Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER February 20, 2017 30 INSIGHT SLICK-TALKING SALESMEN CANADA — Many Loblaws shoppers have been tricked into signing up for credit cards, ac- cording to an investigative report by CBC News. ree men work- ing for SDI Marketing, which was hired by PC Financial to have Lo- blaws customers sign up for Mas- terCards, said they often misled customers. ey would tell peo- ple they were signing up for free PC points, a bag of cookies or an information package, when really they were scanning customers' personal IDs and submitting ap- plications for credit cards. "It was mostly do whatever means neces- sary to get them to sign up for a credit card," said one man who re- cently left the job after two years. All three said the deception was condoned by SDI management. " ey knew exactly what all the salesmen were saying in the fi eld to get those high numbers of ap- plications and they just turned a blind eye." e men said they had no training for the job and were hired after a two-minute phone call. ey said they were often pressured to sign up 50 custom- ers in a six-hour shift. TOO MUCH SHOW AND TELL PAWHUSKA, OKLA. — It's not always easy for substitute teachers to catch the attention of students, but one woman succeeded recently in Pawhuska, Okla. During a high school choir class, 34-year-old Lacey Sponsler performed a cartwheel — apparently without wearing any underwear underneath her skirt. A Snapchat video of the incident was shared online, according to KJRH- TV. e school quickly released a statement saying the district takes the safety of its students seriously and Sponsler was no longer allowed to work at the school. And the local police department subsequently arrested the woman for indecent exposure, but it wasn't Sponsler's fi rst brush with the law — in 2008, she received a deferred sentence after pleading guilty to public intoxication, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a university. FIT FOR A KING OR QUEEN CIRENCESTER, U.K. — Funky workspaces are all the rage these days as employers try to keep em- ployees content. But Chris Mor- ling, founder of price comparison website money.co.uk, has excelled in that regard. He was recently named "Britain's best boss," ac- cording to the Jakarta Post, and has crafted a lavish workplace for his workers. A renovated castle, it features a playground offi ce, a private cinema, a games console, fl at screen TVs and free break- fasts. Workers also enjoy luxury vacations and bonuses of at least 45 per cent of their annual sal- ary. The company's workforce grew from seven to 50 over seven years, and in looking to build the ideal workplace, Morling tried to address the preferences of staff . "Some people want to stand while they work, some people want to work alone. Ultimately, it boils down to creating a space where you feel comfortable." REVEALING DISPLAY MEXICO — Mexican TV tends to be less conservative than other broadcasts, but a TV presenter managed to shock some view- ers recently when she decided to show off her tattoo. Claudia Gua- jardo, a popular weather woman, caused a stir when she lifted her dress and pulled down her short- shorts underwear to reveal the marking on her thigh. A fellow presenter had encouraged the move after she admitted she had shown another colleague the tat- too earlier. Another woman in the studio yelled at Guajardo to stop, but producers played sexy mu- sic to accompany the striptease. Guajardo regularly posts selfi es of herself on social media, accord- ing to the Mirror, and she posted a screen grab of the revealing mo- ment on Instagram where she has 119,000 followers. W EIRD ORKPLACE THE Vol. 30 No. 3 – February 20, 2017 PUBLISHED BY Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. One Corporate Plaza 2075 Kennedy Rd. Toronto, ON M1T 3V4 ©Copyright 2017 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, Media Solutions, Canada: 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: $175 (plus GST) GST#: 897 176 350 RT To subscribe, call one of the customer service numbers listed below 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: customersupport. legaltaxcanada@tr.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR todd.humber@thomsonreuters.com CHRR reserves the right to edit for length and clarity. Todd Humber EDITOR'S NOTES Welcome to the family, HRPA members T he older I get, the more I enjoy the small things in life. e lure of the latest mammoth 4K big-screen TV can't compete with a crackling fi re on a cold and windy Sun- day morning. The gifts piled under the tree mean nothing compared to having the family gathered around the table on Christmas Day. Our newest, and perhaps my fa- vourite, holiday is just around the corner. Family Day — the much- needed February long weekend — lands on the third Monday of the month in Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan. British Colum- bia, just to be diff erent, celebrates the second Monday. To the other provinces, I can only say this: You're