Canadian HR Reporter

May 2, 2016

Canadian HR Reporter is the national journal of human resource management. It features the latest workplace news, HR best practices, employment law commentary and tools and tips for employers to get the most out of their workforce.

Issue link: https://digital.hrreporter.com/i/668641

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PM40065782 RO9496 May 2, 2016 INSIDE SEARCHING FOR CLUES Employers are understandably eager to learn as much about a candidate as possible, but they must tread carefully, depending on the jurisdiction Appealing AI Turns out, many people would rather be hired by a computer page 2 Dearly departed Few employers act on exit interview feedback page 3 Fixing pay equity It's 2016, isn't it time we xed the wage gap? page 18 page 13 Credit: Chris Wattie (Reuters) Miscarriage considered a disability: OHRT Interim decision could signal shift in law, disability claims BY LIZ BERNIER AN INTERIM decision from the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal (OHRT) could mark a signifi cant shift in what is and is not consid- ered a disability in the province. e March 14 decision Mou v. MHPM Project Leaders concerned a woman named Wenying (Win- nie) Mou who experienced a series of events in 2013 — including an injury from a fall, a miscarriage and the death of her mother-in- law — that impacted her health, culminating in depression. is caused her to be absent from work, which resulted in Mou failing to meet an 1,800-hour tar- get for her delivery objectives. In 2014, her employer decided to terminate her employment and Mou fi led a human rights com- plaint, claiming discrimination with respect to employment be- cause of a disability. But MHPM said Mou's applica- tion failed to establish a disability and that in order for an injury or illness to constitute a disability, there must be an aspect of per- manence and persistence to the condition. However, both the slip and fall and the miscarriage qualify as dis- abilities, according to OHRT vice- chair Jennifer Scott. "I acknowledge that a miscarriage may be covered under the ground of sex or as an intersection of sex and disability. It also is not a common ailment, and it is certainly not Fitness program hopes to end sedentary behaviour B.C. launch of UPnGO targeting 5,000 employees precedes potential rollout nationwide in 2017 BY LIZ BERNIER A NEW pilot program has launched in British Columbia to counterbalance sedentary behav- iour and associated health risks in the workplace — and the plat- form could soon roll out across the whole of Canada. The UPnGO program, de- veloped by ParticipACTION, launched last month at fi ve major companies in B.C. and involves step goals for employees. The $7.5-million project is funded in part by the Public Health Agency of Canada and B.C.'s Provincial Health Services Authority. "(It's) a workplace wellness program that was designed to get Canadian employees to sit less and move more," said Lisa Fender, program director at UPnGO with ParticipACTION in Toronto. "We know that Canadians aren't getting enough physical activity in their day, period. Twenty per cent of Canadians get the recommend- ed 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous, heart-pumping physical activity during the week — which is really, if you think about it, just 30 minutes a day for fi ve days. So not even every day. "Only 20 per cent of us are do- ing that. And one of the strategies to counteract that is looking at the workplace. We all sit in front of screens for hours and hours on end, and humans are built to move." About 48 per cent of British Columbians worry they spend too much time sitting at work, according to a ParticipACTION survey of 760 Canadian workers. e idea behind UPnGO is to fi nd little ways of incorporating more movement into the workday, said Fender. "When people register for the Best practices in HR linked to better business performance Can lead to higher stock prices, faster revenue growth: Report BY LIZ FOSTER A RECENT report brings good news to the HR profession in fi nd- ing best practices in HR are linked to better business performance — measured by higher stock prices, faster revenue growth and im- proved employer brand reception. Emerging Evidence: Business Performance and the Validation of HR Best Practices from the Top Employers Institute and HR Certification Institute (HRCI) suggests HR practices drive improved business performance and financial results. The study listed several leadership capabilities as having the strongest correlation to revenue INCREASING > pg. 6 UPnGO > pg. 10 DECISION > pg. 8 MORE TIME FOR FATHERS Employment Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk said she's interested in making dedicated paternity leave a part of promised changes to parental leave under the employment insurance program. Quebec already has a dedicated leave for fathers, allowing them to take off five weeks, with the provincial benefits system covering 70 per cent of their salary.

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