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TLOMA Today

May, 2018
May, 2018 | Presidents Message

President's Message

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Author Michelle Medel

I’m writin’ y’all from the Quarter in Nawlins’ (that is, the French Quarter in New Orleans for you Northerners). 

The Crescent City is a place of myth, and bon temps rouler party culture with a magical undercurrent. Did you know, it’s said to be the most haunted city in America and one of the most haunting cities for those who fall under its spell? I am one of those people! It’s also a city of friendly people, the finest Creole food, some of the world’s best music, ghosts, witches and all things mysterious. I even met a self-described “Vampire” shop owner the last time I visited. We turned down her invite to a secret jazz club. I’ve watched Vampire Diaries and read enough Anne Rice to smile and move on while the sun is up. My husband is attending a conference for a few of the days which means I get to explore on my own before he’s free to join me. This could lead to all sorts of shenanigans but also means reconnecting and checking-in with the yoga community I was lucky enough to join during my last visit. If I am going to be somewhere for a few days, the first thing I like to do (after meeting up with mythical creatures) is look for the yoga studios closest to me, take a peek at their schedules/class offerings and then get a pass or swing by to get my 'OM' on. In the process, I usually make a new friend or two. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about Mindfulness. I was at the Yoga Conference in Toronto last month and we are focusing on mental health and Mindfulness at my Firm for the month of May. It seems to be a focus in a lot of areas in my life. How about yours? Work? Home? 

Awareness of mental health and well being couldn’t be more prevalent on the social agenda, we’ve got the Royals heading up MIND campaigns and other stars opening up about their mental health. But what is Mindfulness, and how does it actually help with stress, depression and other mental health issues?

Mindfulness is a well-respected and comprehensively researched technique which has been clinically proven to help reduce depression, anxiety and stress. The technique involves simple meditation practices which, over time, can bring about changes in mood and increase a sense of well being.  Being a practitioner of Mindfulness meditation, I can vouch for it 100%. There are many definitions out there but here’s the one I like best: "Mindfulness is knowing directly what is going on inside and outside ourselves, moment by moment." It is about being in the NOW!  Let’s face it, today it’s easy to stop noticing the world around us when we are wrapped up in so many projects at work, busy home schedules and the feeling that we are never going to get to everything on our never ending to do lists.  It’s also really easy to lose touch with the way our bodies are feeling and to end up living completely ‘in our heads’ – caught up in thoughts (and sometimes negative patterns) without stopping to notice how those thoughts are influencing our emotions and behaviour with our friends, colleagues and families. A really important part of Mindfulness is reconnecting with our bodies and its sensations. This means waking up to all the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the present moment. It could even be something as simple as the smell of that chicory coffee that’s coming my way in about two minutes!

Another important part of Mindfulness is an awareness of our thoughts and feelings as they happen moment to moment. Allowing ourselves to see and be in the now. When we do that, it can positively change our outlook personally and in the day-to-day. 

You may be thinking, that’s great Michelle, but what about Mindfulness in our Firms? Will it work there? Or am I one person in my home life and a completely different one at the Firm?  I am sure you all know that mental health issues are on the rise.  It should be no surprise that many businesses are turning to Mindfulness/Meditation and Yoga to support their employees to reduce work related stress and improve well being. Did you know Google offers its employees meditation courses including; “search inside yourself” and “managing your energy,” while other companies have meditation rooms with pillows and flowers or even a “yoga room” (I am seriously working on this for my Firm). Universities are also introducing Mindfulness to classes and in fact so are Elementary and High Schools in an attempt to develop leaders who are “self-aware and self-compassionate” with the outcome that people switching off will power up and power forward in a kinder fashion.