missing out. Most of the country is starting to come out of the dead of winter. Wiarton Willie has called for an early spring, and Shubenacadie Sam simply nodded his agreement. On the job front, we've been running on all four cylinders since we shook off the New Year's Eve hangover. Family Day is a perfectly timed break to stop, gather those we love the most and enjoy a bit more of the Ca- nadian winter before it gives way to the groundhog's inevitable prognostications. Family Day was launched in Ontario in 2008, so enough time has passed to build both tradi- tions and memories. I don't have a large family. My father passed away when I was 21, and I lost my mom three years ago. I have a sister, whom I love, but she lives hundreds of kilometres away so the chances to see her and my niece and nephew — Caity and Henry — are scarce. I have four first cousins but they've cozied up to the coasts — two in Halifax, and two in Kelow- na, B.C. — not exactly spitting distance from my home north of Toronto. I don't have children so, though it's cliché, friends have become my family. ere's Doug, whom I met while paddling a canoe at age 15. I instantly hated him, but we be- came fast friends and he's closer to me than any brother. Or my buddy Jay, a bigger-than- life "force of nature" — my mom's term — who did so much for the family when my mother was ill and I was far away. He inherited her fridge, which he has named "Bonnie" in her honour and keeps well-stocked with adult bever- ages in his garage. She'd defi nitely approve. And then there's my partner and absolute best friend — and isn't it magic when those two things happen? She's Greek, so she really doesn't understand phrases like "small family" or "quiet time." We spent our fi rst Family Day together last year, loading her two kids into the car and heading north for a ski trip that quickly turned into a snowshoeing ad- venture. (Alright, there's the one rub when it comes to Family Day — massive lines at almost any attraction.) That leisurely walk through the woods (well, more of a run at times for the teenagers among us) left me with a grin that did more than enough to get me through to spring. In the HR world, we welcome a new family to our table with this issue of Canadian HR Reporter. For the fi rst time, every member of the Human Resources Profes- sionals Association (HRPA) — that's 23,000 members — is get- ting a copy. at's because HR Professional, HRPA's magazine, ceased its print publication at the end of 2016. We're now the exclu- sive way to reach this audience in this manner. So welcome, HRPA members, to the 35,000-plus professionals from across Canada who already read this publication every two weeks. We're doing four of these special issues in 2017 — Feb. 20, April 17, June 12 and Sept. 4. So look for them to land on your desktop. We hope you like what you see — and you're only getting a sliver of the access you could. Canadian HR Reporter publishes 21 issues per year, plus your subscription gets you the digital edition, the weekly newswire and complete access to hrreporter.com featuring tens of thousands of stories covering all areas of HR. On behalf of all the staff at Ca- nadian HR Reporter, we welcome this exciting new audience to the family and wish all of you the best as you celebrate this newest of holidays. When I wake up on that Mon- day morning, the television will be off , the coff ee will be brewing and, with any luck, there will be a few snowfl akes making the jour- ney when I pile that extra log on the fi re. FRIES WITH THAT? EPPING, N.H. — Special orders are never encouraged at fast food restau- rants — it's just too much hassle for workers trying to keep things moving. But two workers at an outlet in Epping, N.H., apparently were OK with one particular request, according to Fox News. Local police say the Burger King employees were using the drive-thru to sell marijuana. Apparently, customers would fi rst ask if "nasty boy" was working, and if he was there, buyers would then use the code phrase "French fries extra crispy." A coff ee cup containing marijuana would then be presented at the drive-thru window. Not surprisingly, both the worker and the shift manager were arrested. Credit: Billion Photos (Shutterstock) Special orders are never encouraged at fast food restau- rants — it's just too much hassle for workers trying to keep things moving. But two workers at an outlet in Epping, N.H., apparently were OK with one particular request, according to Fox News. Local police say the Burger King employees were using the drive-thru to sell marijuana. Apparently, customers would fi rst ask if "nasty boy" was working, and if he was there, buyers would then use the code phrase "French fries extra crispy." A coff ee cup containing marijuana would then be presented at the drive-thru window. Not surprisingly, Credit: Billion Photos (Shutterstock) Family Day is a perfectly timed break to stop, gather those we love the most and enjoy a bit more of winter.

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