Calendar of Events

Failing to meet the needs of individual employees struggling through personal and family crisis paves the way for a whole host of problems not the least of which is turnover, absenteeism, presenteeism and alienation. It seems as if more and more of our time as HR professionals is devoted to issues not just with our employees but with their families and personal challenges. The Saint John Chapter of HRANB in partnership with Lawson and Creamer is pleased to present this comprehensive session on appropriately supporting employees through difficult times. Kelly VanBuskirk and the team from Lawson and Creamer will lead us through: • Understanding the legal aspects of accommodation and failure to accommodate; • Exploring where our responsibilities began and end; • Recognizing the boundaries between where it is appropriate for us to act and where we need to be referring the employee to EAP or other professionals. After working through the legal framework, Dave Veale and the team from Vision Coaching will help us understand: • How to coach employees through the situation without crossing the line to counselor; • Developing fair and reasonable plans that will meet both the employees and the organization’s. • Recognizing when the employee is genuinely dealing with crisis and when they are ‘working the system’ and dealing with this situation positively. After lunch we will form discussion groups to work through questions and issues together.

The goal in presenting this workshop is to maintain and support a harassment-free workplace by agreeing to an understanding of respectful communication, increase our understanding of harassment and examine how harassment impacts on workers inside and outside of the workplace.

What’s going on in Saint John? There is lots happening in the Old Port City and surrounding areas. So, what does that mean, for hiring, retention and reengagement? What does it mean to you? Is there any way to make your life easier? The Saint John Chapter of HRANB is pleased to have representatives of Enterprise Saint John and the Province of New Brunswick update HR Professionals on the labour situation in Saint John’s current economy and alternatives for finding employees of various skill levels. Where is the talent? Where are the gaps? Where are the workers? How can you attract the resources you need? Join us for a Breakfast Session at “The Saint John Hilton” and find out.

Join a panel of McInnes Cooper Labour and Employment lawyers facilitated by Crystal Gamble as they provide HRANB members with their annual update on the law surrounding the following key HR issues: • The $7.6 Billion Dollar Problem: the status, reduction, and prevention of workplace violence in Canada and in New Brunswick • Yes, you CAN have too many “friends”: what’s hot in social networking in the workplace and how to cool it down • “Off work for medical reasons ... Again”: strategies to continue to manage – and to reduce – innocent absenteeism in the workplace The panel presentation will be followed by an open Q & A session and panel discussion where you can get the answers to the labour and employment law questions you are facing right now.

One of the current issues facing employers is the trend of employees who are in the performance management process or a progressive disciplinary process for absenteeism, obtaining cryptic medical notes from their medical practitioners stating that the employee is absent due to medical reasons. Information will be provided to participants on what their rights and obligations are as employers, from a legal human rights perspective, including obtaining additional medical information from the employee indicating what the employee is required to provide and who should pay for that information. Information will be provided indicating what kind of documentation the Commission looks for when we investigate complaints of alleged physical and/or mental disability discrimination which will assist employers in identifying the steps that they need to take to ensure that they meet their duty to accommodate or to identify if the duty to accommodate is triggered. Further, in the past few years, there have been issues surrounding employees who have been placed off work for medical reasons by their treating physician but that this medical leave is not approved for payment by a benefit provider. Information will be provided to employers, from a legal human rights perspective, of what their obligations are in this type of situation, including, can they demand that the employee return to work?