|
|
| |
Jun 28, 2010
Author: Laurie Blake: Editor at CLB Media
Ontario’s Ministry of Labour inspectors have likely already written orders for employers who have not met the requirements under Bill 168. “I will be disappointed if they have not,” says Wayne De L’Orme, a provincial coordinator with the ministry’s Occupational Health and Safety Branch.
L’Orme, the implementation lead for these new provisions, told Workplace in an interview on June 15th, the date the Violence and Harassment in the Workplace amendments to the province’s Occupational Health and Safety Act came into effect, that checking on compliance with Bill 168 will now be part of their normal inspections.
MoL inspectors are going to ask employers if they have the policies, risk assessment and programs in place. And, says L’Orme, they will ask workers what Bill 168 is and whether they have been trained. When they find an employer not in compliance, they will suggest resources that the employer might pursue to comply with the legislation.
L’Orme notes that there are basically two categories of employers when it comes to these violence and harassment provisions. There are those who have been thinking and dealing about these issues for many years. They are generally finding that the legislation does not go as far as their own policies already do.
Then, there are others not really thought about what workplace violence or harassment might mean to their workplaces. The good news for these latecomers, says L’Orme is that there is “tons of material” available to use as resources to get their programs up and running. In particular, he points to the MoL website (www.labour.gov.on.ca/english), as well as to those of the various safe workplace associations.
“Violence can happen in any workplace,” L’Orme notes. “It’s difficult to predicts what any one individual can do. Employers need to look not only at their own workplaces, but situations and programs in similar types of workplaces for ideas.
“Setting up violence and harassment policies and programs is similar to setting up an emergency plan for something like a fire,” he says. “No one really expects to have a fire in their workplace, but they still have a plan, just in case.”
Determining the potential for violence
A provision that might be causing some confusion is the one dealing with domestic violence. This addresses a situation between two people intimate relationship that is brought into the workplace. L’Orme believes that Ontario is the first province to mention this in its legislation and was formulated to deal with situations like that faced by Lori Dupont.
Dupont was killed by her ex-boyfriend, Dr. Marc Daniel, in 2005 at Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital in Windsor, Ont., where they both worked. The hospital was aware Daniel had been harassing Dupont and that the situation was getting worse, but it did not discipline him.
The new provisions tell employers that they have policies and procedure to deal with general, but they also may have to take specific precautions to deal with individual situations, such as the one faced by the Windsor hospital. L’Orme noted that an employer doesn’t have to go out and question staff directly about violence, but if an employer or its managers and supervisors notice problems, they cannot ignore them.
As employer, if they know it may enter workplace, have to deal with it, L’Orme says. The legislation trying to deal with times when employers knows about the potential of violence – and then, they are required to only give enough info to protect workers – e.g., in the case of psychiatric patients in a hospital, it would be reasonable to tell employees to take specific precautions; the same might apply if there is a troubled child in a school situation. Teachers at the school would have the right to know about the potential for violence.
“Employers don’t have to disclose any more information than necessary,” says L’Orme. “You don’t have to go snooping into background to see if there is a risk. “It’s similar to a situation in which a piece of equipment is not quite working right – workers need to be working in a heightened state and report back about any issues, and supervisors need to be monitoring the situation.”
|
|
|
| |
Aug 12, 2009
Author: Vendorseek.com
Human Resource Outsourcing Outlook 2009
In a recession, all arrows point to outsourcing. The Human Resources Outsourcing (HRO) industry projects growth at five percent in 2009 amid the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression. Some of the industry changes driving this growth promise to translate into improved ROI for HRO clients. Find out which behind-the-scenes strategies will save you money in 2009.
To reach a projected $3.2 billion in sales, HRO intends to drive new business through several strategic initiatives.
A La Carte Service
Industry analysts are predicting more componentized deals, allowing companies to select specific services to outsource while retaining others in-house. HR outsourcing suppliers are building greater flexibility into service agreements, allowing clients on-demand service changes and pay-as-you-go pricing. With cost reduction a top priority, new clients will target transaction-intensive processes for outsourcing. Human resources outsourcing services include:
- Payroll and benefits
- Recruiting
- Performance management
- Compensation
- Learning
HRO clients can trim expenses by accessing available resources only as needed, scaling outsourced services to meet changing needs. In a volatile economy, this sort of flexibility is crucial to maintaining a lean business.
