First Reference Talks

Required training under the AODA customer service standard

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

The Accessibility Standards for Customer Service require employers to provide accessible customer service to persons with disabilities. In order to comply with the legislation, all businesses and organizations providing goods or services to the public with at least one employee in Ontario must meet several requirements by January 1, 2012. What we gathered at our most recent AODA seminar is that employers are very concerned about the training aspect of the customer service obligations.

Tags: Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Accessibility standards, Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, AODA, AODA seminar, assistive devices, customer service policies and procedures, Customer service standards, customer service training, disabled persons, employment law, interacting with persons with disabilities, ontario, persons with disabilities, policies, practices and procedures, service animal, support person
Posted in Accessibility Standards, Human Resources, Human Rights, Standard for Customer Service, Training and Development | 1 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 »

I’m getting the sniffles… it’s another case of the World Cup Flu!

Friday, June 24th, 2011

‘Tis the season of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. This time, it’s women who are going to be playing, beginning this Sunday June 26 and ending July 17, in Germany. It may not be as popular as the men’s World Cup, but it is a busy and important year for women’s football/soccer! Will the rate of employee absenteeism be as high as when the men’s World Cup took place? Maybe not; but still, what can employers do to manage a sudden outbreak of “World Cup flu” cases in their workplace?

Tags: Absences, Absenteeism, attendance, discipline, employee absenteeism, employment law, fifa, FIFA Women's World Cup Germany 2011, football, lateness, policies, sick leave, soccer, time in lieu of overtime, time theft, vacation time, women's soccer, work computers, world cup, World Cup Flu
Posted in Employee Relations, Employment Standards, Human Resources | Make a Comment »

Slaw: AODA era part II: What’s up next? The proposed integrated accessibility regulation

Friday, March 18th, 2011

The Information and Communication, Employment and Transportation Standards have all been combined in the Proposed Integrated Accessibility Regulation (PIAR). This proposed regulation is currently under public review till March 18, 2011. Proposed compliance timelines are included. I was told by a source close to the ministry that the final version of the Integrated Accessibility Regulation will…

Tags: accessibility, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Accessibility plans, Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, annual accessibility reports, AODA, employment law, employment standard, Information and Communication standard, policies, practices and procedures, proposed integrated accessibility regulation, Slaw, training, Transportation Standard
Posted in Accessibility Standards, Human Resources, Human Rights, Integrated Accessibility Regulation, Internal Controls, Not-for-Profit | Make a Comment »

‘Invitation to harass?’

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

By now, most of us have heard about a controversial decision of the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench in which Justice Robert Dewar sentenced a man found guilty of sexual assault to a two year conditional sentence, allowing him to remain free in the community and avoid any jail time.

Tags: alleged sexual harassment, behaviour, consensual sexual relationship, damages for injury to dignity, email, employee had harassed a co-worker, employment law, extenuating circumstances, facebook, feelings and self-respect, harassment, harassment by texting, harassment complaints, harassment investigations, inappropriate text messages, investigation, invitations to harass, inviting circumstances, misconduct, policies, procedures, sexist, sexting, sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual relationships in the workplace, social media, workplace harassment
Posted in Health and Safety, Human Resources, Human Rights | Make a Comment »

AODA accessibility standards for customer service – Training decisions

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

Ontario’s Accessibility Standards for Customer Service requires organizations to train staff, volunteers and third parties who deal with the public on your behalf on how to provide customer service to people with disabilities. What are the legal requirements for training?

Tags: Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, AODA, customer service standard, customer service to people with disabilities, disabilities, employment law, legal requirements for training, policies, practices and procedures, problem accessing your goods or services
Posted in Accessibility Standards, Human Resources, Standard for Customer Service, Training and Development | 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 »

Discrimination prevention strategies

Friday, May 7th, 2010

What can employers do in their workplace to prevent discrimination against employees who have disabilities?

Tags: anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, Disability, disability in the workplace, discrimination, education, human rights, human rights code, human rights legislation, policies, prevention
Posted in Human Resources, Human Rights | Make a Comment »

Workplace violence and harassment policies – to integrate or not?

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

Ontario’s upcoming occupational health and safety violence and harassment rules require that employers implement violence and harassment prevention policies. Manitoba and Saskatchewan also require OHS policies for both workplace hazards. When drafting or updating your violence/harassment policies to meet legal OHS requirements (e.g., Ontario’s Bill 168), are you creating individual policies or integrating your policies? That was the question asked in the most recent HRinfodesk poll. According to the results of the poll, out of 155 responses, 84 (~54%) respondents intend to comply to the letter of the law, while 71 (~46%) respondents have taken another approach by integrating both policies into one.

Read the full article on HRinfodesk.

Tags: Bill 168 violence, HRinfodesk, manitoba, occupational health and safety, ontario, policies, policies and procedures, Saskatchewan, violence policy, workplace harassment, workplace harassment prevention guide, workplace violence
Posted in Health and Safety, Human Resources | 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 »