work environment

Employer sexually harassed adolescent employee

March 18, 2013 Christina Catenacci Employee Relations, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, 0

The Yukon Human Rights Board of Adjudication just found that a teenaged employee was sexually harassed by her employer with persistent unwelcome sexual conduct. This finding was underscored by the power imbalance, age difference and generational communication issues present. That said, the harassment was considered to be at the most mild end of the spectrum of sexual harassment.

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Employees with disabilities: disclosure v. privacy

September 22, 2010 Yosie Saint-Cyr Accessibility Standards, Human Resources, Human Rights, Privacy and Security, Standard for Employment

One of the most difficult decisions employees or applicants have to make is to decide whether to inform their employer of their non-obvious disabilities. Why?

disclosure, Disclosure of a disability, discrimination, duty to accommodate, Employees with disabilities, employment law, privacy, work environment

Multi-tasking: where do you draw the line?

August 26, 2010 Adam Gorley Health and Safety, Human Resources, Training and Development

Multi-tasking is so serious that workers are taking their work into the washroom, with disturbing results. According to a recent survey, one-third of Brits admit they’ve made a “stall-call”—that is, a call from the toilet, not just the restroom—whether for business or pleasure. And one in twenty said they’ve taken their laptop with them when nature called. The survey also found a significant—and disgusting—number of people eat, drink and brush their teeth while answering nature’s call.

cellphone use, health and safety, hygiene, illness, illness at work, multi-tasking, productivity, risky behaviour, sickness, stall-call, vicarious liability, work environment, working, working conditions

Genetic discrimination in the workplace

November 24, 2009 Yosie Saint-Cyr Human Resources, Human Rights

I first wrote about genetic discrimination in the workplace in August of 2004. At that time, I compared it to the movie Gattaca, in which a man tries to hide his “imperfect” genetic makeup so that he can enjoy a way of life and secure a job reserved for people without “flawed” genes. Although Gattaca is science fiction, the movie’s plot is not that remote from present-day reality.