Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER OCTOBER 2018 50 INSIGHT DELIVERY GONE WILD MIAMI — A doorbell surveil- lance camera caught a FedEx de- liveryman going rogue recently in Miami. Parked in front of the customer's home, the driver did not exit the delivery truck, choos- ing instead to carelessly heave three large boxes said to have contained audiovisual equipment onto the client's porch. Each of the boxes bounced several times be- fore coming to rest, and then the man closes the truck door. "FedEx Ground? More like Fedex Air!" said homeowner Marcell Cubilla, who shared the video on social media. e extent of the damages — if any — was not revealed, ac- cording to ABC News. FRAUDSTER BUSTED TORONTO — A Porter Airlines payroll specialist was terminated recently after the company real- ized she was a convicted fraudster. Monique Clarke was working for the Toronto airline while on bail, pending appeal of a three-year prison sentence for a scamming incident in which she cheated her former employer, Acxsys/Interac, out of $320,000 according to the Toronto Sun. Her bail was revoked when the court discovered she was working in payroll at Porter, and she was subsequently jailed for three years. While at Porter, Clarke stole more than $873,000 over a three-year span and was re- cently sentenced to an additional three years of jail time. If unable to repay her debts within 10 years of release, she will be forced to serve another four years. CLAPPING BACK BELGIUM — A weather present- er on Belgium's French-language public TV RTBF fought back re- cently, after enduring a string of racist comments. Cécile Djunga — the only black TV personality in the country — shared a video on Facebook where she told of one such comment that said she was "too black" and all viewers could see were her clothes. "It doesn't stop. I've been doing this job for a year and I'm fed up of getting tons of racist and insult- ing messages... It hurts because I'm a human being," she said in the video that went viral, according to the BBC. "ere's no place for this torrent of mud in Belgium. Rac- ism is a crime, punishable by law," said Jean-Paul Philippot, head of RTBF. e video appeal resulted in a strong reaction, including sup- portive comments from Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel. HIDDEN DEATH THREAT TORONTO — A former account executive at Juice Mobile (a sub- sidiary of Yellow Pages) recently discovered his former boss had delivered a chilling death threat against him that was never dis- closed. Via text message, Ben Hemming's former boss alleged- ly threatened to put an axe so far into his head "they would have to bury him with it," according to the CBC. e threat, made two years ago by Neil Sweeney, was never shared with Hemming, who was terminated without cause by Juice Mobile as part of "normal busi- ness activities." Hemming chal- lenged his dismissal, and found the text in court documents. ree months following Hem- ming's dismissal, Sweeney was fired by Yellow Pages after an investigation revealed he had en- gaged in bullying and harassment. After Sweeney filed a wrongful dismissal suit, the text in ques- tion was presented as evidence. It had been sent to Juice Mobile's vice-president of sales at some point following Hemming's dis- missal. A Yellow Pages lawyer told CBC the company "ensured that appropriate steps were taken in connection with Mr. Sweeney's termination to protect the safety of the people he had threatened." W EIRD ORKPLACE THE Vol. 31 No. 10 – October 2018 PUBLISHED BY Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. One Corporate Plaza 2075 Kennedy Rd. Toronto, ON M1T 3V4 ©Copyright 2018 by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. All rights reserved. CANADIAN HR REPORTER is published 12 times a year. Publications Mail – Agreement # 40065782 Registration # 9496 – ISSN 0838-228X Director, Media Solutions, Canada: Karen Lorimer - (416) 649-9411 karen.lorimer@thomsonreuters.com EDITORIAL Publisher/Editor in Chief: Todd Humber - (416) 298-5196 todd.humber@thomsonreuters.com Editor/Supervisor: Sarah Dobson - (416) 649-7896 sarah.dobson@thomsonreuters.com News Editor Marcel Vander Wier - (416) 649-7837 marcel.vanderwier@thomsonreuters.com Employment Law Editor: Jeffrey R. Smith - (416) 649-7881 jeffrey.r.smith@thomsonreuters.com Labour Relations News Editor: John Dujay - (416) 298-5129 john.dujay@thomsonreuters.com Web/IT Co-ordinator: Mina Patel - (416) 649-7879 mina.patel@thomsonreuters.com ADVERTISING Sales Manager: Paul Burton - (416) 649-9928 paul.burton@thomsonreuters.com Production Co-ordinator: Pamela Menezes - (416) 649-9298 pamela.menezes@thomsonreuters.com MARKETING AND CIRCULATION Marketing & Audience Development Manager: Robert Symes - (416) 649-9551 rob.symes@thomsonreuters.com Marketing Co-ordinator: Keith Fulford - (416) 649-9585 keith.fulford@thomsonreuters.com PRODUCTION Manager, Media Production: Lisa Drummond - (416) 649-9415 lisa.drummond@thomsonreuters.com Art Director: Dave Escuadro SUBSCRIPTIONS Annual subscription: $175 (plus tax) GST/HST#: 897 176 350 RT To subscribe, call one of the customer service numbers listed below or visit www.hrreporter.com. Address changes and returns: Send changes and undeliverable Canadian addresses to: SUBSCRIBER SERVICES Canadian HR Reporter One Corporate Plaza 2075 Kennedy Rd. Toronto, ON M1T 3V4 CUSTOMER SERVICE Call: (416) 609-3800 (Toronto) (800) 387-5164 (outside Toronto) Fax: (416) 298-5082 (Toronto) (877) 750-9041 (outside Toronto) Email: customersupport. legaltaxcanada@tr.