Canadian HR Reporter

PM40065782 RO9496 May 15, 2017 INSIDE Pulling together We talk to Canada's HR associations to nd out what their year has been like, and what's on the agenda for the year to come Pay transparency Ontario group joins global push to address pay gap page 3 Dressing down Sexualized, gender-based dress codes off the menu page 5 Comp culture Pay should re ect company culture page 17 page 11 Credit: Chris Wattie (Reuters) Treasury Board president Scott Brison (seen here in Ottawa in 2015) says a pilot project on name-blind recruitment could expand across the federal public service. tune up your finances with 1000+ savings opportunities financial well–being tone up with up to 50% off gym memberships physical fitness zen out with 300+ Health & Wellness partners mental wellness www.venngo.com/perks 1.866.383.6646 ext.202 Find out more... © Copyright 2017 Venngo Inc. All rights reserved. WorkPerks ® is a registered trade-mark of Venngo Inc. V1_20170421 An award winning Venngo program is a core element of a complete compensation and benefits strategy. it's a lot more than discounts SIGN UP TODAY hrreporter.com/canadian-hr-newswire Feds try to blank out bias Government testing 'name-blind recruitment' BY SARAH DOBSON THE Canadian government sur- prised many recently when it an- nounced six federal departments would be testing "name-blind recruitment" in the interest of strengthening diversity and inclu- sion. e pilot project will com- pare outcomes associated with the traditional screening of applicants with screening where managers are blinded to applicants' names. A person's name should never be a barrier to employment, said Scott Brison, president of the Treasury Board, in announcing the initiative. "We want to do more to ensure that our public service refl ects the diversity of Canada," he said. "It's important for us to take concrete steps to explore the mechanics of name-blind recruitment. e re- sults of this pilot project will help inform our thinking on potentially expanding the use of name-blind recruitment of hiring across the federal public service." e pilot will explore the eff ects of concealing applicants' names, email addresses, country of origin and employment equity informa- tion from externally advertised jobs. A fi nal report on the project is to be released in October. It's hoped the project will pro- vide research and fi ndings that will inform the rest of the govern- ment, said Ahmed Hussen, minis- ter of immigration, refugees and citizenship, and "hopefully creates that positive challenge to other or- ders of government, and also the private sector, to examine name- blind recruitment as a way to di- versify and include more people in their hiring process." It's a very encouraging move, ac- cording to Michael Bach, founder and CEO of the Canadian Cen- tre for Diversity and Inclusion in Toronto. "It's a fantastic fi rst step — it's not just good, it's great. And I say that because it's the fi rst time we've seen a large, very public employer doing something that is a very bold step to start to call out people's bi- ases," he said. " is is certainly a good practice if it can be implemented to help eliminate the biases, unconscious and otherwise, that people have as it relates to things like a name or where a person is from." But a big underlying ques- tion is whether the public sec- tor is discriminating by name to RESUMÉS > pg. 9 New CASL deadline looms Private right of action could mean costlier penalties BY SARAH DOBSON JUST over three years ago, em- ployers faced a daunting headline: Compliance with Canada's anti- spam legislation (CASL) by July 1, 2014. Essentially, that meant any commercial electronic messages (CEMs) such as emails or texts sent by employers needed consent, identifi cation information and an unsubscribe mechanism. e in- stallation of computer programs without express consent was also not allowed, and there were re- strictions around the collection of personal information and elec- tronic addresses. Over the transition period that followed, companies were allowed to rely on "implied consent" based on a prior relationship and prior communications with recipients. But that grace period is ending as of July 1, 2017 — and, this time, the potential penalties are more severe. So, are employers ready? Not really, according to legal experts. "I have yet to run into any of them that were in compliance be- fore I got there," said Peter Clausi, executive vice-president of cor- porate aff airs and general counsel at GTC Resources and Mining in Burlington, Ont. "Firms aren't tak- ing it seriously." Employer compliance is all over the map, with larger companies more on top of it, said Kirsten ompson, a partner in the na- tional technology group at Mc- Carthy Tétrault in Toronto. REPUTABLE > pg. 8 TFWP changes announced Focus on domestic recruitment, worker protection, inspections BY MARCEL VANDER WIER THE federal government has said it is altering the Temporary For- eign Worker Program (TFWP) to ensure Canadians remain fi rst in line for domestic jobs — but critics are wondering if any real changes have been made at all. In April, updated requirements were unveiled for employers seek- ing to hire temporary foreign workers, including measures promoting the recruitment of underrepresented sectors in the workforce, such as youth, women, Indigenous people, and people with disabilities. TFWP > pg. 2

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