Canadian HR Reporter

Canadian HR RepoRteR January 26, 2015 26 INsIGht WHO NEEDS SANTA? LaVaL, Que. — Christmas cards range from the religious to the sappy but one group of employees took a diff erent approach in de- cember, generating backlash in the process. Several members of the police force in Laval, Que., posted a photo to the force's offi cial twit- ter and Facebook accounts show- ing themselves in black tactical gear, according to the National Post. e six offi cers were in full tactical gear — complete with hel- mets, face masks, tinted shades, a shield and battering ram — look- ing directly at the camera holding a sign saying, "Joyeuses fêtes Laval." But the "festive" image was quickly criticized online. "do these guys take themselves for marines or what?" wrote one user on Reddit. e photo was eventually removed and, in response, spokesperson Lt. Sylvain Lauren revealed the limits of his job. "i can't tell you why it was removed, what the reasons were, i don't know," he said. "i'm not a fanatic of social networks so i can't tell you more about what's on our Facebook page than what's in the papers." NOT JUST FOR KIDS ManiLa — traffic enforcers in Manila were planning to wear more than their uniforms when pope Francis visited the philip- pines capital mid-January. about 2,000 were required to wear adult diapers, according to the associ- ated press. e prospect of wear- ing the extra padding while on duty was "well-received" by the men, according to Metropolitan Manila development author- ity chairman Francis tolentino, adding there wouldn't be enough portable toilets for the millions of people expected to attend the open-air mass with the pope. e diaper idea was to be tested earlier by 800 traffi c enforcers — for the fi rst time — who would work shifts during a nearly 24-hour annual procession of the Black nazarene. priests, nuns, seminarians and the elderly also should consider wear- ing diapers when the pope visits, said tolentino. asked if he will also wear one, he said, "i will try but, in my case, i have less hydration." NEMO WOULD BE IMPRESSED noRtH WaLSHaM, u.K. — ail- ing animals can be given all kinds of treatments these days to help them recover — and pet owners know too well the bills that go with those cures. But one man in eng- land was willing to fork out £300 (C$535) to have his goldfi sh healed — of constipation, according to the BBC. Vet Faye Bethell put the fi sh in anaesthetized water before removing the blockages and the operation took almost one hour, with two veterinary nurses as- sisting. "We've got one nurse who bubbles anaesthetic gas through a tube that goes in through its mouth and over its gills, and then we have a second nurse to moni- tor with a probe to check the heart rate," said Bethell. "obviously, we discussed all the options (with its owner) and he made the decision to go for surgery… at the end of the day, they're all pets and every- body does have a commitment to their pet." IT'S GETTING HOT IN HERE BanGKoK — another profes- sion facing all kinds of abuse is fl ight attendants, as seen recently when a woman was scalded with hot water and noodles by an un- happy passenger. photos taken by fellow travellers captured the mo- ment the employee on a ai air- asia fl ight between Bangkok and nanjing was allegedly assaulted, covering her face in pain. the assailant apparently wanted to sit next to her boyfriend on the plane, according to the Daily Mail, though the man — who also ap- parently threatened to blow up the plane — later said the fl ight atten- dant was scalded by accident when there was a tussle over a receipt they requested for the hot water. in the end, the pilot aborted the 90-minute journey and returned to Bangkok to make an emergency landing, leading to a fi ve-hour de- lay. e culprits were reportedly ordered to pay 50,000 ai baht (C$1,800) in compensation to the injured fl ight attendant. China's national tourism administration said the tourists "badly damaged the overall image of the Chinese people," said the Daily Mail. W EIRD ORKPLACE THE Vol. 28 No. 1 – January 26, 2015 PuBlished By Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. One Corporate Plaza 2075 Kennedy Rd. Toronto, ON M1T 3V4 ©Copyright 2015 by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. All rights reserved. CaNadiaN hr rePorter is published 22 times a year. Publications Mail – Agreement # 40065782 Registration # 9496 – ISSn 0838-228X director, carswell media: Karen Lorimer - (416) 649-9411 karen.lorimer@thomsonreuters.com Publisher: John Hobel - (416) 298-5197 john.hobel@thomsonreuters.com editorial Associate Publisher/managing editor: Todd Humber - (416) 298-5196 todd.humber@thomsonreuters.com lead editor: Sarah Dobson - (416) 649-7896 sarah.dobson@thomsonreuters.com News editor: Liz Bernier - (416) 649-7837 liz.bernier@thomsonreuters.com employment law editor: Jeffrey R. 