Tuesday, April 12th, 2011
The question for Steve in this workplace scenario is: did you know your actions were unwelcome at the time of the occurrence?
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Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011
I am a workplace human rights trainer and I learn of some important real-life scenarios from my workshop participants. I am often asked to provide expert feedback. The following are two very interesting workplace human rights scenarios—I have changed the names of those involved:
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Wednesday, March 9th, 2011
According to a recently released CROP survey carried out for the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés (Quebec’s human resources professional association), 79 percent of workers in Quebec often or occasionally witnessed a conflict in their workplace in the last year. The survey also indicates that 62 percent of employees believe their managers are inclined to resolve conflicts, compared to 38 percent who feel they tend to ignore them.
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Monday, March 7th, 2011
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that most of the requirements of Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Act (Violence and Harassment in the Workplace) 2009 are uncontroversial, and most organizations should have little trouble understanding them and complying. However, one aspect of the law has caused more discussion and confusion than any other: the domestic violence provisions, which require employers to intervene in instances where they suspect (based on reasonable evidence) that an employee has suffered or is suffering from domestic violence, particularly if that violence might reach into the workplace.
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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.
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Thursday, December 9th, 2010
I guess I’m lucky never to have experienced harassment at work and I certainly never expect to at my current job—unless you count some gentle ribbing at the annual croquet tournament. But nevertheless, First Reference recently had its first mandated workplace violence and harassment training session to educate me and my co-workers on the company’s new mandated policies.
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Monday, November 1st, 2010
Manitoba recently informed employers that it would be updating its Workplace, Safety and Health Regulation to include specific protection against psychological harassment. The regulation already protects workers from workplace violence and harassment, but this update is intended to address “intimidation, bullying and humiliation” and other similar behaviours at work, from which workers previously had no explicit protection.
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Tuesday, October 26th, 2010
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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Tuesday, September 28th, 2010
If another worker attacks me at work, I’m going to protect myself. Does this law [the Occupational Health and Safety Act] say I can’t do that? What do you think?
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Friday, August 13th, 2010
I recently read in the news a classic case of unaddressed harassment claims that led to the worst form of workplace violence. This case may stem from the US but all the same principles and warnings apply in Canada as well. The case involves the death of nine people (including the suspected gunman) on Tuesday August 3, 2010, in a shooting rampage at a beer distributor in Connecticut.
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Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
As a human rights advisor and educator I was encouraged to overhear this educational conversation about harassment at Tim Hortons. I was concerned however that part of the message this group was hearing was incorrect and misleading.
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Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
Ontario Ministry of Labour health and safety inspectors discuss employers’ responsibilities around workplace violence and harassment…
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Friday, May 28th, 2010
Last chance to register for the First Reference 11th Annual, Ontario Employment Law Conference, on June 2, 2010…
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Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
I got a call the other day from a relieved client. She and her management team have, after months of hard work, put the finishing touches on their new workplace harassment and violence policies in compliance with Ontario’s Bill 168…
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Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
My colleagues and I recently made fun of the possible employment law issues that could come out of the implementation of full-body scanners as a form of screening device for airport security. But I never expected this, and so soon.
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