Canadian HR Reporter

PM40065782 RO9496 March 6, 2017 INSIDE Free rewards can be costly Programs such as 'Employee of the Month' may be inexpensive but researchers have found they can also reduce productivity Feeling entitled Employees think their health bene ts are a right page 2 Executive comp New rules in Ontario boost public sector transparency page 3 Passing on praise Givers of recognition see gains in motivation, pride page 12 page 11 STORMY TIMES Employee benefits were in the spotlight recently when the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) announced it had dismissed 73 people in connection with a multimillion-dollar benefits fraud scheme, and St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto said it had let go 31 employees over irregularities in employee health benefit claims. Credit: Hyungwon Kang (Reuters) Human rights commission supports medical marijuana bid Nova Scotia board fi nds discrimination against worker BY SARAH DOBSON THE conundrum that is marijua- na continues to challenge employ- ers, as seen recently when a Nova Scotia human rights tribunal ruled an employee's denial of medical marijuana coverage amounted to discrimination. e decision involved Gordon "Wayne" Skinner, an elevator mechanic employed by yssen- Krupp Elevator Canada. In 2010, he was involved in an accident at work, leading to physical and mental disabilities in the form of chronic pain and anxiety and de- pressive disorders. Unable to work, he qualified for permanent impairment and extended earnings replacement benefi ts. And since various pain medications and anti-depressants proved ineff ective, he began using medical marijuana using the ap- propriate prescription and licence. REQUEST > pg. 8 National psychological standard leading to mixed results: Survey Workplaces safer, workers more knowledgeable – but many people still unaware of guidelines BY MARCEL VANDER WIER FOUR YEARS after the creation of a national standard encouraging mental health in the workplace, re- sults are mixed when it comes to the actual impact. While the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace has made workers more knowledge- able about mental health and has led to safer work settings, there are also many workers who are unaware it exists, found a sur- vey by Ipsos, commissioned by the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace. e standard is a voluntary set of guidelines promoting psycho- logical health in the workplace. Unveiled in 2013 by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, it serves as a road map for employ- ers, helping them to identify, assess and measure potential hazards. Only fi ve per cent of employees working for an organization im- plementing the standard say their workplace is psychologically un- healthy, found the survey of 5,000 people, compared to 13 per cent of those working for companies that have not implemented it. And employees with depression at organizations that are imple- menting the standard are missing less time (7.4 days per year) from work compared to the average em- ployee with depression (12.5 days). Employees at workplaces im- plementing the standard are also less likely than those without the standard to express concern over psychological support in the WE > pg. 9 Medical documentation policy clarifi ed Ontario's move clears up confusion surrounding accommodation requests: Experts BY MARCEL VANDER WIER THE Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has moved to clear up any lingering confu- sion around the type of medical documents required to support a request for accommodation at work. In February, it released a poli- cy clarifi cation identifying what medical documentation is to be provided when disability-related accommodation requests are made. Under Ontario human rights law, employers have a legal duty to accommodate to the point of undue hardship. e commission has provided more clear information on some- thing that has been causing con- fusion, said Cherie Robertson, senior policy analyst at the OHRC in Toronto. " We're hoping that put- ting out this statement offers DOCTORS > pg. 17 fi nancial well–being award winning learn more... mental wellness physical fi tness it's a lot more than discounts the original perks company TM the original perks company TM www.venngo.com/perks 1.866.383.6646 ext.202 20160913_hrReporter_earLug_oct1_001.indd 5 2017-02-16 4:21 PM

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