Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER December 14, 2015 18 INSIGHT W EIRD ORKPLACE THE Vol. 28 No. 21 – December 14, 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. Publications Mail – Agreement # 40065782 Registration # 9496 – ISSN 0838-228X Director, Carswell Media: Karen Lorimer - (416) 649-9411 karen.lorimer@thomsonreuters.com Publisher: (on leave) John Hobel - (416) 298-5197 john.hobel@thomsonreuters.com EDITORIAL Acting Publisher/Editor in Chief: Todd Humber - (416) 298-5196 todd.humber@thomsonreuters.com Editor/Supervisor: Sarah Dobson - (416) 649-7896 sarah.dobson@thomsonreuters.com Senior Editor: Liz Bernier - (416) 649-7837 liz.bernier@thomsonreuters.com Employment Law Editor: Jeffrey R. Smith - (416) 649-7881 jeffrey.r.smith@thomsonreuters.com Labour Relations News Editor: Sabrina Nanji - (416) 649-9348 sabrina.nanji@thomsonreuters.com Labour Relations News Editor: Liz Foster - (416) 298-5129 liz.foster@thomsonreuters.com Web/IT Co-ordinator: Mina Patel - (416) 649-7879 mina.patel@thomsonreuters.com ADVERTISING Account Executive: Stephen Hill (on leave) Account Executive: Nicholas Cholodny - (647) 537-4705 Nicholas.cholodny@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: $169 (plus GST) GST#: 897 176 350 RT To subscribe, call one of the customer service numbers listed above 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: 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 I recall, Central Park in fall The joys – and – benefi ts of a quick fourth-quarter vacation T here really is no place like New York City in the fall. e crisp air, the never- ending bustling crowds, the transformation of the city as it prepares for the holiday season — it's quite a sight to take in. As I write this, I'm back at my desk fresh from a long weekend in the Big Apple. November is a nose-to-the- grindstone month, and not one where I normally jaunt off for a long weekend. Maybe the ran- domness is why this last weekend felt so special, or maybe it was something else. But it really got me thinking about the importance of taking time for yourself — and really get- ting away from the offi ce. In some ways, a stolen weekend in the fall can feel even more satis- fying than that week-long August vacation. at's not to slag the dog days of summer — they're crucial to recharging the body and the mind. But it is worth keeping a couple of days in your pocket for the fall crush, and carving out a Friday and Monday where you can sneak out of the offi ce. is was my second time in New York, but really the first time I got to experience the city. Round one came last year via a guys' weekend to take in a foot- ball game. But we stayed in New Jersey, and merely hopped a bus into Manhattan for a whirlwind 10 hours. is time, I stayed in the heart of the city for three days and got to experience what it has to off er. It really is a magnifi cent city. It was a whirlwind trip, com- plete with: Lunch on a patio — 16C and sunny in November. Go fi gure. NBC studio tour — e jour- nalist geek in me loved seeing the heart of NBC's news operations, including the national anchor's desk. But the highlight of the tour was seeing the set where they fi lm Saturday Night Live. It was very cool being so close to some- thing so iconic. SNL star Keenan ompson even wandered by our tour. Central Park — No visit to NYC is complete without a stroll through the park. On the advice of a colleague, I started at 86th street and wandered up. Broadway — I'd never taken in a Broadway play. Sure, I'd seen the best Toronto has to off er — which is pretty good. But seeing the real thing on the real street was a treat. I took in An American in Paris — perhaps a little more danc- ing than I expected, but a great performance. Bryant Park — is little gem had a winter market happen- ing. at made for a lovely stroll around, checking out unique gifts and watching skaters circle the ice while people nearby played ping pong. 9-11 Memorial — It was a moment of refl ection, but also a reminder to get the most you can out of every day. e waterfalls are quite stunning and a very fi tting tribute. And there was shopping. And, of course, the never-ending din- ing. And a fascinating stroll through Hell's Kitchen, and look- ing at brownstone after brown- stone on the streets surrounding Central Park. I could go on — but who re- ally wants to read about someone else's vacation? e point is simple — if you can, take some time for yourself during the busy fourthquarter crunch. You probably can't get away for a full week but take a day or two around a weekend and go someplace special. You won't regret it, and you'll come back to work feeling re- freshed and recharged, ready to complete the push through the holiday season. Last issue of 2015 Amazingly, this is the last print issue of Canadian HR Reporter for 2015. On behalf of the entire team at omson Reuters that works so diligently to bring you this content, I would like to wish you and your family the best this holiday season and a Happy New Year. Don't forget to check www. hrreporter.com on a daily basis