Unfortunately, it’s not a magic wand for everything. Bringing Mindfulness into the office will not prevent conflict from arising. HR and Managers will all still have to contend with that. I will let you know when I stumble across something that gets rid of all conflict! However, when difficult issues arise and there is Mindfulness in place, people are more likely to be skillfully acknowledged, held and responded to by the group. Over time with Mindfulness, we can learn to develop our inner resources to navigate through the difficult, stressful situations we encounter with more ease and grace. Becoming more aware of your own emotions as they arise gives you more choices in how to deal with them.  And we all like choices.  Mindfulness helps you become more aware of an arising emotion by noticing the sensation in the body. Then you can follow these guidelines: Stop what you are doing. Breathe deeply. Notice how you are experiencing the emotion in your body. Reflect on where the emotion is coming from in your mind (personal history, insecurity, etc.). Respond in the most compassionate way. Have I got your interest?  Are you thinking you may want to put in place a program at your office? For your team or just for yourself? First, turn off all the lights and light 10 candles (just kidding).  If the answer is yes… here are a few tips to try:

BREATHE – Yep, that’s right… just take a moment and BREATHE!!! Life is hectic, phone’s ring, texts chime, emails swish in, our devices vibrate with notifications and alerts from apps like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter etc., and it’s non-stop. What to do first, read the email? Check your Facebook likes? Answer the text? Check the calendar? No! Just stop! You heard me… STOP.  Be still – practice having a moment or two without any distractions and especially the electronic kind. Take a moment and just stop, breathe, think about breathing (focus on the inhale and then the exhale) and let go of everything. Pause after each activity without rushing to the next and consider what you have just achieved. We all know it’s easier said than done with our Managing Partner’s on the phone and staff emailing, husband texting but take a moment after each activity – even if it’s just after you’ve taken your coat off and switched your desk light on and be in the present moment and nothing else.

Reconnect – Enjoy the little things, the moments everyday that joy brings. Sometimes it may seem hard to find but it is there. Look out the window and see how Spring is finally making her presence known. Say hey to a colleague you’ve not spoken to in a while, enjoy the conversation in the kitchen/lounge, maybe make plans for lunch rather than eating in front of your computer. Our working relationships strengthen when you feel engaged and connected with your peeps.

Keep it Simple – Concentrate on one thing first and worry about the next activity once you have achieved the first one. By simplifying our task lists and concentrating on one thing at a time, we are more likely to focus and perform better than juggling three or four things at once.

Don’t worry (so much) – Everyone is guilty of worrying and stressing about everything from forgetting to turn off a light at home to not immediately responding to an email. By instilling a mantra of concentrating on one thing at a time, mistakes and forgetfulness should start to reduce. If mistakes are made and nothing can be done to rectify them, then don’t worry about what has been done, you can only effect what you can do. Think about what happened, use it to learn and build upon. Sometimes our stress about the small things gets out of hand, especially when issues are minor and have no real impact on the overall business.

Go for a Stroll  –  As work piles up and pressures mount, the first thing we do is skip lunch, and therefore there is no break away from our desks. Take a walk during your day – even if it’s for five minutes around the block or to visit a colleague on a different floor. Walking can act as meditation and can do wonders for the body, mind and soul. It's a simple technique to introduce a Mindfulness approach to the workforce. It also helps get our steps in so we can get those little fireworks on our FitBits. I don’t have a FitBit but my device sends me a message telling me I am awesome or a star when I hit my steps for the day, drink all my water, go to yoga etc. 

Eat – It sounds simple, but keeping nourished and hydrated at work is uber important!  Your mind will be sharper if you’re not thinking about food all the time. So, instead of thinking about cramming in the spreadsheet, memo, FTE report, etc. over lunch and swallowing a sandwich to get by, actually stop and enjoy the meal and forget about everything else. After all, Mindfulness is about being present in the moment, so enjoy your sandwich and finish the memo afterwards.

Enjoy the Wins – Whatever size or impact your achievements may be, reflect on them and accept them. Take the moment to enjoy a job well done, the compliment from your colleague, the appreciation from a team member before rushing on to the next task.

