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HR Hot Topic Blog
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1/24/2012 11:42:19 AM
The February 2012 safety blitz will focus on Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) in the Industrial, Construction, Mining and Health Care Sectors. MSD’s are injuries and disorders of the muscles, tendons and nerves. They can develop as a result of ongoing exposure to such things as repetitive work, forceful exertions such as heavy lifting and carrying, awkward postures, and vibrating equipment that can affect the bones, joints, ligaments and other soft tissues. MSD’s can occur in any type of workplace. They account for 44 per cent of all lost-time injury claims in Ontario. In 2009, these resulted in: · More than 900,000 working days lost, and · More than $111 million in Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) costs. If an MOL inspector arrives at your organization, here's what you can expect. The inspector will perform an administrative review including but not limited to: · How your workplace lives up to its roles under the Internal Responsibility System · Your MSD injury statistics · Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) minutes · Written procedures and training on MSD hazards, signs, symptoms and controls. Source: Ministry of Labour (MOL) and Health & Safety Ontario – Your Partners in Prevention
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1/16/2012 2:33:50 PM
We are happy to announce that Crystal Hall, our HR Generalist, has successfully received her CHRP (Certified Human Resources Professional) designation! The certification process is to ensure that HR professionals who are certified by the HRPA possess the knowledge and skills in sufficient degree to competently perform important occupational activities in the HR profession. To obtain the CHRP designation Crystal had to complete 9 specific Human Resources courses required by the HRPA, maintain her HRPA membership, write the National Knowledge Exam, possess a University degree, and possess at least 3 years of demonstrated experience in HR at a professional level. Crystal completed the 9 courses during her time at Georgian College in the HR Management post-graduate program, wrote and passed the NKE in October 2010, obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Lauren University, and gained her HR experience at our firm. She’s also been a member of the HRPA since 2008. We would like to congratulate Crystal on all of her hard work and commitment to this important achievement in her professional career!
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Crystal Hall, HR Performance & Results, CHRP
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1/4/2012 10:48:24 AM
Did your organization meet the January 1st, 2012 AODA compliance deadline? If not, let us help you comply. Check out our program under the Training & Development tab.
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12/19/2011 1:46:15 PM
12 days left to comply with the AODA! Have you taken a look at our training program? We can help your business with complying every step of the way!
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12/5/2011 2:06:50 PM
Don't wait until the last minute! Our AODA program will provide you and your organization with everything you need to comply! The deadline is fast approaching! As of January 1st, 2012 the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service will be in force. We are holding a training session at our office in the Southend of Barrie in early January - please visit our training page on our site for more information, or contact Tara Kennedy (tara@hrpar.ca) at our office for more details.
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11/30/2011 4:46:08 PM
32 Days left to comply with the AODA! Be proactive and get a head start! Let us HELP you meet the requirements - Not only do we provide you with all the information you need, we will help you develop and implement the required policies, practices and procedures. Check out our AODA training program.
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11/16/2011 3:49:13 PM
Does your organization provide goods or services? If you answered yes, and your organization has more than 1 employee, you must comply with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 - Customer Service Standard that comes into effect January 1st, 2012. The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) was created to provide accessibility for all Ontarians with a disability. What are the key compliance requirements and how can HR Performance & Results help you? - Develop and implement policies, practices, and procedures
- Train staff on how to interact and communicate with people with disabilites
What are the potential consequences for non-compliance? - Administrative penalites (ordinarily up to $2k for individual and $15k for company but can be higher)
Prosecutions for committing offence under AODA: - Max $50, 000 fine per day per person (includes Directors and Officers)
- Max $100, 000 fine per day for a corporation
- Duty on Directors and Officers to take reasonable care to prevent organization from committing an offence under the AODA
There is still time left to comply! Be proactive and get a head start! Let us help you meet the requirements. Remember: You're not alone - we are here for you every step of the way! Contact us today for further information about our program or visit AODA: Accessibility Standards for Customer Service & Integrated Standards for more information about our training program.
