Perry Work Report for the week of March 22, 2010

March 22, 2010

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The Sefton Memorial Lecture Thursday March 25th, 2010

Woodsworth College and the Centre for Industrial Relations & Human Resources are proud to present the 2010 Sefton Lecturer. Don Drummond, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist TD Bank Financial will be delivering the lecture,The Changing Canadian Workplace, on Thursday, March 25, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. at Kruger Hall, Woodsworth College, 119 St. George St.

The Sefton Award for contributions to labour relations will be presented to Mr. Bob Baldwin. The Morley Gunderson prize in Industrial Relations will be presented to David Doorey, Professor of Employment & Labour Law in the new School of Human Resource Management at York University and the Academic Director of Osgoode Hall Law School's PDP Masters of Law in Labour and Employment Law and award winner for his Doorey's Workplace Law Blog: Thoughts on Canadian Labour and Employment Law for Students and Others

All are welcome. Reception follows lecture.

28th Sefton Memorial Lecture Thursday, March 25, 7pm. (PDF flyer)

Woodsworth College: Sefton Lecture 2010

 

Best Diversity Employers

The 2010 winners of Canada's Best Diversity Employers were announced in a special editorial feature in the Globe and Mailon March 23, 2010. Links to the list of top 45 diversity focused employers and numerous articles on diversity and employment from this special report are provided below.

The top 45 diversity-focused employers: Here are the 45 employers, each with one reason why they were chosen.

How RBC became a champion of diversity: It's the right thing to do, CEO Gordon Nixon says, and the smart thing, too

The invisible minority: Staying in the closet can be toxic for gay or lesbian employees. The solution is recognition and support that comes from the top down

With moms jumping ship, law firms change course

Building a healthier work force: When the CEO of Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital wants to see the workplace of the future, he simply opens his office door and looks down the hall

I haven't compromised who I am or what I am':Diversity isn't limited to skin colour. It runs the gamut from race to religion to handicaps. Here, three people of diverse backgrounds - and careers - talk with Rasha Mourtada about their experiences

Utility taps the power of non-profit agencies: Community aid groups helped BC Hydro put together a more inclusive and diverse work force

Welcome to Canada's Top 100 Employers

 

Challenges for Public Sector HR Professionals

The Conference Board of Canada recently released their e-Proceeding for Public Sector Human Resources 2010: Building Capability for Future Challenges. This conference discusses the challenges faced by public sector HR professionals as they try to “keep up with the pace of change at a time when the public sector and its needs are becoming even more complex.” This e-Proceeding features information on using social media effectively in HR, employee engagement, and workforce planning, among many other topics.

Document Highlights

e-Proceeding Presentations, March 2010: available to those with a University of Toronto email account who have signed up for a Conference Board e-Library account

 

Beyond Benefits

Workplace health and wellness initiatives provide value to organizations by keeping employees healthy and engaged. Beyond Benefits: Creating a Culture of Health and Wellness in Canadian Organizations discusses the link between workplace health and wellness programs, employee health, and greater organizational health. It reports on the health and wellness findings from The Conference Board of Canada’s inaugural 2009 Employer-Sponsored Benefit Programs survey.

Report, Conference Board of Canada, February 2010 (36 pages, PDF): available to those with a University of Toronto email account who have signed up for a Conference Board e-Library account.

Canada Newswire, March 15, 2010: Canadian organizations at different stages in development of health and wellness programs

 

Benefits Benchmarking

The report, Benchmarking Benefits 2009: Balancing Competitiveness and Cost, summarizes the results of the Conference Board of Canada’s May 2009 employer-sponsored benefit program survey. The report provides data that will enable Canadian employers to benchmark themselves against their peers and other organizations that they compete with for talent. It explores a wide range of employer-sponsored benefit programs that include legally required programs such as CPP/QPP and EI, extended health-care plans, dental plans, life and accident plans, and paid time off.

Report, Conference Board of Canada, March 2010 (49 pages, PDF): available to those with a University of Toronto email account who have signed up for a Conference Board e-Library account.

Canada NewsWire, March 11, 2010: Rising benefit costs challenge employers to balance attractive programs with affordability

 

Towers Watson Global Workforce Study

Some of the key findings of the survey include: the desire for security trumps everything; employees understand they are responsible for their long-term financial and physical health but they doubt their ability to take on this role; mobility is at a decade-long low point, and many are sacrificing career growth for a secure job; and confidence in leaders and managers is disturbingly low.

Press release, March 2010: Towers Watson Global Workforce Study, March 2010: The New Employment Deal: How Far, How Fast and How Enduring Insights from Towers Watson’s 2010 Global Workforce Study, Executive Summary

Canadian segment of the study found that employees looking for job security and career development opportunities. A surprising 8 out of 10 employees now want to ‘go steady’ for the long-term with their employer, with 43% saying they want to work for a single company for their entire career, and 34% wanting to work for no more than two to three companies over their career span.

