Canadian HR Reporter - Sample Issue

CANADIAN HR REPORTER November 27, 2017 26 INSIGHT 'I WANT FOUND WOMEN' OTTAWA — While a Canadian government ministry may have good intentions, it's attracting unwanted attention from "lonely hearts," according to the National Post. Some Facebook users are mistaking the Status of Women page for a dating service off ering Canadian wives, maybe because the account username is "Wom- en in Canada." ere are frequent posts proposing marriage, which are regularly deleted by staff. "Many of these comments origi- nate from users located outside of Canada," said spokesperson Léonie Roux. A post about a gen- der-based analysis conference, for example, included comments such as "Happy women in Can- ada. I'd love to have a date with one" and "I want found women live in Canada." GOING GERM-FREE CALGARY — Workers at a new laboratory at the University of Calgary may have a tough time going for coff ee or a bathroom break. at's because anyone en- tering the facility — part of the Western Canadian Microbiome Centre — must be thoroughly cleansed of bacteria, viruses, fun- gi and other microscopic critters, according to Reuters. e day be- gins with a thorough shower as workers enter the underground, windowless space. They then change into sterile scrubs, Crocs shoes, paper coveralls, a face mask, hair net and gloves. And if they leave the lab for a break, they must repeat the process to get back in. Planning is key, said Kathy McCoy, the centre's scien- tifi c director: "Be prepared. Real- ize that if you are going to drink three litres of water in the morn- ing, you might have to go out and shower to get back in." PRONOUN PROBLEMS OXFORDSHIRE, U.K. — A Brit- ish math tutor who is also a pas- tor found himself in the hot seat recently after using the wrong pronoun, according to the Daily Mail. Joshua Sutcliffe, 27, said, "Well done, girls" to a teenager and a friend at a school, but the "girl" actually identifi es as a boy. Sutcliff e apologized but he was later sus- pended after the student's mother made a complaint. e tutor must now attend a disciplinary hearing to face misconduct charges for "misgendering." He is also accused of breaching equality policies by referring to the pupil by name, rather than "he" or "him." While Sutcliff e said he was given no of- fi cial instructions about how to address the student, he admitted, as a Christian, he had avoided us- ing male pronouns. "I had always tried to respect the pupil and keep a professional attitude as well as my integrity, but it seemed to me that the school was trying to force me to adhere to its liberal, Leftish agenda." TOO FIRED UP LITTLETON, COL. — A fi red-up hockey coach got himself fi red re- cently when his words of encour- agement before a game were too hot to handle, according to the Huffi ngton Post. e unnamed as- sistant coach was fi lmed giving a pep talk to the youth, using phras- es such as "I want to see you beat up Green Mountain. Fuck Green Mountain! Fuck their coaches! Fuck their wives!" The coach's speech was an unfortunate event and "not a representation of our association, and out of respect for the families and the sport, we are diligently working to correct the situation," said George Stieduhar, president of the Littleton Hockey Association. e coach later issued an apology to both teams. W EIRD ORKPLACE THE Vol. 30 No. 20 – November 27, 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. 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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 Leave fl irtation to the dating scene T here are no bright spots in the avalanche of sexual ha- rassment stories, but there are some areas that are a little less dark. Earlier this year, I noted that the punishment was starting to fi t the crime. Powerful men in powerful positions have been toppled from their perches, thanks to the cour- age of men and women who have come forward. We're not past the tipping point yet, but the culture is changing with the #metoo movement and victims feeling somewhat more comfortable about speaking up. Another bright spot came cour- tesy of Louis C.K. Full disclosure: I was a big fan of the comedian — when his name was added to the pile of abusers, I was sorely disappointed. He didn't come clean when the accusations were fi rst levelled. He refused to talk to the New York Times when it called him for com- ment earlier this month. But when he did break his si- lence, he did something rare: He took responsibility. (Don't get me wrong, he's still a douchebag. And his "apology" fell short in one key area — he didn't directly say sorry to the women he subjected to dis- plays of masturbation.) When nearly every other per- petrator maintains their inno- cence, often to the bitter end — despite overwhelming evidence and the additional