religious beliefs

Food for thought: do employers need to accommodate ethical veganism in the workplace?

January 17, 2020 Vey Willetts LLP Employee Relations, Human Resources, Human Rights, 0

While the Ontario Human Rights Code has been interpreted in a liberal manner, there are situations where employees will experience workplace discrimination that falls beyond its scope. One area where it remains unclear to what extent the Code will apply, however, is with respect to vegan employees.

accommodation and human rights issues, creed, employment law, ethical veganism, Human Rights code of Ontario, philosophical beliefs, protected human rights grounds, religious beliefs

The duty to accommodate revisited: H.T. v. ES Holdings Inc. o/a Country Herbs

May 26, 2016 Kevin Sambrano, Sambrano Legal Services Employee Relations, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Notice, Damages and Settlements, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Union Relations, Wages and Compensation

The duty to accommodate presents itself to employers in many forms. While the most common accommodation involves a disability, often there are other grounds for accommodation that an employer must address as illustrated in H.T. v. ES Holdings Inc. o/a Country Herbs.

adverse discrimination, BFOR, constructive discrimination, creed, discrimination, duty to accommodate, duty to accommodate in the workplace, employment law, Human Rights in employment, human rights legislation, Kevin Sambrano, mandatory training, Meiorin, Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, policies and procedures, prima facie discrimination, religious accommodation, religious beliefs, termination, undue hardship

Betting you don’t have a gambling policy

March 2, 2015 Michele Glassford Employee Relations, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Union Relations, Wages and Compensation

We have recently survived the Superbowl and the Oscars. Over the next few weeks you may also experience some March Madness amongst your employees. And we have all heard the story of a mega-jackpot win by a group of employees who, despite their good fortune, left their employer bereft of employees overnight.

betting pool at the workplace, computer, Conduct and Behaviour policy, conflict among employees, criminal code, Discipline policy, Email and Internet Use Policy, employee assistance program, employee morale, employment law, gambling, gambling addictions, Gambling in the workplace, gambling policy, group lottery pool in the workplace, illegal gambling, lottery and gaming corporations, March Madness office pool, mega-jackpot win by group of employees, negative impact on the workplace, office lottery pools, online office pool management sites, religious beliefs, Workplace lottery and sports pools, workplace sports and lottery pools for profit

Workplace religious accommodation: A two-part obligation under human rights

April 25, 2014 Kevin Sambrano, Sambrano Legal Services Employee Relations, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Recruiting and Hiring

Under the Human Rights Code (Ontario), the duty to accommodate in the workplace is a two-part obligation. Employers who do not make at least a reasonable effort to comply with this obligation can find themselves having to pay a financial price. This was the reality in Qureshi v. G4S Security Services, 2009.

2009, creed, discrimination, duty to accommodate, duty to accommodate in the workplace, employment application, employment law, Kevin Sambrano, mandatory training, Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, policies and procedures, prohibited ground in employment, Qureshi v. G4S Security Services, religious accommodation, religious beliefs, termination, undue hardship

Can you force an employee to provide proof of their religion or their religious beliefs?

April 4, 2014 Rudner Law, Employment / HR Law & Mediation Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Wages and Compensation

Can you force an employee to provide proof of their religion or their religious beliefs? The issue of one’s religion or religious beliefs will only be relevant in the employment context when there is a request for accommodation. Typically…

accommodation of religious beliefs, ays off to observe holidays, Canadian HR Law group, Christmas and Easter, duty to accommodate, employment law, HR Law, LinkedIn, multicultural society, proof of religion or religious beliefs, question the veracity of the employee's beliefs, religion, religious beliefs, Religious holidays, shift schedule, statutory holidays, time off, undue hardship, vacation or sick days, work overtime and then use the time off in lieu of overtime pay, workplace

Slaw: Quebec public sector employees will have to exercise restraint with regard to expressing their religious beliefs

November 14, 2013 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Employee Relations, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Recruiting and Hiring

In the exercise of their functions, public sector employees will have to exercise restraint with regard to expressing their religious beliefs. The Bill creates duties of religious neutrality and restraint for public sector employees by forbidding during working hours the wearing of headgear, clothing, jewelry or other adornments which, by their conspicuous nature, overtly indicate a religious affiliation.

Accommodating religious beliefs, Bill 60, prohibited from wearing noticeable religious symbols, province of Quebec, public sector, Quebec Charter of Values, reasonable accommodation, religion, religious affiliation, religious beliefs, religious symbols, secularism and religious neutrality, working hours

Religious accommodation and safety issues

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.

accommodate the religious beliefs of workers, accommodation, bona fide occupational requirement, company policy, Disability, Disciplinary measures, duty to accommodate, employee discipline, employment law, health and safety legislation, health and safety policy, personal protective equipment, policy, reasonable accommodation, religion, religious accommodation, Religious accommodation and safety issues, religious accommodation can sometimes conflict with safety issues, religious beliefs, religious beliefs of workers, risk assessment, safety-related requirements, undue hardship, valid safety rule

Undue hardship – myth or reality? Learn the latest!

June 6, 2011 Adam Gorley Conferences, Human Resources, Human Rights

Every employer has experience accommodating employees due to their religion, family needs, health or disability. Accommodation is a necessary practice to manage a workplace today, and it’s the law in Canada, enshrined in the Canadian Human Rights Act and various provincial statutes. But every case of accommodation is different, and interpretations of the law vary.

accommodation, Allison Taylor, bona fide occupational requirement, Canadian Human Right Act, Disability, discrimination, duty to accommodate, employment law, family status, frustration of contract, Meiorin, Meiorin test, obligation to accommodate, Ontario Employment Law Conference, reasonable accommodation, religious beliefs, undue hardship

Christmas greetings in the workplace may be offensive

December 14, 2010 Andrew Lawson Health and Safety, Human Resources, Human Rights

You can’t say ‘Merry Christmas’ anymore—they have taken all the fun out of coming to work. What about my human rights? Wow! Where did all this negativity come from? I decided to do some research and look for the origins of this Christmas bashing and I turned up some interesting cases.

Christmas greetings may be offensive, discrimination, Discrimination based on religious beliefs, human rights issue, human rights training workshops, Merry Christmas, policy and procedures, policy manual, political correctness, religious accommodation, religious beliefs, religious observances, Workplace policy, You Tube

Social media presenting new challenges and opportunities for people in HR

September 15, 2010 Andrew Taillon Human Resources, Human Rights, Privacy and Security, Recruiting and Hiring

It is becoming more and more common to hear of employers “googling” prospective employees. Where a prospective employee has a significant presence on the Internet through social media, the employer may become privy to a number of facts about the prospective employee that he or she may not have known previously.

discrimination, facebook, Google, googling, hiring practices, HR profession, Internet, Labour and Employment law, liability, privacy settings, prohibited grounds, prospective employees, religion, religious beliefs, social media, Workplace discrimination

Free speech v. discrimination: When workplace rules cross the line

August 24, 2010 Andrew Lawson Human Resources, Human Rights

The recent case of Friesen v. Fisher Bay Seafood and others is a great example of free speech v. discrimination, on how and when workplace rules cross the line…

BFOR, bona fide occupational requirement, discipline, discrimination, duty to accommodate, employment law, firing, Free speech, Freedom of religion, Friesen v. Fisher Bay Seafood and others, policies and procedures, preaching at work, religion, religion in the workplace, religious beliefs, termination, workplace rules