Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER July 11, 2016 18 INSIGHT W EIRD ORKPLACE THE Vol. 29 No. 12 – July 11, 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 EDITORIAL 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 A plea (and business case) for the arts Amenities can play key role in attracting skilled workers W hen you're house hunting, there are always a few "must- haves" — things like a two-car garage, central air and that chef 's kitchen you've been sali- vating over where you can slice and dice garlic to your heart's content. But there are other factors that come into play, items on the pe- riphery that have little to do with the actual bricks and mortar or how recently the bathroom was renovated: Location, proximity to good schools, your workplace, recreation, shopping and other amenities. e same logic holds true when you're jobseeking. Yes, the job it- self is critical — things like salary, responsibilities and the working culture are given make or break factors. But a decision to take a job — especially when it comes to mov- ing to another city, province or country — is also heavily infl u- enced by periphery factors that are far beyond management's control. One of those factors is the local culture scene, according to a survey of 500 skilled workers and 508 employers in Ontario. Full disclosure — this survey was commissioned by Business for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and conducted by Nanos. So, yes, be sceptical and take it with a grain of salt if you must. But you can't argue that the amenities a community off ers plays a major role when it comes to making a decision to relocate your family. So what matters to skilled work- ers when it comes to making a decision to move for a job? At the top of the list is parks and recre- ation activities followed closely by proximity to natural environment (sea, mountains and countryside.) Parks and rec are a given in most Canadian communities, and you can't really control the natural en- vironment — you're either blessed with a coastline or not. Next on the list are restaurants and cafes — also a given in this day and age. Who doesn't love a good patio in the all-too-short Cana- dian summer? But dig a little deeper into the wish list and you'll fi nd game- changing recruitment elements that both communities and busi- nesses can control and infl uence — things like theatres, plays, con- certs, festivals, museums and gal- leries. riving arts and culture scenes are a given in large cit- ies like Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. Small to mid-size cities can lev- el the playing fi eld with a little leg- work from individuals and invest- ment from local employers. Many employers make funding the local arts scene a priority, but the report tries hard to make a connection to fi nding talent. " ere is a risk here that busi- nesses do not see the potential to attract skilled workers to their community because they overes- timate how well the community provides what skilled workers think is important," it warns. It notes that businesses rate sports facilities as more important than any of the culture elements. But sports facilities score lowest on the scale when it came to what is important to workers, trailing theatres, festivals, concerts and museums and galleries. It's a plea from the nerds to not give all the money to the jocks. Or, to put it more eloquently — and I'll yet again dig into the wisdom of the character of John Keating from the 1989 fi lm Dead Poets Society — "Medicine, law, business, engineering. ese are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love. ese are what we stay alive for." So, yes, it's a biased poll plead- ing for arts funding. But as an HR and general quality of life strategy, I'm buying it. Nominations still open for 2016 National HR Awards Don't miss out on the kudos your HR department so badly deserves. ere is still a bit of time left to get your nominations in for the 2016 National HR Awards. We are handing out hardware in the following categories: • Venngo Healthy Workplaces Award • Queen's University IRC Profes- sional Development Award • Best Diversity Program • Best Recruitment Program • HR Challenge Award • Employment Lawyer of the Year, sponsored by Canadian Lawyer magazine • Employee Engagement Award • Best Corporate Social Responsi- bility Program • Best Recognition Program • Technology/Innovation Award • HR Professional of the Year (New for 2016) • Best Teambuilding Program (New for 2016) DIFFERENT EMERGENCIES NEWARK, N.J. — Two emergen- cy medical technicians (EMTs) resigned recently after they were caught ignoring a call while at a drive-thru — and live-streaming the incident, according to News 12 New Jersey. James Hovan and a partner were using the app Periscope to broadcast to a live audience when they stopped at a White Castle restaurant in New- ark, N.J. When one of the viewers asked why they weren't respond- ing to a call, Hovan explained: "I ordered my food before the (ex- pletive) call came in. What do you think, I just throw it up in the air and run off ?" EMTs are allowed time for meals while on duty, but must respond immediately if an emergency call comes in, said University Hospital spokesper- son Stacie Newton. e EMTs' conduct violated numerous hos- pital policies, "including our clear guidance on emergency response protocols, the use of social media and our code of conduct," she said. EXPRESS YOURSELF… STRATEGICALLY QUANTICO, VIR. — e new tattoo policy from the U.S. Marine Corps is a long and detailed one — 32 pages, to be exact. Images of the areas now off -limits include the head and neck, areas around the elbow, the area two inches above the wrist, hands (unless it's a single band around one fi nger) and the area two inches above and below the kneecap, according to the Marine Corp Times. Marines will now have to work with unit leaders to make sure any tattoos they have are documented so they can be grandfathered if they don't meet the new guidelines. Any Marine who gets ink that's not allowed will receive a punitive entry in their official military personnel file and could face non-judicial punishment or be charged for failing to obey orders or regulations under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. HEIST HALTED MONTREAL — Recently re- leased by the courts, a video of an attempted jewelry store heist in 2013 shows just how violent such incidents can be. Two men walked into the store intending to rob it — armed with a gun and a machete, according to the National Post. But owner Vijay Verma and fam- ily members tried desperately to chase them away, using a stick, a fold-up chair, a pipe and even throwing nitric acid used to clean jewellery. For nearly fi ve minutes, they grappled with each other, with one store employee covered in blood while another managed to grab the gun. e robbers eventu- ally left and were later caught. NOT SO BLACK AND WHITE PITTSBURGH — A white news anchor based out of Pittsburgh who was fi red for making appar- ently racist comments on her sta- tion's Facebook page has decided to fi ght back, claiming discrimina- tion, according to the Washington Post. In March, WTAE-TV an- chor Wendy Bell made comments about a recent mass shooting. Not knowing the suspects, she said, " ey are young black men, likely in their teens or in their early 20s. ey have multiple siblings from multiple fathers and their moth- ers work multiple jobs. These boys have been in the system be- fore. ey've grown up there. ey know the police. ey've been ar- rested." She also spoke about how she had praised a black server at a restaurant, and how grateful he seemed. Her employer said the comments "were inconsistent with the company's ethics and journalistic standards" but an at- torney for Bell has fi led a federal lawsuit. "Had Ms. Bell written the same comments about white criminal suspects or had her race not been white, (the) defendant would not have fi red her, much less disciplined her," said attorney Sam Cordes. POPULAR WINDOW DRESSING NEW YORK — In the concrete jungle, employees are often stuck at their desks, with little to brighten their day. But some Manhattan offi ce workers have enjoyed a change of pace — and view — lately thanks to Post-it notes. It all started when one fi rm on Canal Street used several of the notes to write "Hi" in its windows. In response, the employer across the street put up the ubiquitous "Sup" — and it snowballed from there. Now, the windows are fi lled with "Post- it window war," according to the New York Times, with images of Marge and Maggie Simpson, Spider-Man, Marilyn Monroe and phrases like "5 pm yet?" e activity has generated lots of attention on social media and workers are enjoying the change. "It's defi nitely surprising," said Kristina Bostley, editorial manager for Biolumina, a pharmaceutical advertising agency. "We never really know what they're planning, and they don't know what we're planning." Credit: xtock (Shutterstock) offi ce workers have enjoyed a change of pace — and view — lately , with images of on social media and workers are enjoying the change. "It's defi nitely Credit: xtock (Shutterstock)

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