As a Manager of people, lead by example – if you adopt a Mindfulness approach to work, take lunch, go for walks, take a breather after each activity, then your people will surely follow suit. If you are drowning in work and continue to skip lunch for work and sit at your desk all day, then work-related stress will soon creep up on you and it probably won't make you the most pleasant person to be around or to work for. Do you remember Tweety Hyde? (Tweety Bird drinks a potion and his sweet little self is changed into a scary bird. Google "Tweety Hyde" and see for yourself).  By changing a few small habits and working behaviours (such as skipping lunch) and adopting a mindfulness approach to work, you will be more focused, less stressed and less likely to suffer work related stress and other mental health illnesses. BE WELL! Maybe think about whether you’ve had a chance to connect with your TLOMA friends in the last while. If not, perhaps one of the dates for an upcoming SIG will give you the perfect chance for a walk, a nice lunch, where you can enjoy a presentation and reconnect with your colleagues. With that in mind, here are a few to choose from:

TLOMA's upcoming events for May and June 2018:

The top item on many of our agenda’s for May will be the Survey. If you're responsible for your firm's compensation programs, please plan to attend the launch meeting either in person or by way of webcast. Also consider bringing along your Director of Student and Associate Programs, CFO and/or the individuals responsible for compensation and total rewards programs in your firm. There are a host of new and exciting items covered this year so don’t miss out and remember: Every participant improves the quality and the validity of the results. Your company's participation can stimulate others to participate. In other words, if nobody puts data in, nobody gets data out.

If you can’t make it out for a SIG but do want to make time to reconnect, don’t forget about CONFERENCE!  Early Bird Registration is open until May 31 for our 2018 TLOMA Conference. Make sure to register before the Early Bird deadline to receive some great extra savings. Conference is being held from September 26 to September 29 in Niagara-on-the-Lake at White Oaks Conference Resort and Spa. The line-up of speakers is exceptional. You won’t want to miss it! It’s a great few days away from the office. There are always opportunities to network with other members, make new friendships, share ideas over a bite to eat or make new connections while mingling later in the evening at one of our social events. It is also an excellent time to meet new Business Partners and find that product/service your firm has been looking for.

Anyway, it seems my chicory coffee and ‘right out of the deep fryer’ beignet dusted with icing sugar (forgot to mention it above) have arrived. This is your Pres, signing off and looking forward to seeing you soon.

Cheers,
Michelle

 
May, 2018 | Article

It's Annual Compensation Survey Time!

Jan2018-Is Lease Verification Right For You
Mather, Katherine 17Aug22
Author Katherine Mather

Hello Everyone!

The time of year has come! It is finally here! It is time to participate in the annual compensation surveys!

Did you know that over the last 50 years, the TLOMA surveys have been established as the primary sources of compensation benchmarking information for the Canadian legal community? With over 60 organizations participating, representing all firm sizes and practice specializations, the reports help users make good strategic business decisions while attracting and retaining top talent.

Here are the surveys our members participate in:


1) TLOMA Business Services Survey
was previously known as the TLOMA Compensation Survey.  The name was changed in 2018 to better represent the positions captured in the survey such as Support levels (Legal and Administrative Assistants, Records Management, Facilities roles etc.), Management and Law Clerk positions

2) TLOMA Associate Compensation Survey has been providing the Ontario legal community with compensation data that represents the market of over 50 firms’ Associates. This reliable, annual recurring report includes timely data on Associates such as:

  • Total cash compensation including base salary, bonuses and targeted billable hours
  • Data Splits by: region, YOC, performance level & practice specialization
  • Articling and Summer Student pay practices
  • Blending lockstep & a performance levelling model


3) TLOMA Total Rewards Survey
.  The challenges of remaining competitive are not just about salary, therefore every three (3) years, TLOMA produces a Total Rewards Survey. This survey will give you valuable information on topics such as: 

  • Pay practices
  • Vacation time
  • Pregnancy/Parental leave practices
  • Articling and Summer Student perks
  • Gym membership
  • Alternate work arrangements
  • And more.


All of these reports help ensure that you are attracting and retaining the right associates and staff for your firm.  Information on these surveys and pricing can be found at this link: http://www.tloma.com/compensation-survey.

TWO GREAT TIPS!

* Did you know your firm can participate in the surveys every year, but not necessarily purchase them?
* The Total Rewards survey is only offered every three years.  2018 is a Total Rewards Year!

Come join us on May 8 at WeirFoulds LLP when the survey is launched to learn more!

Thanks,
Katherine Mather
2018 Compensation Committee Chair

Katherine Mather is the Director of Human Resources at Koskie Minsky LLP.

