Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Teams can make work more productive, and enjoyable as well, but supervisors need to be trained to lead them. Here’s an affordable tool to do it. Recent surveys, including our own National Employee Attitude Survey, show that teamwork, though a lofty goal in theory and a fact at our overseas competitors, remains elusive in the […]
Don’t you hate when that happens? Or that? Or that? A new book lists things that rile you up the most … and what you do in return. Ever since the Japanese started eating the lunch of American business back in the 1970s, U.S. companies have focused on the team. After all, that was a […]
LITIGATION VALUE: $450,000 (could be more if several employees file claims) As Julie has been called upon to practice law this week, she asked me to blog in her place. I’m Troy Foster, a fellow labor and employment attorney with Ford & Harrison and also a big fan of the show. Thankfully this week’s episode […]
The more employees travel for business, the more exposure employers have — often with costly consequences. Businesses must be prepared for problems that might arise when male and female employees travel together, whether domestically or internationally. Contrary to popular belief, what happens in Vegas doesn’t really stay in Vegas — it gets told in court. […]
McCarthy Tetrault Your employees in Canada have the right to refuse tasks that may endanger them or others. Health and safety laws spell out not only your obligations but also what your employees must do when refusing work, so it’s important for you to understand how to handle such situations. Here are some tips to […]
McCarthy Tetrault Q. When a company holds a social outing for employees and alcohol is served, what are the legal risks? How can potential liability be minimized? A. Parties and other social events provide employers with an opportunity to reward employees and let them interact with coworkers outside of the office. Unfortunately, they also create […]
(Updated October 2008) A federal appeals court affirmed the dismissal of a disability discrimination claim based on perfume sensitivity. It found that the employer reasonably accommodated the employee by taking various measures, including prohibiting perfume in the workplace. HR Guide to Employment Law: A practical compliance reference manual covering 14 topics, including the Americans with […]
By BLR Founder and CEO Bob Brady Join BLR’s Founder and CEO on a guided tour through the newly upgraded and redesigned HR website, HR.BLR.com I tend to use this space to write about management challenges and HR issues, but let me assure you, I’m no ivory-tower CEO. As my people will tell you, I’m […]
by Donovan Plomp McCarthy Tetrault In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court of Canada has decided collective bargaining is a right protected in the national constitution. The court’s extension of “freedom of association” under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to include a right to collective bargaining is a reversal of previous Supreme Court decisions.
by Tara McPhail McCarthy Tetrault Canadian human rights laws require employers to accommodate employees and customers with disabilities up to a point. What point? The point at which the accommodation would constitute “undue hardship” on the employer. But what makes an undue hardship? A recent Supreme Court of Canada decision appears to set a high […]