Press release, March 16, 2010: Career Monogamy — Employees Seek Long-Term Relationships With Employers, According to New Towers Watson Study - Canadian employees rethink priorities and focus on longer-term commitment to employers in return for real career development and security

 

Talent Management in an M&A

Towers Watson has released an article that discusses how companies can build their talent portfolio in a merger and acquisition. This article addresses some of the new characteristics that have emerged in recent mergers and acquisitions and how talent management can be integrated into these deals.

Report: The Talent Prize: A Strategic Outcome of Corporate Transactions, March 2010 (11 pages, PDF)

 

Toxic Workplace

Your boss or your coworker could be the “smiling cobra … a power monger who smiles while she stabs you in the back” or the “naysayer” or the “disgusting one” or the “rock star/actor.” Read more about these toxic types and how to cope with poisonous bosses and co-workers.

Globe and Mail, March 23, 2010: How to survive a toxic workplace: Caustic colleagues will make you sick – if you let them. A new book explains how to cope with poisonous co-workers

Scroll down to the Book of the Week for details

 

Canadians Not Saving Enough?

A recent report written by former Governor General of the Bank of Canada, David Dodge, for the C.D. Howe Institute states that there has been more of a focus on pension plan reform in corporations in recent years, but little information on Canadian’s lack of retirement sayings. 
This report, also discussed in the Globe and Mail, addresses some of the major misconceptions Canadian’s have about saving for their retirement, and also includes an in-depth look at the annual rates of retirement savings that individuals of different incomes must save to retire comfortably.

Report, The Piggy Bank Index: Matching Canadians’ Saving Rates to Their Retirement Dreams, March 18, 2010 (10 pages, PDF)

The Globe and Mail, March 19, 2010: Canadians not saving enough: Dodge

 

Ontario Hit Hard by Recession

A report released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) states that Ontario has been hit harder by the global recession than most provinces, accounting for 59% of the nation’s permanent job losses last year. This report details suggestions that aim to increase job creation in Ontario, such as avoiding the sale of crown assets and public service cuts, among many others.

Report: Steering Ontario Out of Recession: A Plan of Action, March 22, 2010 (11 pages, PDF)

 

Nova Scotia Pension Reform Discussion Paper

In 2008-09, the Minister of Labour and Workforce Development appointed a Panel to review the legislative framework surrounding private pension plans, and to make recommendations for reforms to the Pension Benefits Act. The Review Panel presented its report entitled Promises to Keep on January 27, 2009. The Department is now seeking more feedback from the public on key recommendations and concerns, particularly around the funding formula, and the impact of changes on the near-public sector.

Discussion paper on Pensions, March 2010 Policy and Planning Division Department of Labour & Workforce Development, Nova Scotia, Consultation Paper, (35 pages, PDF)

Pension review Panel website

 

Government of Canada consults Canadians on economic immigration priorities

The Government of Canada is seeking the views of Canadians on how to help lead Canada to full economic recovery from the global recession. These consultations will look at worker shortages in trades and professions across Canada as well as the factors that affect an immigrant’s ability to succeed in Canada’s work force.

Canada’s News Centre, March 16, 2010

Public Consultation on Labour Market Priorities for Canada's Immigration System

 

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

This past March 21st marked the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2010. In order to mark this day, Eurofound has put together a short review of relevant publications on the integration of migrants, discrimination at work, and other cultural diversity issues. This includes a report titled Occupation promotion of migrant workers,which discusses the barriers to the promotion of these individual in the workplace.

Eurofound’s Review of publications, March 21, 2010

Report: Occupational promotion of migrant workers, May 2009 (31 pages, PDF)

 

Book of the Week

Surviving the Toxic Workplace: Protect Yourself Against Coworkers, Bosses, and Work Environments That Poison Your Day, by Linnda Durre. New York : McGraw-Hill, 2010. 256 p. ISBN 978-0071664677

Do you dread going to work? Dealing with pestering coworkers, unmanageable managers, angry clients can take its toll on your job performance. And in these difficult economic times, no one can afford to lose their jobs.

In Surviving the Toxic Workplace, syndicated author and psychotherapist Linnda Durre teaches you how to pinpoint and treat these office maladies with effective communication and conflict negotiation techniques that are sure to bring you peace of mind and peace at work.

About the Author:

Linnda Durré, Ph.D., a psychotherapist, national speaker, magazine and newspaper columnist, television and radio talk show host, frequently consults and speaks to businesses, companies, and corporations.

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Editor: Vicki Skelton
Designer: Nick Strupat

Copyright © 2008 Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources, University of Toronto. All rights reserved.

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