She is a results-driven HR professional with a strong business mindset, strategic focus, and keen attention to detail. Known for her proactive approach and ability to get things done, she is a collaborative leader with exceptional communication skills and can build strong working relationships across all levels of an organization. Her focus on delivery, inclusivity, and consistency in meeting commitments sets her apart. With experience in both mid-sized and global companies, she is a visionary change agent, consistently driving transformational initiatives that deliver lasting impact.

Katherine has been an active member of TLOMA since 2011 and has served on the Compensation Committee since 2015, currently holding the position of Chair.

Outside of work, Katherine enjoys wine tasting, golfing, scuba diving, and spending quality time with friends and family.

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May, 2018 | Article

Don’t Have a Financial Plan? You’re Not Alone!

J. Porter Article1
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dawn marchland
Author Dawn Marchland

A global study conducted by the Financial Planning Standards Council (FPSC) in 2015 found that 69 percent of Canadians don’t have a comprehensive financial plan. Why is this important?  Well, research by CIRANO in Quebec (2012) found that households who use a financial advisor and develop a plan accumulate considerably more wealth than those who do not, and this wealth increases over time. After four years, the invested assets of households working with an advisor were 1.9 times greater than those who did not.

 

A sound financial plan will help you both build and protect wealth. As a member of the legal community, you have exclusive access to a suite of insurance and investment products only available to lawyers and their families, as well as employees of law firms and their families. The Canadian Bar Insurance Association (CBIA) was founded almost 40 years ago as a not-for-profit corporation to provide the legal community with access to high quality financial solutions at the very best rates. 

 

So, what does all of this mean to you as a member of TLOMA? It means that it’s time you knew about the benefits and savings available to you and your family. Let’s look at just a few of the financial products you should be considering.

 

Term Life Insurance

Purchasing life insurance could be the most important step you take to protect your family’s future. Term life insurance is also a smart alternative to mortgage insurance – more flexible and almost always much less costly.  

 

Critical illness Insurance

Two in five Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetime but on the positive side, 60 percent are expected to survive*. If this happens to you, focusing on your recovery and managing your day-to-day costs, while you cope with unexpected out-of-pocket expenses, becomes your biggest priority. If you are diagnosed with, and survive, any one of the covered conditions, the full amount of your benefit becomes available to you in the form of a tax-free, lump sum payment. The money is yours to spend as you see fit. 

*Canadian Cancer Society, 2016.

 

Travel Insurance

Whether you travel out of province or out of the country, you should be aware that Provincial Health Care plans provide limited medical protection. A serious injury or illness while outside of Canada can cost you tens of thousands of dollars in emergency medical care.  Luckily, this is one of the most easily avoidable risks – by ensuring your have adequate travel insurance.

 

Investment Program

When choosing an investment program, you should pay particular attention to the investment management fees. Low fees are important to the growth in your portfolio over time. As a rule of thumb, a one percent decrease in investment fees will result in a 20 percent increase in your assets by the time you retire… that’s significant! 

 

Don’t Go It Alone!

As a member of the legal community, you have access to dedicated financial advisors who can review your needs and determine which solutions will best help you build and protect wealth. 

Dawn Marchand is the Vice President Marketing at Lawyers Financial, a brand of CBIA representing a comprehensive suite of financial solutions and advisory services. Visit www.lawyersfinancial.ca to learn more and see the full range of financial solutions provided by Lawyers Financial. 
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May, 2018 | Article

Everything Your Boss Needs To Know About VOIP

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Nespeca, Claudio 14dec17
Author Claudio Nespeca

Your employer depends on you to ensure all their telecommunications needs are up to snuff. And when they’re not, you have the awesome (the big kind of awesome, not the “wow, this is so great” kind of awesome) task of presenting the facts and making the case for the budget needed to get things up to speed. As anyone in middle management knows, this is easier said than done.

If your company has been relying on a traditional phone system and your needs have grown more complex, perhaps you’ve identified Hosted VOIP /PBX as a viable alternative.

How do you get your higher ups on board with a plan to revamp their telecommunications network?

While you may be convinced of the reasons and benefits, it’s not obvious to your superior. So it’s best to position your points as they speak to the concerns of the final decision maker(s). Likely these will include, but are not limited to:

  • Competitive landscape
  • Required resources
  • Risk management
  • Customer experience
  • Bottom line


With these in mind, here are five key areas you need to cover in order to present a strong case for making the move to Hosted PBX /VOIP:

1. Competitive Landscape

How does your proposal stack up against what the competition is currently doing?

