Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER April 20, 2015 18 INSIGHT 'PLEASE DON'T COME AGAIN' HAGERSTOWN, MD. — Nearly 100 years after women were al- lowed to vote nationally in the United States, there are still a few holdouts, judging by a customer service issue in Hagerstown, Md. Ella May Rudd took her Hummer H2 into a Maaco body shop for repair but when she was unsatis- fi ed with the service, she posted a scathing review on Facebook, ac- cording to the Associated Press, calling the franchise "crooks, rude people and liars." In response, a Maaco employee left a threatening voicemail on her husband's phone: "I was just personally attacked by your wife on Facebook and I don't appreciate it at all, pal," he said. "So I want you to get her in check be- fore there's a big (expletive) prob- lem here on my end." Rudd ended up posting the recording on so- cial media and, not surprisingly, Maaco said the body shop worker would be suspended, along with going through diversity and anger management training. HANGING TOUGH MINNESOTA — We all have mornings when we're rushing to work and realize we've forgot- ten something — our glasses, earrings or a sweater, say. But one weatherman for Fox 9 in Minnesota was particularly dis- tracted recently. Live on air, he was starting his preamble about the weather conditions when he could be seen fi dgeting uncom- fortably, leading the co-anchor to ask him if he had a kink in his neck. Seconds later — to the amazement and amusement of his colleagues — the weatherman reached back and pulled a metal coat hanger out of the back of his suit. Tossing it on the news desk, he joked, "I thought it was just a tight button. Never mind, can we just get to the weather…?" BUS-TED IN NEW ZEALAND AUCKLAND, N.Z. — For bus drivers, driving the same ol' route every day probably can get rather dull. But is it really the best time to catch up on daily news? One Auckland bus driver was recently fi lmed reading a newspaper while driving the vehicle through traf- fi c, according to the New Zealand Herald. Footage shot by a passen- ger shows the man casually fl ip- ping through the paper, spread across the steering wheel, as the bus cruises along, comes to a traf- fi c light, and then continues on its route. e driver was "a complete idiot," says Ritchies Coachlines boss Andrew Ritchie. "I am abso- lutely amazed by how absolutely stupid the guy is. Bloody irrespon- sible behaviour to the fi rst degree, I can't believe it," he said. While not able to discuss details of the disci- plinary process, Ritchie said the driver will be dealt with. TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM PORTLAND, ORE. — Being a teacher has to be one of the tough- est jobs in the world. ey face all kinds of assault — verbal and physi- cal. But one physics teacher truly took one for the team recently dur- ing a science demonstration, ac- cording to the Daily Mail. A video on YouTube shows a classroom with a man lying on the ground (apparently the teacher) with a cin- der block on his chest balanced on a piece of wood with nails sticking down into his chest. Another man (apparently a staff member), with an axe held high, stands above, straddling him. With students watching in the background, the man swings the axe down — in an attempt to crush the block — but misses and strikes the teacher's genitals with the blunt end of the axe. " e teacher walked funny for like a couple of days and then he was just fi ne," said student Haneef Mubarak on Reddit. And fear not — a second swing of the axe saw the cinderblock crumbling, and the man on the fl oor wincing in pain. W EIRD ORKPLACE THE Vol. 28 No. 7 – April 20, 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 21 times a year. 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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 Discrimination bad for business I f we can't count on people to do the right thing, at least we can trust corporations. I'll give you a moment to digest that sentence. When it comes to the rights of the LGBT community, it's unfor- tunately true. Earlier this month, Indiana was pummeled over a law its Republican governor signed that was interpreted to mean businesses could refuse service to homosexual and transgendered people on religious grounds. e harsh glare led to changes to the passed bill — changes that made it clear businesses could not refuse service to gays and lesbians. And before we get all high and mighty on this side of the border about how much better we are when it comes to equality and human rights, consider this: I'm bracing myself for hate emails — I know they're coming. Every time I write about LGBT issues, or any- time we cover the topic in the pag- es of Canadian HR Reporter, there is invariably a negative response. Voicemails, emails, online com- ments — people are not shy when it comes to anti-gay opinions, though they usually hide behind the cowardly cloak of anonymity. Cleverly, they often call me gay, which I don't accept as a slur — and which would come as a sur- prise to my wife. In the Dec. 1 issue, we put a story about Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, on the cover. Titled "Out and proud at work," we looked at the issue of leaders coming out of the closet and how it paves the way for oth- ers to do so. Michael Bach, founder and CEO of the Canadian Institute of Diversity and Inclusion, called Cook's decision "trailblazing." A couple of weeks later, a yellow envelope landed on my