November 8, 2012
- Online Sex Ed: Research at the Centre
- Bill 377: Financial Transparency for All?
- Two Tier Wage – Equal Work for Less pay
- Resource Companies Greater Gender Gap
- Handpunch or Finger?
- Queen’s IRC Paper: Managing Mental Health in the Workplace
- Beyond the CHRP
- Canada’s “Greenest” Companies
- Part-time Work affects EI Eligibility
- Globe Unlimited?
- Mapping and Rigging: the Outcome of the American Election
- EU Job Losses Still Greater Than Gains
- Book of the Week
Online Sex Ed: Research at the Centre
Marco Gonzalez-Navarro is an assistant professor at the University of Toronto. He is affiliated with both the Centre for Industrial Relations & Human Resources and the Department of Management at Scarborough. He was part of research team that found Internet-based sex education improved students' knowledge and attitudes toward sex.
Global Toronto News Hour - Benefits of online sex education Wed, Nov 7: Researchers found teens who learned about sex through an online course, as opposed to in the classroom, had fewer STDs, increased condom use and greater awareness of sexually abusive situations. Beatrice Politi reports.
Toronto Star, November 7, 2012: “Teens taking online sex ed course have reduced sexually transmitted infections, improved condom use,”
Discovery News, November 2, 2012: Sex Ed Hooks Up With The Internet
Bill 377: Financial Transparency for All?
“Although the Bill is being brought forth as an amendment to the Income Tax Act, it really has nothing to do with taxation and everything to do with making it harder for unions to operate as a progressive force in Canadian Society. It will inflict considerable collateral damage on pension and benefit funds, even those which have nothing to do with how unions spend their money.” [CEP]
“A Conservative MP who has said his private member’s bill was not part of the government’s agenda has been attending closed-door meetings with senior government players and a vocal anti-organized labour organization – a revelation that is raising red flags among critics.”[Global News]
***The passage of C-377 leaves the door open to future legislation that would target businesses for the same purpose — financial transparency. Such a law would undoubtedly have severe economic consequences and would be a target for associations like the CFIB and its members. The law would also be as short-sighted as C-377. Hiebert may have just opened Pandora’s box [Tucker & Stevens (Assistant Professors in the Faculty of Business Administration at the University of Regina) on Bill C-377.]
CBC News, Inside Politics Committee Liveblog, November 7, 2012 3:00 PM: Bill C-377 (union disclosure) at Finance by Kady O'Malley Posted: November 7, 2012 3:00 PM
CEP, Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, November 2, 2012: Submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance (FINA) Bill C‐377: An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (Labour Organizations) (6 Pages, PDF)
Global News, November 5, 2012: PMO, anti-organized labour group meet behind closed doors on 'transparency' bill by Amy Minsky, Global News/The West Block : Monday, November 05, 2012 5:46 PM
Macleans.ca, November 4, 2012: Unions due for a fight with Bill C-377: Private member’s bills typically go nowhere, but one that would force unions to disclose how they spend money appears to have support, by John Geddes on Sunday, November 4, 2012 5:00am - 3 Comments
***National Post, October 16, 2012: Tucker & Stevens on Bill C-377: The cost of transparency
Two Tier Wage – Equal Work for Less pay
“As part of the Detroit Three’s bid to ratchet down costs and become globally competitive, many employees hired in recent years receive lower wages than their peers who have been working in the industry for longer. These ‘tier-two’ workers are on the leading edge of a transformation of the auto industry that is contributing to a profound shift in American society – the deterioration of the once-mighty middle class.” [G&M]
The Globe and Mail, November 3, 2012: “America’s two-tiered future: The deterioration of the once-mighty middle class,” by Greg Keenan
The Globe and Mail, November 2, 2012: “By the numbers: The wage reality of a Tier 2 workers,” Charts by Danielle Webb
UE, Information for Workers: Two Tier Wage and Benefit Systems – Equal Work For Less Pay
Resource Companies Greater Gender Gap
Boards of mining, energy, forestry and agriculture companies account for 25 per cent of all directors at Canada’s 500 largest organizations, according to the Canadian Board Diversity Council’s new annual report card. But those boards have only 7.7 per cent female directors, in total.