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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 ❑ From time to time, we make our subscriber list available to companies and organizations whose products and services we believe may be of interest to you. If you do not want your name to be made available, please check here and return with your mailing label. Customer serViCe call: (416) 609-3800 (Toronto) (800) 387-5164 (outside Toronto) Fax: (416) 298-5082 (Toronto) (877) 750-9041 (outside Toronto) email: carswell.customerrelations@ thomsonreuters.com letters to the editor todd.humber@thomsonreuters.com CHRR reserves the right to edit for length and clarity. todd humber eDITOR'S nOTES Odds are we're gonna be alright e mployers have a duty to provide a safe working en- vironment for employees. And it's not just a moral duty, it's enshrined in occupational health and safety legislation across canada. at duty is comprehensive and, depending on the jurisdiction, covers a lot of territory. Stories on the cover of this issue highlight employer risks and responsibili- ties on two fronts — domestic violence and sexual harassment. e shocking events at the Paris offi ces of Charlie Hebdo, a satiri- cal French magazine, underscore an unfortunate reality of the world we live in: Despite the best ef- forts and intentions of legislators, police and policies, it is impossible to eliminate risk. On Jan. 7, two heavily armed gunmen burst into the offices of the magazine. In the end, 12 people were dead and 11 injured. Among the dead was a police offi - cer assigned as a bodyguard to ed- itor Stephane Charbonnier, who was also killed. e attack was carried out by Muslim extremists who were upset over the maga- zine's publication of cartoons fea- turing the prophet Mohammad. Having an armed guard pro- tecting an individual employee is far above and beyond the norm when it comes to keeping work- places safe, and yet even that extreme measure couldn't stop the incomprehensible violence. e offi ces of Charlie Hebdo had a heavily fortifi ed door, ac- cording to French newspaper Le Monde. But the gunmen got through by forcing one of the cartoonists, who had been on her way out of the building, to enter the passcode at gunpoint. It's a sobering reminder that while there are precautions we can and should take, it can be virtually impossible to stop deter- mined individuals from causing mayhem — and workplaces are not immune. Few organizations would have the same level of se- curity as Charlie Hebdo, which had been targeted in the past by extremists for cartoons featuring images of Mohammad. ( ough, nothing was sacred amid its pages — cartoons blasted religions and politicians of all stripes with equal fervour.) While compiling the 2014 HR Year in Review feature on page 24, we were reminded of three violent incidents at Canadian workplaces involving employees attacking co- workers — a stabbing at an Ed- monton grocery warehouse that left two dead and four injured; a shooting at a forest mill in Na- naimo, B.C., that killed two and injured two others; and a stabbing at a Toronto offi ce during a termi- nation meeting that injured four. Unfortunately, there are more stories. One that always crosses my mind is the case of Lori Du- pont, a nurse in my hometown of Windsor, Ont., who was stabbed to death in 2005 by a doctor she briefl y dated. After killing Du- pont, the doctor committed sui- cide by overdosing on drugs. at killing led to signifi cant changes in Ontario to health and safety laws with the passing of Bill 168 — which puts significant onus on employers when it comes to domestic violence, among other things. is isn't a fun way to start 2015 and it comes hot on the heels of the assault on our own capital that left a soldier dead. e Char- lie Hebdo attack is disturbing on many fronts — including the as- sault on freedom of speech and freedom of the press — but we can be heartened by the after- math. More than three million people across France took to the streets in unity marches following the attack on the magazine, and a subsequent attack by another ex- tremist on a Jewish grocery store. #JeSuisCharlie and #IAmCharlie quickly became trending Twitter hashtags — and not just in France, but all over the globe. On our worst days, it's worth re- membering that people are gener- ally good. Shortly after the Paris attack, I heard the song "Odds Are" by the Barenaked Ladies. Lead singer Ed Robertson croons, "So get up, get up. Tell the bookie 'Put a bet up.' Not a damn thing will go wrong. e odds are that we will probably be alright." We can't be complacent, and HR and OHS professionals have a duty to ensure safe workplaces. But, odds are, we're gonna be alright. 'SNAKES, WHY'D IT HAVE TO BE SNAKES?' SaSKatoon — dealing with harried customers all day, fast-food employees probably get used to all kinds of abuse being thrown their way. But what about reptiles? two men — unhappy that the onions on their breakfast sandwich were not diced — recently threw a snake over the counter at a tim Hortons worker in Saskatoon, according to the StarPhoenix. "i've never heard of a snake being thrown at an employee by a customer… it was defi nitely a little chaotic," said Saskatoon police spokeswoman alyson edwards. " e staff was shocked and afraid and fl ed the store." offi cers managed to fi nd the garter snake and se- cured "outlaw" a temporary home until it could be released into the wild in the spring. e two men, both 20, are facing charges of mischief and causing a disturbance. 'SNAKES, WHY'D IT HAVE TO BE SNAKES?' — dealing with harried customers all day, fast-food employees probably get used to all kinds of abuse being thrown their way. But what about reptiles? two men — unhappy that the onions on their breakfast sandwich were not diced — recently threw a snake over the counter at a tim Hortons worker in . "i've never heard of a snake being thrown at an employee by a customer… it was defi nitely a little chaotic," said Saskatoon police spokeswoman alyson edwards. " e staff was shocked and afraid and fl ed the store." offi cers managed to fi nd the garter snake and se- cured "outlaw" a temporary home until it could be released into the wild in the spring. e two men, both 20, are facing e Charlie Hebdo attack is a sobering reminder that it can be impossible to stop determined individuals.

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