About Adam Gorley
The hiring process: How to control risks
Recruiting and hiring new staff members is fraught with challenges. Which candidate has the right combination of skills for the job? Will she fit in with her new team members? Can he actually do the things he says he can? These questions are fundamental to effective hiring, but they don’t begin to consider the legal risks associated with the hiring process.
Adam Gorley
8 minutes read
October 26, 2015
How to create an occupational health and safety policy manual
With heightened scrutiny over workplaces and increased penalties for workplace incidents causing injuries—or worse, death—employers must ensure they understand their obligations under occupational health and safety legislation. One of the fundamental obligations is to prepare workplace safety and health policies and procedures and to train employees and supervisors on them. But where to start?
Adam Gorley
New accessible buildings standards take effect in 2015
Since the passage of the Accessibility of Ontarians with Disabilities Act in 2005, Ontario has been steadily advancing its accessibility project with new and amended standards and regulations. The goal is an “accessible Ontario” by 2025, supporting all Ontarians in accessing goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, buildings, structures and premises. Two new regulations addressing the built environment will come into force in 2015.
Adam Gorley
New development in Christian Horizons discrimination case
When a support worker at an evangelical Christian organization that runs homes for persons with developmental disabilities entered a same-sex relationship, the organization found the worker had breached its “Lifestyle and Morality Statement,” which prohibited homosexual relationships. The organization, Christian Horizons, eventually terminated the employee on that ground, and the worker complained of discrimination to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal.
Adam Gorley
Undue hardship – myth or reality? Learn the latest!
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.
Adam Gorley
Social networking and Internet abuse in the workplace – Learn the latest
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.
Adam Gorley
Automated human resources management – is it time?
One software industry analyst has been watching the human resources management system market for some time and has discerned some trends. With the economy recovering from recession, organizations are focusing on core HR concerns, such as strategic hiring and productivity. As a result, they’ll invest in technologies that help in these areas, particularly if they “offer an immediate return on investment or meet some compelling management or regulatory need”.
Adam Gorley
Domestic violence and the workplace – balancing privacy and safety
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that most of the requirements of Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Act (Violence and Harassment in the Workplace) 2009 are uncontroversial, and most organizations should have little trouble understanding them and complying. However, one aspect of the law has caused more discussion and confusion than any other: the domestic violence provisions, which require employers to intervene in instances where they suspect (based on reasonable evidence) that an employee has suffered or is suffering from domestic violence, particularly if that violence might reach into the workplace.
Adam Gorley
Improving web accessibility – our own!
Customers demand more of businesses in so many ways these days—better quality and safety, greater social and environmental responsibility, extra service, and accessibility. The law increases its demands frequently, too. Even our governments and public service providers have a hard time keeping up with the legal requirements! Making improvements in all of these areas can challenge an organization, but only accessibility offers the advantage of access to a market of unrealized potential.
Adam Gorley