Anyone who supervises or manages employees in Ontario should have an understanding of the governing workplace laws and regulations.

Every manager, supervisor and employee in Ontario will probably collide with some provision of our comprehensive and often times confusing workplace legislation at one time or another during their careers.

For Companies: To assist business owners, human resource professionals, managers and supervisors maintain productivity and effectively manage the workplace, Keyser Mason Ball, LLP offers in house hands-on training workshops on the every-day application of employment law drawn from real life situations. The programs are interactive and allow your managers and supervisors opportunity for questions and open discussion. Program format is customized to each training situation and company requirement.

For Individuals: From time to time we offer open group training sessions for individuals - maximum 25 per session. For details of upcoming workshops and pricing, please see http://kmblaw.com/seminars.html

To discuss your needs and the details of specific training programs, please contact Patrizia Piccolo at 905.276.9111 or by email ppiccolo@kmblaw.com

Training Programs Incude:

• Harassment and Discrimination In The Workplace
• Workplace Harassment and other Workplace Complaints : Due Diligence Steps
• Hiring Right The First Time
• Termination Training For Supervisors (Non Union), Including Handling Difficult Terminations
• How To Manage the Duty to Accommodate

Harassment and Discrimination In The Workplace

Implement the legal requirements for a respectful, more productive, quality workplace.

Legal developments and court decisions have significantly reshaped what are acceptable standards for workplace environment and management responsibilities and accountabilities in dealing with employees' rights.

This seminar is geared toward managerial and non-managerial employees to help them understand the provisions of the Ontario Human Rights Code pertaining to harassment and discrimination. It also provides a basic overview of the investigation process so that employees understand how complaints should be investigated.

Participants will learn how to:

• Identify Harassment and Discrimination in the workplace
• Understand Employee rights and responsibilities when harassment or discrimination is experienced or witnessed
• The employee as manager/supervisor - understand rights and responsibilities of employees who are also managers/supervisors under the Ontario Human Rights Code
• Understand the extent of employer liability under the Ontario Human Rights Code
• Maintain appropriate work environments
• Understand the mechanics of a proper investigation.

Conducting An Internal Workplace Investigation & How To Develop Relevant And Appropriate Company Policies
(Participants will receive essential take home materials including guidelines, forms and checklists to immediately adapt to their particular work environment.)

Dealing with workplace complaints (including harassment) requires a methodical and reliable process in order determine the nature of the problem, the prevalence of the problem, the scope of the problem and the perception of both management and employees of the issue. Once harassment or another workplace issue is identified, corrective action should be immediate, accessible to all and maintained vigilantly.

Such a comprehensive action reduces risk of human rights complaints to Human Rights Commission; Reduces risk of expanding liabilities including expensive lawsuits; Demonstrates an employer's commitment to guaranteeing a respectful and safe workplace.

This seminar is geared toward managerial and human resources employees who are responsible for creating and implementing workplace policies.

Participants will learn how to:

• Establish a due diligence and remedial process
• Develop relevant and appropriate company policies
• Determine when to use internal investigators or external investigators
• Properly instruct external investigators
• Properly conduct an internal workplace investigation
• Properly draft confidential reports to management
• Propose recommended steps and actions
• Set up an annual environmental check to determine effectiveness of policy implementation
• Set up an on call process for immediate advise and counsel

Hiring Right The First Time

The clearer the rights and expectations of both employer and employee are from the outset, the less likely problems will arise during and at the end of employment. The process of hiring usually is the origin of avoidable wasted time, trouble, money and law suits.

You will learn how to:

• Strategically use employment contracts - basics, restrictions and special issues - as a management tool to protect your assets and reduce termination costs and lawsuits with maximum certainty and flexibility
• Creating an independent contractor relationship
• Set up a hiring process that allows you acquire the best talent and comply with the subtle, and sometimes not so subtle requirements of Ontario laws.

Termination Training For Supervisors (Non Union), Including Handling Difficult Terminations

Terminating an employee brings together strong emotional and business forces that must be properly dealt with to avoid acrimonious and time-consuming litigation. There is a preferred process and timing to termination that mitigates unproductive and costly fallout.

You will learn how to:

• Determine whether or not there is "just cause" for termination
• Document discipline properly
• Identify alternatives to termination
• Properly document performance leading up to termination
• Understand the difference between common law notice and Employment Standards Act minimum termination and severance entitlements so you can determine the applicable notice period where just cause does not exist
• Avoid situations of constructive dismissal
• Communicate the decision to terminate both verbally and in a termination letter: what to say when terminating with or without cause to avoid problems
• Structure settlement packages
• Manage the effects of specific term employment, constructive dismissal, non performance of contract and lay offs
• Handle post termination obligations
• Deal with termination disputes

How To Manage the Duty to Accommodate:

In Ontario, all workplaces are facing accommodation challenges on an increasingly regular basis. Because of the sometimes lesser known requirements of the Duty to Accommodate requirements, Human rights complaints are rapidly increasing. Essentially, the requirements of the current accommodation legal model requires you to rethink of how you structure our workplaces and carry on work to ensure compliance. This session will help you manage challenges without triggering avoidable liabilities.

We will cover:

• The Fundamentals: Understanding the scope of the ever expanding employer obligations relating to accommodation and how to meet your obligations; The impact of the duty to accommodate on the workplace and the employment relationship
• How to develop and implement strategies, policies and protocols to position your workplace to successfully deal with accommodation issues
• Multi-party obligations: The rights and responsibilities of necessary parties and how to manage them
• Securing support and commitment for accommodation within your organization
• Successfully Managing The Real Accommodation Issues Dealing with the frequently encountered accommodation issues: pregnancy; aging; WSIB issues; religious observance; disability impacting performance; disability-related absenteeism; non-evident disability issues; substance abuse; psychiatric disabilities; stress
• Accommodation in a unionized setting
• Managing the issue of medical information
• Understanding employee needs
• How to avoid increasing liabilities for getting accommodation wrong