Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Workplace Discrimination Policies in Canada

Workplace Discrimination Policies in Canada Discrimination in the Workplace Richard Yang Abstract Despite the establishment of various human rights laws, regulations and acts on the issues of equality in Canada, some individuals still experience some form of discrimination. This is evident especially in the area of job allocations and employment. Such people include women, especially pregnant women, persons with disabilities and even radicalized people like the aboriginals, Indians and people of colour. This paper will provide a critical analysis of this issue. A brief description of the situation will be provided. This will be followed by the reasons for the status quo and later, recommendations to improve the situation will be provided. Introduction Canadian workers are protected against discrimination by a number of laws. These include theCanada Labour Codeor the Canadian Labour and Employment Equity Act. In addition to this, each province in Canada has established their own individual human rights regulations and labour legislation law to help regulate human treatment and behaviour in the workplace. The criminal code also has clauses for protection against discrimination and against any form of sexual harassment and physical assault. However, despite all these developments, discriminationis still a great issue in the Canadian workplace (Canada, 2013). Various scholars have examined this area but the literature available is still not sufficient. This research paper will provide much needed information by examining the issue of discrimination at the work place and provide the possible reasons why this occurs. Lastly, this paper will provide recommendations for improvement of the situation. There are different forms of discrimination at the work-place. These include, race discrimination (Colour, Ethnic Origin, Creed, Place of Origin or Ancestry), wage discrimination, gender discrimination, sex discrimination, sexual discrimination (e.g. Pregnancy), age discrimination, sexual orientation discrimination, disability discrimination, religious discrimination, family status, record of offences and based on political affiliation. The Canadian Human Rights Act provides protection against all the above-mentioned forms of discrimination (Canada, 2013). The definition of labour force discrimination can be delicate. It can be defined as the different treatment of two equally qualified individuals on account of one or more of the various grounds of discrimination. The different methods against which a person may be discriminated against, according to theCanadian Human Rights Act, are referred to asdiscriminatory practices. Federal employers are not allowed by law to discriminate against any of their employees. They are actually obligated to accommodate an employee’s individual circumstances that relate to protected grounds of discrimination. This is referred to as the duty to accommodate. If one works for or receives services from an organization or firm that is regulated by the federal government and has experienced discrimination under any of the grounds, one should to complain (Canada, 2013). According to Goldring Landolt (2013), discrimination occurs in a number of areas and in different ways in the workplace, such as: In recruiting and selecting staff In giving terms, conditions and mostly benefits offered as part of employment Giving training in the workplace In considering and selecting people for transfer, dismissal, promotion or even retrenchment Selecting people for disciplinary action Denying an employee goods, services, accommodation or access to some facilities Providing them with goods, services, accommodation or facilities in a way that treats them differently or adversely. Denying someone perfectly qualified employment or unfairly allocating them a ghetto status in the workplace. Putting up policies or practices that demean some people. Paying differently when employees they are doing same works of the same value. Retaliating against an employee who has filed a complaint against them to the Commission of human rights. Openly harassingsomeone at the workplace A bank putting up lending and borrowing rules that obviously make it unreasonably difficult for new immigrants to get loans. This is discrimination based on race and national or ethnic origin. A person being referred to secondary screening at an airport because of their skin color. This is a discrimination case based on the color of the skin. An employer assigns shifts to employees without consideration for religious observance. An employer’s stating physical fitness requirements that clearly are based on the capabilities of a 25 year old instead of the actual requirements of a job. This is a case of discrimination based on age. A female employee who performs well in the job gets pregnant. The employer soon looks for performance issues order to dismiss her. A work policy provides benefits to some selective married couples, but not to others. This may be a case of discrimination based on sexual orientationand/ormarital status. On the ground offamily status; a woman after giving birth cannot be able to do night shifts. The employer fails to allow her flexibility to work on dayshifts. An employer setting up policies that require all the employees to have a driver’s license. People with a disability are directly discriminated against this way. This can be a case of discrimination based on disability grounds. A person can also be denied a job due to a previous conviction which was pardoned or suspended. Reasons for Employee Discrimination Various reasons contribute to the problem of discrimination at the work-place in Canada. Firstly, there is a difficulty of inadequately trained employees. Tribe, Curlis, Etheridge, Quarry, Ash Training Point.Net (2009) argue that even in the human resources departments that could be described as the most effective, inter-employee