Human Resources 101

A surprise announcement from GM late yesterday:

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) took another important step today in the turnaround of its North American operations, announcing that approximately 35,000 hourly employees (33,800 UAW-represented and 1,200 IUE-CWA-represented) have agreed to participate in the accelerated attrition program.
Coupled with the hourly workforce reduction of 6,500 in 2005 […]

A Calgary judge has ruled a company did nothing wrong when it fired an employee for bringing a prostitute to its downtown office after hours.
Jim Whitehouse worked as a broker with RBC Dominion Securities in Calgary until 2004, when he was fired. He sued his former employer for wrongful dismissal and the company counter-sued for $6 […]

Prepare the materials: Explain the rationale and prepare all severance information in writing (notification letter, salary continuation/severance period; benefits; outplacement, etc.)
Prepare the message: Write the script you will use during the meeting and the key information you will convey to remaining employees. Keep it short and to the point.
Arrange the next steps: Schedule meetings with […]

In a decision released by the Alberta Court of Queens Bench on February 1, 2006, the Court considers both contractual and fiduciary duties of former employees to refrain from competing with their former employers.

Earl Altman, Partner with Garfinkle, Biderman Barristers and Solicitors, ends his summary with, “The case highlights the importance of properly drafted employment […]

The Downsizing Dilemma: Balancing Employee and Organizational Needs, presented by DBM.
Friday, April 28, 12:00 – 1:30pm ETPresented on the InternetRegister here
Whether your organization reduces its workforce by 10 people in North Carolina or 1,000 people across North America, designing a career transition plan that works for everyone can be daunting. The right mix of services […]

Over the past number of months I have attended two H.R. workshops delivered by employment lawyers. Both lawyers made statements along the lines of, “it is impossible to fire an employee for cause, in Canada.
Employment lawyer Howard Levitt opens his Financial Post column, The rocky road to dismissal with much the same thesis. He then […]

Michael Fitzgibbon gives us 12 Thoughts on Employee Terminations—from a Canadian perspective—at Thoughts from a Management Lawyer.
His first thought, “You can’t eliminate risk you can only manage it,” resonates with me. When we receive a law suit, a standards’ complaint or a letter from a lawyer, a manager’s first reaction tends to be defensive. “We […]