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Building Stronger Workplaces.

Building Stronger Workplaces.

Ahh, the lure of self-employment…

According to a report released last week, more Canadians are joining the ranks of the self-employed, with self-employment climbing 3.6% in the last year. It seems that employers are reluctant to offer permanent positions and expand payrolls in times of economic uncertainty. In addition, many older workers seem to like the idea of being their

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Mind your own business!

Recently I was asked to conduct an investigation by an organization that had received a complaint from another organization with which they did business, on behalf of one of its employees. While many of the investigation steps will be the same as in a more traditional internal investigation, the request did raise some important process

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Let’s talk billions: The hidden costs of bullying

Over the years I’ve encountered many organizations where bullying is a pervasive part of the culture. In some cases, I’ve represented victims of this behaviour. In others, I’ve conducted investigations into allegations of bullying. Sometimes this has even come up in training sessions where I’ve been asked to come and speak to employees about respect

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My fellow citizens of earth…

My colleague passed along a copy of this fantastic note which has a “citizen of earth” chasing off the parking police on behalf of a stranger, all in the interests of good karma. Last week, one of my partners wrote about a successful negotiation that she was involved in on behalf of one of her

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So you’ve never hired an employment lawyer?

I’ve been speaking with quite a few entrepreneurs lately about employment law issues, and I’ve been surprised to learn how few of them have ever worked with an employment lawyer.  Their impression seems to be that, once you engage a lawyer, they come in, rack up thousands of dollars in legal fees and do not

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AODA compliance: Audits and websites

During a recent AODA training session that I conducted, it became apparent that most organizations represented at the session had taken steps to meet their obligations under the Customer Service Standard and were now preparing for the next stage of compliance under the Integrated Accessibility Standards (IAS), dealing with employment, information and communication and transportation.

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Getting back to work: Restoring relationships post-conflict

Recently I was invited to present a paper at the 2013 Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights Agencies (CASHRA) as part of a panel titled A Model for the Future: Restorative Approach. The question the panel was designed to address was, “Can a restorative approach meet the stated purpose of each human rights jurisdiction in

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The new breed of “accidental entrepreneurs”

I was fascinated to read Leah Eichler’s article in the Globe and Mail this past weekend discussing the rise of a new breed of “accidental entrepreneurs”.  Unlike traditional entrepreneurs, who are motivated by a passion to solve a problem or turn a hobby into a paying job, the “accidental entrepreneur” has been spawned by the

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