news
ONE IN THREE EMPLOYERS SAY
MORE STAFF ARE GOING INTO
WORK SICK
Nearly a third of employers have reported
an increase in people coming to work while
sick, according to the annual Chartered
Institute of Personnel and Development
(CIPD)/Simplyhealth absence management
survey.
The survey of nearly 600 employers finds
that 31 per cent of employers have seen
an increase in “presenteeism” in the last 12
months. It also shows that presenteeism is
more likely to have increased where there
is a culture in which working long hours is
seen to be the norm, and where operational
demands take precedence over employee
wellbeing.
“This is the fifth year in a row in which 30
per cent or more of employers have reported
an increase in employees coming into
work when they are ill,” said Ben Willmott,
head of public policy at the CIPD. “It’s a
real concern that the problem of presenteeism
is persisting. The message to businesses
is clear: if you want your workforce to work
well, you have to take steps to keep them
well and this means putting employee
health above operational demands.”
The CIPD believes that more organizations
should be developing employee
wellbeing strategies in order to promote
good health and combat presenteeism in
the workplace. There should be a clear focus
on values and organizational culture,
quality of leadership and management, as
well as early access to good quality occupational
health and rehabilitation support.
A key emphasis should be on training line
managers to equip them with the skills they
need to manage people in a way that gets
the best out of them, while supporting their
wellbeing.
NEW HRPA REPORT URGES
MODERNIZATION OF
EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS ACT
To make Ontario a more competitive
business environment and provide
better protection for precarious workers,
the Human Resources Professionals
Association (HRPA) is urging the Ontario
government to make updates to both
the Employment Standards Act (ESA)
and the Labour Relations Act (LRA)
– foundational pieces of legislation that
underpin Ontario workplaces and the provincial
economy.
Key recommendations include:
■■ Having designated senior HR
professionals (including Certified
Human Resources Executives (CHREs)
and Certified Human Resources Leaders
(CHRLs)) sign off on compliance
documents to ensure organizations
are fulfilling their obligations around
employment, labour relations and
occupational health and safety standards
■■ Protecting vulnerable workers
by treating temporary workers as
permanent employees after a prolonged
period with the same employer
■■ Expanding definitions of what
constitutes a contractor, subcontractor
and temporary worker, and clarifying the
relationship between the employer, the
client and these various types of workers
within the ESA
To read the full report, please visit
HRPA.ca/NewDeal.
The 29 recommendations flow from
A New Deal for Ontario’s Changing
Workplaces: A Review and Recommendations
by the HRPA on the ESA and LRA –
a report produced with research from a
HRPA-member survey, interviews with
HR executives from different industries
and sectors, as well as an investigation into
what other jurisdictions are doing with
their own employment standards.
The report focuses on five main areas of
reform, including creating a competitive
business environment and more flexible
and supportive working environment,
protecting vulnerable workers, better compliance
and thoughtful labour reform.
“Ontario is at a critical turning point and
both the ESA and the LRA need comprehensive
updates to keep pace with a rapidly
changing business environment and fastevolving
workplace realities,” said HRPA
CEO, Bill Greenhalgh. “Unless these laws
are modernized, Ontario risks experiencing
a hollowing out of industries and a loss of
current and potential highly trained workers
to other jurisdictions. By updating the
ESA and LRA, Ontario will become a more
competitive and profitable jurisdiction for
businesses to operate in, and workers will
be happier and healthier by achieving a better
work-life balance.” n
Hire a Canadian Registered Safety Professional
(CRSP)®
to protect your most important resources
Increasing health and safety hazards in the workplace, mounting
occupational incidents means that your organization cannot
afford anything less than a Canadian Registered Safety
Professional (CRSP) ®.
A CRSP ® offers in-depth knowledge of OHS principles and
practices and applies this knowledge to develop systems in order
to achieve optimum control over hazards
in your workplace.
Visit www.bcrsp.ca
to learn more or
to advertise to hire a CRSP ®.
Board of
Canadian
Registered
Safety
Professionals
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ FEBRUARY 2016 ❚ 15