Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER JUNE 2019 26 INSIGHT FIGHTING WORDS KENORA, ONT. — While bat- tling a wildfire in British Colum- bia in 2017, an Ontario firefighter alleges his human rights were vio- lated when he was not provided sufficient vegan food, according to the Canadian Press. Adam Knauff filed a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario over his treatment and subsequent suspension: "e Ministry of Nat- ural Resources and Forestry dis- criminated against me and failed to accommodate my sincerely held ethical beliefs (creed) when it failed to provide me with food that accommodated my personal commitment to ethical veganism, and then disciplined me and sus- pended me because I attempted to assert my right to accommoda- tion of that sincerely held ethical belief." But the ministry denied the allegations and said Knauff was sent home and suspended for three days without pay because of his "inappropriate, insubordinate, unprofessional and aggressive be- haviour." He was also banned from fighting fires outside the province for the rest of 2017 and all of 2018. e government also said Knauff 's "vegan status is a sincerely held lifestyle choice, but does not meet the legal definition of creed.'' TAKING THAT EXTRA STEP CEDARTOWN, GA. — Home Depot employees went beyond the call of duty recently when they pitched in to help a family at one of their stores. Christian and Justin Moore have a two-year-old son, Logan, who has hypotonia, which impacts his motor skills. So Chris- tian watched a YouTube video tu- torial on how to make a gait trainer to help him walk, in case insurance wouldn't cover it, according to CNN. e family then went to a local Home Depot store and asked for help finding the parts. But in- stead of showing the way, employ- ees suggested they leave — and go and have an ice cream while they put together the device, free of charge. When the family returned, the PVC walker was all ready, com- plete with Logan's name on it. "I couldn't believe they were willing to do that. It took everything I had not to cry because it hasn't been an easy road for my son. He has had a hard time doing things that would be easy for most children his age," said Christian. Home Depot em- ployee Jeff Anderson later posted about the experience on Facebook: "Everyone was crying to see Logan walk around with the biggest smile on his face." 'JUST HAVING FUN' LOS ANGELES — Not quite get- ting the message when it comes to sexual harassment — or not re- ally concerned — billionaire Alki David admitted he used to walk around the offices without pants, along with playing adult mov- ies for staff. David, whose family fortune comes from Coca-Cola, is an entrepreneur who runs sev- eral companies including FilmOn. TV Networks. Former employee Chastity Jones claimed she was fired for refusing to engage in sexual acts with David, and was recently awarded US$3.1 million in compensatory damages and US$8 million in punitive dam- ages for sexual battery, according to the Sun. But David claimed he was "just having fun" at work, and would not pay. "I never ever, ever, ever have ever touched an employ- ee of mine inappropriately." RIG RESCUE HAT YAI, THAILAND — Locat- ed 220 kilometres from mainland, workers on an oil rig don't often see many unexpected visitors. But recently they spotted a distressed "castaway" — a dog floating help- lessly in the ocean. Photos taken by the oil rig workers show the hun- gry, dehydrated pup being hauled up to the rig by a rope and given food and water by the workers, ac- cording to Reuters. e pooch was later named Boonrod — a ai word that translates to "the saved one" — and then transported to a boat that brought him to the port of Hat Yai. He was greeted at the dock by people showering him with pats and a garland. Getting the temperature just right C omplaining about the temperature at the of- fice sometimes feels like a part-time job for many at my workplace. It's either too hot or too cold, and rarely just right, and it's a topic commonly discussed. Part of the problem? It's an im- perfect science, judging by con- versations with maintenance staff at our building. e location of a person's desk relative to heating or cooling vents, hallways and win- dows can all make a difference — along with a person's internal temperature. Sitting in a corner with win- dows for walls, my cubicle has always been cooler. And I have managed to ward off the chill with sweaters, scarves or a floor heater (which, sadly, had to be removed after a health and safety inspection). I don't like to complain as I re- ally like the location, but it would be nice to comfortably wear sum- mer attire in the summer, and avoid wearing a wool scarf during the winter. So, what's the best tempera- ture for comfort? e optimum is 24.5 C, with an acceptable range between 23 C to 26 C, according to the Canadian Centre