pain their de- nials cause victims — this can only be described as refreshing. "These stories are true," he wrote in a statement. "At the time, I said to myself that what I did was OK because I never showed a woman my dick without asking fi rst, which is also true. But what I learned later in life, too late, is that when you have power over another person, asking them to look at your dick isn't a question. It's a predicament for them." Predicament. at word sums up the issue so perfectly — a power imbalance renders consent meaningless. On Nov. 11, Satur- day Night Live tackled the issue of workplace sexual harassment head-on with an appearance by "Claire from human resources." The frazzled professional — played by Cecily Strong — came armed with a quiz on offi ce re- lationships. In between drink- ing shots of Purell ("I fi nd that it cleanses me," she said), she quizzed host Colin Jost with ques- tions like "What is the appropri- ate way to handle a workplace relationship?" She gave the following options: A) Inform someone in HR. B) Lock her in a room and make her look at it. C) Bully her out of the industry. "You'd be surprised how many people get that wrong," she dead- panned. She went on to ask when it was appropriate for an adult to have a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old? Or "When talking to a co-work- er in the offi ce, where should you keep your penis?" Strong ended the sketch by stat- ing, seriously: "All of this isn't just a scandal. It didn't just start last week. It's actual reality for half the population." When I've covered this topic in the past, I've received emails and Twitter messages and anonymous comments, ranging from "You're not a man" to "Move on to another topic." I am, and we won't. A real man wouldn't harass a woman, and a real adult wouldn't go after a child. We will continue to cover this sto- ry, and put it on the cover — like we did for this issue — as long as it remains a problem. A pessimist would say we're going to devote a lot of ink to it. While discussing Uber's pledge to donate US$5 million to organiza- tions that prevent sexual assault, Neil Malamuth, a psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), served up a dose of reality. Education and training might work for low-risk men, but "no study or data shows any eff ective- ness of high-risk males," he told the Associated Press. For these knuckle-draggers, we need a diff erent deterrent — public shaming and the loss of their employment or position in society. We've got a moun- tain of stories that have already been told. From producer Har- vey Weinstein to talk show host Bill O'Reilly. From celebrity chef John Besh to fashion photogra- pher Terry Richardson. Actor Kevin Spacey, former head of NPR Michael Oreskes, journalist Mark Halperin, publisher Knight Landesman, producer Brett Rat- ner, politician Jeff Hoover are also there… it's an exhausting list and might make potential perpetra- tors think twice. One area of confusion is where the line is drawn. I recently lis- tened to a fascinating back-and- forth on what constitutes sexual harassment on a Toronto radio station — a host had been told by a male colleague she looked beau- tiful, and her husband was a "very lucky man." The woman found the com- ment slightly off -putting, but the opinions from others were mixed. Her male co-workers thought he'd crossed the line and was most def- initely hitting on her. e women in the group, though, thought it was generally a harmless thing to say and she should take the compliment. With such fuzzy lines, diff ering opinions and individual sensitivi- ties, we can't safely draw the line anywhere. Rather, let's keep the 9 to 5 com- pliments to solely those about the task at hand, and leave the fl irta- tious banter for the dating scene. POLLY WANTS A CABLE SYDNEY — Australia's government has been rolling out a new C$35-billion broadband network, but it's facing a peculiar challenge: Cockatoos. e pesky parrots have gnawed through steelbraid wires, costing C$78,000 in repairs, according to Reuters. " ey are constantly sharpening their beaks and, as a result, will attack and tear apart anything they come across," said network builder NBN Co. project manager Chedryian Bresland in a blog post. "Unfortunately, they've developed a liking to our cables... these birds are unstoppable when in a swarm." Yellow-crested cockatoos are well-known for their big appetites, eating everything from fruit crops to wooden window frames. "( e cable) would have to be an acquired taste, because it's not their usual style," said Gisela Kaplan, a professor in animal behaviour at the University of New England. "It might be the colour or the position of the cables that's attracted them." Credit: HJemastock (Shutterstock)

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