THE
numbers are hard to fathom: More
than half of Canadians have been laid
off, temporarily or permanently, because of the
pandemic, and more than five million Canadians
have applied for emergency benefits.
The deadly COVID-19 virus has led to
immense upheaval in the workplace, with masses
of workers working from home while others on
the front lines are now wearing masks behind
clear protective screens.
And much like the financial crisis of 2008
and the 9-11 attacks in 2001, the pandemic
represents a pivotal moment for human
resources, according to Kathryn Kitchen, head of
HR at Manulife Canada in Waterloo, Ont.
"HR is really well positioned to think through
capabilities, employee sentiments, employee
needs in the future — that's part of our unique
secret sauce — so taking that, bringing that
to the table, figuring out what we need from a
business and market perspective, that's magic.
And so how the pandemic has hit our employee
base, how we' ll recover from it together, as
a society, that's where HR has really unique
perspective."
This could be a watershed moment for the
workplace, says Gary Clarke, a partner at
Stikeman Elliott in Calgary.
WWW.HRREPORTER.COM ISSUE 33.05
THE NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Pandemic recovery
'watershed moment''
Cybersecurity risks
With so many more remote workers,
COVID-19 is a growing threat when it
comes to cybersecurity
/8
Overtime violations
Lessons for employers as court finds
CIBC breached overtime obligations
/10
Testing for safety
Figuring out which types of drug and
alcohol tests make sense for the
workplace
/22
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE…
Virtual job fairs
With in-person recruitment a near
imposssibility, job fairs for students are
shifting to the virtual environment
/12
Upgrading HR at U of T
The University of Toronto suffered from
decentralized internal processes so it
embarked on a multi-year journey to
overhaul its workforce management
solution /16
Legal risks of COVID-19
A look at the enhanced employer
liability and legal risks of layoffs
brought on by the pandemic /34
> pg. 2
What will the new world of work look like? HR has a lot to
consider in planning for the post-pandemic era, such as
the physical work environment, safety concerns, mental
health issues, staffing changes and remote work options,
finds Sarah Dobson
