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Source: www.cbc.ca From the commute to chats at the water cooler, there are ways to minimize risk of exposure to COVID-19 COVID-19 put millions of Canadians out of work and sent millions of others home to work from kitchen tables and sofas. Staying healthy as work resumes for some and others leave their homes for more formal work settings is going to require employees to not only strictly adhere to preventative measures — like hand hygiene and physical distancing — but to know their rights, say experts in infectious disease and occupational health and safety law.

Source: www.ohscanada.com Staff should be educated on all elements of COVID-19 plan and receive training where necessary Now that most workplaces have opened and children are set to return to schools across the country this September, some experts are warning of a potential second wave of COVID-19. Businesses have already endured their share of challenges throughout the past several months and will no doubt continue to be affected if the number of new cases of the virus begin to rise.

Source: www.bnnbloomberg.ca As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to change the nature of the workplace, Canadians now working from home are being forced to consider how never leaving the office could be a detriment to their mental health. The shutdown that has forced many employees to stay put and do their jobs remotely is erasing the divisions between work and their personal lives.

Source: www.ctvnews.ca OTTAWA — A months-long COVID-19 lockdown means the majority of Canada’s workforce that has transitioned from an office space to a makeshift remote set-up could be eligible for a work-from-home tax deduction. A tax expert with CIBC told CTVNews.ca that “hundreds of thousands, if not millions” of Canadians will be able to apply for the “work-space-in-the-home” deduction, similar to the one that applies to the self-employed.

Source: www.cbc.ca Economy will suffer if women can’t return to the workforce at pre-COVID levels, say experts Charlotte Schwartz has four children under the age of 10, one with special needs. She also has a full-time career as a legal clerk at a busy family law practice in Toronto, and since the pandemic forced people into their homes in March, she’s been doing both her jobs around the clock with little reprieve.

Source: www.benefitscanada.com The coronavirus pandemic has been disruptive for all and sadly, devastating and difficult for many. In the pandemic’s early days, we saw a great deal of change and upheaval very swiftly — both for organizations and our communities. The way in which we live our lives day to day changed very quickly. And for many Canadian employers, the beginning of the pandemic created a flurry of activity, as organizations put business continuity plans into action and pivoted their businesses.

Health Canada alerts consumers to dangerous ethanol fire pots through release of safety testimonial video.

Source: www.cbc.ca Researchers suggest working fewer hours could boost productivity It’s only been days since a small Nova Scotia municipality launched a four-day condensed work week pilot project, but according to the chief administrative officer, so far, so good. The nine-month project, developed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, allows the municipality’s core employees to work the same number of hours over a period of four days, known to many as a compressed work week.

Source: filion.on.ca Bottom Line As businesses across Canada prepare to reopen, mental health is an important consideration for employers. When creating reopening plans, employers should maintain open lines of communication with employees to reduce the fear of returning to work, and contemplate whether they have accommodation obligations for employees with mental health disabilities that may have been triggered or exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: whsc.on.ca The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many workplace routines, but never have routine health and safety inspections been more important or required greater diligence. Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act requires employers to take every reasonable precaution to safeguard worker health and safety (s25(2)(h)). Joint health and safety committees (JHSCs) and worker health and safety representatives though, also have both a right and responsibility to participate in the pursuit of safer, healthier workplaces. Included in their role is a requirement for JHSCs (s9(23-29)) or worker health and safety reps (s8(6-9)) to inspect the workplace at least one a month.

Source: itworldcanada.com When Mother Nature blanketed the Greater Toronto Area with layers of snow and ice in late 2018, 20,000 TD employees found themselves working from home. The 165-year-old company managed to sustain its operations with a small portion of its workforce working in sweatpants, all without compromising security. With roughly 25 million customers, many of whom access the bank’s services online daily, the pivot was deemed an impressive feat, according to Greg Keeley, executive vice-president of enterprise technology at TD.

Source: thelawyersdaily.ca Plans have emerged for some industries and businesses to return to work, while many others await further information and the “green light” from their provincial governments. While both law and medical data are at the forefront of any decision, each individual business will have its own unique factors to consider, including whether they are a large or small business, whether they have the facility and capability to safely return some or all of their staff, and possibly whether returning to the workplace now, or at some later date in the future even makes sense — yes, some businesses are considering permanent work from home (WFH) practices!

Source: cbc.ca Adam Savaglio is an employment law expert – here’s what he says about your rights under COVID-19 CBC Hamilton spoke, during a Facebook Live event Wednesday June 3, with employment law expert Adam Savaglio about returning to work or working from home amid COVID-19.

Source: canadianlawyermag.com As Canadian workers begin to return to their workplaces, supervisors and managers of reopening businesses will be personally liable to strict legal requirements and duties which carry charges and fines if violated. “This is not just an exercise in getting people back to work. It’s an exercise in complying with some very strict legal obligations, particularly in Ontario,” says Adrian Miedema, a partner in the Toronto employment group of Dentons Canada LLP. “The people who are responsible for the particular place of business need to be aware of those obligations.”

woodworkingnetwork.com As Canadian provinces lift restrictions meant to slow down the spread of the coronavirus, employers are scrambling to prepare their workplaces for the safe return of their employees. According to the recent “Return to Work Survey” by the Conference Board of Canada (CBC), only 8% of the 279 organizations participating said they are “fully prepared” to reopen their workplaces.

itworldcanada.com Employers are increasingly looking for ways to help employees with the impact of isolation as they continue to work apart. IT teams are playing a bigger role in coming up with solutions. “The dialogue on business continuity dramatically changed in the last few months,” said Wayne Feyer, Principal Corporate Account Manager with Citrix Systems, at a recent ITWC virtual roundtable. “We have to design a new normal that keeps people in the centre of the discussion.”

If you are lucky enough to be hiring new employees during COVID – 19, then use this opportunity to welcome them to your company. I have worked with many organizations that spend so much time and energy to hire an individual and when it comes to their new employee orientation, they fall short.   This is the beginning of a new relationship where you are creating the building blocks to a trusting – win/win – relationship. A solid onboarding process sets the stage for success for your new hire.

Source: biv.com Youngest workers hit hardest by instability; older employees may postpone retirements The COVID-19 pandemic will have far-reaching effects on how Canadians in different age groups view their careers and work lives. Canada lost three million jobs in March and April because of restrictions aimed at fighting the pandemic, and the weekly work hours of another 2.5 million Canadians were cut back. With the country’s unemployment rate at 13% – the highest since 1982 – the crisis has likely shaken the confidence many workers had that their job was secure.

Source: https://cornerstone-toronto.com/ ALEXANDER LUTCHIN of CORNERSTONE TORONTO Across the world, we are collectively experiencing one of the most significant changes of our lives. The loss of physical touch, standing close to people without fear, and dinner out with friends. We have lost the option of celebrating milestone – birthdays, weddings, graduations, baby showers, holidays and cancelled vacations, the losses are mounting.

Source: hrreporter.com But more than one-third feeling less productive: survey More than two-thirds of workers in Canada (67.91 per cent) have been asked by their employers to work from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and most of them say that their transition has been seamless. On a scale of one to five – with one being poor and five being perfect – many rated their transition as a four (47.87 per cent), and some even say it has been perfect (13.39 per cent), found the survey of 726 people in Canada by Sykes, a business processing outsourcing provider.

Source: www.cbc.ca From pet services to food delivery and even advertising, many companies are forging ahead with launch plans Even with the country in lockdown, a number of Canadian entrepreneurs are plunging ahead with new ventures. Some are focusing their startup on issues related directly to the virus.