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR todd.humber@thomsonreuters.com CHRR reserves the right to edit for length and clarity. Todd Humber Editor's Notes Showcasing the masterpieces of HR H uman resources is an art. Done well, it can be a masterpiece — and in this issue, we provide a masters' class in great HR by telling the stories of the individuals and teams from across Canada who took home honours in the fourth annual Na- tional HR Awards. If I've learned anything from the two decades I have spent covering the employment world, it is this: HR is not easy. It's an unpredict- able, complicated, ever-changing realm with incredibly high expec- tations — but at least it's not bor- ing, right? e 2018 National HR Awards, handed out at a gala dinner and ceremony on Sept. 27 at the Ritz- Carlton in downtown Toronto, are the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of talented people. It starts with yours truly, who re- views the categories and develops the criteria. It continues with editor/super- visor Sarah Dobson and her team — news editors Marcel Vander Wier and John Dujay — talking to all the winners to hear their stories — and not just in a superficial way. When we launched the National HR Awards in 2015, we did it in a purposeful way — the focus was on the steak, not the sizzle. Why celebrate the best if we can't also learn from them? at's why we dedicate so much space to telling the stories behind the trophy. is issue, weighing in at 52 pages, is the biggest we have ever produced in the 31-year his- tory of this publication. And it doesn't end there — if you go to NationalHRAwards.com, you can also watch special videos of every winner. e judges also shoulder a large part of the load. This year, 27 professionals volunteered their time to review and score the re- cord number of nominations we received. A big thanks goes out to them for their work — you can see their photos and bios on the judging tab on the awards website. We couldn't do this without them. And of course the events and marketing team here at omson Reuters — it's amazing how much work goes on behind the scenes to pull together a world-class gala like the National HR Awards. A big thanks to Mohammad Ali, lead manager for marketing and media operations and his team, particularly Jeannaly Santana and Deanna Norton. But the real work didn't begin within the offices of Canadian HR Reporter at omson Reuters. Rather, it was at the workplaces across Canada, by the people we honoured on stage and in the spe- cial feature in this issue, starting on page 17. e work of HR is too often un- sung. at's OK — it's your job to be modest and professional and competent. It's our job to drag you into the spotlight and give you and your teams the recognition they so richly deserve. Next year, we encourage you to participate in the National HR Awards. Keep an eye on the web- site, and the pages of this publica- tion, for more details. We will be adding some new categories — nominations open May 1, 2019. More networking opportunities If you're reading this early in Oc- tober, there is still time to sign up for two events hosted by Cana- dian HR Reporter and omson Reuters. e Tallest Poppy: Earlier this year, we surveyed more than 1,500 professionals across Canada. e clear conclusion is that success- ful women are being undermined at your workplace, and it's taking a massive toll on productivity, self-esteem, turnover, succession planning and the bottom line. On Oct. 9, we are unveiling the results at a special session at our offices in downtown Toronto. Not in the Toronto area? You can reg- ister for the live webinar. See www.hrreporter.com/tall- est-poppy-event for full details. ere is a cocktail reception after the event, which is a great op- portunity to network with your colleagues. Mental Health in the Work- place Forum: Mental health is- sues continue to pose significant challenges and opportunities for employers. In partnership with Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS), we are holding a discus- sion featuring lawyer Lorenzo Lisi of Aird & Berlis; Bill Howatt, chief research and development officer for workforce productivity at Morneau Shepell; and Jennifer Threndyle, AODA specialist at WSPS. See www.hrreporter.com/ mental-health-forum for full de- tails. ere is a bonus network- ing breakfast before the morning event. We hope to see you there. DITCHING THE 9 TO 5 LONDON — PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is abandoning traditional work hours in its latest recruitment effort. e London-based accountancy firm has launched the Flexible Talent Network, aimed at recruits seeking to work non- traditional hours. Within two weeks of the launch, 2,000 people had applied, according to the BBC. "In order to re- cruit the best people, we recognize that we need to offer greater flexibility, different working options and a route back in for those looking to restart their careers," said Laura Hin- ton, PwC's chief people officer. e program allows applicants to suggest a preferred work pattern, such as shorter weeks or fewer months throughout the year. Credit: Bikomins (Shutterstock) It doesn't end here — you can see special videos of every winner at NationalHRAwards.com.

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