Should employers be entitled to require that their employees have a certain ‘look’?
Recently, I posted a discussion topic in The Canadian HR Law Group on LinkedIn, which I moderate. It turned out to be one of a few recent topics that generated substantial interest and comment. As a result, I thought I would revisit the issue here, and I hope to hear from all of the First Reference readers.
Rudner Law, Employment / HR Law & Mediation
5 minutes read
September 1, 2011
The Air Canada pilots’ mandatory retirement saga – will it end with the tribunal’s third decision?
In July, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal made its third decision in the case of two Air Canada pilots who challenged the airline’s mandatory retirement policy. The tribunal decided in favour of Air Canada. Then, in August, the tribunal decided in a similar case involving 70 other Air Canada pilots. The tribunal again decided in favour of the airline, but for different reasons. For those hoping the July decision would settle the matter once and for all, the August decision is sure to confuse matters.
Christina Catenacci, BA, LLB, LLM, PhD
Web surfing during work – it is better for employers to take a reasonable approach
New research suggests that it may be wise for employers to take a reasonable approach when dealing with issues of employee web surfing during work; in fact, by banning it outright and excessively patrolling the workplace, employers may cause more harm than good.
Christina Catenacci, BA, LLB, LLM, PhD
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
Think proactively about workplace policies and practices even if it’s not the law (yet)
In these articles that I write for First Reference Talks readers and in the training programs I design for my clients I usually focus on two important topics: Legal obligations of employers (especially new laws) Best practices in employee management (usually based on legal obligations) This article is about all that but also provides the […]
Andrew Lawson
‘Sexting’ becoming a problem in the workplace
What prompts a supervisor or worker to send a co-worker inappropriate text messages? In British Columbia, sexually charged messages in the workplace have led to trouble for employers. What do employers need to know so they can avoid being on the hook for sexual harassment?
Christina Catenacci, BA, LLB, LLM, PhD
Payroll deductions relating to long term disability premiums
Recently, one of our subscribers was wondering how to deal with payroll deductions relating to long-term disability (LTD) premiums. They wanted to know if the amount they deduct from the employee’s paycheque must include the Ontario sales tax on the LTD premium?
Alan McEwen
Slaw: IQT’s closure: A fine example of poor corporate values!
On July 15, 2011, several workers showed up to work as usual at IQT Solutions, only to be told that their employer had unexpectedly shut down its Canadian operations: three call centres, one in Ontario and two in Quebec. About 1,200 IQT employees were suddenly unemployed with no final paycheque, vacation pay or notice of termination.
Marie-Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor
Reduced hours of work and job sharing – an idea suited for North America?
In a recent Globe and Mail video, author Juliet Schor discusses how reducing work hours might be the answer to some of the problems facing Canada’s workforce. Schor mentions that having employees work shorter hours decreases unemployment rates, lowers greenhouse emissions, and improves quality of life.
Christina Catenacci, BA, LLB, LLM, PhD