for Occu- pational Health and Safety, citing 2018 recommendations from the Canadian Standards Association. For winter, the optimum tem- perature is 22 C, with an accept- able range of 20 C to 23.5 C. But the challenge of finding the optimal temperature is wide- spread — and differs considerably by gender. A 2015 survey out of the Unit- ed Kingdom, for example, found 29 per cent of workers felt they lost between 10 and 30 min- utes each workday not working due to an uncomfortable office temperature. Seventy per cent of women (and 44 per cent of men) said they bring in additional clothing while 50 per cent of women (and 28 per cent of men) "resorted to exces- sive cups of tea," found the survey of 2,000 people by HVAC special- ists Andrew-Sykes. at's backed up by a 2018 sur- vey by Career Builder of 1,012 American workers that found 46 per cent felt their office was either too hot or too cold, while 15 per cent have argued with a co-worker about the temperature. In that same vein, twice as many women as men in the survey said they are too cold. Part of the problem? Apparent- ly, the typical thermostat was set at a time when men made up the majority of the workforce — and their metabolic rate runs higher than women. And it's not just about com- fort. Back in 2004, a small study out of Cornell University found women were significantly more productive, making fewer errors and working more quickly, when their office was kept at a warmer temperature. e optimal tem- perature? 25 C. Recently, the topic made head- lines yet again when a study in PLOS One — a scientific journal published by the Public Library of Science in San Francisco — also found colder temperatures can make women less productive: "At higher temperatures, wom- en perform better on math and verbal task(s) while the reverse effect is observed for men. e increase in female performance in response to higher temperatures is significantly larger and more precisely estimated than the cor- responding decrease in male per- formance. In contrast to math and verbal tasks, temperature has no impact on a measure of cognitive reflection for either gender." So, if you're looking for better results, set the thermostat "higher than current standards." While HR and management may be tempted to consider complaints about the heat or cold as more of a maintenance issue, it's hard to ignore the find- ings around reduced productiv- ity. is is an area where Canada has struggled for years, as worker output per hours worked has never been our strong point. So maybe this is a good oppor- tunity for leaders to step up. How? While we can't be expected to adjust the thermostat every time an employee grumbles, we can at least listen, express concern and offer suggestions, such as work- ing from home one or two days a week, or offering an alternate location at work. Providing free coffee or tea is always a popular perk, even for those not challenged by thermal discomfort. Of course, there's also the op- tion of giving out fleece jackets with the company logo on them, as part of an employer branding exercise... but that might not go over so well. Canada does not have an easy climate — we all know that, from coast to coast — and it seems to be getting more difficult with each season. While it's not a simple issue to control, surely we can make some attempts to improve people's comfort — and produc- tivity — indoors. PESTY IN PARIS PARIS — A police station in Paris was evacuated recently, but not because of any bomb threat or structural issues. e problem? A siege of fleas, according to a tweet sent out by the Alliance police union. e pests had "made working conditions intolerable," they said, according to CNN, and some officers sought medical treatment for multiple flea bites: "Worst still, some of these pests are likely to be brought back home, contaminating officers' families." Attempts at disinfection were "close to useless," said Yvan Assioma, the union's Paris regional secretary. "What is needed in order to control a flea invasion is to disinfect the whole building and even the cars of the people who work there. e higher authorities are putting Band-Aids on a wooden leg." In 2017, the same station had to be evacuated because of an invasion of lice and fleas. Credit: Cosmin Manci (Shutterstock) W EIRD ORKPLACE THE Vol. 32 No. 6 – June 2019 PUBLISHED BY HAB Press, a subsidiary of Key Media 312 Adelaide Street West Suite 800 Toronto, ON M5V 1R2 ©Copyright 2019 by HAB Press Ltd. All rights reserved. CANADIAN HR REPORTER is published 12 times a year. Publications Mail – Agreement # 40065782 Registration # 9496 – ISSN 0838-228X President: Tim Duce EDITORIAL Editor/Supervisor: Sarah Dobson - (416) 649-7896 sarah.dobson@habpress.ca News Editor Marcel Vander Wier - (416) 649-7837 marcel.vanderwier@habpress.ca Employment Law Editor: Jeffrey R. 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