Fort Blanket

In a Poisonous Work Environment?

Employee claims that include allegations of a poisoned or toxic work environment have become increasingly common in recent years. One such claim, General Motors of Canada Ltd. v. Johnson, recently made its way to the Ontario Court of Appeal. This gave Ontario’s highest court the opportunity to provide some much-needed clarification on this area of law.

General Motors of Canada Ltd. v. Johnson (“General Motors”)

In General Motors, Yohan Johnson (“Johnson”) claimed that he had been constructively dismissed from his employment at GM due to a racially poisoned work environment.

Saint-Zénon Canada

© O. Langevin

How does telecommuting affect employers? Here’s how:

Workplace Bullying: Will You Know It When You See It?

The media, paired with political figures, have paid increased attention to workplace bullying in recent years. Legislators in 21 states have even introduced bills to address and combat workplace bullying, starting with California in 2003.

  However, none of the legislatures in states which these bills have been introduced have passed the bills into law. There are a variety of explanations for why there has not been a change in the law despite workplace bullying becoming a hot button employment issue, but the most obvious explanation is this: it truly is difficult to define workplace bullying.

  Keep reading

Violence & Harassment in the Workplace

In recent years, concerns regarding workplace violence and harassment have grown. A number of incidents of violence have occurred in Canada but also specifically in Ontario as well. The well-known case of the 2005 murder of nurse Lori Dupont by her ex-boyfriend at the Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital in Windsor, has pushed workplace violence to the forefront of critical legal change.

Read the full article here

Malcolm MacKillop writes about the best practices to keep a healthy workplace. 

Malcolm MacKillop shares media based on a recent blog.