Chapter 2 - Equity, Fairness, Health, and Safety in the Workplace

Key Definitions in HRM

• Diversity refers to the representation of people with different backgrounds and experiences
• Equity involves achieving parity in policy, process, and outcomes for historically underrepresented groups
• Inclusion is behavior creating an environment where individuals feel a sense of belonging, respect, and value
• An ally is someone who actively promotes and advances inclusion, creating welcoming environments
• Allyship is promoting equity, fairness, and inclusion through relationships and advocacy
• Discrimination is treating someone negatively based on race, age, religion, sex, or other prohibited grounds
• Direct discrimination involves policies that clearly make distinctions based on prohibited grounds
• Indirect discrimination includes policies appearing neutral but having adverse effects on a prohibited ground
• Differential treatment is differing treatment of individuals based on a prohibited ground
• Bona Fide Occupational Requirement (BFOR) is a necessary requirement for performing a job
• Duty to Accommodate requires employers to consider accommodations for an employee's characteristics
• Harassment is discrimination involving unwanted physical or verbal behavior that offends or humiliates
• The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) sets rules for how private-sector organizations collect, use, and disclose personal information in commercial activities in Canada
• Pay Equity means equal pay for work of equal value
• Workplace Hazardous Material Information System (WHMIS) provides information on hazardous products in Canadian workplaces
• The Internal Responsibility System is a philosophy where employers and employees share responsibility for workplace safety
• Health and Safety Committees are jointly appointed to address health and safety issues
• Bill C-45 (Westray Bill) amends the Criminal Code, making organizations criminally liable for safety offenses
• A psychological safe workplace prevents harm to employee mental health
• The Job Hazard Analysis Technique breaks down a job to rate elements for potential harm or injury
• The Technic of Operations Review (TOR) promotes safety by determining which element of a job led to a past accident
• The Employee Health and Wellness Program aims to change health-related behaviors in ways that reduce health risks
• An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers confidential counseling for employees' personal issues

The Legal Framework for HRM in Canada

• Federal, provincial, and territorial governments play a crucial role in creating the legal environment for human resource management
• Key areas of employment-related legislation include: Human Rights, Employment Labour Standards, Occupational Health & Safety, and Labour/Industrial Relations
• Organizations recognize the strategic importance of valuing equality, diversity, inclusion, privacy, and the health and safety of employees

Industries Regulated by Different Levels of Government

• Industries regulated by the Federal Government include: air transportation, banks, grain elevators, First Nations band councils, port services, telecommunications, postal services, railways, uranium mining, fisheries protection, federal Crown corporations, and the federal public sector
• Industries regulated by Provinces and Territories include retail, hospitality, healthcare, education, and most manufacturers

Ontario's Working for Workers Act, 2022

• The Digital Platform Workers' Rights Act, 2022, provides rights and protections for gig economy workers, including minimum wage, tips, and recurring pay days
• Amendments to the Employment Standards Act require employers with 25+ employees to have a written policy on electronic monitoring
• Amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act mandate naloxone kits in workplaces at risk for opioid overdose, alongside increased fines for directors and officers

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB)

• Organizations are emphasizing Environment, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) strategies to promote fairness, diversity, equity, inclusion, and employee health/safety
• Diversity: the condition of differing elements, variety, and inclusion of people with different identities and backgrounds
• Equity: achieving parity in policy, process, and outcomes for underrepresented groups
• Inclusion: the behavior that creates an environment where people experience belonging, are respected, valued, and seen as individuals

Moving DEIB Forward

• Allies and allyship promote equity, fairness, and inclusion through relationships and public acts of sponsorship and advocacy

BEIB Metrics

• Diversity can be measured by person count, number of employees, and their positions

Culture of Workplace Health, Safety, and Well-Being

• Organizations experience cost savings by reducing worker injuries, fatalities, occupational disease, stress, burnout, turnover, and property damage
• Benefits include an increase in productivity, reliability, employee relations, and employee engagement

Equity and Fairness in the Workplace

• Employers can promote fairness by implementing practices and policies that value diversity, equity, inclusion, and belongingness (DEI or EDI or BEIB), and by preventing harassment
• Human Rights legislation protects employees from discrimination
• Employment equity initiatives may remove employment barriers
• Privacy legislation provides guidance on collecting, using, and disclosing employee information
• Employment/Labour Standards legislation addresses minimum standards and ensures equal pay for equal value

Context for Workplace Health and Safety

• All Canadian jurisdictions have occupational health and safety legislation
• Canada's approach is based on the internal responsibility system, where both employers and employees are responsible for safety

Current Workplace Health and Safety Issues

• Psychological health and safety has become a significant issue, along with mobile device use, worker fatigue, and recreational cannabis legalization
• Employers establish safety awareness programs and use technology to identify hazards