throughout the holiday season for news and information about the Canadian workplace, and top sto- ries impacting human resources from around the world. We will see you in 2016. LIONS AND TIGERS AND BEARS, OH MY JAKARTA — We've heard about employees being replaced by ro- bots, but what about crocodiles? In Indonesia, the chief of the National Narcotics Agency recently said he was considering using crocodiles to keep death-row convicts from escaping from an island prison — and possibly tigers and piranhas, according to Reuters. Budi Waseso said he was studying the power and aggression of the reptiles, and he may ultimately use up to 1,000 crocodiles as guards. " e number will depend on how big the area is or whether perhaps to combine them with piranhas," he said. "Be- cause the (prison) personnel num- bers are short, we can use wild ani- mals. We could use tigers too — for conservation at the same time." TOO MUCH OF A PROPOSITION LOS ANGELES — No stranger to controversy, American Apparel found itself in hot water recently when it asked retail workers to wear shirts that said "Ask me to take it all off ." e outfi ts, in anticipation of Black Friday sales in late November, were said to be optional but "highly encouraged" and employees who declined were encouraged to wear a button with the same message. "American Apparel is giving my consent to our customers to harass me, if I wear that shirt," one store employee told Jezebel. "I fi nd this slogan really disgusting and in poor taste… ere's no question in my mind that anyone wearing the shirt will face inappropriate comments from customers." In the end, the company decided to discontinue the practice, saying, "American Apparel is a company that values free speech and, most importantly, creating an environment where employees feel valued, protected and safe. As such, we have decided to discontinue this slogan and will seek other ways to stay creative and push the envelope." DRIVING (A BIG BOAT) UNDER THE INFLUENCE KILCHOAN, SCOTLAND — — Fulfi lling two stereotypes, a drunk- en Russian sailor managed to crash a 7,000-ton, 129-metre-long cargo ship off the coast of Scotland last winter, according to a report from the U.K.'s Marine Accident Inves- tigation Branch. A mariner who drank half-a-litre of rum before work apparently slammed into the rocky shoreline near Kilchoan in the early morning hours of Feb. 18 — at full speed. A breath test taken a few hours later found his breath alcohol was at 2.71 mg/ml — al- most eight times the U.K. limit for professional seafarers. e ship's owner has a zero tolerance alcohol policy onboard and was supposed to carry out random alcohol and drug testing, according to CNN. But the investigation found the Lysblink Seaways carried a bond- ed store, which included a stock of spirits, beer and wine, and crew members often ignored the zero alcohol rule. In the end, the ship was so badly damaged, it had to be scrapped. SHAKING IT OFF WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Washington, D.C., police offi cer has become an online celebrity after she tried to defuse a heated situation — by dancing. After po- lice broke up two groups of kids, a female offi cer asked them to dis- perse, according to the Washing- ton Post. Instead, Aaliyah Taylor walked up to the offi cer and start- ed playing a popular song on her phone, and started dancing. e offi ce responded by saying she had far better moves, and a dance-off ensued — to be fi lmed and posted online, of course. "Instead of us fi ghting, she tried to turn it around and make it something fun," said Taylor. "I never expected cops to be that cool. ere are some good cops." But these sorts of personal interactions between offi cers and residents aren't unusual — it's just that most don't make it to the In- ternet, according to Marinos Ma- rinos, secretary of the D.C. police union. FREE DELIVERY -- BUT WITH ATTITUDE THORNHILL, ONT. — Maybe he was having a particularly bad day, but a pizza delivery person took things too far recently when he sent angry texts to a customer, ac- cording to CityNews. When Nadisha Mendes' pizza arrived later than the 40-minutes-or-free d e a d l i n e , she was told by Pizza Pizza customer service her food would be free. But after the delivery guy left, Mendes started to receive increasingly nasty texts from him, with one saying: "I don't know how you can enjoy eating a cheated pizza with a straight conscience." He then went on to mention the customer's weight: "Maybe u shouldn't be eating such a big pizza all to urself this late at night even if it's free cuz u looked like u could lose a few pounds." Mendes later complained to the company. "How are you supposed to trust Pizza Pizza anymore because who knows how many (employees) can text you now… they have your information." she said. e employee was subsequently fi red. "I've been doing this for 30-plus some-odd years and it is totally unacceptable what this gentleman did," said Pat Finelli, chief marketing offi cer for Pizza Pizza. Credit: Hurst Photo/Shutterstock

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