Human Resource Management System (HRMS) Technology
Human resource management system (HRMS) technology has hitherto served as something of a competitor to HRO. HRMS facilitates in-house human resources, providing a global view of human capital and automating tasks such as payroll, benefits, recruiting, training, and performance tracking. A technological solution can increase in-house efficiency, rendering outsourcing unnecessary.
In 2009, however, analysts predict an increased adoption of HR technology by outsourcing providers. By making this technology available to clients on a Software as a Service basis, HRO suppliers present an attractive proposition for companies looking to avoid a large capital outlay. Clients benefit from subscription-based access to both the state-of-the-art technology and the providers outsourced human resources team.
Consolidation in the HRO Industry
Consolidation among HRO suppliers will bring better value to clients outsourcing multiple processes or implementing a large-scope human resources solution. Industry analyst Everest Research Institute expects to see consolidation via mergers and acquisitions as well as via partnerships among independent suppliers. Providers will consolidate in order to broaden their expertise into new processes and technology; widen their geographical footprint; and expand their market share.
For HRO clients, consolidation promises greater efficiency and access to broader services, as well as a reduction in the cost of multi-process service contracts. Continuity between services alone produces greater value. For example, a global HRO supplier might partner with a specialized Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) provider to deeper recruiting services in specific geographies. Their clients benefit from both the reach and economy of a global HRO and the local recruitment relationships of the partner.
The coming year offers a promising outlook for human resource outsourcing suppliers and clients alike. As the market for outsourcing human resources matures, the industry will drive growth by increasing the efficiency and breadth of its services. In a climate of pessimism and gloomy forecasts, companies finally have something to cheer about.
by VendorSeek.com
|
|
|
| |
Preparing for Your Upcoming Shortage of Key People
Did you know that the cost of replacing retiring or departing employees in your business could be in the millions of dollars over the coming decade? And while hiring retirees as contractors can fill the skills gap, it will also slow your corporate adaptation efforts.
With the looming retirement of Baby Boomers, many companies are ill prepared for the accelerating talent shortage to follow. They haven't done enough to improve their hiring and employee retention practices, or establish succession programs. Consequently, they will struggle in attracting needed talent and sector skills in the competitive future. They will not stand out in comparison amongst employers and will find themselves unable to afford the replacement cost for comparable skills.
The time to act is now, since your hiring competitors may have already taken significant steps to position themselves as an attractive employer - an "Employer of Choice."
It's critical to recognize both the attraction and retention issues faced. Changing your internal practices to become a competitive employer will be a significant undertaking. Board members and shareholders must be alerted to the issues and make the choice to enable you to successfully compete for talent and retain proprietary information.
The first step is generally to craft the business case which highlights the risk to the company and proposes an action plan to make your business a desirable employer - which boards and shareholders
must consider seriously. Backed up by research and best practices, identify what your company needs competitively to be a more attractive employer, together with an appropriate budget for this effort.
Here are some of the areas such a presentation might address (customized to your business, its location and priorities):
• The cost profile of replacing retirements/departures
• The upcoming labor force demographics in Canada and specifically your region
• The folly of relying on contracted retirees as a stop gap
• What today's employees are looking for
• What other similar or competitive businesses are doing to attract and retain employees
• Human resource costs - direct and indirect
• The training costs of training up internal and external candidates based on the difficulty in replacing critical skills in a more competitive marketplace
• Financial and other implications arising from inability to service your customers until internal knowledge base is replace
• A plan for transitioning your business to becoming a more competitive employer
• Proposed budget and how to pay for the transition
• Measurable success criteria
Everyone knows that a few key people can make a huge difference to your business. If you have those people now - it's important to ensure that you don't lose them. If you need to add those people, you need to be their most attractive option.
 About the Author:
David Boyle, president of HR-on-Demand, has over 30 years experience in designing and implementing strategies and tactics for outsourced human resources expertise.
|
|
|