To bolster your position and present compelling evidence, there’s no shortage of information highlighting how business cloud telephony is trending through industry studies and surveys.

Prospective service providers can also provide you with case studies that exemplify the issue your organization is facing and how it was solved by the upgraded phone system in a comparable organization within your industry. Whatever you showcase to the boss, make sure to explain where you sourced the information and what makes it credible.

Include a list of companies that are benefiting from the technology – ideally respected competitors.

You can also turn to your industry’s key associations to have them weigh in on the current telecom landscape for members.

2. Required resources

What will it cost in terms of time, money or human resources?

The concern that a change in technology will mean added strain on existing time, financial or human resources – or worse, require additional (i.e. not in the budget) resources – is a very real concern for your boss when considering any new solution.

Involve other coworkers who are directly impacted by the technology. Consider IT leadership or personnel, or call centre agents and focus on how their current efforts can be further optimized by VOIP. If you’re lucky enough to have another colleague with experience in cloud systems, leverage their opinion.  

Ultimately, you want to be able to show:

1) How the current resources will be able to not only accommodate the change, but also be better optimized as a result; 2) How the provider will supply the resources needed to facilitate a move without any additional resources from your company and 3) How your current resources will be better utilized as a result of the change.

Again, prospective providers should be able to give you a cost analysis that covers both the short and long term looking at your current situation and the proposed solution. This should highlight the overall reduced cost of ownership; maximizing IT efforts; company-wide productivity. Each of these comes built-in with hosted VOIP and should be fleshed out into bottom-line impact report.

You’ll also want to ask for some reliable referrals that can provide supporting evidence regarding their experience and offer those up at the outset.

3. Risk Management

What can go wrong?

The stakes can be high when taking the road less traveled regarding essential infrastructure – your boss wants to know what the worst-case scenarios might be.

The pros and cons of Hosted PBX /VOIP have been written about extensively and there are many third-party source articles available to reference.

While it’s important to show your awareness and table the potential risks up front, ensure that its balanced with a roundup of the same category of risks that exist for your current system so that your boss is comparing apples to apples.

You also want to ensure that your plan is “future proof.” This means knowing that whatever technology you’re looking to acquire, if anything new comes out (software or hardware) you won’t have to rip everything out and start again. Look to annual industry publications for technology trends/predictions and ask prospective suppliers to speak not only to how their technology would adapt with the proposed solution, but for examples of how they adapted to last round of industry innovation and how it affected the service, technology and pricing for clients.

4. Customer experience

How will hosted VOIP improve the customer or client experience?

Often the thinking is “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” But in any highly competitive landscape, status quo thinking can lead to failure.

There are many popular publications related to the topic of cloud computing, unified communication and VOIP that identify the exact ways in which the proposed technology improves customer experience.

Naturally, this ties back to improved competitiveness – demonstrate the value of leading features like Unified Communications, automatic upgrades, presence, video conferencing, and how accessible key contacts are on a hosted VOIP platform.

Ideally, if you have customer feedback or satisfaction surveys to draw on, you will show the direct correlation between identified issues and how hosted VOIP features will help address those issues and improve service. If you don’t have such survey results, see if the opportunity exists to survey customers before presenting your case.

5. The Bottom Line

How will making the move to hosted VOIP positively impact the bottom line?

Ultimately, it’s the overall return on investment that your boss is looking to understand – how the output will outweigh the input.

Many companies are struggling quite a bit with maintenance and upgrade costs for on-site systems — your job is to show your boss exactly how hosted VOIP takes these priorities offsite while freeing up resources and reducing infrastructure costs.

Ultimately you want to provide a clear demonstration that you’ve considered all the key facts, have strong supporting material and a cache of objective information along with analysis and case studies form prospective vendors.

Once all the bottom-line savings, efficiency and productivity advantages are carefully articulated and you’ve presented the various benefits and aligned them with internal needs, consider a visual presentation that combines all the compelling evidence as it relates to the previous points and demonstrate how the outcome speaks to your company’s overall business strategy. Whether that’s cost savings, improved customer service, reducing capital expenditures or being the industry leader, or perhaps all of the above.

