First Reference Talks - Page 2 of 198 - News and Discussions on Payroll, HR & Employment LawFirst Reference Talks | News and Discussions on Payroll, HR & Employment Law

Managing and addressing workplace developments caused by the spread of Coronavirus

February 5, 2020 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Accessibility Standards, Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, International HR Law, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Privacy and Security, Standard for Customer Service, Standard for Employment, Standard for Information and Communications, Union Relations, Wages and Compensation, 0

Many employers are starting to ask questions about the legal framework within which they can prepare, manage and address developments and potential issues caused by the spread of the Coronavirus.

Coronavirus, employment law, pandemic planning, risk management, Workplace emergency response

Happy Data Privacy Day!

February 4, 2020 Christina Catenacci Human Resources, Privacy and Security, 0

January 28, 2020, was a time to celebrate Data Privacy Day. Or, if you are in Europe, it is called, Data Protection Day. What is Data Privacy Day?

employment law, identity theft, personal information, privacy, privacy rights, protecting privacy, social media

Investigating the invisible: Examining subtle racial discrimination (part 2)

February 3, 2020 Rubin Thomlinson LLP Employee Relations, Human Resources, Human Rights, 0

The concept of a “microaggression” has received significant attention in recent years, and was explored more fully in a previous post. At its core, a microaggression is a subtle, often unintentional, behaviour that is rooted in stereotypes about marginalized groups. Despite the absence of ill will, microaggressions in the workplace can nonetheless amount to discrimination or harassment.

discrimination, employment law, microaggression, racial discrimination, Workplace discrimination

Mental health at work: An employer’s duty to inquire

January 31, 2020 Occasional Contributors Employee Relations, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, 0

In cases where an employer suspects that an employee suffers from a mental illness that may be affecting their performance at work, the employer has a duty to inquire.

accommodation policies, discipline, duty to inquire, medical information, Mental illness, mental illness accommodation

The effect of signing a severance package

January 31, 2020 Jeff Dutton, Dutton Employment Law Human Resources, Notice, Damages and Settlements, Payroll, 0

Question: Can employees get out of signed severance packages?

employment law, severance package, unconscionable agreement, wrongful dismissal claim

Three popular articles this week on HRinfodesk

January 30, 2020 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Notice, Damages and Settlements, Payroll, 0

The three popular articles this week on HRinfodesk deal with remote work options, wrongful dismissal and drug and alcohol testing.

drug and alcohol testing, employment law, remote work arrangements, remote working, safety-sensitive workplace, work from home, wrongful dismissal

Accommodating mental disabilities in the workplace

January 29, 2020 Occasional Contributors Employee Relations, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, 1

In our previous blog on mental health in the workplace, we looked at the distinction between mental illness and ordinary stress and anxiety. We’ll now turn our attention to ways employers should approach their duty to accommodate employees with mental disabilities.

accommodating mental illness, accommodation, accommodation process, accommodation to the point of undue hardship, employment law, expert opinion, medical documentation, mental disabilities, mental health, mental health in the workplace

Fired because of race? Consider a human rights claim

January 29, 2020 Devry Smith Frank LLP Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Human Resources, Human Rights, Notice, Damages and Settlements, Payroll, 0

In 2018, a group of eight Caucasian employees of the Spruce Hill Resort and Spa Ltd. (“the Resort”) in British Columbia made a complaint to the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal (“the Tribunal”), in which they alleged that they had been terminated from their employment because they were not Chinese. The Tribunal found that seven of the employees had been discriminated against on the basis of race and colour, and one employee had been discriminated against on the basis of sex.

discrimination based on race, discrimination based on sex, employment law, poisoned work environment, sexual harassment

Normal anxiety or mental illness? A guide for employers

January 28, 2020 Occasional Contributors Employee Relations, Health and Safety, Human Resources, Human Rights, 0

Employers have a duty to accommodate employees suffering from mental illnesses. But distinguishing mental illness from ordinary anxiety is no easy matter.

anxiety, duty to accommodate, employment law, human rights, mental disability, Mental illness, stress

Release of previous employer has no effect on termination by subsequent employer

January 27, 2020 Barry B. Fisher LL.B. Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Human Resources, Notice, Damages and Settlements, Payroll, 0

In Manthadi v ASCO Manu (2019 ONSC 5572) Fowler Byrne J. had a situation where a 64 year old welder had over 36 years with Company A. Company A sold its business to the Defendant. Company A paid the plaintiff her 8 weeks under the ESA and she signed a release. The defendant immediately hired her on the closing date. She was terminated a few months later.

common law notice, continuous employment, employment agreement, employment law, termination

Bullying in the workplace

January 24, 2020 Beyond Rewards Inc Employee Relations, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Training and Development, 0

Bullying is usually seen as acts or verbal comments that could “mentally” hurt or isolate a person in the workplace. Sometimes, bullying can involve negative physical contact as well. Bullying usually involves repeated incidents or a pattern of behaviour that is intended to intimidate a particular person or group of people.

bullying, bullying in the workplace, employment law, harassment, workplace violence

Three popular articles this week on HRinfodesk

January 23, 2020 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Health and Safety, Human Resources, Payroll, Source Deductions and Reporting, 0

The three popular articles this week on HRinfodesk deal with revised WSIB policies, updated CRA tables, forms and guides, and workplace safety inspections.

employment law, federal basic personal amount, rate-setting model, safety inspections

Is that porn discriminatory? Closed captioning and human rights

January 22, 2020 Devan Marr Employee Relations, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, 0

While the facts of the case in this article might be funny to some, it is an important reminder for employers in Ontario who provide services to the public. Provincially regulated businesses are subject to the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Americans with Disabilities Act, closed captioning, discrimination on the basis of disability, employment law, Ontario Human Rights Code, risk management

Are employees “off-ramping” from your organization?

January 21, 2020 Occasional Contributors Employee Relations, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Recruiting and Hiring, Training and Development, 0

We live in an age of increased workplace stress (not to mention societal stress in the form of newspaper headlines), and burnout has now been recognized in the International Classification of Diseases as an occupational phenomenon.

employee burnout, employee productivity, employment law, flexible work arrangements, flexible work hours, flexible work schedules, mental health in the workplace, off-ramping, supportive workplace environment, work-life balance, workplace stress

When worlds collide – The evolution of employment law principles in the termination of independent contractor relationships

January 20, 2020 Sean Bawden Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Human Resources, Notice, Damages and Settlements, Payroll, Recruiting and Hiring, 0

To my mind, what Barresi demonstrates is that the line between employment law principles and “independent contractor” commercial law principles continues to blur. As the nature of what it means to be “employed” continues to evolve, so too must the law.

breach of contract, contract law principles, employment contract, employment law, employment law principles, independent contractor, just cause dismissal, repudiation of the employment contract, termination

Previous Posts Next posts