The Globe and Mail, November 7, 2012: "Corporate governance: Closing the resource-sector gender gap," by Janet McFarland
Canadian Board Diversity Council, November 2012: Annual Report 2012 (28 pages, PDF)
The goal of the Canadian Board Diversity Council (CBDC) is to improve the diversity of Canada’s corporate boards by increasing the representation of women, visible minorities, Aboriginal Peoples including First Nations, Inuit and Métis, persons with disabilities and members of the LGBT community.
Canadian Board Diversity Council Website
Handpunch or Finger?
Last week the PWR did a story on secretaries at McCague Borlack LLP who are protesting the firm’s attempt to monitor their time away from the office using “finger swipes” i.e. fingerprints rather than punch cards. The secretarial staff responded with a blog: Which Finger to give to Bay Street. A blog post on SLAW has criticized the lawyers at McCague Borlack LLP for a lousy management that alienates employees and reflects negatively upon the profession.
The after effects of researching this story (emails attributable to internet cookies and commerce) led to this video: HandPunch Guys - The Biometric Time Clock Experts
Queen’s IRC Paper: Managing Mental Health in the Workplace
“The following discussion will first provide an overview of the duty to accommodate employees with disabilities and the obligations of the workplace parties in the accommodation process. Next, the paper will review unique issues related to the accommodation of employees with mental illness. Finally, the paper will provide a review of recent jurisprudence addressing the intersection of mental illness, violence, and harassment in the workplace, and the conflicting obligations that arise under various employment-related legislation, including human rights and health and safety.”
Queen’s University IRC, 2012: Managing Mental Health in the Workplace, Sharon Chilcott, Partner, Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti LLPwith contribution by Laura Karabulut, Partner, Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti LLP, 2012
Beyond the CHRP
Paul Juniper, Director of the Industrial Relations Centre at Queen’s University, believes that the CHRP designation is not enough to carry Canadian HR professionals into the future. He states, “In its current form, I don't think that the CHRP is sufficient; it does not, and cannot, solely provide professionals with the level of competencies required in the field.” He points to HR competencies, the changing role of the CHRO, and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)’s “HR Profession Map” and other research papers as valuable tools for considering the role of HR within a changing global context.
Queen’s University, 2012: Beyond the CHRP – Raising the Bar on HR: Insights and Reflections by Paul Juniper
Canada’s "Greenest” Companies
Newsweek released its list of the world’s 500 greenest companies, with 18 Canadian businesses making the grade. Bell Canada came in 13th, with other Canadians including Bombardier, Loblaw, the Power Corporation of Canada, and Suncor. The methodology, as well as the results, calls into questions whether these are the greenest companies or simply the largest companies with green policies.
The Huffington Post, Nov 2, 2012: "Greenest Companies Canada: Newsweek Runs Down The Most Environmentally Friendly Companies."
Newsweek, Oct 22, 2012: "The World’s Greenest Companies."
Part-time Work affects EI Eligibility
“A trend towards more short-lived and part-time jobs has made it harder than ever for many Canadians to qualify for employment insurance benefits, even if they've contributed to the federal program, according to data released Monday. Statistics Canada says only 78.4 per cent of Canadians who lost their jobs last year were eligible for benefits — the lowest rate since the agency started collecting comparable information in 2003.” [CBC]
Statistics Canada, November 5, 2012: Employment Insurance Coverage Survey, 2011 (PDF 6 pages)
The Progressive Economics Forum, November 5, 2012: Fewer Unemployed Eligible for Benefits
CBC News, November 5, 2012: Part-time trend puts EI more out of reach, StatsCan says: Budget changes to make qualifying more difficult
Toronto Star, November 5, 2012: "Canadians eligible for employment insurance at decade-long low."
Globe Unlimited?