discrimination cannot be adequately contained. They argue that the best way to adequately contain this menace is to ensure that the employees are adequately educated about the laws against discrimination and about any internal rules to guard against discrimination that a certain company has adopted. Secondly, failure on the part of the employers to guard against the paper has also contributed to this menace. According to Crosby, Stockdale Ropp (2007) many employers have been identified to treat their respective evaluation systems as a formality. Most of them have been shown to hand out satisfactory ratings to the employees that show up to work in a timely manner and during firing, records of misconduct are also not kept. These researchers recommend the need for the documentation of the failings of the borderline workers. The records are to ensure that their termination of employment is supported by the paper trail. Thirdly, according to Tribe, Curlis, Etheridge, Quarry, Ash Training Point.Net (2009), many people are very ignorant of the law. They argue that even if someone has gone for the best training and awareness, their argument brings out the notion that, even those that have gone for the best training and awareness programs require to have knowledge about the law. They describe most rules about discrimination in the work-place as self-evident although they accept that there are others that are a surprise. For instance, a program on testing that has a disproportionate effect on a class that is protected may be termed discriminatory unless it boosts the performance of a job. Addition to this, Crosby, Stockdale Ropp (2007) state that when employees are not adequately screened prior to getting hired, the resultant workforce may be made up of employees that do not have the willingness to show respect to their colleagues. This is very true of the Canadian work-force because VisionPoint Productions (2002) have shown that nearly 90% of all the employers in Canada do not conduct background checks on their employees prior to employment. They suggest that a proper check be conducted about the employee’s criminal past and with the previous employers to as a measure to guard against discrimination in the work-place. Furthermore, some individuals have been reported to receive discrimination complaints with skepticism. However, with the current laws and regulations, this kind of behavior ought to end to avoid being sued. Proper investigations should be conducted (VisionPoint Productions, 2002). People occasionally have misplaced loyalty. It is an accepted statement that people have to change. As they do, the standards of acceptable conduct also change. Exemplary employees change and turn to liabilities in their respective work-stations. Liability here is because of their inability to adapt to the ever-changing standards of the work-place. By so doing, they expose their companies to possible law suits (Crosby, Stockdale Ropp, 2007). Occasionally employees may have a lot of unsupervised leisure time. The leisure allows them to occupy themselves with things that are not constructive; one of those things may be discriminatory. According to Crosby, Stockdale Ropp (2007) most of the employees that have lots of unsupervised leisure times end up behaving in a discriminatory way. Various other things may also lead to discrimination in the work-place. These include; excessive personal expression, failure for some employees to recognize when they are involved in conflicts and the mixing of ethnicities, genders and generations in the work-place. Although, mixing up may look advantageous, in the long run, it may lead to many disadvantages including discrimination (VisionPoint Productions, 2002). Acts, Laws and Regulations against Discrimination The Employment Equity Act The Employment Equity Act is defined in Canadian law. It requires federal employers to engage in employment practices which aim to increase the representation of the four designated groups. The groups include women, people living with disabilities, the Aboriginal people andthe visible minorities.The Act also has a special emphasis on equity. It reaffirms the need to not only treat people with equity but to also ensure that there is fairness in the way people are treated according to their different capabilities (Vosko, 2006). Employers are required by law to remove barriers to employment, those which disadvantage the four designated group, members. These employment barriers are for instance; wheelchair inaccessible buildings, or even practices that specifically make those designated people uncomfortable. Furthermore, employers are also required to put in place positive policies for the recruitment, training or promotion of the members of the designated groups. Such positive policies may include recruiting from Aboriginal communities, advertising for jobs in a foreign language for the minor group or even a training program for people living with disabilities (Vosko, 2006). The idea for the employment Equity was established in the 1984 Abella Commission which was chaired by JudgeRosalie Abella. In the place of affirmative action, she came up with the term â€Å"employment equity† specifically for the Canadian context. Her report later became the base for the establishment of the Employment Equity Act in 1986. It was later amended in 1995. The Act aims at achieving equity in the workplace and ensuring that no one is denied the benefits of employment or employment opportunities for reasons that are not related to capability. This legislation emphasizes that it is specifically aimed at rectifying the forms of discrimination experienced by aboriginal peoples, women, minority groups and people with disabilities in the workplace. It advocates for equity in the workplace and integration of special measures within the work-place to have these groups treated fairly according to their capabilities (Vosko, 2006). According to Vosko (2006), theEmployment Equity Acthelped ensure