Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER February 22, 2016 22 INSIGHT HIRING HYPOCRISY? EDMONTON — An Alberta CEO caused a stir recently when he an- nounced his company would not be hiring any students or gradu- ates from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver and Queen's University in Kingston, Ont. Peter Kiss of Morgan Con- struction made the declaration on LinkedIn because of an on-campus campaign encouraging the school's administration to strip its endow- ment of fossil fuel-related invest- ments, according to the National Post. "(If ) they can't support us, we can't hire their students" said Kiss. "If you are a student of these schools you need to let the leader- ship know that you won't be getting a job in Alberta and why." NDP op- position energy critic Adrian Dix found the post hypocritical and discriminatory. "What he was say- ing is he was actively discriminating against UBC students because he didn't like their expression of free speech, which I think is probably illegal," said Dix. Kiss later said his statement was taken the wrong way but retracted his earlier comments, saying, "Morgan will continue to hire the best local BC and Aborigi- nal workers, including students from UBC and Queens." HUMOROUS HARASSMENT PALERMO, ITALY — Sexual harassment might be all over the news in Canada but Italy has a different take on the behaviour, according to one controversial ruling. An Italian man accused of groping female colleagues was found not guilty of sexual harassment because he was driven by an immature sense of humour, not sexual gratifi cation. While it was accepted by the court that the 65-year-old acted inappropriately, he was acquitted nonetheless, according to Reuters. e judges said the contact was not lascivious or for pleasure: "Objectively, it was brought on by an immature and inappropriate sense of humour, mixed in with a veiled abuse of power and an albeit improper way of establishing hierarchical relationships in the office." The ruling was condemned by many in the country and one union said it was "amazed and puzzled" by the decision: "( e ruling) ignores the sensitivity and dignity of the working women and, at the same time, unfathomably permits the sexual violence, which was perpetrated even if on a small scale." BASKING IN BARBADOS YORK, U.K. — While there's nothing wrong with a trip to a lo- cal theme park, staff at a whole- sale travel company in England were surprised to fi nd out their boss was actually treating them to a Barbados trip instead. e travel company was celebrating its 10-year anniversary and 32 workers at the Group Company were all set to take in Flamingo Land nearby when their founder, Helen Bilton, announced instead they'd be enjoying three days at a fi ve-star resort in the Caribbean, according to the Daily Mail. "I thought about doing a big party to celebrate the 10th anniversary with suppliers and customers. But then I thought the people that re- ally deserve a treat are the people that work hard day in, day out for the business," said Bilton. TABLE FOR 1 SAN DIEGO — The Marina Room restaurant in San Diego has probably seen all kinds of patrons entering its fancy digs. But one customer defi nitely stood out re- cently: A sea lion pup. e critter apparently came in through a side door and plopped herself down in a booth, according to Reuters. A rescue team from the nearby SeaWorld San Diego theme park soon arrived to remove the bark- ing sea lion and she was taken to the park for care. Malnourished, the pup was eight months old and weighed less than half the normal size for its age, said David Koontz, a spokesperson for the centre, but they were "guardedly optimistic" the pup would be nursed back to health and returned to the wild. W EIRD ORKPLACE THE Vol. 29 No. 3 – February 22, 2016 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. 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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 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 SLIPPERS NOT ALLOWED BARCELONA — After a shortage in supplies, police offi cers in Barcelona have been forced to wear trainers on their feet instead of standard-issue boots. Embarrassed, the offi cers have complained to their union, call- ing the situation "shameful" and "undignifi ed," according to the Mirror. "If you fi nd an agent of the Catalan police with his cap, uniform, gun and... sneakers, do not be surprised," said a spokesperson for the Trade Union of the Catalan regional police force (USPAC). It's said some of the police offi cers have been wearing the same pair of regulation boots for seven years because of cutbacks and failed deliveries. While people might fi nd the situation funny, the offi cers said there are health and safety issues along with weather-related concerns. e Mossos d'Esquadra are one of the oldest police forces in Europe and are often seen with full body armour and machine guns. Credit: Beyla Balla (Shutterstock) Food safety training on Chipotle's menu Transparent approach follows Maple Leaf Foods blueprint R estaurant chain Chipotle — known for its burritos and, unfortunately, for poisoning a large number of its customers in 