policy
December 1, 2015 Michele Glassford Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, HR Analytics, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Training and Development
A friend recently told me about his (manufacturing) workplace where most of the equipment is broken, production lousy and new employees last “sometimes four hours, sometimes a week” but rarely longer than that. He reported that the business owner had recently woken up and hired an independent consultant to take a look and make recommendations for the business. I don’t know if this company has any HR personnel, but many small to medium companies do not have dedicated HR personnel, save and except for payroll, and may have a general manager or owner who is oblivious to what goes on the shop floor. So what are the warning signs of a workplace that needs attention?
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July 25, 2014 Adam Gorley Employee Relations, Human Resources, Notice, Damages and Settlements, Payroll, Privacy and Security, Union Relations
The names of people involved in labour arbitration should be disclosed with the arbitrator’s decisions, unless there are compelling reasons not to do so, according to the open-court principle and the public’s interest. The British Columbia Labour Relations Board affirmed the law in a recent review of an arbitrator’s decision. The board also affirmed arbitrators’ […]
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April 17, 2014 Employer Advisor, McCarthy Tétrault LLP Employee Relations, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights
On April 15, the Ontario Human Rights Commission published a new comprehensive policy entitled Policy on preventing discrimination because of Gender Identity and Gender Expression. According to the Commission, the policy…
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November 11, 2013 Christina Catenacci Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Wages and Compensation
Cold and flu season has arrived. Cold and flu spread more easily in the cold winter months because they thrive in colder, less humid environments. Thus, between October and February of each year, virtually thousands of employees get sick with the cold and/or flu, and that translates into lost work time, reduced productivity and disruption of workplace operations. As we all know, the flu can wreak havoc in the workplace as it spreads very quickly. What can employers do to minimize the impact of colds and influenzas (flus) on the workplace?
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September 18, 2013 Doug MacLeod, MacLeod Law Firm Employee Relations, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights
Since 2010 there has been confusion around the term “workplace harassment” in Ontario. Until that time, workplace harassment was generally limited to sexual, racial and 14 other types of harassment under the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code).
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July 16, 2013 Simon Heath, BA, MIR, LLB, Heath Law Corporate Immigration, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, International HR Law, Recruiting and Hiring, Training and Development
On July 15, 2013, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (“OHRC”) released its Policy on Removing the “Canadian Experience” Barrier (the “Policy”) barrier. The purpose of the Policy is to address the fact that new immigrants, with university educations and/or work experience, are denied opportunities for jobs or career advancement because they lack “Canadian Experience” (i.e. Canadian based work experience) and their foreign educational qualification or work experience are not recognized.
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February 25, 2013 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Employee Relations, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights
As we can see by this article, employees requesting a religious accommodation can sometimes conflict with safety issues.
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January 29, 2013 Christina Catenacci Employment/Labour Standards, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Wages and Compensation
Does your vacation policy require employees to take time off in consecutive weeks? What does the law say? The answer: it depends on the jurisdiction.
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August 27, 2012 Amery Boyer Employee Relations, HR Analytics, HRMS, Human Resources, Payroll, Recruiting and Hiring, Training and Development, Wages and Compensation
Job descriptions have many uses, the most obvious being to describe key responsibilities and serve as a basis for salary or pay. However, a job description has the potential to deliver far more than this…
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December 20, 2011 Andrew Lawson Employee Relations, Human Resources, Human Rights
Reverse discrimination is not a legal term but a socially constructed idea that describes a particular phenomenon; it is a side effect of employment equity programs, as they are called in Canada; “affirmative action” programs in the United States. Reverse discrimination in employment is perceived to have occurred when the majority (or a member of it) is denied an opportunity because the law forces an employer to hire a person from a minority group.
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September 13, 2011 Andrew Lawson Health and Safety, Human Resources
Nova Scotia is a wondrous place full of amazing–and dangerous–places. I visited “Canada’s Ocean Playgound” this summer and came home with a renewed appreciation for labour history and the reality that occupational health and safety missteps often cost workers their lives.
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August 22, 2011 Adam Gorley Human Resources, Human Rights, Privacy and Security
You might have heard about the case in which two car dealership workers were fired for cause after they wrote offensive and harassing messages on Facebook about their employer and managers.
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August 5, 2011 Christina Catenacci Employee Relations, Human Resources, Human Rights
What prompts a supervisor or worker to send a co-worker inappropriate text messages? In British Columbia, sexually charged messages in the workplace have led to trouble for employers. What do employers need to know so they can avoid being on the hook for sexual harassment?
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June 8, 2011 Christina Catenacci Accessibility Standards, Conferences, Human Resources, Human Rights, Integrated Accessibility Regulation, Standard for Customer Service
Employers in Ontario must be aware of the changes that are happening and the requirements that will be placed on them in the very near future under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act …
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March 30, 2011 Christina Catenacci Employment/Labour Standards, Human Resources
A recent Ontario case dealt with an employee’s misconduct that clearly amounted to just cause for termination; however, the employee was still entitled to termination pay.
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Ageism is a big problem in the legal community. Bay Street firms and others are not interested in applicants' skills, knowledge, etc. unless they are... – Nov 16, 11:05 AM
Excellent article !! Right on point. So many times we encounter opinionated employer representatives or coworkers who address complaints from positions of bias. Bias that... – Oct 30, 12:07 AM
Navigating workplace harassment complaints
September 18, 2013 Doug MacLeod, MacLeod Law Firm Employee Relations, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights
Since 2010 there has been confusion around the term “workplace harassment” in Ontario. Until that time, workplace harassment was generally limited to sexual, racial and 14 other types of harassment under the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code).
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