that all Canadian citizens had equal access to the labor market. It also required employers to ensure the full representation of members of the four designated groups in their companies. The four designated groups are: Women The Aboriginal people Persons living with disabilities Members of visible minorities The act dictates that employers should ensure equality in the workplace by; Determining if all the designated groups are represented at every level of the organization’s workforce Identifying employment barriers if any Working with all the employees in developing a plan that promotes full representation of the designated groups According to Vosko (2006), the responsibility for giving effect to the act is laid on these departments and commissions. These include; The Human Resources and Skills Development, Canada: It advices and provides the employers with the tools required to abide by the act. They also collect employment equity reports in the private sector. TheCanadian Human Rights Commission: It conducts audits of compliance for all the federally regulated businesses, corporations and public sector organizations. TheTreasury Board Secretariat: This maintains databases on availability and representation of members of the designated groups in all federal public sector organizations. Furthermore, it tables the federal public sector annual reports on employment equity to the Canadian Parliament. ThePublic Service Commission: develops policies in the sectors of staffing and recruitment and ensures proper application of theact by all the departments and agencies. The Canadian Human Rights Act The act prohibits discrimination of persons on the basis of, race, ethnicity, gender and other grounds. It continues to be in force together with the Employment Equity Act. The main difference between the two acts is that the Canadian Human Rights Act simply prohibits discrimination, while the Employment Equity Act strongly requires that employers engage in proactive measures in order to streamline the opportunities for the employment for the four designated groups above. The Canadian Human Rights Act furthermore protects minorities, such as sexual and religious minorities, while the Employment Equity Act is limited to the four groups. In Canada, employment equity is a specific legal concept and should not be used as a synonym for non-discrimination or workplace diversity. It was established under the act, is theCanadian Human Rights Commission(CHRC) in 1977 by the government of Canada. Its purpose isto investigate and settle complaints of discrimination in employment and also in the provision of public services within federal jurisdiction. It is also empowered under the Employment Equityact to ensure employers provideequal opportunities for the four designated groups. The CHRC also helps to enforce these rights and informing the public and federal employers of these rights (Vosko, 2006). Recommendations Enforcements of the acts and laws above These laws were enacted and put in place for a purpose. They are meant to give each and every qualified individual an equal employment opportunity. The government of Canada and the bodies put in place like the Canadian Labour Organization should not only publicize the laws but should enforce them. Reporting the Violators Despite the efforts made, some employers still discriminate workers. In such cases any discriminated individual or even group should report the employer. Avenues are in place to deal with and ensure such violators face the law. Appealing To Employers Humanity Helping them see that their discriminatory actions, some of which may evade the law, as inhuman and hurting. Such campaigns may aid them treat their workers equal. Employers are also charged with the responsibility of: Creating a workplace free from discrimination and form any form of harassment Providing a policy for dealing with discriminations when they occur. Ensuring that all employees and the management staff understand and abide by the policies Respond to complaints in time. Discipline and fine those employees found discriminating others. Carrying out managerial duties in a way that doesn’t abuse authority, or intimidate any employees leave alone discriminating them. References Canada. (1978). New directions: A look at Canadas immigration act and regulations. Ottawa: Employment and Immigration Canada. Canada. (2013). Language of work in federally regulated private businesses in QueÃÅ' bec not subject to the Official Languages Act. Gatineau, QueÃÅ' bec: Govt. of Canada. Crosby, F. J., Stockdale, M. S., Ropp, S. A. (2007). Sex discrimination in the workplace: Multidisciplinary perspectives. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub. Goldring, L., Landolt, P. (2013). Producing and negotiating non-citizenship: Precarious legal status in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Hunter, R. C. (1992). Indirect discrimination in the workplace. Annandale, NSW: Federation Press. Lawrence, K., Klos, K. A., Center for Compliance Information (Aspen Systems Corporation). (1978). Sex discrimination in the workplace. Germantown, Md: Aspen Systems Corp. Phelan, G. E., Arterton, J. B. (1992). Disability discrimination in the workplace. St. Paul: Thomson/West. Tribe, A., Curlis, J., Etheridge, S., Quarry, P., Ash, E., Training Point.Net. (2009). Discrimination in the workplace. Bendigo, Vic.: Training point.net. United States. (2008). Best practices for eradicating religious discrimination in the workplace. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. United States. (2008). Questions and answers: Religious discrimination in the workplace. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. VisionPoint Productions. (2002). Harassment discrimination in the workplace: Its not just about sex anymore. Des Moines, IA: VisionPoint Productions. Vosko, L. F. (2006). Precarious employment: Understanding labour market insecurity in Canada. Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press.

