Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER December 12, 2016 22 INSIGHT DON'T HIT 'REPLY ALL' LONDON, U.K. — We've all done it — accidentally sent out an email. But when Roslyn Learmond did that, the ramifications were somewhat broad. A "test" message from the IT worker at the U.K.'s National Health Service (NHS) was mistakenly sent out to 1.2 million people, instead of local GP practices. The problem was compounded when confused workers hit "Reply All" asking to be taken off the mailing list — meaning about 186 million emails were ultimately sent out, according to the Daily Mail. On average, staff needed 45 minutes to clear their inbox. e mix-up led to dozens of social media posts from frustrated physicians, nurses and administration staff begging people to stop responding. "Roslyn Learmond… I think the test failed!" said @drjamiegreen. The NHS claimed the problem was "a fault with the system supplier." ITCHY AND SCRATCHY FORT WORTH, TEXAS — ey might look sharp, but new uni- forms for American Airlines staff have led to a few disgruntled staff members, according to the Los Angeles Times. A union for fl ight attendants said about 1,300 em- ployees have complained about hives and headaches after wearing the uniforms, made by Twin Hill. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants also found the uniforms contained detectable lev- els of chemicals found in pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers. "We will continue to invest the resources necessary to get to the bottom of this and we fully expect the com- pany and Twin Hill to do the same," the union told members. e air- line said the number of complaints represented only about one per cent of the 70,000 employees wear- ing the new outfi ts. "We want our employees to be happy with their new uniforms," said spokesperson LaKesha Brown, adding employees have the option of wearing their old uniforms if they prefer. NOT REALITY TV HANZHONG, CHINA — Stress levels are always high for sales- people striving to meet their sales targets, but employees at one Chinese company face par- ticular challenges. at's because some of them were forced to eat live mealworms in front of their colleagues recently, according to the Daily Mail. Dressed in yellow uniforms, about 50 to 60 employ- ees gathered at a public square where an apparent supervisor announced the names of those who failed to bring in enough clients. e man then used chop sticks to put live mealworms into glasses of liquor and ordered the salespeople to drink the mixture. "Other than worms, we have also eaten live squid and ants before," said one employee. One business- man said the punishment was "a special form of encouragement" but, according to China's em- ployment contract law, employ- ers are not allowed to humiliate and give corporate punishment to workers. MAKE THAT A QUINTUPLET POTTERVILLE, MICH. — Mc- Donald's is a popular place for the Curtis family of Potterville, Mich. at's because fi ve family members work there — and they happen to be non-identical quintuplets. Leith, Logan and Lucas Curtis work in the kitchen, while Lauren is at the front counter and Linsey handles the lobby and dining area, accord- ing to the Associated Press. "Being a quintuplet, they know teamwork probably better than anyone else,'' said boss Renee Draves. "To have quintuplets working collectively, all at the same time, I would go out on a limb and say we are the only McDonald's that's ever had quin- tuplets.'' Plus, there's a mathemati- cal advantage, she said. "If I have a shift that I need covered, I can call their house and it's a one-in-fi ve shot that I'm going to get one of them in." W EIRD ORKPLACE THE Vol. 29 No. 21 – December 12, 2016 PUBLISHED BY Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. One Corporate Plaza 2075 Kennedy Rd. Toronto, ON M1T 3V4 ©Copyright 2016 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 News Editor Marcel Vander Wier - (416) 649-7837 marcel.vanderwier@thomsonreuters.com Employment Law Editor: Jeffrey R. Smith - (416) 649-7881 jeffrey.r.smith@thomsonreuters.com Labour Relations News Editor: John Dujay - (416) 298-5129 john.dujay@thomsonreuters.com Web/IT Co-ordinator: Mina Patel - (416) 649-7879 mina.patel@thomsonreuters.com ADVERTISING 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 Business leaders need classroom time A re the college and uni- versity graduates you're hiring equipped with the skills to do the job from day one? Post-secondary education should be preparing students for the so-called real world, with the in- demand and cutting-edge knowl- edge employers need. Otherwise, what's the point of all those ivy- covered buildings and well-mani- cured quads? But I'm willing to wager your child's tuition that, odds are, a solid majority of the recent grads you hire need quite a bit of on- the-job training. e Ontario government seems to agree. Deb Matthews, the prov- ince's post-secondary education minister, spoke at the Canadian Club in Toronto on Nov. 28. And she called out a "wide