Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.
Employers Damaging Relationships, Complicating the Navigation Through COVID-19 – EMPR 200
During an international pandemic such as COVID-19, the government, media and other sources have stressed that the safety of citizens is the number one priority for society. This message has resonated strongly with most, however, certain employers are not following directions to close shop and are still requiring employees to come in to work, even if physically being at work isn’t absolutely paramount (Bowden, 2020).
The article I read focused on the idea of employers not letting employees work from home during this pandemic. Instead, certain employers are requiring workers to physically come in to work, causing them to feel very uncomfortable and increasing their risk of transmitting and developing COVID-19. Jane Watson, a human resource professional has had several individuals reach out to her with issues of employers not being willing to let their employees work from home. “I heard a story from someone that they were expected to work in an office environment of 150 people.” she said (Bowden, 2020). Many staff members of these organizations would like the physical stores to close so they can qualify for financial assistance, and know they have a job to return to after the pandemic subsides. These employers are being resistant and putting their employees in difficult circumstances, as refusing work could give employers a reason to dismiss these employees. In my opinion, it is the employer’s responsibility to be as flexible as possible during a pandemic, and to adhere to the desires of their employees. Actions like shutting down operations, allowing workers to work different hours, or allowing employees to work from home will go a long way in maintaining positive employment relationships.
The two interested parties in this scenario are employees and employers. Both parties want to do what is best for themselves. Obviously, the employees want what is best for their health and safety, meanwhile, it is likely that employers want what is best for the organization, such as incremental profits during the pandemic. The article discussed that this issue involved small to medium sized businesses, and I believe the size of these organizations relate to the main driver of the issue. For instance, it is more likely that smaller sized businesses will want to keep their doors open as they are more likely to be reliant on a constant stream of revenue to ensure their operations can continue. This is certainly a causal factor in requiring certain employees to come into work during these uncertain times.
This issue has a huge implication on work and employment relations as problems like these are damaging to the employment relationship and the reputation of certain employers. In addition, requiring workers to come into work will contribute to the spread of the virus, which will elongate the employment relations issues currently being faced by organizations. These include providing financial assistance, employment insurance, and carrying out business in alternative ways (Ritchie, 2020).
To address the issue, employers need to become more flexible in dealing with their employees. If an employee is uncomfortable coming in to work, an employer should let the employee stay home. In addition, employers should refrain from enforcing employment policies such as punishment for not showing up to work, which may have existed before the pandemic took over. Next, employers should be doing everything they can to make the transition to online operations if possible. This would be extremely accommodating to employees and society as a whole as health officials continue to advocate for social distancing. I believe the one thing missing that we need to address the issue is extensive cooperation between organizations. Industry players who have successfully made transitions to mitigate the aforementioned issues have the opportunity to share their insights across their respective industries. In my opinion, it is these organizations that could expedite the process of dealing with employment issues for other similar businesses.
In conclusion, it is obvious that certain employers are not taking the concern of their employees to heart. With this said, employers have a huge part to play in addressing COVID-19 and the employment relations issues that have arisen because of the virus. Flexibility is key in maintaining good employment relations in my opinion, and until some employers realize this, they are failing their employees.
As the reader, do you think employers are doing enough to address the employment issues that come along with this virus? Do you have any suggestions of what these employers could do to mitigate the issue?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
References
Bowden, O. (2020, March 22). Employer still not letting you work from home? How to navigate coronavirus office upheaval. Retrieved March 28, 2020, from https://globalnews.ca/news/6708762/working-from-home-coronavirus/
Ritchie, D. (2020, March 12). How to Prepare for Coronavirus in the Workplace. Retrieved March 28, 2020, from https://coxandpalmerlaw.com/publication/how-to-prepare-for-coronavirus-in-the-workplace/
The Gig Economy in Canada: Pending Potential Change EMPR 200
The article I analyzed focused on the ongoing issue of classifying gig economy workers as either independent contractors or employees. It focused on Uber and Foodora and highlighted their ongoing legal battles. On one hand, the companies suggest that they do not exert significant control over their couriers’ work in order to prove they are independent contractors. The opposing view comes from the workers who believe their flexibility and independence is limited by the company’s control, and thus are demanding rights given to employees (. This issue is very important as the determination of these two cases will create a precedent in defining the worker-employer relationship. With the gig economy growing and already in possession of at least 8% of the Canadian workforce (Stats Canada, 2019), these decisions are likely to influence the lives of millions. To address the issue the courts should examine all of the factors relevant to the distinction of the worker-employer relationship and make a weighted-criteria decision to resolve the issue at hand.
I think the main cause of this issue is something that drives and motivates almost every business; money. Companies like Uber and Foodora want to avoid giving their workers entitlement to the Employment Standards Act to avoid additional operating costs. For example, if the workers were determined to be employees rather than independent contractors the company would likely be forced to provide better compensation, benefits and protections.
When determining the status of the worker-employer relationship it is important to look at multiple factors which contribute to the structure of the work behind performed. The CRA possesses an employee or self-employed guide which highlights the factors which contribute to the distinction of the relationship. Things like economic dependance, control over the work, ownership of equipment are just a few of the components which could be leveraged in the decision. I believe the courts should address all of the factors in the CRA guide when making their decision, since it would be unjust to choose only a few components and determine that the worker is more like one thing than another.
The article alludes to the fact that these specific workers possess characteristics of both employees and independent contractors. For example, the workers provide their own equipment for providing rides and delivering food which makes them appear as independent contractors. At the same time, the companies exert control over the work through task completion algorithms and punitive performance measures; characteristics relating to employees. If it were up to me I would resolve the issue by determining which factors in the CRA framework are most relevant to the business structure being evaluated, and assign a higher importance (weighting) to these factors in the decision-making process. I believe this would allow for an informed decision without ignoring any elements of the framework.
So what elements of the framework do you think are most relevant to these specific workers and how would you classify said workers?
Looking forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts.
References
Jeon, S.-H., Liu, H., & Ostrovsky, Y. (2019, December 16). Measuring Gig Econony in Canada Using Admistrative Data. Retrieved February 8, 2020, from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11f0019m/11f0019m2019025-eng.htm
Mojtehedzadeh, S. (2019, November 6). Heavyweights Uber, Foodora in separate battles that could impact gig economy. Retrieved February 7, 2020, from https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/11/06/heavyweights-uber-foodora-in-separate-battles-that-could-impact-gig-economy.html
Introductory Post
Hi everyone, welcome to my blog. I’m going to use this first post to introduce myself, so if we have something in common leave a comment!
I’m currently 19 years old and in my second year of university here at Queen’s. I’m from a small town just south of Ottawa and can honestly say its not nearly as fun as it is in Kingston. I’m studying business and hoping to major in finance come 2 years. I was interested in taking this course since I was introduced to some of the content, which I found interesting, in my Canadian Law course last semester.
Some of my interests include sports, fitness, movies, the outdoors and of course Stages!
I’m really looking forward to learning about others and working through this course together.
Catch ya later!
Nolan Holmes
Introduce Yourself (Example Post)
This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.
You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.
Why do this?
- Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
- Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.
The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.
To help you get started, here are a few questions:
- Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
- What topics do you think you’ll write about?
- Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
- If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?
You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.
Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.
When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.
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