We have been coping with the effects of COVID-19 for over a year. As employees begin getting vaccinated and we hope that the world will begin returning to the way it used to be, there are new realities unionized employers must deal with.
Learning Objectives
This presentation will provide insights into the following important issues:
- Vaccination Policies - we will address topics such as whether an employer can require employees to get vaccinated, if they can set up a vaccination clinic, and what to do about employees who refuse to get vaccinated
- Managing the return to work - we will discuss the types of procedures organizations may want to put in place as they begin returning to in-office/on-site work and what should they do about employees who do not want to return.
- Layoffs and mass terminations - government assistance has enables employers to defer terminations and extend layoffs indefinitely. When the assistance ends, employers will need to make some difficult decisions, we will discuss what those may look like in the COVID era.
- Virtual Investigations and Arbitrations - the pandemic has fundamentally changed the way labour grievance investigations and arbitrations have been conducted. We will look at some of benefits and downsides of these changes.
Speaker: Robert Richler
Robert is an employment and labour lawyer and human resource advisor with Bernardi Human Resource Law LLP. He has obtained a wide range of experience as both as in-house counsel and in private practice. His time as in-house counsel, coupled with his MBA training, has given Robert great insight into the needs of organizations. He is attuned to the types of considerations organizations must weigh when making decisions about their employees. Robert works with both unionized and non-unionized employers to find innovative ways to resolve conflicts and legal challenges in a cost-effective manner that is sensitive to the business needs of an organization.
Robert advises employers and employees in contract negotiations, terminations, wrongful dismissals and collective bargaining matters. Robert also conducts workplace training investigations.
Robert has represented clients at all levels of court in Ontario, as well as at the Human Rights Tribunal and the Workplace Safety Insurance Appeals Tribunal. He has also appeared as counsel at federal inquiries, mediations, arbitrations, trials and before various regulators.
Robert takes pride in his ability to help parties resolve workplace challenges in situations they believed could not be resolved.
Agenda
6:30 pm - Welcome and Introductions
6:35 pm - Presentation and Q&A
8:00 pm - Event Concludes
Register By: Tuesday May 25, 2021 at 9:00pm
Registration difficulties: Please reach out to our Chapter Experience Coordinator, Anne Costabile at acostabile@hrpa.ca
** During registration, please consider the donation option. Donated funds collected through this event registration will be equally divided between Indspire and Black Youth Helpline, preferred charities identified by HRPA members in a recent survey.