Tag: Employment law

Headline news: Policies, procedures essential tools in fight against sexual harassment

Last week, former Fox News Anchor Gretchen Carlson slapped Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes with a wrongful termination and sexual harassment lawsuit in New Jersey Superior Court. The lawsuit alleges that Ailes made “sexually charged comments” to Carlson, including comments about her body and requests for what could be considered quid pro quo […]

Reconsidering random drug and alcohol testing in Canada

by Hannah Roskey Random workplace drug and alcohol testing is generally prohibited by Canadian employers in Canada. However, there are limited circumstances in which it may be permitted. A recent decision of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, Suncor Energy Inc. v. Unifor Local 707A, provides some further guidance for employers operating in Canada. And […]

Looking for employees? Digital profiles make window shopping convenient

Expensive, important investments typically send people to the internet. House hunters turn to websites and social media platforms to help them find the right home in the right neighborhood at the right price. Car buyers, too, take to the internet to find just the right vehicle. So if digital tools are vital for consumers making […]

Another Period: trial by idiot

The sophomore season of Another Period is now in full swing with last night’s episode having quite a bit of fun with the judiciary. If you haven’t already caught this gem of a comedy, it is an American period sitcom spoofing both reality shows and Downton Abbey. The show follows the outrageous lives of the […]

OSHA tips: heat exposure

by John E. Hall With much of the country in line for high temperatures this summer, employers should be mindful of employees’ exposure to heat hazards on the job. Although the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has no heat standard, the agency has become increasingly willing to cite employers for employees’ heat exposure under […]

Arbitration awards: a permanent part of an employee file

by Emilie Paquin-Holmested In Canada, amnesty clauses are commonly found in collective agreements. The purpose of such clauses is to erase disciplinary measures from an employee’s file after a given period, usually between six and 24 months. Therefore, normally employers cannot consider disciplinary measures that predate the amnesty period when determining the appropriate disciplinary measure […]

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Great expectations? Let’s tip off with reasonable expectations

Expectations are a funny thing. They can be good in that they set forth an objective measure for expected performance, goals, and standards of conduct. On the other hand, they can turn bad if they are unreasonable or prone to differing or subjective interpretations. Watching the NBA draft last week, I was struck by how […]

Benefits beyond age 65?

By Marc Rodrigue The laws that generally provided for mandatory retirement in Canada have been eliminated. Across Canada, with very few exceptions, employees generally cannot be forced to retire at age 65. But can their benefits be cut off at age 65? Even if employers are permitted to cut off benefits to workers 65 and […]

Going from cost center to profit booster: How HR can make the transition

Human resources professionals can be excused for feeling a bit apologetic at times. They know the important work they do, but they work under the cloud of labels like “cost center” and “overhead”—labels often heard coming from the C suite. If the top executives in an organization consider the department necessary but also a drain, […]