Legislative Changes
 
A lot has happened on the legislative front since we last communicated.
 
Ontario has passed several pieces of legislation that will have a direct impact on how you manage your business.  They include:

1. The “Cell Phone Act” – Passed April 23, 2009 and effective October 26, 2009, this legislation restricts the use of hand-held mobile technology devices and the presence of display screens while driving.
2. Bill 154 – An amendment to the Employment Standards Act, it provides for a job protected leave of absence to individuals donating certain organs.
3. Bill 139 – Temporary Workers Legislation is designed to provide greater protection to temporary or “assignment workers”.
4. Ontarians with Disabilities Act – This legislation requires employers to provide a barrier free-workplace through all stages of the employment cycle.  While the Act became law in 2005, it is being rolled out in five standards:  customer service, built environment, information and communication, transportation and employment.  Customer service was the first to become law in 2008, with mandatory compliance for public sector employers by Jan 1, 2010 and Jan 1, 2012 for the private sector.  
    
   Another piece of legislation is pending.  Bill 168 is an Act to amend the Occupational Health and Safety Act with respect to violence and harassment in the workplace. If this Bill becomes law, employers with more than 5 employees will have to comply with and implement workplace violence harassment policies and programs.
    
   Are you in a position to comply with these new legislative initiatives?  If not, give us a call and we can help you come up with solutions that will meet the needs of your business.
    
   

 
 Leadership Forum
 
My colleagues at Integra Leadership Inc. are holding a leadership forum on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 in downtown Toronto.  The name of the forum is Building High Performing, Values-Drive Organizations and runs from 12 pm to 5 pm.
 
To register, please contact Michelle Heinze at mheinze@integra-leadership.com
 
I highly recommend attending.

Book
 
I’ve always wanted to write a book; it’s been a life long goal of mine.
 
So, I’ve decided to “bite the bullet”, so to speak, and have started writing a book about recruiting and selection.  I see it at the first of a series of books for small business owners and HR professionals on how to recruit, select, retain and manage employees.
 
If you have any “good” recruiting stories to tell and are interested in sharing them with me, please give drop me an e-mail.  I’m always a sucker for a good story, especially if it’s funny and it contains the three magic ingredients:  sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll!
 
 
Jack Welch on HR
 
I’d like to share with you a snippet from a June 15, 2009 Canadian HR Reporter article entitled “Untold pain for firms that don’t get HR right:  Jack Welch”.  Mr. Welch makes an interesting case for an increased role by HR in the business:
How does the organization perceive HR — as an equal player to the CFO or relegated to another position in the organization? I’ve asked that question talking to thousands of HR people and 10 to 20 per cent say they’re perceived as equal. In the organization that I worked for and built (GE), 90-plus per cent of the HR people said they were perceived as equal to the CFO.
If you were running a sports team, who would you want to be talking to everyday — the team accountant or the head of player personnel? The head of player personnel because you want to win. What’s different about that in business? Money is a product of a team’s success. If you have great success with your people, you make a lot of money.
What do you think?  Agree?  Disagree?  Maybe this is something you’d like to comment on in the Forum.

 Did you know…..?
 
You’ve often heard of the term “pink slip”. Do you ever wonder where it came from?
 
Some say the term originated from the Ford Motor Company, which, early in its history, is said to have used coloured paper as a primitive performance review.  If a worker received a white slip in their pigeonhole at the end of a workday, it meant the powers that be were satisfied with their day’s work.  If they received a pink slip, it meant the boss didn’t care for their work and never wanted to see them again. 
 
* Taken from “The History of the Layoff” – Brett Popplewell, The Toronto Globe and Mail, February 22, 2009

Humour
 
Reaching the end of a job interview, the Human Resources Manager asked a young engineer who was fresh out of university:  “What starting salary were you thinking about?”
 
The engineer said:   “In the neighborhood of $125,000 a year, depending on the benefits package.”
 
“Well”, said the HR Manager, “what would you say to a package of 5 weeks vacation, 14 paid holidays, full medical and dental, a company retirement fund of 75% salary and a company car leased every 2 years – say a red Corvette?”
 
The engineer sat up straight and said:  “Wow!”  “Are you kidding?”
 
The HR Manager replied:   “Yeah, but you started it!”

I leave this quote from Peter Drucker with you as food for thought:
 
The productivity of work is not the responsibility of the worker but of the manager.

If you know of someone who would like to read this newsletter, please feel free to pass it on to them.
 
Dave Hagel is a Certified Human Resources Professional and President of High Performance Human Resources, a company that specializes in providing people solutions that maximize business results. You can reach him at:
 
Phone:  (905) 637-5673
Toll Free:  1-866-878-4134
Fax:  905-631-2383
E-mail:  dave@highperformancehr.ca
Website:  www.highperformancehr.ca