Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
by Kate McNeill of McCarthy Tetrault and Brian P. Smeenk formerly with McCarthy Tetrault Canada’s federal parliament has passed a law to protect workers when their employers become insolvent A key component of Bill C-12, passed December 14, 2007, is the creation of the Wage Earner Protection Program (WEPP). The WEPP provides statutory wage protection […]
By Donovan Plomp McCarthy Tetrault In Canada, employees are entitled to certain government-provided benefits under the federal Employment Insurance Act, including “compassionate care benefits.” The introduction of these benefits in January 2004 prompted almost all provinces and territories to introduce job-protected compassionate care leave in their respective minimum employment standards laws. Employers in Canada must […]
You’re headed for the cafeteria when George (a young, energetic manager with promise) stops you and says, “I hope you don’t expect me to show up for that class about gays tomorrow.” This is news. You didn’t know George had objections to the planned diversity seminar. George registers your surprise and ups the ante. “I […]
Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest military contractor, will have to pay former employee Charles Daniels $2.5 million. The African-American electrician was subjected to a racially hostile work environment at several job sites nationwide. This is the largest amount ever obtained by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for a single person in a discrimination case. […]
Ralph Gaillard reviews the book Recruiting the Workforce of the Future by Bruce Tulgan. Review praises book’s striaghtforward advice and checklists to help HR recruit the right employees. Let’s face it: Recruiting is no picnic. In fact, it’s one of the biggest headaches facing HR today. The pressure to find that perfect candidate has never […]
HR consultant and author of 13 bestselling business books Carol Hacker reviews the book Boom! 7 Choices for Blowing the Doors Off Business-As-Usual by Drs. Kevin and Jackie Freiberg. Review highlights the choices employers must make to create a workplace environment that works for both employees and customers. Dr. Kevin and Jackie Freiberg are out […]
By Trevor Lawson and Donovan Plomp McCarthy Tetrault Although large employment-related class-action lawsuits have become commonplace in the United States, until recently they were virtually unknown in Canada. The relative peace enjoyed by Canadian employers on this front was shattered with a $651 million class-action lawsuit filed in June 2007 against the Canadian Imperial Bank […]
Well, David Letterman reached an agreement with the writers, and they are coming back to work. For him. No such luck for those of us who are anxiously awaiting the return of our favorite show. Nevertheless, the labor dispute is continuing to teach us valuable lessons. Like why companies should avoid this mess in the […]
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled that employers can prohibit employees from using company e-mail to send union-related messages while allowing some personal use of e-mail. In a 3-2 decision dated December 16 but released December 21, the NLRB majority ruled that the e-mail policy of Eugene, Oregon, newspaper The Register-Guard wasn’t a […]
It is not that I don’t support the writers of The Office. I do. But I also think their situation is different than most other industries in the private sector. When I look at the issue of unionization from a more global perspective, I firmly believe that most employees and companies are better off without […]