Author: Carol Irwin

Wine of the Month

Carol Irwin

Wine of the Month – Sign Up for the Fusion Newsletter

Sign up for the Fusion Career Services Newsletter and read about our feature wine of the month.

Do you enjoy fine wines, are you looking for a special gift or do you want to add to your collection? Michael and George have been enjoying and collecting vintage wine for over 20 years and have a keen sense of great taste and value.

Feature Wine for June:

Wine: Ironstone Vineyards

Grape: Zinfandel, 2013

Region: California

Value: under $20.00

Visit Fusion Career Services to sign up to our Employment Trends and HR Update Newsletter.

 

 

bad behaviour work

Workplace Bad Behaviour – Tips for Managers

Carol Irwin

How to Manage Workplace Bad Behaviour

Most of us have experienced working with a co-worker who displayed one or more of the following workplace bad behaviours:

  • Gossiping
  • Showing up late
  • Spending too much time on personal business
  • Taking extra long breaks
  • Backstabbing
  • Telling lies

These bad work behaviours rarely go unnoticed. Eventually they will lead to resentment, poor morale and conflict. It is best to address these problem work behaviours quickly. As a manager or business owner you need to take action. If you do not, you risk losing the respect of your employees. In the worst case scenario, your best employees may seek out other job opportunities.

Tips for Correcting Behaviour Problems:

  1. Gather and document the facts.
  2. Start with an informal approach.
  3. Meet privately with the employee.
  4. Focus on the work related behaviour and how it impacts co-workers and performance.
  5. Be specific about what the employee needs to improve.
  6. Be professional. Don’t use language that is judgmental or critical. Don’t comment on the employee’s personality.
  7. Be positive in your message about the employee improving their behaviour.
  8. Follow up.
  9. If the situation improves, provide positive feedback.
  10. If the situation does not improve use a more formal approach – a formal warning; transfer this person to another location or position that may be more suitable; or eventual termination of employment. Make sure to discuss the consequences of failing to improve at your next meeting.  

Problems like those listed above rarely resolve themselves. Make sure you react swiftly when bad behaviour occurs in your workplace.

Pension Plan Reform Ontario Canada

Pension Plan Reform

Carol Irwin

Pension Plan Reform Ontario Canada

Pension plan reform is being introduced by both the Ontario Government and the Federal Government this year.

  1. Ontario Introduces New Mandatory Pension Plan – New Law
  2. Ontario Introduces Voluntary Retirement Savings Tool – New Law is awaiting Royal Assent
  3. Federal Government Proposes Expansion of Canada Pension Plan (CPP)

Ontario Introduces New Mandatory Pension Plan

At the end of April the Ontario Government introduced the budget and reinforced their commitment to establish a new, mandatory Ontario Pension Plan. Bill 56, the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan Act (ORPP)  received royal assent on May 5, 2015.

The new law will come into force on January 1, 2017.  The new Pension Plan will require Ontario employers and employees to make equal contributions up to 1.9% of an employee’s annual earnings up to $90,000. 

As outlined in the preamble to Bill 56, a significant portion of Ontario workers are not saving enough to maintain their standard of living when they retire.  The new pension plan is expected to cover about half of Ontario’s six million workers – excluding those workers who already participate in a pension plan and self employed workers. The provincial plan is the first of its kind in Canada and will top up benefits already in place under the Canada Pension Plan.

The ORPP has been criticized as just another payroll tax for employers. The Government has attempted to minimize the impact for employers by pairing the introduction of the plan in 2017 to coincide with the expected reductions in Employment Insurance premiums. The plan will be phased in over 2 years beginning with large employers.

Read more about Ontario’s new pension plan.

Ontario Introduces New Pooled Registered Pension Plans

On May 26, Bill 57, the Pooled Registered Pension Plans Act (PRPP) passed 3rd reading and is awaiting royal assent. The Ontario PRPP is modeled after the Federal Government plan introduced in 2012. The PRPP is a new voluntary retirement savings tool. The plan is designed to operate like a defined contribution pension plan where resources are pooled from employees and employers.

Federal Government Proposes Expansion of CPP

On May 26 the Federal Government announced they will undertake public consultations on the expansion of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). The proposed changes would allow Canadians to voluntarily increase contributions to CPP.

Bill 18 Temporary Workers

Carol Irwin

New – Shared Liability between Employers and Temporary Help Agencies – Learn More about Bill 18 Temporary Workers

Do you use temporary workers? Your company’s exposure to liability will change in 2015!

The Ontario Government has passed new legislation – Bill 18, The Stronger Workplaces for Stronger Economy Act. Among other changes, employers are now liable for the unpaid wages of their temporary employees.

The intent of the legislation is to protect workers who perform precarious work – temporary, casual, seasonal, and part-time workers – by implementing changes encouraging employers to follow the law.

Some temporary help agencies and the employers who use their services are not following the law. These agencies do not follow minimum standards for the payment of wages, premiums, overtime, vacation or holiday pay and in many cases the agency is not paying government payroll taxes.

The changes related to shared liability come into effect in November 2015.

What can you do to protect your company and reduce the risk for dual payment of labour expenses? Make sure your temporary help service provider complies with employment laws and is financially stable.

Read more in the Fusion Guide to Bill 18. Talk to a Fusion Advisor to find out how we can help mitigate your liability. We have been protecting our clients for nearly 20 years.

high demand job skills

High Demand Job Skills

Carol Irwin

To Find a Great Job You Can’t Just Look Good…

A US study from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, points to 5 Skills that will be on the top of hiring managers’ lists in 2015. Employers are looking for employees who have these high demand job skills:

  • think critically and solve problems,
  • work well in teams,
  • have a professional attitude and strong work ethic,
  • have strong written and oral communication skills, and
  • can apply their information technology skills to business applications.

Make sure you are building these skills in your current endeavors and can highlight your skills on your resume, cover letter and in a job interview.

mol esa poster

MOL ESA Poster

Carol Irwin

Ministry of Labour Releases Version 6.0 of Employment Standards Act Poster

MOL ESA Poster now available. On May 1, 2015 the Ministry of Labour (MOL) released an updated version of the Employment Standards Act (ESA) Poster – What You Should Know about the Employment Standards Act. Workplaces in Ontario must post a copy of the poster on their employee bulletin board.

The MOL ESA poster provides basic information on employee rights regarding hours of work, rest periods, overtime pay, minimum wage, vacation and holiday pay, leaves of absence and termination.

New! Starting May 20, 2015, all workers in Ontario must be given a copy of the ESA poster.

To download the MOL ESA poster go to the MOL website.