Canadian HR Reporter

PM40065782 RO9496 May 16, 2016 INSIDE FOCUS ON TALENT IKEA held a weeklong event looking to empower employees around development opportunities both near and far Risky business Ontario case looks at termination during probation page 3 Digging in Learning from RBC's data analytics journey page 12 The gig effect Five CEOs discuss the impact of the gig economy page 15 page 2 Despite ongoing arbitration, the Toronto Transit Commission is moving forward with random drug and alcohol testing of employees. "This is a safety issue," said Brad Ross, executive director of corporate communications at the TTC. fi nancial well–being learn more... mental wellness physical fi tness the original perks company TM the original perks company TM www.venngo.com/perks 1.866.383.6646 ext.227 20160413_hrReporter_earLug_may16_001.indd 2 2016-04-13 4:08 PM TTC moving forward with random drug and alcohol testing But union seeking injunction from arbitrator BY LIZ FOSTER MORE THAN four years into ar- bitration over its "Fitness for Duty" policy, the Toronto Transit Com- mission (TTC) is moving forward with random drug and alcohol testing of employees. Such testing has technically been part of the Fitness for Duty policy since 2011 but funding for the program wasn't approved. Be- fore the company could move for- ward with the policy, Amalgam- ated Transit Union (ATU) Local 113 — the union representing a majority of the TTC's employees — took the issue to arbitration. On April 18, TTC CEO Andy Byford said in a letter to employ- ees the TTC board had approved funding for the random testing. Byford also announced the TTC would be lobbying the Ontario government to consider legislation that would make random drug and alcohol testing mandatory for public transit agencies. Currently, the TTC tests for drugs and alcohol after an incident occurs, after an employee returns from a treatment program, dur- ing pre-employment and in any instance it has reason to believe an employee is under the infl u- ence, according to Byford. " is is a safety issue," said Brad Ross, executive director of corpo- rate communications at the TTC. "We have a responsibility as an employer to our 14,000 employ- ees, as well as a responsibility to our 1.8 million daily riders to pro- vide the safest transit system we possibly can." Instances of impairment or re- fusal to take an impairment test are on the rise among employees, said Ross, and random testing will act as a deterrent. Employees would be required to submit to a breathalyzer test and submit an oral fl uid sample, he said. e program — designed to detect alcohol, marijuana, co- caine, opiates, amphetamines and phencyclidine — would be admin- istered by a third party. It would work on a pass-fail ba- sis and be designed to determine whether an employee was im- paired at the time of the test, not to determine whether employees consume drugs or alcohol in gen- eral, said Byford. Union opposition Despite the ongoing arbitration, the TTC said it is working to CONFIDENTIAL > pg. 7 Feds eye changes to rules around parental leave Looking into dedicated leave for fathers: Labour minister BY LIZ BERNIER THE federal government may soon unveil signifi cant changes to rules around parental leaves — and there may be a dedicated leave for fathers introduced into the mix. Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk said she is interested in creating a dedicated paternity leave under the employment in- surance program. "I'm open to promoting some fairly large changes in that whole sector because families have a tough time — especially when you have preschoolers," she said in an interview with the Canadian Press. "And if you have children under two, it's a real challenge for those families so I think we want to modernize the system." Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has spoken on the subject at the United Nations, saying changes would be made with an eye toward gender equality in the workplace and increasing opportunities for women. Dads only Dedicating a specifi c portion of parental leave specifi cally to fa- thers could be a good strategy to- ward levelling the gender playing fi eld in the workplace, said Linda Duxbury, professor at the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University in Ottawa. "Right now, men can take it — men can but don't. So they have to LEAVES > pg. 14 Employers to be recognized for anti-slavery eff orts Awards highlight need for policies, procedures, investigations BY SARAH DOBSON WHILE it's hard to believe slavery still exists today, there are actu- ally almost 21 million victims of forced labour worldwide, gener- ating $190 billion in illegal profi ts per year, according to the Interna- tional Labour Organization. As a result, the Thomson Reuters Foundation in London, U.K., has launched the Stop Slavery Award to recognize businesses that have excelled in eff orts to try to eradicate forced labour from their supply chains. It's a business-friendly initiative, according to Thomson Reuters Foundation CEO Monique Villa, founder of the prize. "The Stop Slavery Award is about rewarding the courage of those businesses that have gone above and beyond to ensure their revenue is not tainted by mod- ern-day slavery. At a time when HR > pg. 21

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