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3/22/2011 3:58:53 PM
Neil Young is a pharmacist and one of the owners of Young's Pharmacy, a family-owned business in Georgetown, Ontario. In 2006, Young's Pharmacy won two of the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Area's (TABIA) Ontario Mainstreet Achievement Awards in the categories of Customer Service and Employment. Although the business has changed hands over the years, Young's Pharmacy has been serving customers in Southern Ontario since 1853. And, for this business, the key to their longevity simply comes down to quality customer service for everyone. Young says that the question they're always asking themselves is, "what can we do to make it easier for you to do business with us?" The pharmacy moved to their current Georgetown location in 1992. At that time, they installed a ramp and automatic doors at the entrance as well as an accessible washroom for customers. They do their best to keep their aisles wide and clear. And they have a nurse on staff who makes house calls for customers with disabilities who can't get out to the pharmacy. When asked if he's seen a return on the investment into the accessibility accommodations, Young says that it's difficult to determine what the dollar benefit might have been to the business. But he does note that the business has grown substantially since moving to the current location. Young's Pharmacy also won the TABIA award in the Employment category. In the last few years they have hired a few employees with mental health disabilities. Young points out that, "we do our best to stretch to accommodate the people that we can." Accessibility is a good investment for any business. It brings more customers through the door, encourages more tourists to visit Ontario, and removes barriers that keep skilled employees out of workplaces. Sourced: http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/about/stories/youngs_pharmacy.aspx
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3/8/2011 12:01:00 PM
By January 1st 2025, under the Ontario government’s Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 the province of Ontario will be accessible to all residents. The purpose of this Act is to benefit all Ontarians by developing, implementing and enforcing accessibility standards in order to achieve accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities with respect to goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, buildings, structures and premises. Under the Act, “disability” means (a) Any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes diabetes,mellitus, epilepsy, a brain injury,any degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical co-ordination, blindness or visual impediment, deafness or hearing impediment, muteness or speech impediment, or physical reliance on a guide dog or other animal or on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device, (b) A condition of mental impairment or a developmental disability, (c) A learning disability, or a dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in understanding or using symbols or spoken language, (d) A mental disorder, or (e) An injury or disability for which benefits were claimed or received under the insurance plan established under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 Customer service organizations in the public sector were required to comply on January 12th, 2010. Private sectors must comply by January 12th, 2012. All organizations with more than one employee must comply with its requirements and all organizations with more than 20 employees must submit a report annually on compliance activities by completing an accessibility form by the government. For more information, please visit http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/index.aspx and www.accesson.ca
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3/1/2011 10:47:26 AM
The Job Board’s Future Job boards are still part of most employers’ recruiting plans, but for companies like Compass Group Canada and Mobilicity, they are increasingly less important tools. Ricci says only seven to eight per cent of its hires come directly from job boards. Mobilicity still posts jobs to get the word out, because they find prospects peruse the job boards to see what’s available then turn to social media to find a connection that can put them in touch with the company. According to Michael Mahoney, senior marketing coordinator at Drake International, a talent management solution provider in Toronto, job boards will have to evolve with the times if they hope to continue to be a part of companies’ recruitment strategies in the future. “Thanks to social media, job boards are becoming like the newspaper classifieds, the medium they’ve mostly replaced.” The minimum job boards need to be doing is getting involved with social interaction on Twitter and Facebook, he says. Andrea Garson, vice-president of HR at Workopolis, says that internal research shows that 86 per cent of job seekers still readily use job boards to look for work. That being said she adds, “There is an opportunity for the leading job boards to embrace social media as a way to expand the online presence for employers beyond just their own website, so they can access their candidates more readily.” We have to think more like marketers, she adds: how can we pull and push people to social media to learn about a company? In that vein, Workopolis recently launched an employer-brand optimizer, which allows employers to showcase their employer “story” on Workopolis, which can then be linked back to the employer’s website and social media pages. How Can Social Media Impact your Recruitment Strategy? 1. You’ll find qualified leads faster than ever. 2. You’ll have more control over your recruiting. 3. You’ll create a pool of talent you can tap into later. 4. You’ll have more control over your employer brand. 5. You’ll have more validation in your decision-making. Sourced: HR Professional Magazine
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2/23/2011 3:58:51 PM
