risk management

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

Business e-mail compromise: sometimes you pay twice!

October 22, 2019 Devan Marr Employee Relations, Human Resources, Privacy and Security, Training and Development, 0

A recent Ontario Small Claims Court decision highlights the importance of having effective workplace policies and procedures when it comes to transferring funds electronically.

cybersecurity, email compromise, employment law, fraud, risk management

Managing employee risk requires a culture of compliance

July 24, 2018 Occasional Contributors Employee Relations, Human Resources, Recruiting and Hiring, Training and Development

Companies need to know how to measure and analyze compliance data so they can take any necessary actions before something unethical or illegal happens. High-quality data sources with predictive power enable companies to assess their current culture of compliance and take prompt action when needed.

compliance and risk, Corporate culture, culture of compliance, employment law, human resources leadership, leadership, managing risk, risk management

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in recruiting

January 10, 2018 Lisa Stam, Spring Law Employee Relations, Human Resources, Privacy and Security, Recruiting and Hiring

Stories about artificial intelligence (AI) stealing our jobs and robots going rogue have been in our collective consciousness for years. Elon Musk has also sounded the alarm bells’, calling AI the “biggest risk we face as a civilization”. While he may know a few things I don’t, I can’t say that I agree. Always one to embrace technology, I think AI has great potential to be used by businesses in the HR space, such as to make hiring practices more efficient and more fair.

AI, AI in the workplace, applicant screening, artificial intelligence, Elon Musk, hiring practices, HR space, micro-muscle movements, Online dating sites, resumes, risk management, technology

Introducing our newest guest blogger Beyond Rewards Inc.

October 8, 2015 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Accessibility Standards, Announcements and Administration, Employee Relations, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Integrated Accessibility Regulation, Training and Development

We are very pleased to announce that Beyond Rewards Inc. will be blogging on First Reference Talks.

AODA, Beyond Rewards Inc., Blogging, First Reference Talks, HR blogs, risk management, workplace training

Navigating the issue of domestic violence in the workplace

July 20, 2012 David Hyde Health and Safety, Human Resources, Privacy and Security

Ontario’s recently enacted workplace violence amendment places a legal onus on provincially regulated employers to safeguard employees from the risk of domestic violence in the workplace. Additional jurisdictions are likely to follow suit. In legal terms, domestic violence is increasingly becoming a foreseeable workplace risk. In moral terms, inaction on this growing workplace issue would introduce unacceptable human risk.

Bill 168, domestic violence, domestic violence and the workplace, Due diligence, employment law, foreseeable harm, occupational health and safety act, OHSA, ontario, personal safety plan, reasonability, risk management, risk management strategy, safety plan, section 32.0.4, threat assessment, threat management plan, threat of domestic violence, threat of violence, workplace harassment, workplace injury, workplace investigation, workplace safety plan, workplace violence, workplace violence policy, workplace violence program, WorksafeBC

Expanded citizen’s arrest law and the Canadian workplace

June 29, 2012 David Hyde Employee Relations, Health and Safety, Human Resources, Privacy and Security

The Conservative government is poised to enact the first substantive expansion of citizen’s arrest laws in Canada since 1955. The catalyst for the Bill C-26 amendment to the citizen’s arrest section of the Criminal Code of Canada was the 2010 case of Toronto grocer David Chen who faced criminal assault charges after performing a citizen’s arrest of a habitual thief he had seen stealing from his store earlier in the day.

Bill C-26, citizen's arrest, citizen's arrest by employees, criminal code, criminal offence, David Chen, Employer liability, employment law, non-security employees, Pope v. Route 66 Clothing Inc., private security, R v. Chen et. al., reasonable time, risk management, Section 494, The Citizen’s Arrest and Self-defence Act, training, vicarious liability, video surveillance, violence, workplace hazard, workplace theft or assault, workplace violence

Introducing our newest guest blogger Clear Path Employer Services

June 6, 2012 Adam Gorley Accessibility Standards, Announcements and Administration, Human Resources, Payroll

Anna Aceto-Guerin Clear Path Employer Services President

We are very pleased to announce that Clear Path Employer Services’ team of human resources professionals will be sharing their expertise with our readers on First Reference Talks, starting this Friday!

