Do you have employees suffering from the Monday blues? According to a study completed by consultant firm Mercer, 35% of all “sick” absences are taken on a Monday. Surprisingly Friday only accounted for 3% of sickness. Some might think that because it was so close to the weekend people might opt for a Friday as their “sick day” and take advantage of a three day weekend.

Other notable results from the survey concluded:

• January is the month with the highest level of sickness absence
• On January 3rd and 4th nearly 5% of the total employee population was “sick”
• Most common cause of absence was a musculoskeletal related issues (24% of all lost days)
• Common colds, flu and other viral infections accounted for 17% of all lost time
• Female workers took off 24% more work days than male workers and were twice as likely to suffer from stress-related illness, exhaustion and depression
• Muscle strains, fractures, and other physical injuries sustained by men account for at least double the absence rates among women

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So why is Monday sickness so frequent? Often frequent Monday sickness and short term absences can be a symptom of low employee engagement and morale. If an employee is struggling at work, whether it is conflict in the workplace or even general boredom and dissatisfaction with their job, the stress and emotional side effects can lead to long term absence.  

The full cost of unplanned employee absence is equal to 36% of payroll. This is a huge expense for most businesses. To understand and recognize the trends in your specific workplace, monitor your employee’s absences by tracking detailed information on the causes and duration of the absence. This is key before trying to introduce potential solutions.  Deal with long term absence issues as soon as possible to reduce the risk of these potentially leading to a mental health claim, lost productivity or lowered morale in the rest of your workforce.

Having this information along with a clear policy, and taking active steps such as corrective counselling, or medical management, when used in conjunction with “soft strategies” to encourage engagement and company loyalty has the potential to effectively reduce the high costs of employee absenteeism.

Are you currently struggling with Monday absences or absenteeism in general? 
You can email and reach out to Anna Aceto-Guerin at anna@clearpathemployer.com to discuss strategies for managing employee absence. A quick fix is not always the solution. Clear Path can help you track absences, define your attendance policy, create strategies to effectively enforce it, and implement active steps like corrective counselling and creating a pro-attendance environment while still remaining within legal obligations with the relevant legislation.

Office romances have the potential to complicate business operations. Risks such as workplace violence, domestic violence, harassment and sexual harassment could become an issue should the parties involve end their relationship and suffer emotional pain. Other concerns include:

• Accusations of favouritism
• Gossip can take a toll on professional image, workplace atmosphere
• Lowered morale and productivity

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Any attempt to “ban” office romance is likely not going to solve problems and it not a reasonable solution to something that may be inevitable.  Your best defence is to outline some clear written policies that define the parameters of office romances in your organization, and send the message that employees should not let romantic relationships affect the professional work environment.  What should your policy include? Below are some tips when developing your policy.

• Employers should require employees to disclose to their manager when they have entered into a consensual romantic relationship, without infringing on their privacy. This allows for confirmation that the relationship is consensual, and offers the opportunity  to inform the two parties of your workplace harassment/sexual harassment policies (Bill 168), how to report complaints and most importantly expectations around conduct while in the workplace environment.
• Outline in your policy how you will manage alleged harassment or sexual harassment claims. Make employees aware of your zero tolerance policy. Refer to your policies that you would have developed in regards to Bill: 168 legislation.
• Be sure to include the steps that are taken by management should a complaint be submitted regarding the office relationship. Business owners/management are required to remain impartial and be sure that decisions made in dealing with the complaint are made on the basis of evidence presented after a proper investigation has been conducted .
• If complaint against an office relationship proves to be accurate, define penalties and disciplinary procedures appropriately. Ex. A couple is initiating in sexual liaisons and behaviour at work. It is affecting the work atmosphere and fellow employees are complaining. Outline in your policy what the consequences are for violating this clause of the office relationship policy. (ex. Discipline, transfer, demotion, suspension, termination)
• Define your policy for office relationship that involves a manager/supervisor and a subordinate. Dating a co-worker who reports to you can cause problems because other employees might accuse the manager or supervisor of playing favourites. Most organizations try to avoid these types of scenarios, and should a relationship happen, often one of the parties is transferred so there is no direct reporting.
• Lastly, be sure to address the expectations of both parties should the relationship end. When an office romance has gone bad there is risk for tension, gossip, workplace violence and potentially unwanted attention or harassment.  By addressing the expectations in your policy your employees will know and understand the consequences of their behaviour.
  
  

Avoid the legal ramifications often associated with workplace relationships by planning ahead and providing your employees with guidelines and education on the topic of office romance in your workplace before cupid’s arrow strikes. Perform a Workplace Risk Assessment and ensure your Bill: 168 Workplace Violence and Harassment policies are up to date, and well communicated to your staff. Remember to get your employees to sign off on their acknowledgement of your policy. Informing your employees that as an employer, you actively seek to identify and eliminate potential problematic situation which might result from office romance and sexual dynamics, is an excellent form of due diligence and displaying that your company is taking strong action to prevent favouritism, harassment and hostile work environments associated with office relationships.

A recent Globe and Mail article highlighted the confusion that many small to medium sized businesses are facing as they start to try and comply with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).  As of January 1, 2012 all provincially legislated businesses that provide goods or services either directly to the public or to other organizations in Ontario, and have more than one employee are required to comply.

