ONTARIO’S PAY EQUITY OFFICE
TAKING STEPS TO ADVANCE
WOMEN’S ECONOMIC
EQUALITY
The Pay Equity Commission has launched
its 2017–18 Gender Wage Gap Grant
Program.
The Gender Wage Gap Grant Program
is intended to advance the promotion of
equality between women and men that
support efforts to close Ontario’s gen-der
wage gap. This year’s areas of research
focus are:
1. Actions or research exploring gender
wage gap and pay equity issues
for members of racial and ethnic
minorities, immigrants and youth
2. Actions or research exploring
compensation issues and gender
inequality in Ontario’s emerging
workplace conditions
Eligibility is open on a competitive ba-sis
to individuals or teams that are part
of Ontario’s publicly funded universities,
and Ontario’s colleges of applied arts and
technology; incorporated Ontario not-for-
profit research institutions (excluding
those primarily funded by business or in-dustry);
incorporated non-governmental
organizations and incorporated sector and
professional organizations.
Applications for the Gender Wage Gap
Grant Program close on May 26, 2017.
COMPANIES CAUTIOUS ABOUT
NEW TECHNOLOGY
While consumers are willing to wait in
long lines to get their hands on the latest
technologies, businesses are hanging back,
according to new research from staffing
specialists Robert Half Technology and
The Creative Group. Only 9 per cent of
CIOs and 10 per cent of advertising and
marketing executives said their companies
are early adopters of technology.
news
UPFRONT
Personal expectations are a different
story, however: nearly all (97 per cent)
technology executives and three-quarters
of creative executives agreed it’s important
for leaders in their department to try out
technical innovations.
“Companies are often drawn to new
technology to help find efficiencies and
improve business processes,” said Deborah
Bottineau, senior regional manager of
Robert Half Technology and The Creative
Group. “But deciding which tools to invest
in can be overwhelming given the wide
variety of ever-evolving options. While
organizations must keep up with emerg-ing
technology trends to stay competitive,
they must also have the right people in
place to capitalize on them. Hiring profes-sionals
who can help select and implement
new systems, oversee employee training
and ensure productivity stays on track is
crucial in today’s digitally focused world.”
EVERYONE IS A COMEDIAN …
AT WORK?
It’s said that laughter is the best medi-cine
and it also may be one of the keys
to success at work, a new Accountemps
survey suggests. Seventy-three per cent
of Canadian CFOs interviewed said an
employee’s sense of humour is at least
somewhat important for fitting into the
company’s corporate culture, with 12 per
cent stating humour is very important.
“A lighthearted, fun work environment
helps boost staff morale, and cultivate pos-itive
relationships between colleagues,” said
Dianne Hunnam-Jones, Canadian presi-dent
of Accountemps. “Incorporating
humour into the workplace encourages a
more collaborative culture, which can im-prove
overall productivity and engagement.
“Some company matters are more se-rious
in nature, but with the right tone, a
little laugh can recover a tense moment.
Light jokes may help diffuse a situation or
robert cicchetti/Shutterstock.com
While consumers are willing to wait in long lines to get their hands on the latest
technologies, businesses are hanging back
HRPROFESSIONALNOW.CA ❚ MAY 2017 ❚ 9