Clear Path Employment Services, human capital, human capital losses, ontario, risk management

WSIB introduces safe communities incentive program

May 9, 2012 Marcia Scheffler Health and Safety, Human Resources, Training and Development

Do you, like 98 percent of Ontario businesses, employ 100 or fewer employees? Then you should try SCIP-ing into spring with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s Safe Communities Incentive Program.

employment law, health and safety action plan, health and safety association, health and safety compliance, Health and Safety program, illness at work, lost time injuries, Ministry of Labour, occupational health and safety act, OHSA, ontario, prevention, Return to work, return-to-work program, risk management, Safe Communities Incentive Program, Safety Groups, SCIP, senior management, small business, workplace injury, Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, WSIA, wsib, WSIB premium rebate

Risk-based pension regulation: fancy name, but what does it mean?

March 19, 2012 Adam Gorley Payroll, Pensions and Benefits

The Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) is proposing a risk-based system of regulating pension plans. Essentially, this means improving risk assessment and monitoring, following five principles…

compliance, Financial Services Commission of Ontario, FSCO, pension reform, pension regulation, pensions, regulatory response, risk impact, risk management, risk-based, Risk-Based Regulation Framework

Managing fraud risk

January 4, 2012 Adam Gorley Employee Relations, Human Resources

Reducing the risk of fraud from both external and internal sources is something that all businesses have to consider at some time, or continually, depending on the owner’s approach and taste for living on the edge. But seriously, fraud is a serious problem that can damage or even destroy a business, particularly small and medium ones, which can’t afford the potential losses.

anti-fraud controls, banking and treasury, embezzlement, employee fraud, employee theft, external fraud, FAPP, Finance and Accounting PolicyPro, fraud prevention, fraud risk, indemnification, internal fraud, Jeffrey Sherman, purchasing, record keeping, revenue, risk, risk management

Safety and security for business travellers: a legal and moral imperative for Canadian employers

December 16, 2011 David Hyde Employee Relations, Health and Safety, Human Resources

When it comes to employee travel, the risk landscape is changing for Canadian employers. The nature and extent of security and safety risks faced by today’s business traveller are expanding, and conditions on the ground for international travellers are becoming more unpredictable. In parallel with these changes, we are witnessing a tidal wave of new occupational health and safety statutes and regulations aimed at preventing work-related violence, including recent examples in Ontario, Manitoba and Newfoundland.

all reasonable steps, business travel, civil unrest, Duty of care, earthquakes, employee group benefits, employee travel, employment law, enhanced security and medical assistance services, failure to comply, high-risk locale, international travel, medical outbreaks, natural disasters, non-compliance, occupational health and safety, OH&S, organized crime, political instability, risk management, safety risk, security risk, severe weather, tort liability, travel and extended health care insurance, travel insurance, travel risk, travel risk management, travel safety and security plan, travel-related risks, TRM

Laws not enough to stop fraud

December 5, 2011 Adam Gorley Employee Relations, Human Resources, Privacy and Security

A recent US survey finds that “Business losses due to fraud increased 20% in the last 12 months, from $1.4 million to $1.7 million per billion dollars of sales. … 88% of the respondents reported being victims of corporate fraud over the past 12 months.” Does this worry you?

business fraud, corporate malfeasance, embezzlement, fraud, fraud-prevention controls, information theft, preventing fraud, risk management

What HR professionals need to know about ‘kidnap and ransom’ insurance

October 18, 2011 John Proctor Health and Safety, Human Resources, Privacy and Security

Organizations that send employees to destinations with a high risk of kidnapping should seriously contemplate kidnap and ransom (K&R) insurance. K&R insurance protects individuals and corporations, typically covering kidnapping, extortion, wrongful detention and hijacking. K&R policies may also indemnify personal accident losses caused by kidnapping, and will generally cover the fees and expenses of crisis management consultants.

crisis management, employment law, extortion, hijacking, hostage, insurance, kidnap & ransom insurance, kidnapping, post-captivity support, risk management, wrongful detention

Slaw: Disgruntled former worker who hijacked network must pay city $1,485,791

June 2, 2011 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor Human Resources, Privacy and Security

In a recent survey of 500 information technology and data security workers, 40 percent said they could easily use their knowledge of encryption keys, shared passwords, weak controls and loopholes in data security programs to make off with information, or hold their organization’s data hostage. And 31 percent said that, even if they no longer worked for the company, with their knowledge of the systems they could access encryption keys and authorization codes and hack in remotely to snoop, secretly alter files or shut down the data system.

administrative passwords to the network, data security, Digital security firm, disgruntled former employees, employment law, encryption keys, IT department, IT employee, network, network security practices, poor management, risk management, sensitive data, technology, terminations, Venafi