BCjobs Blog

Bullying is not anything that is new to the workplace. It sometimes starts in our schoolyards and in many cases, just continues in the workplace.
The question is – and it’s a good one – what exactly is bullying?

Even with the best of intentions, we can make errors in workplace investigations that are very costly not only in directly visible ways, but also through indirect costs such as organizational reputation, employee morale and of course, turnover.

In this period of economic decline, many employers are faced with the need to restructure their workforce. Unfortunately, imposing unilateral changes upon employees raises the risk of constructive dismissal claims.

Employers commonly give department managers the authority to make employment-related decisions for their own staff. Even when a company has an in-house human resources expert, decisions with legal implications may be made at the department level.

But department managers typically will not be fully trained in employment law. So, are there some basic concepts they can learn which will give their company the prospect of avoiding legal complaints?

When employers and their former employees are trying to settle disputed issues arising out of a termination of employment, there are many monetary factors to address. Perhaps surprisingly, it isn’t always the money which is the stumbling block to reaching a settlement.
A very important aspect to any part of a settlement for a departing employee is receiving a reference letter. Often, the employee will insist on getting a reference letter and the employer will be reluctant to provide it.