Social Networking Websites Websites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and personal blogs have presented new workplace issues for employers in terms of communications to third parties. Some of the issues are in relation to breach of confidentiality, insubordination, damage to the employer’s reputation, defamation, and vicarious liability to the employer for inappropriate content that has been posted by an employee. A number of social networking websites encourage participants to disclose personal information about themselves, including the identity of their employer, their jobs, and the manner in which their jobs are performed. There have been countless examples of cases in which employees have disclosed confidential information about the employer, customers/clients, and even other employees (managerial and non-managerial). An employee who makes improper disclosure of customer identities, customer buying habits, patient diagnoses, price lists, marketing/business strategies, target markets, passwords to workplace systems, financial information, for example, can seriously prejudice the employer and the viability of the enterprise. It is imperative that workplace policies be developed in order to address Internet communications to third parties, about the employer and its workplace. There must be considerable emphasis placed upon employees’ confidentiality obligations. Orientation/education should ideally be provided to employees to ensures that they clearly understand the obligation and the fact that a breach could lead to immediate discharge and even possible legal proceedings. Employees who are privy to sensitive, confidential information, including client information, marketing information, pricing, or proprietary information that is not in the public domain (inventions, creations, etc.) should be required to sign “non-disclosure agreements” which further emphasize the prejudice and the damages that could be suffered by the employer in the event that improper disclosure were made (directly or indirectly). There have been cases in which employees have communicated disparaging information in relation to the employer’s managerial personnel, and/or to the employer generally on both blogs and social networking websites. Once such information has been posted, it becomes accessible to other employees, friends and family of the employee, and possibly to competitors. The dissemination of such information has the potential to adversely affect the employer’s reputation and the ability of its management to properly manage operations. Depending upon the content of what is posted, the communication of such information can constitute insolence or insubordination even though the communications take place outside of an employee’s regular hours of work. If the employer can demonstrate that there is a connection between the conduct in question and the employee’s place of work, the employee can be disciplined if not terminated. In a recent decision of the British Columbia Labour Relations Board, the Board found that an employer had just cause to terminate two employees who posted comments on Facebook that were critical of the employer and other employees. The terminated employees argued that their terminations constituted a response to the employees’ support of a union organizing drive. The Board rejected this argument and also dismissed privacy related claims by the dismissed employees because of the large number of Facebook friends (including other employees) that they each had on their Facebook page. Employees must be educated and made to understand that postings on blogs, e-mails, and on social networks are not “private” and have the potential to be redistributed to other third parties over which the employee has no control. A simple “Google search” of the victims name will quickly disclose inappropriate communications that have been disseminated. As such, the risk of prejudice and economic harm to the employer that results from the initial communication is exacerbated. Blogs “Blogging” is the term that is used in describing a website at which people can post their personal thoughts, views and opinions. Blogs have become a very popular means by which individuals can communicate with the outside world. Google’s “Blogger.com” site attracts more than 15 million visitors each month – more than many newspaper websites attract. As such, a blog can attract a considerable following of readers. From an employer’s perspective, the concern with blogs is that they may disclose confidential information that should not be revealed. Disgruntled employees can use blogs to protest their workplace, other employees, managers, and the employer’s enterprise generally. The unfortunate part is that a comment on a blog can leave a permanent “footprint” for others to see. If an employer learns of an inappropriate blog communication that adversely affects the enterprise, there are a number of strategic responses that can be pursued. A response can be posted by the employer on the website which accurately sets out the employer’s position and which also puts the blogger and anyone else who disseminates the inappropriate blog on notice that a legal proceeding may be commenced. While an employer cannot prevent employees from blogging, the employer can establish reasonable parameters within which an employee may blog without engaging in employment misconduct. Once again, it is imperative that an employer establish clear policies with respect to Internet blogging communications and such policies should indicate that employees may be subject to discipline and/or legal proceedings in the event that they post damaging/prejudicial material on a blog. Blogs, regardless of whether they are prepared on or off company time may attract discipline. If an employee’s misconduct occurs outside of work time but yet detrimentally affects the employer’s reputation, or if the misconduct renders the employee unable to effectively perform his/her employment duties, or if it causes other employees to refuse to work with that person, or if the employee’s off duty misconduct inhibits the employer’s ability to manage and direct its operations, the blogging employee can be disciplined (including up to the point of termination, depending upon the circumstances). Summited by:
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Irv Kleiner
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2/22/2011 10:50:00 AM
HR Performance & Results now has a Facebook and Twitter page as well as a LinkedIn account. Our goal is to create a community discussion on hot HR topics. We also want to create new a forum where fresh innovative ideas can develop. This month we will be discussing social media in the workplace…the good, the bad and the ugly. We would like to invite you to visit our discussion board and share your thoughts. Click on our social media buttons on the side of this page to join. HR Performance & Results Team
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2/2/2011 1:33:10 PM
Ontario will launch a heightened enforcement focus related to hazards in shipping and receiving areas, including loading docks, as part of an ongoing campaign to increase safety in workplaces. Ministry of Labour inspectors will visit industrial and healthcare workplaces in February 2011. They will focus on hazards involving: - -Positioning and securing of vehicles, including checking that vehicles are immobilized and secured against accidental movement
- -Loading and unloading activities, including checking for hazards involving material handling equipment, fall hazards, and manual material handling that could lead to musculoskeletal disorders.
