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2. DEVICES AND SOCIAL
COLLABORATION TOOLS
Today, Canadians spend the majority of
their workday using traditional workplace
devices such as desktop computers and
landlines. In the future, Canadians would
prefer to use laptops, tablets and smartphones
as their primary work devices.
Canadians want access to the latest tech
but don’t want to lose face-to-face interactions.
Nearly eight in 10 agree collaborative
workplaces make them more productive.
3. BRING-YOUR-OWN-DEVICE (BYOD)
POLICIES
Approximately 30 per cent of Canadians
say their organizations permit them to
bring their own devices to the workplace,
and over half who use their smartphone
for personal and professional purposes are
comfortable with their employer enforcing
security policies. Of those workers who
reported that their companies do not have
a BYOD policy (55 per cent), the majority
(52 per cent) indicated that they would
like to be able to use their own device.
WHAT DO THESE FINDINGS MEAN FOR
THE WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE?
It’s clear that where, when and how we
work is changing. Organizations that embrace
a connected workplace with flexible
workplace policies and collaboration technologies
will attract and inspire talent,
improve workplace productivity and drive
innovation in their business.
PROTECTING WORKERS AND
INCREASING FAIRNESS
Ontario is introducing the Stronger Workplaces
for a Stronger Economy Act to protect
the province’s most vulnerable workers
and increase fairness for both employees
and businesses.
The government is proposing legislative
changes in five areas:
INCREASING FAIRNESS UNDER THE
EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS ACT, 2000, BY:
■■ Removing the $10,000 cap under the
Employment Standards Act on the
recovery of unpaid wages owed through
a Ministry of Labour order to pay. Employees
would no longer need to pursue
larger wage claims through the courts,
saving both employees and businesses
time and money.
■■ Increasing the time limit for recovery of
wages under the Employment Standards
Act from six- and 12-month periods
to two years, to ensure older claims are
settled fairly and workers get the money
they are owed.
■■ Requiring employers to provide a
French and English handout containing
information about rights under the
Employment Standards Act to employees.
If requested, the employer would be
required to provide the material in one
of 23 other languages prepared by the
Ministry of Labour.
PROTECTING FOREIGN EMPLOYEES
THROUGH:
■■ Extending the Employment Protection
for Foreign Nationals Act to cover all
employees who come to Ontario under
an immigration or temporary foreign
employee program. This would prohibit
employers from charging fees for recruitment
and placement, and withholding
personal documents, such as passports.
PROTECTING TEMPORARY HELP
AGENCY WORKERS BY:
■■ Introducing ‘joint and several liability’
between temporary help agencies and
their clients. This means making clients
jointly and severally liable for unpaid
regular wages and unpaid overtime
under the Employment Standards Act,
2000. This would help provide employees
with better recourse and encourage
clients to work with reputable temporary
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help agencies.
■■ Amending the Workplace Safety and
Insurance Act to require the Workplace
Safety and Insurance Board, under its
experience rating programs, to assign
workplace injury costs to temporary
help agency clients – rather than to
temporary help agencies – when an
employee is injured at work.
PROTECTING CO-OP STUDENTS BY:
■■ Extending coverage under the Occupational
Health and Safety Act to co-op
students, trainees and other unpaid
learners.
REDUCING DISRUPTIONS IN
CONSTRUCTION WORKPLACES
THROUGH:
■■ Decreasing the construction industry’s
open period from three months to two
months, reducing risk of disruption
due to termination or displacement
applications.
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12 ❚ FEBRUARY 2014 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL