First Reference Talks

Discussions on Human Resources, Employment Law, Payroll and Internal Controls

Archives for November 2016

By | 3 Minutes Read

Just cause termination: Employers need “reasonable basis”

The Court acknowledged that an employer may allege just cause, and later abandon that claim at any time. The Court held that it wouldn’t be appropriate to penalize an employer for changing its mind if it initially had a reasonable basis to believe it had just cause to terminate an employee. As such, it is important to investigate and document any evidence of employee misconduct, and to act accordingly.

By | 5 Minutes Read

The power of data visualization

With so much HR and Talent data at our disposal, its critical that we come up with ways to distill the volume into manageable and meaningful chunks of information. A key way to do this is via data visualization. It seems common sense, but why then do we still attend or present at meetings with slides consisting of rows and columns of numbers, or text–heavy slides with a crude chart or two as illustration of the points? Why do annual reports favour flat data, charts and lists, and heavy text explanations?

By | 2 Minutes Read

Risk management guidance: Time for a leap change

Even though both COSO ERM and ISO 31000:2009 are evolving, moving to a greater emphasis on decision-–making and the setting and execution of strategy, the practice of managing risk continues to lag. I have written in my blogs and spoken in person to thought leaders involved in both COSO ERM and ISO 31000 updates about the need to take a huge leap forward. When the practice is seen as failing to contribute to success, and limited to a compliance function, something dramatic has to happen.

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