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IT department

By | 3 Minutes Read

The right to disconnect and IT departments

right to disconnect

The right to disconnect refers to an employee’s right to disengage from work-related communications and other work outside of their normal working hours. Ontario enacted changes to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) to enforce this right in organizations with 25 or more employees. The changes received royal assent on December 2, 2021, and require compliance by June 2, 2022.

At first blush, the right to disconnect may appear to be a labour and employment issue. However, IT departments will have significant roles to play in enabling compliance with the letter and spirit of the new requirements.

Organizations will be looking to their IT departments to implement technological or automated solutions. Employers around the globe have implemented solutions including the following, to comply with legislated or voluntary right to disconnect policies:

  1. Taking mail servers offline after business hours. Anyone emailing the organization receives an automated message that the server is
… Continue reading “The right to disconnect and IT departments”

By | 4 Minutes Read

Cybersecurity in the boardroom: The new reality for directors

Not long ago, cybersecurity was a term rarely, if ever, heard in the boardroom. Rather, information security was deemed to be a risk managed solely by the chief information or technology officer. Those days are gone. With the litany of high profile cybersecurity hacks—and the potential resulting drop in shareholder value, regulatory inquiries and litigations which inevitably follow—cybersecurity has become an increasingly challenging risk that boards must address.

By | 2 Minutes Read

How do I ensure accountability for IT systems?

One of the key elements needed to ensure accountability is reporting the right statistics and metrics. Each user department is responsible for ensuring that its information technology needs are addressed, and the IT department is responsible for providing overall cost-effectiveness, quality and coordination. The IT department can play its role by ensuring that IT metrics are captured and disseminated. User departments and the IT department must both be involved; neither may be permitted to abdicate its responsibilities.

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