On October 22, 2012, The Globe and Mail moved to a paywall for its online content. Research has been done on readers’ response to the New York Times introduction of a paywall. Findings include a willingness to pay when financial need is the reason for changing access rather than profit and the use of loopholes and workarounds by younger participants.
As for future of The Globe and Mail, this reader makes a point: “I do not believe that the [New York Times] meter model will work with your publication ... because very simply put your content is nowhere near the world class quality and quantity of the NYT.”
Huffington Post Canada, October15, 2012: “Globe And Mail Paywall Upsets Readers Unwilling To Shell Out $20 A Month For News Site.”
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, V.15, Online Ahead of Print: October 31, 2012:Paying for What Was Free: Lessons from the New York Times Paywall, by Jonathan E. Cook and Shahzeen Z. Attari. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.. doi:10.1089/cyber.2012.0251.
Mapping and Rigging: the Outcome of the American Election
WNYC has created a map showing the “patchwork vote” across the country, breaking areas down to the community level. They posit that Obama was victorious because those in the “Monied Burbs” were among the first to recover from the recession and didn’t see the need for sweeping change. They also cite suburbanites’ moderate social opinions as driving them closer to the Democrats.
A history of election rigging in the United States was put together by Harper’s Magazine. The evidence reveals patterns that suggest contemporary rigging efforts disproportionately favour Republicans. Obama is suggested to have won despite the vote fixing that is the product of using unaccountable voting machines.
WNYC, Nov 6, 2012: Why Obama Won: Explaining the Patchwork Vote by Dante Chinni
WNYC, Nov 6, 2012: Map: The Patchwork Vote
Harper’s Magazine, Nov 2012: "How to Rig an Election," by Victoria Collier
EU Job Losses Still Greater Than Gains
The European Restructuring Monitor (ERM) Report 2012 focuses on the consequences of restructuring for employees. It examines which employees lost their job at the onset of the economic crisis, which of them found a new job and how both job loss and subsequent re-employment impacted on their overall life situation and satisfaction. It also looks at the impact on working conditions for employees who remain at the restructured firm.
While restructuring cases reporting job loss have fallen since the peak of 2009, they still outnumber announcements of job gain. Several recent cases testify to serious problems in the once very promising alternative energy sector in Europe. The findings show that much of the recently announced job creation is in the hotels and retail sectors.
European Restructuring Monitor, 2012: After restructuring: Labour markets, working conditions and life satisfaction by John Hurley, Jean-Marie Jungblut, Anja Meierkord, Donald Storrie, Carlos Vacas, Andrea Broughton (110 pages, PDF) (Abstract, HTML)
Book of the Week
Branded Lives: the Production and Consumption of Meaning at Work, edited by Matthew J. Brannan, Elizabeth Parsons and Vincenza Priola. Cheltenham, UK ; Northampton, MA : Edward Elgar Publishing, c2011. 201 p. ISBN 9781849800921
UTLibraries link to catalogue record: http://go.utlib.ca/cat/8236050
‘Branded Lives explodes the myth that a brand must, or even can stand for one unified, easily communicated message. While warning of the dangers of managing to preserve this myth, the book also celebrates the plurality of brand meanings generated by those employed to serve both the brand and the customer. I recommend reading this book in its entirety. If you are like me, your reading will bring a refreshing fullness to the experience of brands and branding and many new insights.’
– Mary Jo Hatch, University of Virginia, US
About the Authors:
Edited by Matthew J. Brannan, Lecturer in Management, Elizabeth Parsons, Senior Lecturer in Management, Keele University, UK and Vincenza Priola, Lecturer in Organisation Studies, Aston University, UK.
Contributors: M.J. Brannan, M. Buchanan-Oliver, J. Cushen, M.R. Edwards, S.A. Hurrell, E.K. Kelan, C. Land, E. Parsons, V. Priola, S. Russell, D. Scholarios, M. Simms, S. Smith, V.V. Tarnovskaya, S. Taylor, H. Willmott.
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