After you’ve thoroughly covered all these areas, give your boss time to digest the information while still providing timely updates about the latest news or trends or they pertain to each category of consideration. If there are any areas that your boss feels uncertain about, consider the possibility of sourcing objective third party experts to weigh in.

Claudio Nespeca directs Sales & Marketing strategies for Epik Networks, a leading VOIP and internet service provider headquartered in Toronto. His expertise spans more than 17 years in the North American telecom sector.

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May, 2018 | Article

Life After Bill 148: What is “Equal Pay for Equal Work”?

equal pay for equal work
jordan rodney
Author Mr. Jordan Rodney

Chief among the sweeping legislative changes to the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”) introduced by the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017 (“Bill 148”) was to the Act’s “Equal Pay for Equal Work” provision. The Ontario government has championed the significance of this amendment by indicating that, “Ontario will become the first jurisdiction in North America to mandate equal pay for equal work between casual, part-time, temporary and seasonal workers, and full-time or permanent workers.”1

 


The Provision:

 

Specifically, as of April 1, 2018, the “Equal Pay for Equal Work” provision provides that:

 

No employer shall pay an employee at a rate of pay less than the rate paid to another employee of the employer because of a difference in employment status when,

 

(a) they perform substantially the same kind of work in the same establishment;

(b) their performance requires substantially the same skill, effort and responsibility; and

(c) their work is performed under similar working conditions.

 

For clarity, this provision essentially stipulates that if two Ontario employees are performing similar work equally, they must be paid equally, notwithstanding their employment status. This represents a significant shift in the provision – which was formerly narrowly focused on ensuring pay equity between men and women towards incorporating a definition that now includes the all-encompassing term, “employment status.” The Ontario government enacted this amendment after the Province’s official research study entitled, The Changing Workplaces Review Final Report, discovered that “differential treatment based on part-time, casual, temporary contract or seasonal status was an unfair practice that affects one in four employees in Ontario.”2

 

How will this affect my organization?

 

This provision empowers employees, by providing them with the right to request a review of their pay rate, without reprisal. What’s more is that the legislation does not require the employee to present substantive proof of unequal treatment in support of their request. Rather, upon receiving a request the onus falls squarely on the employer to either:

 

  • Adjust the employee’s rate of pay; or
  • Provide the employee with a written response explaining the reasons why the employer does not agree with the employee’s belief.


It is important to be mindful that the legislation stipulates that employers cannot reduce the rate of pay of a comparable employee to comply with their obligation to provide equal pay. However, the legislation does outline that differential pay can be justified on particular objective grounds including:

  • a seniority system;
  • a merit system;
  • a system that measures earnings by quantity or quality of production; or
  • any other factor other than sex or employment status.


Why is compliance important?

 

The Ontario government has promised to enhance workplace enforcement and penalties to ensure complete compliance with the new “Equal Pay for Equal Work” provisions in addition to the rest of Bill 148.

 

The province has indicated that they will hire up to 175 additional employment standards officers and are aiming to perform inspections at one out of every 10 businesses in Ontario.3 Should your organization be deemed non-compliant, the government has increased penalties issued by Employment Standards Officers from $250, $500 and $1,000 to $350, $700 and $1,500, respectively, for the first, second and third (or subsequent) contravention of the ESA within a three-year period.

 

How do I ensure my organization is compliant?

 

Given that the legislation was recently enacted, employers still have a significant opportunity to proactively prepare themselves against potential employee reviews.

 

Accordingly, some of the best practices that we have been advising employers to consider implementing include:

 

  • Proactively reviewing employee salaries and salary ranges and maintaining a similar level of compensation amongst employees performing the same role;
  • When differentiating roles, to consider creating more defined roles which have significantly different job requirements and can be looked at objectively as different enough to substantiate a pay differential;
  • Implementing new Policies and Procedures to establish an objective criteria for evaluating subjective factors like merit or quality of production and to communicate these measures to employees prior to granting any differential pay;
  • To establish a system to effectively keep comprehensive records of when and why differential pay was granted to ensure that the employer can, not only justify, but also continue this practice going forward; and
  • To consult with any Temporary Help Agencies that the organization currently engages, to ensure that they are compliant with the new legislation.