Monday, January 20, 2020

The Advantages of E-Textbooks Essay examples -- Educational Technology

Imagine a day when youngsters would leave for school carrying nothing more than an electronic device weighing less than one pound. The advent and growing popularity of electronic textbooks may make this a reality sooner rather than later. No more students trudging around with 20 pound backpacks strapped to their backs. No more lockers jammed with textbooks and notebooks. The benefits of transitioning to e-textbooks are many and provide advantages for both students and educators. Electronic textbooks can be updated faster than traditional textbooks and can also provide resources that traditional books cannot supply. Because reprinting textbooks is expensive, they are rarely corrected and schools frequently have outdated versions that are 5 – 10 years old (Acker, 42). The information in traditional textbooks is often obsolete and the pictures can be very dated. For example, Pluto is still listed as a plant in our solar system in many science books even though it was decided in 2006 that it is actually a dwarf planet. In some cases, a textbook may be updated every few years, but many high schools do not purchase the new edition because of the high cost involved. In our current economy, many schools can neither justify nor afford the several hundred dollars it would cost to purchase a new edition for just a few changs. With e-texts, corrections and updates can be made quickly and at a fraction of the cost of their printed counterparts. In addition , e-textbooks include more than just the words. â€Å"The nature of literacy is changing; it includes not only text but also symbols and visual images or icons that make up graphic user interfaces.† (Hassell, 117) Visual images and icons can be found on practically every electronic ... ...irst generation of digital natives. New York: Basic Books, 2008. Print. Shepperd, James A., Jodi L. Grace, and Erika J. Koch. "Evaluating The Electronic Textbook: Is It Time To Dispense With The Paper Text?." Teaching Of Psychology 35.1 (2008): 2-5. Academic Search Elite. Web. 8 May 2012. "Technology in the Middle  » Blog Archive  » Digital Literacy 101: Class Dismissed But Not Over." Technology in the Middle . N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2012. . "Virtual textbooks gain popularity in class - News - The University Echo - Student weekly of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga ." The University Echo - Student weekly of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 May 2012. .

