Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Norm Keith On September 5, 2017, Justice Nelson of the Ontario Court of Justice stayed all charges against the accused in the deadly stage collapse at the Radiohead concert in Downsview Park on June 16, 2012. These charges under the Occupational Health & Safety Act (OHSA) are the latest in a series of serious regulatory […]
By Rosalind H. Cooper Most occupational health and safety statutes across Canada contain provisions that prohibit employer reprisals for workplace health and safety matters. While the outcome of complaints made by workers regarding employer reprisals is always fact specific, employers had been taking comfort from several recent decisions. Those decisions suggested that complaints regarding employer […]
In today’s Advisor, we’re going to examine conflict resolution and why it’s so important for your personnel to be trained in this invaluable management skill. When supervisors and managers know how to resolve workplace conflicts effectively, they can save time and turn potentially destructive situations into positive, productive opportunities for growth and development within their […]
Certainly, supervisors and managers need to understand your company’s ethics policy and the importance of enforcing it. Train them on your policy, as well as the need to observe the highest standards of ethics, honesty, and integrity in the workplace.
Does this scenario look uncomfortably familiar? If so, here are several actions you can take to get your safety committee excited, involved—and committed—to complementing and strengthening workplace safety and training. Safety Planning If you don’t already have a safety program, or you have one but need to update it, you can use your safety committee […]
Whether employees trip and fall, slip and fall, or fall from a height, the risk of injury is high. And the higher they go, the harder they fall! So make sure you have all the fall hazards in your work areas covered. Stairs can be dangerous, especially if employees: Fail to hold on to handrails. […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, requires us to provide a safe workplace that is free of recognized hazards, including hazards that lead to slips, trips, and falls. Despite these factors, consider these disappointing statistics: According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 230,000 workers in the United States sustained […]
The biggest roadblocks to organizational breakthroughs are a shortage of fresh thinking and too much red tape, according to executives interviewed for a recent Robert Half survey. More than one-third (35 percent) of the 1,400 chief financial officers surveyed said a lack of new ideas is the greatest barrier to their company being more innovative. […]
By Rosalind H. Cooper Occupational health and safety legislation in most Canadian provinces prohibits reprisal by an employer against an employee who makes allegations of unsafe work. Workers routinely try to rely on such reprisal provisions to attack any actions of their employers. A recent Ontario Labour Relations Board decision, Petro v. The Beer Store, […]
By Rosalind Cooper For years employers across Canada have struggled with the difference between independent contractors and employees. Individuals believed to be independent contractors are often classified as employees after their relationship ends, leading to liability for employment-related severance and other amounts. The courts, human rights tribunals, and other administrative tribunals are constantly grappling with […]