Ideal Waste of Time: Social Media and its Seismic Shift in the Workplace
A young employee at an automobile service station is having a sluggish day. He tweets from his workplace in search of a marijuana delivery at work, to, in his words, “help him last this open to close.” Local police not only caught wind of the tweet but they tweeted back, asking “can we come too?” […]
Work Hard, Pray Hard: The Delicate Balance of Religious Accommodation
Late last month, a female Canadian Border Services Agency (“CBSA”) screener revealed that five male passengers travelling through Toronto’s Pearson airport were given permission to be screened by only male guards. The reason? The five men are Hindu priests known as Sadhus, whose religious adherence does not permit any contact with women. The female officer […]
Closing the New Gender Gap: Assessing Issues of Gender Identity in the Workplace
Last fall, a 10-year-old Vancouver girl and her family made headlines for her fight to get her birth certificate amended. It was not for any name or address change though; Harriette Cunningham has transitioned from a boy to a girl and wants her government-issued paperwork to reflect this. Other stories have come forward of individuals […]
Everything but those Two Little Words: The Truth Behind Constructive Dismissal
On his hit television show The Apprentice, business mogul Donald Trump turned the words “you’re fired” into a novelty catch phrase. In reality though, these are likely the two most difficult words any employee could hear. Work is one of the most important relationships in people’s lives, and the end of that relationship can be […]
American Apparel Dismisses Its Canadian Bad Boy: How Sexual Harassment Can Put a Company in Peril
A recent shake-up at American Apparel saw CEO and founder Dov Charney ousted from the company amidst a damning history of sexual harassment scandals. Scandal is old hat for Charney; he’s been plagued with claims of bizarre and inappropriate behavior since a peculiar interview with Jane magazine over a decade ago, and he has faced […]
Helpless No More: The Potential Change for Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) Coverage for Workplace Bullying
There is new light at the end of the tunnel for employees suffering from acute workplace stress. In a recent decision, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (WSIAT) allowed an appeal from an employee who was claiming mental disability from a workplace bullying situation. This is a marked change from prior policy of the […]
Missing Your Child’s Recital? Where the Law Strikes a Balance between Workplace and Childcare Obligations
Earlier this month, the Federal Court of Appeal firmly decided in Johnstone v Canada (Border Services) the meaning of ‘family status’. Family status is a prohibited ground of discrimination under both the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act, which means treating someone differently based on their family status is illegal. But […]
No Place for Discrimination: Workplace Harassment and What to Watch For
Even if you don’t follow the NBA, you’ve probably heard about the LA Clippers lately, and the story of their disgraced owner Donald Sterling. Sterling was heavily fined and banned for life by the league late last month after he was revealed to have made offensive and racist comments about who he didn’t want his […]
Hiring an Intern this Summer?
Last month, two of Canada’s highest profile magazines (The Walrus and Toronto Life) were advised by the Ontario Ministry of Labour to immediately end their internship programs after complaints about unfair labour practices (read more here). For many companies, summer “internship” programs are about to kick off. Before they do, employers should find out if […]
Walking the Termination Tightrope: A Toolkit for Terminations
Last week, Rodney Employment Law tweeted about an employee who went on a stabbing rampaging in a Toronto office after finding out he was fired from the company. Chuang “Ray” Li, 47, from Mississauga is now facing three counts of attempted murder, four counts of aggravated assault and four counts of assault with a weapon, […]