After the Chilean mine disaster – How HR got it wrong
The first anniversary of the Chilean mine disaster is an opportune time to take a closer look at the key aspects of managing human resources, and how we can avoid some of the mistakes that were made during the Chile mine incident.
John Proctor
4 minutes read
August 16, 2011
Sweeping changes at the WSIB – Learn the latest
There have been some sweeping changes at the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) this year. Are you ready for the new return-to-work and New Experimental Experience Rating (NEER) policies? And do you know about the soon-to-be effective Bill 160? Come join us at the annual Employment Law Conference to Learn the latest.
Christina Catenacci, BA, LLB, LLM, PhD
Bill 168, workplace violence and harassment provisions in OHSA – A year in review – Learn the latest
Nearly one year ago, the Ontario government enacted Bill 168, which added workplace violence and harassment provisions to the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Many employers were ready, but many are still scrambling to comply, which, among other things, includes developing written policies to address both violence and harassment at work and to review those policies at least once a year.
Ted Kenney
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
Daylight savings time: does it affect employees’ health?
Daylight savings time indicates the beginning of spring and increased energy. Turning the clock ahead one hour at this time of year provides more afternoon sunlight for outdoor exercise, which is good for one’s health. The opportunity for increased sunlight has even been linked to decreased symptoms of seasonal affective disorder and depression. But does changing the time have a negative effect on sleep and does this negatively affect employees’ health and productivity?
Christina Catenacci, BA, LLB, LLM, PhD
‘Invitation to harass?’
By now, most of us have heard about a controversial decision of the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench in which Justice Robert Dewar sentenced a man found guilty of sexual assault to a two year conditional sentence, allowing him to remain free in the community and avoid any jail time.
Rudner Law, Employment / HR Law & Mediation
Proposed expanded window for WSIB’s NEER policy
Another significant WSIB change is the draft Work Reintegration NEER policy. The new Work Reintegration NEER policy, which came into effect on December 1, 2010, subject to a consultation period until February 15, 2011, expands the window of retrospective rating of claims costs for those employers subject to NEER to…
Ted Kenney
The best lessons are not all learned in the classroom – the threat of the irate customer
As a workplace violence consultant and subject matter expert, I am well aware that irate customers pose a very real threat to front-line workers. It’s not very often that I am that irate customer.
Andrew Lawson
Quebec’s age-based workers’ compensation rule is discriminatory
A Quebec workers’ compensation tribunal has ruled that reducing injured workers’ income replacement benefits at the retirement age of 65 is unconstitutional because it discriminates on the basis of age, contrary to both the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms (section 10) and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (section 15).
Ted Kenney