Legal Trends In Human Resource Management

Your staff is your greatest source for strategic advantage against your competitors.

Harnessing the talents of a motivated and productive workforce will provide your organization with a true competitive advantage.

Recent studies show the effects of Canada’s shift to a knowledge-based economy. The result is a skill mismatch between people looking for work and companies looking to hire.

At the same time, significant demographic changes have occurred. Boomers remain engaged and productive longer, Gen X remains a comparatively small cohort, and Gen Y is hitting the workplace full force.

In other words, today’s workforce is “hourglass” in shape and human resource management should be targeting talent approaches that are relevant to today’s trends.

We see three new trends in our employment law practice;

1. The elimination of mandatory retirement in Ontario means that employers must find new ways to harness the talents of an experienced, aging staff.
2. Changing demographics are requiring changes to human resource policies. For example, the proliferation of social media at home and at work has resulted in many organizations introducing a social media policy as a way to protect an organization’s brand which can be damaged by careless social media posts.
3. Increased litigation for human rights complaints on the grounds of right to privacy and freedom from discrimination based on disabilities, race and gender means that organizations need a sound understanding of their legal rights and obligations regarding staff.

Canada’s workforce is increasingly fluid. Most employees change jobs several times in their careers.

Employers we meet with are interested in new ways to motivate, engage and retain their workforce. Harnessing the talents of a productive workforce will provide your organization with a true competitive advantage.

When issues arise that warrant a broader approach, the MacLeod Law Firm collaborates with other professionals. When it comes to issues of related to the aging workforce and succession planning , we partner with Challenge Factory. Challenge Factory is the Canadian leader in practical, experiential programs relevant to today’s workforce challenges.

If you have any questions about managing your workforce in today’s employment law environment, please contact the MacLeod Law Firm at 1 (888) 640-1728 or at [email protected]. To subscribe to our blog for employers, click here