What are the common misunderstandings?

• Confusion about what the customer service standard is all about-“It’s not about putting in ramps and automatic doors”.
• People automatically associate mobility when they think of disabilities and what needs to be done to accommodate them physically

The AODA Customer Service standard is about “attitude change and empowering your employees to be confidant when providing customer service to people with disabilities” states Russ Gahan, who is currently working with the Ontario government to raise awareness about the AODA.

This checklist from the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services is helpful to make sure you’ve done everything:

1.   Create and put in to place an accessibility plan that:

• Considers a person's disability when communicating with them
• Allows assistive devices in your workplace like wheelchairs, walkers, and oxygen tanks
• Allows service animals
• Welcomes support persons
• Lets customers know when accessible services are not available
• Invites customers to provide feedback

2.   Train your staff on accessible customer service
3.   Put your plan in writing

• Let customers know how to find your plan
• Offer your plan in accessible formats if requested

4.   Report your progress online

Clear Path offers an AODA Do-It-Yourself package that will teach you how to get compliant and provide you with helpful resources. 

If you have any questions regarding compliance in your workplace, please email Anna Aceto-Guerin at anna@clearpathemployer.com for more information on how Clear Path can help you! 

Information regarding reporting on accessibility is now available. Starting January 1, 2012 the Accessibility Standard for Customer service came into effect for all Ontario businesses and organizations with one or more employees.

Organizations with 20 or more employees are required to report their accessibility by December 31, 2012.

Instructions for reporting to the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services can be found by clicking here.
Instructions are also duplicated below:

Step one: Create your ONe-Source account
The first thing you’ll need to do is set up your ONe-Source account. (You may already have one if you have used ONe-Source services before.) Here’s how to create your ONe-Source account:

• Visit ServiceOntario’s ONe-Source for Business.
• On the right side of the page, you’ll see My Account. Click on Sign-up.
• Create your ID and password. Click on Continue.
• Set your recovery questions. Click on Continue.
• Review the Terms and Conditions of Use. Enter your Password and click on I agree.
• Complete your ONe-Source for Business profile. Click on Create My Account.

Step two: Complete, certify and submit your accessibility report
Now that you have created your ONe-Source account, you are ready to complete, certify and submit your accessibility report.

• Click on the Accessibility Compliance Reporting (ACR) tab and follow the prompts.

Along with the AODA Customer Service Standard that came into effect on January 1, 2012 two new safety requirements were implemented as well. One of them is if you provide public emergency information, you are required to make it accessible upon request.

This means that upon request you would be required to make your emergency and public safety information accessible to people with disabilities and work with the person requesting the information to figure out how you can meet their needs as soon as possible. Examples of public safety information include emergency plans and procedures, maps, warning signs, evacuation routes or information about how emergency alerts are conducted.

Does this apply to my organization?

This applies if you answer "yes" to both of these questions:

• Do you have emergency procedures, plans or public safety information?
• Do you make them available to the public?

Examples

Source: The Ministry of Community and Social Services of Ontario

1. Norman works for a small, family-run motel where the fire escape procedures are posted on the back of every door. Norman wants to print maps in a tactile format but cannot afford the cost. Instead when a guest with vision loss asks for this information, Norman talks to the guest about his needs, and walks him through the evacuation procedure
2. Before customers start to play, Stan's paintball and laser tag company shows a short video on what to do if someone gets hurt. A customer with a hearing loss asks for an accessible format, so Stan gives her a transcript of what's said in the video.

How do I get started?

The first thing you should to is take inventory of what information you provide to the public, and from there focus on whether any of your materials would present a challenge for someone with a disability to read, see, hear or understand. There is no specific law on what formats you are required to use--just that you work with the public, figure out what they need and do so upon request as soon as possible. In some cases you may be able to communicate the information right away by reading aloud, providing the doucment in large print or a transcript (for the hearing imparied) however in some cases it may take longer based on the individual's needs.

If you have questions about the AODA Customer Service Standard, or requirements for providing emergency information please contact Anna Aceto-Guerin directly at anna@clearpathemployer.com or by phone (519) 624-0800. Clear Path is also hosting an Introduction to AODA learning session on Wednesday January 25 2012 at the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce. Click here to register.

Source: www.mcss.gov.on.ca

An article published by the Labour and Employment Group and McCarthy Tetrault highlights a decision of the Ontario Divisional Court in regards to an employer's obligation to report critical injuries and fatalities to the Ministry of Labour (MOL).

This decision centered around Blue Mountain Resort in Collingwood Ontario when on Decemer 24, 2007 a guest at the resort drowned in a swimming pool located on the resort property. Blue Mountain did not contact or report the incident to the MOL, believing that because the incident involved a guest at the resort and not one of it's workers, and that the swimming pool was not supervised at the time, the accident was not a workplace accident that need to be reported to the MOL.

Read on in the article to find out the concequences of not reporting the incident and what the term "employer's obligation" means under the broad definition of "workplace".

Source article: The Broad Scope of an Employer's Obligations to Report Critical Injuries: The Blue Mountain, Resort Case: Author: Daniel Pugen, Ben Ratelband