Canadian HR Reporter

February 20, 2017

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.

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PM40065782 RO9496 February 20, 2017 INSIDE Identifying risks Researchers look at the risk factors that trigger mental health disorders (distress, depression and burnout) — and how employers should respond Basic income Pilot project in Ontario could resurrect old idea page 6 Bite-size learning Technology, gami cation help with T&D retention page 16 Biosimilars How generic biologics can add up to savings page 25 page 23 Credit: Chris Helgren (Reuters) GET A HANDLE ON YOUR PAYROLL payroll-reporter.com Feds crafting law for people with disabilities Government plans to get more people working follows survey showing one-half unemployed BY MARCEL VANDER WIER THE federal government has committed to crafting a law aimed at getting more disabled Canadi- ans to work. e creation of the Canadians with Disabilities Act, which would aff ect federally regu- lated employers, is set to follow consultation sessions happening across the country. And removing accessibility bar- riers will be key, said Carla Qual- trough, minister of sport and per- sons with disabilities, speaking to the Canadian Press (CP), adding enforcement will also be on the agenda. "Everything impacts employ- ment," she said. "If you don't have a building environment that's ac- cessible, you can't work there. If you don't have the transportation that gets you there, you can't work there. If you don't have the tech- nology that's accessible, you can't work there. All roads lead back to employment in some way." "So, in that regard, absolutely, employment will be impacted quite signifi cantly by that law." It's about taking a direct approach and going beyond simply accommodating would-be employees, Qualtrough told CP. "We really need to change the conversation around disability generally from one of need and inabilities and retrofitting and accommodation to one of inclu- sion,'' she said. "It's time we started looking at people as contributing members of society instead of bur- dens on society.'' High unemployment e announcement follows a poll released by CIBC that found 49 per EDUCATE > pg. 12 Whistleblower program keeps employers alert Will $5-million award tempt Ontario workers? BY SARAH DOBSON LAUNCHED last summer, the whistleblower program off ered by the Ontario Securities Commis- sion (OSC) is meant to enhance protections for investors and re- porting employees by revealing wrongdoing. While not providing exact numbers, the commission said the program has been "fruit- ful out of the gate." For employers, the change is also having an impact — not only do they need to have updated policies and agreements, they must also take greater care when it comes to terminations and internal report- ing processes, according to experts. "It requires companies to take a really hard look at their processes, at their programs, and make sure that their employees understand their rights, make sure manage- ment understands their obliga- tions to ensure that complainants are not hampered in their ability to provide information about the organization, including their su- pervisors, safely in the organiza- tion. And also to make sure that their employment contracts and policies refl ect the evolving norms that are refl ected in these policies," said Lawrence Ritchie, a partner at Osler in Toronto. e OSC launched the program — which included the addition of a new policy to the Securities Act — to encourage individuals to report information on serious securities- or derivatives-related misconduct to the commission or, where ap- propriate, through an internal re- porting mechanism. " is program is a powerful ad- dition to our enforcement arsenal and a 'game-changer' for securi- ties enforcement in Canada," said Heidi Franken, chief of the Offi ce of the Whistleblower in Toronto. Overall, one of the most imme- diate impacts of the whistleblower program will be on fi rm culture and "tone at the top," she said. "We expect our program to encourage companies to continu- ally strengthen their compliance systems and to foster an environ- ment where whistleblowers can come forward to report serious QUEBEC > pg. 11 Organizational change leads to increase in sick leave: Study Downsizing, team restructuring, job redesign increase stress loads BY MELISSA CAMPEAU ANYONE who's lived through an organizational change knows fi rst- hand just how stressful it can be. But employers may be surprised to learn those changes can actu- ally lead to employees taking more time off work, according to a sur- vey by Morneau Shepell. Forty per cent of employees said organizational change had nega- tively affected their health and well-being and nearly half (46 per cent) said they had taken time off work or noticed other employees taking more time off work follow- ing workplace changes. This costly phenomenon is next to commonplace: Sixty-six per cent of respondents had ex- perienced at least one organi- zational change with their cur- rent employer, including team LONG-TERM > pg. 8 Welcome HRPA This issue kicks off a new partnership between Canadian HR Reporter and the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA). With HRPA phasing out its print publication, Canadian HR Reporter is being delivered to all 23,000 members of the HRPA. There will be four special issues in 2017 delivered to our regular loyal readers and this new audience. We hope you like what you see. Visit www.hrreporter.com for more information. LOOKING AHEAD An economic advisory panel selected by Finance Minister Bill Morneau is recommending raising the age of retirement eligibility and exploring a national child-care program. page 6 page 16 page 25

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