Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER January 23, 2017 FEATURES 17 Credit: Eric Thayer (Reuters) Sky-high compensation Six in 10 employees (59 per cent) said they were demotivated by high executive pay in their workplace, according to a survey by the U.K.-based Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). And about 70 per cent felt chief executive pay was too high. CEOs in the U.K. earn 183 times as much as the average employee, up from 47 times as much in 1998. Credit: annt (Shutterstock) CEOs turfed too soon CEOs of publicly traded companies turn over too quickly, putting fi rms at a long-term disadvantage, according to a study from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. "We see many public companies nowadays that worry about meeting short-term earnings targets, like quarterly earnings targets. So CEOs and top management are under constant pressure to make those targets — otherwise, stock prices will go down and they will be targeted by activist shareholders or other competitors, and their own pay (may be) directly linked to stock prices," said Kai Li, fi nance professor at the university and co-author of the study. Credit: Eric Thayer (Reuters) Starbucks encourages 'individuality' With social guidelines in terms of acceptable dress code rapidly changing, Starbucks updated its company regulations to allow for more "individuality" amongst employees. Tattoos, coloured hair and patterned shirts are now welcome among customer-facing employ- ees, with the coff ee giant going as far as providing photos and ex- amples of acceptable sartorial choices rather than just a written policy. Revising resumés Up to 40 per cent of minority applicants engage in "resumé whitening," according to a University of Toronto study. at means applicants will change the name on their resumés to sound more anglicized or remove experience related to an ethnic group or organization. However, people are much less likely to whiten their applications when they are applying for jobs with employers they consider pro-diversity. Slap on the wrist for TTC's social media account e Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) found itself in hot water when an arbitrator ruled one of its Twitter accounts (@TTChelps) contributed to the harassment of employees and needed to be changed — but not shut down. e arbitrator said the social media sites could constitute part of the workplace. e case looked at the obligation on employers to take steps to protect or at least address abusive, harassing or intimidating behaviour by the general public against employees. Ontario considers mandatory work experience for all students e Ontario government may implement mandatory work experience for students, if recommendations from an expert panel are implemented. Mandatory work-integrated learning initiatives such as co-op programs or internships for all high school, college and university students in the province were among the recommendations of the Highly Skilled Workforce Expert Panel appointed in December 2015. Knowing when to draw the line A beer can incident at a wild-card baseball game in Toronto — and subsequent loss of employment for Postmedia's Ken Pagan — once again raised questions around employer brands and employees' after-hours behaviour. Organizations need to have both social media policies and guidelines for expectations of conduct in place, said experts. Credit: USA Today Sports Suncor's drug and alcohol policy given another chance Random drug and alcohol testing at Suncor was given a second chance by an Alberta court after an arbitration board previously struck it down. Suncor introduced pre-employment drug and alcohol testing for all new employees in 1999 to help ensure safety and productivity wouldn't be hindered by intoxicated workers, and then moved to random drug and alcohol testing for all employees in safety-sensitive positions in 2012. e union grieved the decision and won — initially. Credit: Chris Helgren (Reuters) Feds looking to provide fl ex arrangements e federal government is considering making changes to ensure federally regulated workers have better access to fl exible work arrangements. e government held consultations on proposed amendments to the Canada Labour Code, which could aff ect roughly 12,000 businesses and 820,000 employees. If approved, the code would allow the workers to formally request fl exible work arrangements from their employers. Employers underestimating prevalence, impact of chronic diseases: Survey Plan sponsors may be underestimating the impact of chronic disease in the workplace, and how the workplace can negatively aff ect employees' ability to manage their conditions, according to a survey by Sanofi Canada. Fifty-nine per cent of employees have at least one chronic condition such as high blood pressure, diabetes or depression, but employers think just 32 per cent of employees do, leading to challenges. Fatalities lead to jail time An Ontario judge sentenced a project manager to three-and-a- half years in prison after a deadly scaff olding collapse in Toronto on Christmas Eve in 2009. Vadim Kazenelson was found guilty of four counts of criminal negligence causing death and one count of criminal negligence causing bodily harm in the "precedent- setting" decision. Credit: Scanrail1 (Shutterstock) e end of DB pension plans? A deal struck between General Motors (GM) and Unifor in Ontario not only meant changes for 3,860 workers but served as further confi rmation defi ned benefi t (DB) pension plans are a dying breed. e agreement secured a $554-million investment at three facilities, while converting 700 precarious jobs and off ering wage improvements. It also saw the union giving up DB pension plans for new hires. e return of Quebec Quebec's provincial HR association rejoined the Canadian Council of Human Resources Associations (CCHRA). Having relinquished its membership in 2010, the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés du Québec (CRHA) decided to come back as an associate member, meaning it would not pay membership fees and it did not have voting rights. e CCHRA has since become CPHR Canada. Cellphones not allowed An Ontario greenhouse owner banned workers from using cellphones at work, saying they were distracting and led to lower productivity and negative attitudes. But there are legal, safety and communication considerations to such a move, said experts. Cellphones not allowed owner banned workers from using cellphones saying they were distracting and led to lower productivity and Credit: China Stringer Network (Reuters) Two-fi fths of workforce at 'high risk' of being aff ected by automation: Report Forty-two per cent of the Canadian labour force is at high risk of being aff ected by automation in the future. at's because the recent rise of artifi cial intelligence and advanced robotics means automation is entering the realm of cognitive, non-routine tasks and occupations, such as driving and conducting job interviews, according to a report from Ryerson University in Toronto. Most high-risk occupations are in offi ce support and general administration or lower-skilled technical occupations. January 23, 2017 Syrian refugees welcomed With tens of thousands of refugees arriving in Canada from Syria, businesses prepared for an infl ux of potential employees. As many as 3,000 new arrivals were anticipated in Winnipeg alone. While skilled tradespeople and construction workers were in particular demand, the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce worked to connect any and all employers with the resources they needed to create job opportunities. Credit: Seatply Walmart wage hike could alter retail arena A "trendsetting" move by one of the world's largest retail chains could set into motion a major shift in the way companies compensate employees, according to experts. In 2015, Walmart increased hourly wages for its 1.5 million employees in the United States to combat a drop in profi ts, as well as poor customer survey results. And recent analysis suggests the move made sense. Heineken uses interactive video to attract jobseekers Breaking away from the traditional, Heineken uncorked a diff erent kind of recruitment campaign when the Dutch brewing company launched an interactive website titled "Go Places" that saw 600 global staff ers participating. Heineken's goal? Show off its global dominance while attracting future star employees to continue to break fresh ground, said the company. Credit: goplaces.theheinekencompany.com

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