EU ACCEPTS CANADA’S PRIVACY ACT
Brussels — Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act has won the approval of the European Union, removing any fear of an interruption in the flow of HR and other corporate data to the other side of the Atlantic. EU law, effective this year, requires nations that exchange data with EU countries to have laws in place governing corporate data use and the privacy of information.
For an HR primer on conforming with Canada’s act see the Jan. 28 issue or select “search” on this Web site and enter article #1636.
HOSPITAL STAFF OVERPAID: REPORT
Vancouver — British Columbia’s hospitals would save $150 million annually if support staff received private-sector wages, a study by the Fraser Institute says. The report, Labour Costs in the Hospital Sector Revisited, looked at salaries paid to 1,700 support staff — cooks, clerks, cleaners, maintenance workers and food service staff — at the Vancouver General and UBC hospitals and compared them to wages paid to unionized hotel workers. “There’s no reason hospital bakers should get 32-per-cent premiums over their hotel counterparts or that clerical staff in a hospital payroll department should get 39 per cent more,” said Michael Walker, executive director of the institute.
NEW ATTITUDE TOWARDS HEALTH WORKERS URGED
Ottawa — Employers and health-care workers need to develop a new relationship of trust that starts with employees being seen as assets, a new report by the Canadian Policy Research Networks states. Recommendations for nurturing human capital include co-operative labour-management relations and attention to health and wellness issues. The report also says integrated HR information systems are essential management tools.
For a copy of the discussion paper visit www.cprn.org.
ONT. WORKERS RATE WSIB PROGRAMS POORLY
Toronto — Close to one-third of injured workers whose Workplace Safety and Insurance Board claims were accepted and who promptly returned to work nonetheless found the process problematic and unsatisfactory, a WSIB study states. The study surveyed 300 claimants in southern Ontario.
CONSTRUCTION JOBS HOT
Ottawa — The demand for construction workers will grow by one per cent this year, the Canadian Construction Association reports. With the industry facing a wave of retirees, and workforce growth expected to be 1.9 per cent next year, 1.8 per cent in 2004 and 1.5 per cent in 2005, the long-term labour supply is of concern.
HAVE YOU BEEN SPAMMED LATELY?
San Francisco — California’s anti-spam law has been upheld in appeals court. Eighteen states have anti-spam laws, which should come in handy as “resume spamming” emerges as an unwelcome trend. Job seekers are beginning to clutter corporate mailboxes by e-mailing job applications and CVs.
TUESDAY IS ACTION DAY
Mississauga, Ont. — What’s the best way to get something done quickly? Ask staff to do it on Tuesday. More than half of 100 Canadian executives at large organizations surveyed by staffing firm Accountemps said Tuesday is the day employees are most productive. The days of the week scored the following support from executives voting for the peak performance day: Monday (21 per cent), Tuesday (54 per cent), Wednesday (15 per cent), Thursday (two per cent) and Friday (two per cent), with six per cent of respondents having no opinion. “By learning to identify the normal peaks and valleys in staff productivity, managers can provide additional motivation when it is needed most,” said Max Messmer, chair of Accountemps.
Brussels — Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act has won the approval of the European Union, removing any fear of an interruption in the flow of HR and other corporate data to the other side of the Atlantic. EU law, effective this year, requires nations that exchange data with EU countries to have laws in place governing corporate data use and the privacy of information.
For an HR primer on conforming with Canada’s act see the Jan. 28 issue or select “search” on this Web site and enter article #1636.
HOSPITAL STAFF OVERPAID: REPORT
Vancouver — British Columbia’s hospitals would save $150 million annually if support staff received private-sector wages, a study by the Fraser Institute says. The report, Labour Costs in the Hospital Sector Revisited, looked at salaries paid to 1,700 support staff — cooks, clerks, cleaners, maintenance workers and food service staff — at the Vancouver General and UBC hospitals and compared them to wages paid to unionized hotel workers. “There’s no reason hospital bakers should get 32-per-cent premiums over their hotel counterparts or that clerical staff in a hospital payroll department should get 39 per cent more,” said Michael Walker, executive director of the institute.
NEW ATTITUDE TOWARDS HEALTH WORKERS URGED
Ottawa — Employers and health-care workers need to develop a new relationship of trust that starts with employees being seen as assets, a new report by the Canadian Policy Research Networks states. Recommendations for nurturing human capital include co-operative labour-management relations and attention to health and wellness issues. The report also says integrated HR information systems are essential management tools.
For a copy of the discussion paper visit www.cprn.org.
ONT. WORKERS RATE WSIB PROGRAMS POORLY
Toronto — Close to one-third of injured workers whose Workplace Safety and Insurance Board claims were accepted and who promptly returned to work nonetheless found the process problematic and unsatisfactory, a WSIB study states. The study surveyed 300 claimants in southern Ontario.
CONSTRUCTION JOBS HOT
Ottawa — The demand for construction workers will grow by one per cent this year, the Canadian Construction Association reports. With the industry facing a wave of retirees, and workforce growth expected to be 1.9 per cent next year, 1.8 per cent in 2004 and 1.5 per cent in 2005, the long-term labour supply is of concern.
HAVE YOU BEEN SPAMMED LATELY?
San Francisco — California’s anti-spam law has been upheld in appeals court. Eighteen states have anti-spam laws, which should come in handy as “resume spamming” emerges as an unwelcome trend. Job seekers are beginning to clutter corporate mailboxes by e-mailing job applications and CVs.
TUESDAY IS ACTION DAY
Mississauga, Ont. — What’s the best way to get something done quickly? Ask staff to do it on Tuesday. More than half of 100 Canadian executives at large organizations surveyed by staffing firm Accountemps said Tuesday is the day employees are most productive. The days of the week scored the following support from executives voting for the peak performance day: Monday (21 per cent), Tuesday (54 per cent), Wednesday (15 per cent), Thursday (two per cent) and Friday (two per cent), with six per cent of respondents having no opinion. “By learning to identify the normal peaks and valleys in staff productivity, managers can provide additional motivation when it is needed most,” said Max Messmer, chair of Accountemps.