gulf be- tween the perceptions of compa- nies and post-secondary institu- tions on graduates' qualifi cations," according to the Globe & Mail. In her speech, Matthews cited a survey that found 83 per cent of educators think they're develop- ing high-performing graduates. Yet barely one-third of employers agreed. "That is a massive gap," said Matthews. at understatement may sur- prise the ivory towers, but not the folks in the HR department. So why the disconnect? It's not like deliberate attempts aren't being made. I sit on the Journalism Program Advisory Committee at Durham College in Oshawa, Ont. is is a group of working professionals, educators and students who meet regularly to review the curricu- lum. A lot goes on at the meetings, but it can be boiled down thusly — the goal is to ensure students who graduate from the program have the skills employers actually want and need. It's not a nice-to-have. Toron- to's Seneca College outlines the role of advisory committees this way: " e (Ontario) Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universi- ties requires an advisory commit- tee for each college program… to ensure curriculum quality, stu- dent and graduate success. Com- mittee members are an external selection of exceptional leaders in their fi elds with a diversity of program-related experience and expertise." The meetings I attend are more than just lip service — they strictly follow parliamentary pro- cedure and things like quorums are a must. Advice is sought and adopted, and the teachers genu- inely care about the quality of education students are receiving and how many are fi nding jobs post-graduation. Returning to Matthews' point, should employers have a role to play in training and developing new hires? e view from this chair is a hearty yes. While we can deride the gap between what educators think they're doing and the reality of the new hire, it's completely un- reasonable to expect new grads to have every skill the profession or your organization needs. Some things are organization- specifi c. Some skills can only be developed over time, with a lot of mentoring. And this is where employers can play a huge role in ensuring colleges and universities are closer to that goal. is isn't a new call, but it bears repeating: More employers need to get involved in education, and there's little reason not to heed the call. Encourage your leaders to sit on advisory committees for pro- grams in their respective fi elds. Reach out to educators, off er to buy them a coff ee, and talk frankly about the types of skills you need workers to have — most will glad- ly accept the advice. Participate in intern programs — not the unpaid internship quagmire — but actual co-op placements that are part of pro- grams that can be unpaid place- ments, both legally and ethically. Many employers are already doing this — some do it for al- truistic reasons and others take a more reasoned, business case approach. Getting involved not only helps steer the curriculum, but gives you insight into the next generation of talent, and a poten- tial leg up when it comes time to hire the best and brightest. Happy Holidays from Canadian HR Reporter is is the last issue for 2016 — where did the year go? It's been a memorable one, and you can look forward to our next issue in January which includes the always fascinating Year in Review. It's been another great year cov- ering the human resources profes- sion and it's a privilege to write for our loyal readers. We thank you for turning to Canadian HR Reporter to stay on top of news and trends on the employment scene. e team here — including journalists, editors, art directors, account executives, production co-ordinators, market- ers and circulation professionals — works hard throughout the year to bring you the best content. On behalf of them, I wish you and your families the best over this holiday season and into the new year. You can continue to check our website, www.hrreport- er.com, for news and information over the holidays. We'll see you in 2017. FLYING HIGH STRANGE LAKE, QUE. — Remote locations are always a challenge for employers when it comes to bring- ing in supplies and workers, but one Quebec company has come up with an unusual solution: Airships. Quest Rare Minerals has signed a memorandum of understanding to have Straightline Aviation operate a fl eet of seven helium-fi lled airships at its mine in Strange Lake, according to the CBC. Originally, the company had planned to build a 168-kilometre road from the mine site, but since it would have cut across a caribou migration route, and it would have been costlier, the company went with the airships. e road would also cost about $350 million to build, along with regular maintenance, said Quest's president Dirk Naumann, while the airships would cost about $85 million per year. Each one can carry more than 20 metric tons of ore, 19 passengers and cargo. Credit: Mascha Tace (Shutterstock) Remote locations are always a challenge for employers when it comes to bring-

• Cover