communication

Employee wellbeing: Working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic

March 30, 2020 Beyond Rewards Inc Employee Relations, Health and Safety, Human Resources, Training and Development, 0

As the spread of the Coronavirus has increased and continues to increase, a majority of employees are now working from home. With employees working from home during social distancing, now is the time to ensure that you support your employees. Here are a few tips to ensure you are adequately checking in with your employees and ensuring their mental wellbeing:

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White privilege and disability

January 29, 2016 Christopher Lytle MA CDS Accessibility Standards, Employee Relations, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Integrated Accessibility Regulation, Standard for Customer Service, Standard for Employment, Standard for Information and Communications, Standard for the Built Environment, Standard for Transportation

Only recently has the subject of white privilege come under scrutiny. White privilege has informed government, policy, relationships, youth, old age, trajectories of state bodies and even points in geo-political history. Like racial narratives, constructs that reproduce normality have allowed the concept of being able bodied to be viewed as positive and disability as negative.

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Are open office spaces hurting workplace productivity?

January 17, 2014 Clear Path Employer Services Accessibility Standards, Employee Relations, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Privacy and Security, Recruiting and Hiring, Standard for Employment, Training and Development

More and more we’re seeing the modern workplace make the shift from a traditional, individualized office space design to something more open-concept and collaborative. Take a moment to Google a few innovative or up-and-coming companies in the communication or technology spheres. It’s very likely that one or more of these companies will offer a virtual tour of their office space for potential candidates, using words like “fun”, “innovative”, and “collaborative” to describe the working environment.

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All “tricked out” with employee engagement surveys?

October 29, 2013 Marcia Scheffler Employee Relations, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Training and Development

Employee engagement surveys are a great “trick” to measure the pulse of your organization and to increase employee engagement. Even small employers can conduct and analyze results in a low cost, time effective manner.

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Employer liable under human rights for consultant’s discriminatory action

September 13, 2013 Alison J. Bird Employee Relations, Human Resources, Human Rights, Notice, Damages and Settlements, Payroll, Recruiting and Hiring, Wages and Compensation

While many employers in Canada understand that they have obligations under human rights legislation, they likely do not appreciate that they can also be liable if a consultant contracted to provide services on their behalf engages in discriminatory action. This is what occurred in Ontario in the recent case of Reiss v CCH Canadian Limited, 2013 HRTO 764.

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The low-down on workplace gossip

August 26, 2013 Clear Path Employer Services Employee Relations, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights

A recent poll from recruitment marketing firm Employment Office has revealed that most employees don’t appreciate office gossip. In fact, a surprising 63 percent feel that a colleague has taken gossip too far on more than one occasion. Not only does this put a damper on employee morale, office gossip also impacts productivity levels and can lead to resentment among some employees.

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Internal communications during a workplace related crisis

May 28, 2013 Marcia Scheffler Employee Relations, Human Resources

Rob Ford fired his Chief of Staff, Mark Towhey and Steven Harper accepted the “resignation” of his Chief of Staff, Nigel Wright, the week of May 23, 2013 which has surely been the one of the worst weeks for Chiefs of Staff in Canada for a while.

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Five ways to keep your employees’ new year’s resolutions and productivity alive at work

January 18, 2013 Occasional Contributors Employee Relations, Human Resources

2012 is gone, and 2013 is well underway. Many people have made commitments to themselves to make a change for the better in their professional lives. It’s a new year, so why not start fresh right? People often feel as though the New Year brings a renewed sense of commitment and productivity at work.

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Resolving to change: Fostering transformation at the organizational level

January 10, 2013 Marcia Scheffler Employee Relations, HR Analytics, HR Policies and Procedures, HRMS, Human Resources, Union Relations

Welcoming a New Year can also mean welcoming change. Many individuals have resolved to make changes in their lives. Companies also often kick-off change initiatives or begin to implement talked about transformation in the New Year.

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We are not SHOUTING or SCREAMING! Font sizes and accessibility

April 23, 2012 Suzanne Cohen Share Accessibility Standards, Integrated Accessibility Regulation, Standard for Customer Service, Standard for Information and Communications

Recently I sent an email in a medium-large font to someone who thought I was shouting. The reply I received was disturbing. The person was offended and read the information as if I was angry…

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Relying on breach of policy to discipline employees

February 23, 2012 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, HRMS, Human Resources, Training and Development

When an employer seeks to rely on a breach of policy in disciplining an employee, the employer must prove that it clearly communicated the policy to the employee in question and has enforced the policy consistently. The importance of such communication in enforcement of workplace policies was demonstrated in Lambe v. Irving Oil Ltd.

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Social networking and Internet abuse in the workplace – Learn the latest

May 18, 2011 Adam Gorley Conferences, Human Resources, Privacy and Security

We’ve written plenty on First Reference Talks about the significant effects—both negative and positive—that online social networking can have on workplaces. Whether its Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, news or entertainment blogs or what-have-you, employees are using social media, and increasingly they’re doing it on your time. Employers should be aware of the potential value they can derive from social media, as well as the potential risks.

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Eight out of ten workers witnessed conflicts in the workplace, so what?

March 9, 2011 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Health and Safety, Human Resources, Human Rights, Training and Development

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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When employers are more progressive than employees

April 7, 2010 Adam Gorley Employment/Labour Standards, Human Resources

As if you didn’t have enough to worry about with the weak economy and trying to hold onto your job: more employers than ever in the United States are offering their employees the benefit of flex hours, but their employees are refusing to take advantage for fear they’ll get the axe! Recent research in the US by the Center for Work-Life Policy has found that fewer workers are accepting offers of flex-time—scheduling their own hours combined with working from home—because they feel the need to be present in the office to make sure their employers know they are working, even if the employees are in fact more productive working on their own schedules.

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