desk. In- side was a copy of that issue with the following words scrawled over the cover story in blue highlight- er: "Not Newsworthy. Keep your paper." On page 18, the anony- mous complainer scratched out the words "Courageous act" and wrote: "Topic you media blow up. Move on. I speak for many." But let's get back to why — and how — corporations are doing the right thing. Discrimination is bad for business. What plays well to a political base doesn't necessarily sit well with shareholders. And looking through a less cynical lens, perhaps we can say employ- ers are a step ahead of the general population in doing the right thing when it comes to discrimination. A couple of examples: Salesforce: Marc Benioff , CEO of Salesforce, went on CNN and told a remarkable story. Some of his employees in Indiana have asked for transfers out of the state. Not only has he granted the re- quest, but the company is picking up the tab for relocation. "I just got an email on the way to the studio from another employee who said, 'Look, I don't feel com- fortable living in this state any- more. You have to move me out,'" he told CNN. "And I gave him a $50,000 relocation package and said, 'Great. You're clear to go.'" Walmart: Indiana isn't the only state mulling such a law. In Arkan- sas, lawmakers have passed a bill — the Religious Freedom Resto- ration Act — critics charge would allow the same denial of service to the LGBT community. Walmart, which is headquarted in Arkansas, made a "swift de- mand" for the state's governor to veto the bill, according to Reuters. e company issued a statement that said the bill threatened to un- dermine the "spirit of inclusion" in the state and "does not refl ect the values we proudly uphold." e state quickly responded, with the Arkansas governor send- ing the bill back for revisions. "Every day, in our stores, we see firsthand the benefits diversity and inclusion have on our asso- ciates, customers and communi- ties we serve," said Walmart CEO Doug McMillion. I'll paraphrase Daily Show host Jon Stewart here but when Walmart is ahead of you, you know you're on the wrong side of history. More reaction But it's not just Salesforce and Walmart. e response has been swift from many corporations in- cluding Apple, Cummins, Eli Lilly and Angie's List. Some local governments have banned offi cial travel to Indiana in response to the bill, including the state of New York. Ed Mur- ray, the openly gay mayor of Se- attle, banned employees from travelling to the state on offi cial business. "None of our taxpayer dollars should go towards supporting this discriminatory law," he said. Even the National Basketball Association (NBA) waded into the fray, saying all fans, players and employees will feel welcome at all events. "The game of basketball is grounded in long-established principles of inclusion and mutual respect," it said in a joint statement with the Women's National Bas- ketball Association (WNBA). The outcry is refreshing. It's nice to think that, perhaps, we've reached a tipping point on equal- ity. But let's not forget that these bills in Indiana and Arkansas were passed by lawmakers — if not for the pressure from business lead- ers, and the media, they would have stood as law. One day, we'll get past this. Right? GROOVING TO SAFETY GUERNSEY, U.K. — Safety videos can be dull as dishwater. Passengers everywhere tune out as soon as they start. So Condor Ferries in the United Kingdom tried a dif- ferent approach — much to the amusement of social media. e company debuted a two-and-a-half-minute "safety rap" on YouTube featuring three staff members. "I'm the C.A.P.T. to the A.I.N. and I'm here to let you know that once you hear that whistle blow, my instructions will fol-low," says the jiving captain at the start. Two lively crew members then dance away, singing, "Life jackets, life jackets, they're right beneath your seat. ey're bold and bright, with a whistle and light, and look so very neat." e captain later appears, holding a shoe, crooning, "Ladies, hey ladies, you have to realize, sharp objects can't go on our slides, so leave those heels behind," before the video ends with the three uniformed employees grooving to the beat. While one online fan commented, " is was actually very enjoyable. Much better than American Airlines' skit," another was less keen: "I think I'd rather drown." Credit: Elnur/Shutterstock Safety videos can be dull as dishwater. Passengers everywhere tune out as soon as they start. So Condor Ferries in the United Kingdom tried a dif- ferent approach — much to the amusement of social media. e company debuted a two-and-a-half-minute "safety rap" on YouTube featuring three staff members. "I'm the C.A.P.T. to the A.I.N. and I'm here to let you know that once you hear that whistle blow, my instructions will fol-low," says the jiving captain at the start. Two lively crew members then dance away, singing, "Life jackets, life jackets, they're right beneath your seat. ey're bold and bright, with a whistle and light, and look so very neat." e captain later appears, holding a shoe, crooning, "Ladies, hey ladies, you have to realize, sharp objects can't go on our slides, so leave those heels behind," before the video ends with the three uniformed employees grooving to the beat. While one online fan commented, " is was actually very enjoyable. Much better than American Airlines' skit," another was less keen: "I think I'd rather drown."

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