HRMT 320

Module 2 | Part 2
Human Resource Legislation
• Employment Equity
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Organizational Ethics
• Emerging Trends
Participation &
Engagement Rubric
Item Description

Attendance (1%) Consistently attends class

More than a few absences.

You consistently arrive more than 5 minutes late or log off early.
You do not participate in break out groups.

You rarely attend class

You hop on during the last 10 minutes of class hoping I’ll see your name on the Zoom
screen.
Participation/Engagement (4%) • Consistently/Often
• Sometimes
• Never/Rarely
1. Raising Hand • For the purposes of answering a question I posed
• Giving a report back from a Breakout room, asking a content-oriented question
• Uses the Reactions to respond to questions or to express communication
2. Breakout room participation • When I drop into a breakout room, you are actively engaged in discussion, perhaps even
leading your group through the prompt
3. Chat (Group or Direct to me) Sending a content-oriented question or comment via the Group Chat box
4. Polls/Menti/Padlet When you answer a comprehension question via polls, Menti meter, Padlet
5. Demonstrates respect and Yes/No
professionalism
 Review
Module 2 | Part 1
Framework for HRM HRMT 320 Journey
HR Legislation
Defining, Analyzing &
Designing the Work
Workforce Planning,
Recruitment & Selection
Orientation, Training &
Development

Employee Performance
Total Rewards (Compensation,
Benefits, Recognition)

Organizational Culture,
Employee Engagement,
Health & Safety
Employee Rights &
Responsibilities

Labour Relations
Copyright © 2019 by Nelson Education Ltd. International HRM
 Overview of Employment
Laws in Canada
Four Categories of Employment Law

Occupational
Basic
Health &
Employment Labour
Jurisdiction Human Rights Safety and
Standards/ Legislations
Worker’s
Conditions
Compensation
Federal Canadian Canada Labour Canada Labour Canada Labour
Human Rights Code Code Code
Act
Provincial/ Alberta Human Employment Labour Occupational
Territorial Rights Act Standards Relations Code Health & Safety
Ex. Alberta Code Code
Employment Equity
Employment Equity
A distinct Canadian process for achieving
equality in all aspects of employment.

Four Designated Groups Under Federal

Employment Equity Legislation

Visible People
Women Aboriginal
Minorities with
Peoples
Disabilities

Designated Groups: Women, members of visible minorities, Aboriginal peoples, and

persons with disabilities who have been disadvantaged in employment
Employment Equity
• The Employment Equity Act requires company that fall under the federal jurisdiction and
companies that have 100 or more employees must report on their results.
• Must include a plan to better represent the designated groups
• Remove employment barriers – keyboarding test for job where no keyboarding is required
• Must have a timetable
• Also applies to companies that do more than 1$ million in business with the Federal
government
• There are no specific provincial acts pertaining to employment equity, however the concept of
employment equity is rooted in provincial employment standards legislation, and human rights
legislation
• Disadvantages included: high unemployment, occupational segregation, pay inequities, and
limited opportunity for career progression
• Legislation was implemented in 1980’s but still a long ways to go!
 Visible
Women
Minorities

• Represent 50% of people employed • 22% of the Canadian population

• Employment is concentrated in fields such as • Experience lower than average incomes, higher rates
education, healthcare, food services of unemployment, and reduced access to job
• Underrepresented in mining, oil and gas, interviews, even if they have the same qualifications
manufacturing, engineering, technology • Systemic barriers – culturally biased aptitude tests,
• Sometimes face barriers in career progression lack of recognition of foreign credentials, excessive
levels of language requirements

People
Aboriginal
with
Peoples
Disabilities

• Represent 14% of the population • 5% of population

• Only half of them are employed, compared to 74% • Increase of 43% between 2006 and 2016
of Canadians without a disability • Number of young Aboriginal workers will
• The number is growing as people age and live increase over coming years
longer • Barriers faced due to the intersectionality of
• Face attitudinal barriers, physical demands many factors
unrelated to job requirements and inadequate • Truth & Reconciliation initiatives continue to be
access the technical an d human support systems developed and advanced
that would make productive employment possible
Pay Equity
Definition: The practice of equal pay for work of equal value
• Federal legislation that applies to federally regulated companies
• Focus is to narrow the pay gap between men and women. Example: Avg. Hourly rate for
men who worked full time in 2017 was $28.69, for women $24.65
Two Principles:
1. Equal Pay for Equal Work
2. Equal pay for work that may be comparable in value to the organization.
• Evaluates the value and pay of different jobs. Male and female must be paid the
same way rate for jobs of comparable values, for example Nurse and electrician.
• Comparing jobs mostly performed by women (nursing) with jobs mostly performed
by men. (electrician)
• This requires the use of gender-neutral job comparison systems to evaluate the
jobs in the organization.
• Based on skills, effort, responsibilities, conditions under which the work is
performed – comparison made on job content not performance
• Pay equity legislation is in 6 provinces. There is no legislation in Alberta.
• Difficulty in determining “equal value” for dissimilar jobs
• Can be a very long process
Silverstein (2014)
Diversity & Inclusion
Diversity: The combination of organizational policies and practices that
supports and encourages employee differences in order to reach business
objectives
Inclusion: putting into action all those differences to create a successful
organization
• Optimizing everyone’s background for business success
• Voluntary
• Inclusive—not the same as employment equity
• Need to create environment for success
• Treat people as individuals
• Link directly to business objectives
• It requires changing the culture – a complex and lengthy
process
Organizational Ethics
Definition: Things that matter to us that motivate our
behaviour, a system of moral values
• Code of ethics governs internal and external relationships

• Formal written statements of an organization’s primary values

• Whistleblowing: Reporting unethical behaviour outside the

organization
Emerging Trends in Employment
Legislation

1. Workplace Accommodations
2. Harassment
3. Employment Legislation
4. Diversity & Inclusion
5. Substance abuse
Terminology
Designated groups: Women, members of visible minorities, Aboriginal peoples
and persons with disabilities who have bee disadvantaged in employment

Diversity: The combination of organizational policies and practices that supports

and encourages employee differences in order to reach business objectives

Employment Equity: A distinct Canadian process for achieving equality in all

aspects of employment

Ethics: things that matter to us that motivate our behaviour, a system of moral
values

Inclusion: putting into action all those differences (diversity) to create a

successful organization

Pay Equity: The practice of equal pay for work of equal value
Looking Ahead
Next Week
• In-Class Assignment | Next Monday, January 24 at 8 am
• Module 3 | Job Analysis and Design
• Read Chapter 4 in the textbook
References

Peacock, M., Stewart E. & Belcourt, M. (2020). Understanding Human

Resources Management: A Canadian Perspective. Nelson Education
Ltd.

Silverstein, S. (2014). The Giving Tree. Harper Collins.