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Hitory Elective Notes: Chapter 6

Tanjong Katong Secondary School Secondary FourHistory Elective Chapter 6: War in EuropeHow was Germany responsible for the outbreak of WWII? Hitler’s foreign policy aims:   Hitler wanted to make Germany ____ again by having a _________ and regaining the ____ lost by TOV. †¢ Wanted all German- speaking people to live together in one country called _____________. †¢ Felt that Germany’s growing population needed more room to live and grow food. He called this ___________ (living space). †¢ He could get his lebensraum by __________ lands east of Germany. Hated the _____________ ideology and wanted to conquer the Soviet Union to destroy _____________. †¢ SU had vast lands and Hitler believed that the Germans could use the lands for _________. Steps taken by Hitler: †¢ 1933: Hitler pulled Germany out of the ________________ organised by the League of Nations, announcing that she will disarm only if other nations did so as well. †¢ 1933: Pulled Germany out of ____________________. †¢ 1934: Increased the size of his ____ from 100, 000 to 300,000 men. (conscription) †¢ 1935: Increased the size of the army to 550,000 men & reintroduced ___________________________ for all male citizens. Re-militarisation of ______________: †¢ TOV stated that no ________________ were to be in Rhineland after Allied troops had withdrawn. †¢ 1936: Ordered troops into ______________________________. †¢ Britain and France took no action against Germany. †¢ British claim: Germany was only ‘marching into its own backyard’. †¢ France unwilling to take action without Britain’s support. Anschluss with _______ †¢ TOV stated that there should be no ____________ (anschluss) between Germany and Austria. †¢ Hitler tried to take control of Austria. †¢ Hitler threatened Austrian Chancellor Schushnigg that he would send in his army. March 1938: German troops marched into Austria, which then became a _________ of Germany. How was the League of Nations responsible for the outbreak of WWII? Weaknesses of LON: †¢ An exclusive club for __________ of WWI. †¢ Germany was not treated well. †¢ By not treating all its members with _______________, it failed to win the _________ from members. †¢ Richest and most powerful member of the world – ______- not in the League => weak. †¢ Britain and France were the unofficial leaders of LON but only took action when it served their own ________. Poor leadership -> members ______________ for the League. Members of the League were supposed to ________ each other through the use of __________________, but this was never applied. †¢ When League did not punish Japan when it attacked Manchuria, Italy and Germany went ahead with their attacks ________ that the League could not stop them. †¢ Did not have an ____ of its own, thus not in a position to _______ a country from ________. Failure to curb Italian aggression in ___________, 1936: †¢ Action: Benito _________ (Fascist leader of Italy) wanted to increase Italian influence in Abyssinia (today’s Ethiopia) and made plans to ______ it. Response: LON only implemented a _________ economic embargo against Italy. But this too was not fully implemented due to fear that any embargo would affect members’ own economies. †¢ LON was not _____ enough to protect countries from attacks by its members. Failure to encourage ___________  : †¢ France: Did not feel ____ from Germany and refused to disarm. †¢ Hitler: If other countries did not disarm, then Germany had the right to build up its armed forces and did so at a ____ pace. †¢ Other European countries: Began to rearm _______ Germany. Failure to preserve ______ of the League: †¢ Britain: Fear that Germany would have a navy ______ than hers. In 1935, signed the ______________________ which allowed Germany to increase the size of its navy to 35% of the British navy, including submarines, which were banned in TOV. †¢ Britain, the unofficial leader of the LON, broke the military terms of the TOV and placed her own interests first. †¢ Other members followed Britain’s example, instead of acting together to _________ the ___ of a ________ strong Germany. Failure to preserve _______________  : Due to ________________, many countries priced their goods more _______ than foreign goods, in an attempt to sell more of their goods overseas. †¢ They also tried to _______ foreign goods from being sold in other countries by raising ______ on the foreign goods. †¢ 1933: LON held international conference to stop countries from increasing tariffs, but none of the countries wanted to _________. †¢ Each country believed that it had to protect its own interest first –> ______ war between countries. How were Britain and France responsible for the outbreak of WWII? Appeasement: __________ war at all costs by _________ to whatever the enemy country asks for. Reasons for appeasement: †¢ WWI, with its great __________ made war an __________ choice. †¢ Economies _______________ by WWI and GD. Needed to _________ economies and could not _____ to fight another war. †¢ Br and Fr needed more ____ to _________ their army. †¢ Many British and French ______ were fighting for their independence. Br and France could not afford to quell these rebellions and fight a major war in Europe at the same time. †¢ Felt that they could not win a war against Germany without the help of USA. USA was following a strict policy of ________ and would not get involved in any war in Europe. †¢ Felt that _________ was a bigger threat than _______. A strong Germany would prevent the spread of Communism from Soviet Russia to other parts of Europe. Example of appeasement: ______________ Crisis, 1938 †¢ Hitler wanted to take over Sudentenland (part of ______________) after Austria. †¢ Despised the Czech people as they were _____ – an ‘_______________’. †¢ Prosperous country ____ in resources. †¢ Over 3 million _________ living in Sudentenland – wanted to make it part of his Greater Germany. Sudetenland important for Czechoslovakia because of its _________ and heavy __________ located there. †¢ Encouraged members of the Sudetenland _____________ to make as much trouble for the Czech government so that it would give up Sudetenland. †¢ Czechoslovakia looked to Britain and France to stop Hitler, since Sudetenland was not a German land which had been taken away by TOV. It had never ___________ to Germany. †¢ Britain and France feared that Europe will be _______ into a war if the crisis was not solved. †¢ Br PM Neville _____________ went to Germany three times in Sept 1938 in and effort to prevent war. 3rd meeting in _______ – Representatives from Br, Fr, Italy, Germany attended, but not ______ or ______. †¢ Munich Agreement: Germany would not be stopped from taking Sudetenland. In exchange, Hitler promised not to take any more land in Europe. †¢ Chamberlain happy that war had been __________. Impact of appeasement: †¢ Policy of appeasement had merely _____________ greater ___________ from Germany, since Hitler was _________ that Britain and France would give in to all his demands/actions, as they did not want to get involved in a bigger war. End of appeasement: March 1939: Hitler invaded ______________. †¢ Invasion convinced Br and Fr that Hitler could no longer be _______ and ended their policy of appeasement. How was Soviet Union responsible for the outbreak of WWII? Stalin’s concerns: †¢ Worried about the rise of Hitler, who openly stated that he ______ Communism. †¢ ________ was Hitler’s next target and it was _________ on USSR’s western front. †¢ 1934: Stalin joined _______________ to gain _____________ for USSR from Germany. †¢ However, he was concerned that the LON will not protect USSR since it took no ______ against Germany when it broke terms of TOV. Believed that Br and Fr wanted to see Communism _____________ too. Nazi-Soviet Pact, 1939: †¢ Pact of _________ between Germany and USSR. †¢ Hitler’s reason: wanted Poland but worried about fighting a war on two ______ – Br and Fr on western border and USSR on eastern border. †¢ Stalin’s reason: To avoid war with Germany. †¢ Terms: USSR would remain _______ if Germany attacked Poland. In exchange, they would ________ Poland between them. †¢ Reaction: Came as a ______ to the world as Hitler hated Communism and USSR. Significance: Gave Hitler _________ to invade Poland, as he would not have to face a two-front war. †¢ On 1 Sept 1939, he ________ Poland, confident that his army would be able to handle a war with Br and Fr, if they responded at all. †¢ The following day, Br and Fr _________ a _________ from Poland or face a war. †¢ Hitler _________. Br and Fr _______________ on Germany. Questions to ponder: Who/what was responsible for the outbreak of WWII and to what extent? What were the long term causes of the war? What were the short term causes of the war? What were the factors which triggered the war?

Friday, January 3, 2020

Cross Cultural Diversity For Training - 1803 Words

Cross Cultural diversity in training (Kshitij Shah) Introduction Cross cultural diversity is the growing topic in today’s context. Cross culture competence is a set of skill that consistently appears in the topologies of management. Cross culture competence defines the characteristics of the global manager. As business has become increasingly globalized, the number of employees involved in international operations has increased, and the firm has been transformed into a multicultural organization. At the same time, the classroom is itself final process of change. The globalization of the higher education sector and increasing diversity in local populations has meant that in many universities around the world, classrooms have become†¦show more content†¦The definition of cultural diversity refers to differences among people because of their racial or ethnic backgrounds, language, dress and traditions. The reason behind the research is to find out the core problem of conflict that arises during the process of cross cultural training and challenges faced by the manager working in the training program. Also, to find out what sorts of training programs are beneficial for the betterment of the relationship between cross culture employees. Furthermore, to find the appropriate solution for the challenges and problems faced by the manager during the training programs. The other reason is to solve the curiosity of the people who thinks that conducting and creating the cross culture environment is easy and fast job to perform. The review is presented in order to help out the people in the coming future who can further write the reviews similar to the topic. Characteristic Categories Focus Research outcomes Research methods Theories Practices or applications Goal Integration (a) Generalization (b) Conflict resolution (c) Linguistic bridge-building Criticism Identification of central issues Perspective Neutral representation Espousal of position Coverage Exhaustive Exhaustive with selective citation Representative Central or pivotal Organization Historical Conceptual