- -Entry and exit of transport vehicles, including checking for traffic hazards affecting pedestrians and the general work environment
The blitz is a part of the government’s Safe At Work Ontario strategy. Safe workplaces lead to increased productivity for businesses and result in less strain on the health care system. Quote “Workers face a variety of high-risk hazards in shipping and receiving areas of workplaces. Our government is taking steps to prevent these types of injuries and deaths. Workers have the right to return home safe and sound to their families at the end of each day.”
—Charles Sousa, Minister of Labour Quick facts - Ontario has 430 occupational health and safety inspector positions. Between January 1, 2000 and October 31, 2010, 15 workers died in incidents involving shipping and receiving areas, including loading docks.
Source: Ministry of Labour
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1/19/2011 9:55:52 AM
In November 2010, the Ontario government announced the Open for Business Act. The act amends the Employment Standards Act, 2000. Effective January 19th, 2011 there is a new process for filing employment standards claims. Previously, complainants were assigned an Employment Standards Officer to investigate right away. Now, complainants must inform their employer first of the problem (i.e. an issue with vacation pay, pregnancy leave, etc.) before filing a complaint. The complainant must report to the Director of Employment Standards that they have informed their employer of the problem. Complainants must provide any evidence to the Director of Employment Standards that may be requested. These steps must be taken within 6 months, if not, the complaint will be refused. The intention of this new process is to lessen the accumulation of employment standards complaints to promote early resolution.
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8/30/2010 11:26:34 AM
The Ministry of Labour will be targeting all workplace industries starting this September through to October. They will be looking for possible hazards that could cause musculoskeletal disorders in the safety blitz. Inspectors will visit workplaces in all different industries.
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7/12/2010 11:07:25 AM
Over the past couple of weeks we have experienced extremely hot temperatures in Ontario. These temperatures can cause heat stress, which can effect anyone. Factors that can contribute to heat stress include fatigue, fluid loss and hard physical work. Workers and employers should familarize themselves with the symptoms of heat stress. Some symptoms include excessive sweating, headaches, rashes, cramping, and dizziness. Often workers are unaware of their symptoms, by taking precautions such as drinking lots of water, avoiding working in direct sunlight, reducing the pace of work and wearing lighter coloured clothing, etc. will help to ensure workers do not experience heat stress.
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6/15/2010 8:53:05 AM
Bill 168 Workplace Violence & Harassment an act to amend the Occupational Health & Safety Act comes into force today - Tuesday June 15th, 2010. The new legislation requires employers to conduct a workplace violence risk assessment, prepare written policies with respect to workplace violence and harassment, prepare and maintain a violence and harassment prevention program and provide training to workers on the policies and programs. HR Performance & Results facilitates a Bill 168 & Workplace Violence Risk Assessment training program. We offer this customized program in Barrie and the GTA. For further information visit the link to our training page above or please contact us.
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6/9/2010 2:36:21 PM
The Ministry of Labour recently released a video of 2 Health & Safety inspectors discussing the new legislation under the Occupational Health & Safety Act for workplace violence and harassment. The inspectors highlight Bill 168 requirements and discuss what they will look for if they visit an employer. Don't forget, the Bill comes into force next week! Click on the link below to view the video. http://www.safety-reporter.com/ArticleView.aspx?l=1&articleid=7938 **Are you compliant with the legislation? Visit our Bill 168 Workplace Violence Risk Assessment Training to register for one of our upcoming training sessions. For further information or questions surrounding Bill 168 please contact us.
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6/4/2010 11:36:47 AM
The summer months are upon us, and for those of you who work outdoors, you know all too well what the effects of working in hot weather can have on your body! Here are a few suggestions to stay cool and avoid heat stress... - Wear light clothing to allow air movement and sweat to evaporate - Make sure the clothing is lightly coloured, avoid darker clothing like black - Work in shaded areas if possible - Take rest breaks in air conditioned areas - Drink cool water every 20 minutes - Train workers to recognize the signs of heat stress - Slow down the pace of work
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6/4/2010 11:22:55 AM
Construction Equipment and Material Handling Blitz The Ministry of Labour will be out visiting construction sites for the months of June and July. They will be checking for hazards related to the operation and maintenance of construction equipment, as well as the handling of materials. They will also be looking at the training and supervision of workers using the equipment, as well as workers working in close proximity of the equipment.
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Human Resources ● Health and Safety ● Training and Development ● Profile Assessment Tools ● Proven Results ● Recruitment and Selection ● Advisory Services ● Bill 168 Risk Assessment Training & AODA Training ● Employee Opinion Surveys
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