Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER September 4, 2017 30 INSIGHT ALL FIRED UP SICILY, ITALY — Setting a fire is no laughing matter, a fact firefight- ers know only too well. But 15 firefighters in Sicily are suspected of deliberately setting fires, or hav- ing friends or family call in false alarms, for two years, according to the Associated Press. e reason? ey wanted to be called to work so they could earn extra money. While volunteers, the firefight- ers receive 10 euros (C$14.80) per hour in compensation from the Italian government. e sus- pects were discovered when the fire department's command cen- tre tipped off authorities that one group of off-duty firefighters was being disproportionately called to fight fires. "Compared with 40 in- terventions from one squad, these volunteers were doing 120, spark- ing grumbling among some and the desire to join them by others, so they could get more money,'' said police official Antonino Ciavola. 'HELP, I'M STUCK' CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS — In- stead of popping out the usual bank notes, an automatic teller machine (ATM) in Corpus Christi, Texas, issued a different kind of note re- cently. at's because a contractor sent to work on the machine ac- cidentally locked himself inside, according to the Caller Times. Lacking a cellphone, the worker's only way to alert the outside world to his predicament was through the bank machine. So he slipped a note through the receipt slot ask- ing for help, and while some pass- ersby thought it was a joke, the po- lice were eventually alerted. ey kicked down the door to rescue the man. CUTTING THE COMMUTE MUNICH, GERMANY — Long commutes are no fun, no mat- ter where you live. But one man in Germany decided he'd had enough and took the plunge, quite literally. Benjamin David was used to taking a bus or biking to work every day on congested streets in Munich, according to Reuters. Fed up with the slog, the beer garden worker decided to pack his laptop and clothes into a waterproof bag, put on a wetsuit and swim across the River Isar instead. "It is beauti- fully refreshing and also the fastest way," he said. "I used to go by bike or bus or car or on foot and you need much longer. Today, the current was quite strong and I only needed about 12 minutes." e winter may prove a challenge, however, as the river temperature can drop con- siderably. "I mostly do this in sum- mer. I am a bit of a wimp, but you can also do it in winter," said David. "en I've got a longer wetsuit." POPULAR EMPLOYEE LONDON, U.K. — A new "em- ployee" at the treasury department in London, U.K., has more than 11,000 followers on Instagram. Pictures of him prowling through the offices, sporting a colourful bow tie are regularly posted — re- vealing he's a cat. Gladstone — a black cat named after the U.K.'s former prime minister William Gladstone — joined the depart- ment to reduce the rodent popu- lation and, one year later, has man- aged to capture 22 mice, accord- ing to Reuters. "I've also caught 2 flies — it's harder than it looks!" said Gladstone in an August post. Finance ministry officials man- age his social media presence, and photos have shown the feline wearing a rainbow tie to mark gay rights, along with celebrating visits by foreign dignitaries. W EIRD ORKPLACE THE Vol. 30 No. 14 – September 4, 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 Sales Manager: Paul Burton - (416) 649-9928 paul.burton@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 HR can never look on and do nothing I t was noted philosopher John Stuart Mill who once said, "Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends than that good men should look on and do nothing." is was in 1867 when he was delivering a university address. A shorter, catchier way to phrase it is the oft-quoted and impossi- ble-to-source "All that is neces- sary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Yes, I'm talking about white supremacists. And yes, the ques- tion of what an employer should do when it finds one of these on the payroll has arisen. I'm not a fence-sitter on this issue. There is no handwring- ing necessary over what human resources needs to do with em- ployees who chant slogans such as "Jews will not replace us" or "One people, one nation, end immigration." Or the less creative "Go the fuck back to Africa." Or those who say the killing of Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old protester run over by a car allegedly driven by a white supremacist, was "more than justified." Fire them. eir words are not free speech. We don't need a philosophical dis- cussion about first amendment rights in the United States or char- ter and human rights in Canada. is language is the realm of Na- zis and Klansmen and all types of nonsense that we shouldn't have to spend any time discussing in 2017. Passing the torch If these protesting idiots — be it in Charlottesville, Va., or Que- bec City — want to turn back the clock, I'm all for it. Let's go back to 1942, and climb aboard the Queen Elizabeth as it crashed through the waves of the North Atlantic carrying thousands of young men from Canada to England to fight in the Second World War. One of them was my grandfa- ther, Joe Hart, who celebrated his 20th birthday crammed in tight and hot quarters on that ship. He gave up four years of his life — sleeping in the muck, under the stars, away from family and friends — fighting this kind of bigotry and hatred. He was joined by 1.1 million fel- low Canadians who served in the war. More than 44,000 were killed and 54,000 were wounded. Stand in front of them with your cowardly chants and taunts — I dare you. But it's not 1942. e torch has been passed, it is now ours to hold high. My grandfather's biggest fear was that when the veterans were dead and gone, Canadians might forget about them and their sacrifices, and let this type of thinking rise again. Here's the good news: We won't, and it won't. Despite some confusing and tepid statements from the presi- dent of the United States, we've already seen overwhelming evi- dence of how little support these knuckleheads actually have — the counterprotests have been much larger in every case. And on social media, move- ments have begun to identify the people who marched and chanted racist slogans. ere's no hiding in the digital age. Legal considerations Stuart Rudner, a partner at Rud- ner McDonald in Toronto, wrote a column on our website (www. hrreporter.com) that deals with the specifics of what employers can and can't do if one of their em- ployees is caught on video chant- ing racist slogans or supporting racist groups. He states the legal arguments far more eloquently than I, but sums it up thusly: "What can you do if you discover that one of your employees is a neo-Nazi or white supremacist? In almost all cases, you will be able to terminate the relationship. "The only question will be whether you have just cause to do so, or whether you will have to do so on a without cause basis and provide them with some sever- ance pay." Paying severance pay to a bigot may not feel right, but getting this person off the payroll — and sending a message in the process to employees, their families and the community at large — is well worth the cost. is is also a good time to re- view your employee handbook — it should address racist behaviour in a direct and severe manner. Some things go without saying. Sadly, this can't be one of them. National HR Awards – Nominations closing soon! On a lighter note, there is still time to get your nominations in for the 2017 National HR Awards. is year, we're celebrating the winners with a gala cocktail re- ception on Oct. 24 in downtown Toronto. e deadline to get your nomination in is Sept. 8. For more information visit www.nationalhrawards.com, and give your HR department the recognition it deserves. SUSPECT GOES FREE TORONTO — A Toronto police officer didn't really do his job recently — with good reason. Const. Niran Jeyanesan was called to a Walmart in Toronto in August in response to a report of shoplifting, according to the Canadian Press. When he arrived, he questioned a teenager suspected of trying to steal a long-sleeved shirt, a pair of socks and a tie. But when Jeyanesan learned the boy needed the items for an upcoming job interview, the police officer not only didn't lay charges, he decided to purchase the clothing for the suspect himself. And it paid off: A few days later, police announced the 18-year-old had landed the job in the service industry, and was set to start work soon. Credit: denk creative (Shutterstock) Paying severance pay to a bigot may not feel right, but getting this person off the payroll is well worth the cost.

• Cover