil suit, criminal code, damages, employment, employment law, health and safety, migrant workers, Ministry of Labour, occupational health and safety act, ontario, platform, scaffold, scaffolding incident
Posted in Health and Safety, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program suspends two immigration streams

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

On August 23, 2010, the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (“AINP”) announced that, in response to current job market conditions, it is no longer accepting applications for two immigration streams: (1) the family stream, and (2) the U.S. visa holder stream.

Tags: Alberta, Employer-Driven Stream, employment, Family Stream, Immigrant Nominee Program, Skilled Workers, U.S. Visa Holder Category
Posted in Corporate Immigration, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

Terminating an employee with a disability (Part II)

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Is it possible to terminate an employee who suffers from a disability and not commit a human rights violation? I recently read a case that made it clear that employers can do so when there is a justifiable reason to terminate not involving the disability, or after all efforts to accommodate the employee have been exhausted. But employers must be able to show this with evidence.

Tags: BC human rights tribunal, Disability, duty to accommodate, employment, human rights, human rights act, terminating an employee with a disability, terminations
Posted in Human Resources, Human Rights | 3 Comments »

Employee relations: Generational differences in the workplace

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

I recently read an article regarding a study about workplace expectations among the generations. The study suggests there are significant generational differences that exist in the workplace that impact workplace culture and employee relations.

Tags: baby boomers, employee relations, employment, generation gaps, generation X, Generation Y, generational difference in the workplace, generations in the workplace, recruiting and hiring, workplace culture
Posted in Employment Standards, Human Resources, Recruiting and Hiring | 2 Comments »

Employees with disabilities – accommodation strategies (Part I)

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Accommodating employees with disabilities to the point of undue hardship under human rights legislation can be a complicated task. It’s important to make sure the accommodation process goes smoothly and the employee can focus on working as efficiently as possible, but employers may not be sure about what kinds of questions to ask disabled employees in order to meet their needs.

Tags: accommodation, Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, Disability, discrimination, duty to accommodate, employment, employment law, Federal Court, human rights, undue hardship
Posted in Human Resources, Human Rights | Make a Comment »

Racism in the news; racism in the workplace

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.

Tags: Cheryl Khan, discrimination, diversity, employment, employment discrimination, harassment, human rights, policies, racism, sensitivity training, workplace, workplace harassment, workplace policies
Posted in Human Resources, Human Rights | Make a Comment »

Is social media recruiting a discrimination land mine?

Monday, October 19th, 2009

Here’s a question about an issue that is becoming increasingly relevant:

By using social networking sites—such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn—to search for and recruit employees, are employers discriminating against groups that are less likely to use those services?

Tags: canadian employment law, discrimination, employment, facebook, hiring, human rights, LinkedIn, recruiting, social, social media, social networking, twitter
Posted in Human Resources, Human Rights, Recruiting and Hiring | 3 Comments »