Employer performed unauthorized credit checks on employees
I recently read an investigation report from the Alberta Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, where an employer made a big mistake and ended up violating the privacy of at least 25 employees.
Christina Catenacci, BA, LLB, LLM, PhD
5 minutes read
December 10, 2010
Dealing with an employee’s extended absence due to illness
Employers are often faced with the prospect of dealing with an employee who is required to be absent from work for an extended period of time due to an illness. Employers must tread a fine line in determining when the employee is able to return to work and on what basis.
Earl Altman
6 minutes read
November 16, 2010
Employers discussing employee medical condition with other employees
In general, an employer, manager, supervisor or HR professional discussing an employee’s medical condition with other employees is just plain inappropriate…
Marie-Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor
Freaky AND functional – the robots are here!
When a robot is capable of multiple types of manual labour, is able to work twice as long as a human and will never complain about working conditions, many human workers have got something to worry about, even if that robot comes with a giant price tag. With no worries about harassment complaints, no fear of strikes, no backtalk and no vacation to worry about, many employers will look at independent robots as model employees.
Adam Gorley
4 minutes read
October 28, 2010
The underrepresentation of women in the workplace
I just read an interesting report about women in the workplace. Essentially, the report suggests that women remain underrepresented relative to their male counterparts, even though they form a highly educated and skilled labour pool in the market. Given the skills shortage that is expected to occur in the near future due to mass retirements of senior baby boomer workers, this is an unsettling finding. But why is this happening?
Christina Catenacci, BA, LLB, LLM, PhD
Workplace violence in self-defence: what does the law say?
Although some readers believe that any kind of workplace violence is inappropriate, there was a consensus that acting within reason to protect yourself is okay—nobody should be expected to “stand there and take a beating”.
Andrew Lawson
Employers’ strategic use of employees’ duty to mitigate
Mitigation of damages in the context of a wrongful dismissal claim is one of those concepts that is often referred to but not well understood.
Rudner Law, Employment / HR Law & Mediation
9 minutes read
October 7, 2010
Court of appeal rejects ‘double counting’
Most employers understand a claim for damages for wrongful dismissal as arising from the termination of an employee’s employment without adequate cause or notice. It can be argued that this in fact reflects a misconception of the nature of the employment contract. Except in certain limited cases of federally regulated companies,…
Earl Altman
4 minutes read
September 21, 2010 
Improving web accessibility – our own!
Customers demand more of businesses in so many ways these days—better quality and safety, greater social and environmental responsibility, extra service, and accessibility. The law increases its demands frequently, too. Even our governments and public service providers have a hard time keeping up with the legal requirements! Making improvements in all of these areas can challenge an organization, but only accessibility offers the advantage of access to a market of unrealized potential.
Adam Gorley