2015 — did some- thing extraordinary earlier this month when it comes to human resources. It closed every one of its restau- rants across the United States on Feb. 8 for four hours and held mandatory staff training to talk about food safety. More than 50,000 employees gathered in 400 locations across the country to learn about changes the company made in the wake of high-profi le incidents that saw sales tank in the fourth quarter of 2015. It was an ugly run for the bur- rito chain — in August 2015, 243 customers at a restaurant in Simi Valley, Calif., were sickened by the Norovirus. e virus struck again in December at a restaurant in Boston, sickening 143 people. "Both cases were likely caused by a Chipotle employee who worked while sick, in violation of strict policies designed to discour- age this," the company said on a website it set up to address food safety issues. But its problems were not con- fi ned just to Norovirus. In August, a salmonella outbreak in Minne- sota and Wisconsin — linked to a batch of tomatoes served in 22 restaurants — sickened 64 people. And E. coli struck from October- November at restaurants in 11 states. A total of 60 people fell ill. The toll went beyond just sick customers — the PR fallout caused sales to plunge dramatical- ly at a chain that has only known explosive growth. In the fourth quarter, revenue dropped 6.8 per cent, comparable restaurant sales decreased nearly 15 per cent and net income was down a stunning 44 per cent, despite the fact the company opened 79 new restau- rants in that time. One can be cynical and call the safety training a PR stunt, but closing all restaurants and gath- ering staff together sends a very clear message to the workforce (and customers) — this is a ma- jor deal, and it is being taken very seriously. Chipotle also live tweeted dur- ing the training, and used Peri- scope to broadcast it. e tweets were hardly ground- shaking — there were only 14 tweets during the session and most were rather inane, such as "We've come together today to make sure Chipotle is not just the most delicious place to eat, but also the safest" and "We worked with experts who helped us cre- ate the most eff ective food safety program possible." Chipotle's response followed a blueprint used by Maple Leaf Foods. In 2008, the Canadian company faced a crisis after a Listeria outbreak at a plant in Toronto. e damage was far worse as nearly two dozen people died af- ter becoming sick. CEO Michael McCain took full responsibility, stepped into the spotlight and helped save the company. He addressed the issue back in 2013 at a Strategic Capability Net- work event in Toronto that was covered exclusively by Canadian HR Reporter. "It was a very tragic event — 23 people lost their lives on my watch, my accountability," he said. "And more than any other time in our history, our core values guided our behaviour through that time." It was leadership, and that's what it takes from organizations in tough times. at includes a full-blown crisis, like the ones ex- perienced by Chipotle and Maple Leaf Foods. But it also includes the lesser- known moments that occur every day at an organization. I don't pretend to be a food safety expert so it's beyond me to suggest whether or not Chipotle is on the right path on that front. But clearly the founders are pas- sionate about their food — and are being extraordinarily transparent about the steps they are taking to become a leader in food safety. Transparency serves every fi rm well. e employee engagement scores actually increased at Maple Leaf Foods following the Listeria outbreak — from 82 per cent to 96 per cent. McCain said there are four at- tributes of passionate people: they care about things that are impor- tant to them; they are action-ori- ented; they're willing to overcome obstacles; and they are fundamen- tally optimistic. You need as many of those peo- ple on your payroll as possible. HR departments need to nurture — and advocate for — those leaders who show genuine passion. ey are the ones who will step up, and not just when disaster strikes — they will do the everyday lifting to help ensure things don't go south in the fi rst place. After a shortage in supplies, police offi cers in Barcelona have been forced to wear trainers on their feet instead of standard-issue boots. Embarrassed, the offi cers have complained to their union, call- ing the situation "shameful" and "undignifi ed," according to the Mirror. "If you fi nd an agent of the Catalan police with his cap, uniform, gun and... sneakers, do not be surprised," said a spokesperson for the Trade Union of the Catalan regional police force (USPAC). It's said some of the police offi cers have been wearing the same pair of regulation boots for seven years because of cutbacks and failed deliveries. While people might fi nd the situation funny, the offi cers said there are health and safety issues along with weather-related concerns. e Mossos d'Esquadra are one of the oldest police forces in Europe and are often seen with It was leadership, and that's what it takes from organizations help ensure things don't go south in the fi rst place.

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