It goes without saying that this legislation poses a number of significant challenges for employers across Ontario. However, given the increased enforcement and penalties discussed above, it is imperative that employers fully understand their legal obligations and comply accordingly by instituting proper workplace policies, procedures and agreements.

 

If your organization requires assistance complying with this new legislation your best course of action is to confer with a firm that specializes in employment law. An employment lawyer can perform an audit of your organization to identify potential flaws and advise you on how to effectively respond when employees start to question their pay rates.

 

This article provides general information and should not be relied on as legal advice or legal opinion.

 

Special thanks to Articling Student, Arjun Dhir for his assistance with the research and writing of this article.

Jordan Rodney is the Founder of Rodney Employment Law and the president of MaxPeople, a highly-experienced Human Resources Consulting organization. He is an employment lawyer and a results-driven Human Resource professional with 20 years of experience in a broad spectrum of employment and labour matters. Jordan is focused on ensuring organizations are equipped to handle workplace issues using innovative and cost-effective solutions. He enjoys coaching people to achieve their maximum potential while assisting organizations to achieve their objectives.

Jordan obtained his law degree from the University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Arts from York University. He also holds a specialized Human Resources Masters Degree in Industrial Relations from Queen’s University. Jordan is a member of the Canadian Bar Association and is in good standing with the Law Society of Upper Canada.

May, 2018 | Member Spotlight

Member Spotlight - Dawn Millar

Member Spotlight Re-Sized
TLOMA - We Complete You HalfPage
Millar, Dawn
Author Dawn Millar

At TLOMA, we provide education, professional development, mentorship, and support to our Membership. Through these initiatives, TLOMA members are offered both a professional and social network of professionals working in law firms of all sizes. To encourage members to grow their network at TLOMA, we would like to profile TLOMA members in each issue of TLOMA Today to give readers a snapshot of who we are within the legal industry.

How long have you been a member of TLOMA? September, 2017.

Where do you work? Pape Salter Teillet LLP.

What do you enjoy most about working in the legal industry?  I like the variety that comes with my job – every day is a new day and you never know what it will bring.  I am in my happy place when I am organizing projects and solving problems.  Regardless of the issue or task, I enjoy being the “go to” person and being able to come up with solutions to help people.     

Where was the last place you vacationed? Jamaica – we tried Jamaica as a vacation spot about 10 or 11 years ago and we now try to go back every year or every other year.

What is your favorite comfort food? Ice cream…and popcorn.  At the same time (not in the same bowl) – love the salty/sweet combination.

What is your favorite artist/band you got to see live in concert? Truthfully, in general I am not a huge concert goer.  However, there is always the exception and that is whenever Sarah McLachlan comes to town, it is a ritual - my best friend and I make an occasion out of it!

What are your favorite hobbies? I like to read, but don’t have a lot of time for it.  I practice self defence and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which are great stress relievers.  My most recent hobby is boxing and I like it so much that I am about to participate in a sanctioned fight for a charity boxing gala to raise money for Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.

Name one thing you can't live without? Coffee. 

If you are interested in participating in the Member Spotlight feature of TLOMA Today to share some of your experiences at TLOMA, please email editor@tloma.com for more information.

Dawn Millar is the Chief Operating Officer at Pape Salter Teillet LLP.  She is responsible for overseeing the firm’s day-to-day operations including managing a team of legal staff and creating, facilitating, and implementing office initiatives to optimize performance.

Dawn has over 20 years experience in the legal industry and strives to provide integrated, strategic approaches to legal office management.  She is always eager to gain new knowledge and implement ideas that find efficiencies and embrace emerging technologies.

In her spare time, Dawn likes to keep busy – volunteering as well as learning new skills.  She sits as President on the Board of Directors of a not-for-profit childcare organization and is fluent in American Sign Language, often attending her daughter’s school to teach ASL to children.

Dawn also enjoys keeping active, and practices self-defense and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  In 2017, she began training as an amateur boxer and in June 2018, she stepped into the ring to compete in a charity match in support of the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.

May, 2018 | Movers and Shakers
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