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Serious insight for serious situations.

Serious insight for serious situations.

Bueller?… Bueller?… Bueller?*

*Inspired by the 1986 movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – the picture perfect example of why employers should require medical notes for “sick days”. On Wednesday January 8, 2014, the Globe and Mail published an article titled:  “Stop asking employees for sick notes, OMA head urges” written by Erin Anderssen. The article

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Beware talk of retirement…

I was chatting recently with a friend about someone we both know who was forced to find employment at an advanced age because of his financial circumstances. There was no doubt in our minds that our mutual acquaintance would have far preferred to spend the remaining years of his life doing something other than pounding

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‘Twas the payday after christmas*: An employer’s (rhyming) guide to the joys of public holiday pay

*With inspiration from (and apologies to) Clement Clarke Moore, and his classic ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. ‘Tho the basics of holiday pay are well-known, The details of compliance are oft met with a groan. But for managers, for supervisors, for HR and for pay-roll, Meeting the statutory requirements is always the main-goal. So with

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New Year’s resolutions reinvented

On my run this morning, I passed store windows filled with all sorts of tools and inspiration for every possible resolution: losing weight, getting organized, exercising more…I came home inspired to do my own planning for 2014.  But when I flipped through the newspaper, I came across an article by a columnist who updated us

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To summary judgment, or not to summary judgment, that is the question

While employment lawyers do not ponder the same life or death issues as Hamlet in his famous soliloquy, they face difficult issues about how to approach employment litigation. In particular, employment lawyers must consider whether they should bring a summary judgment motion to seek a quick resolution to their clients’ cases or proceed through the

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Unhappy holidays! The hangover, the law suit and the human rights complaint

The holiday season is full of cheer, celebration, hangovers…and legal implications for employers.  Canadian courts have established that in some cases, employers are liable for the harm and damages caused by intoxicated/impaired employees after an employer-sponsored party. Those cases are ones in which: The employer provided the alcohol to the employee; The employer knew the

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Ho ho ho hold it – When does celebrating Christmas in the workplace cross a line?

This time of year we find ourselves answering questions about what type of workplace celebrations are appropriate. Is wishing colleagues “Merry Christmas” a neutral greeting or is it offensive?  Is it acceptable to have a Christmas tree in the office?  Is Secret Santa a human rights problem? The reality is that not everyone celebrates Christmas.

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You started it! When the victim is the instigator of harassment

We often hear from our clients, or through the course of investigations, that the incidents now being alleged to be harassment are part of the workplace culture, and that an employee’s active participation in the harassing behaviour means that the conduct should not constitute harassment for that employee. Is the employee’s participation in the harassing

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