Employer resources ‘pushed to the limit,’ says HRPA CEO
One-third of employers (32 per cent) said they will not be able to meet their obligations under Bill 168 — Ontario’s new workplace violence and prevention law — by the deadline, according to a survey conducted by the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA).
Bill 168, which puts significant responsibilities on employers, came into force on June 15.
The survey of 605 HRPA members, conducted between June 2 and June 11, also found that the most challenging aspect of Bill 168 (identified by 53 per cent of respondents) was its employee training and workplace violence reporting and investigation procedure requirements.
"It's very concerning that a third of businesses in Ontario are unable to meet the obligations of Bill 168," said HRPA CEO Bill Greenhalgh. "These results are not encouraging news for the government, and it leads us to believe that our members and their employers' resources are being pushed to the limit in implementing all the requirements of the bill."
In a previous HRPA survey last summer, 75 per cent of respondents supported the legislation, which would require all employers to develop and implement a violence prevention program, but many members had reservations about how they were going to implement the proposed regulations.
On Nov. 23, 2009, HRPA was invited to present to the Standing Committee on Social Policy on Bill 168. In the presentation, HRPA focused on the section of the act dealing with government's expectations of employers regarding prevention of domestic violence in the workplace. This section had been identified by members as a cause for concern in a previous survey.
"We asked that the committee find a proper balance that will ensure that HR professionals can meet their commitment of a fair, equitable and productive workplace for employers and workers," said Greenhalgh. "HRPA has been working with the Ministry of Labour to provide input on template resources for employers which we feel will be a valuable tool for our members to meet the bill's obligations while not overstretching their organizations' lean resource budgets."
