In trucking, a successful game plan for recruiting and retention includes coaching. A great coach can get the best performance out of an individual or team by providing just the right mix of guidance, instruction, and support.

Many of our Top Fleet Employers have seen the benefits of coaching programs first-hand, including higher employee retention, better workplace morale, and positive impacts on safety.

With COVID-19 presenting new challenges and changes to our workplaces, a coach or mentor can focus on ways to connect with employees who may be feeling isolated or unmotivated.

With leaner budgets, and in some cases leaner teams, having a coach can be a cost-effective way to improve morale, increase productivity, and support overall employee well-being.

Let?s take a look:

Adapting your approach

Traditionally designed to help achieve organizational goals, we?re seeing a shift in coaching to focus on the employee and their overall performance and success.

Being a coach or mentor is different from being a manager who assigns tasks and monitors the work. Coaching is simply the act of listening, asking questions, and providing feedback so employees can be their personal best. Although coaches can be external to the organization, you can look to current staff to act as coaches as well.

Coaching tends to focus on performance and short-term skills, but a coach can also be an invaluable guide for employees who are dealing with changes that may be out of their control.

Support on-boarding

Coaching is often part of an effective on-boarding process. Experienced employees, for example, can spend time with new hires and personally answer questions about company practices, safety procedures, and more.

Virtual work arrangements mean more challenges for new hires. On-boarding procedures haven?t changed much, but the experience certainly has.

First impressions matter. How you welcome new employees and bring them into your company has an enormous impact on how engaged they are and how quickly they reach their full potential and productivity.

Incorporating coaches and mentors in the onboarding process will help.

Coaching your coaches

All roles are changing as the effects of the pandemic continue. Your managers and senior executives need to be equipped with the skills needed to perform at their best, too.

This may require providing professional development to your current managers to ensure they have the knowledge and comfort level with addressing these new challenges we are facing.

Investing in your employees is always a good thing to do. As we cope with COVID-19, it is becoming simply the right thing to do if we want our teams and teammates to perform their best.

January 26, 2021

Trucking HR Canada recently conducted an informal temperature check survey of employers and employees about the topic of mental health in the workplace.

While the intent was to gather information over our social media channels for a federal consultation on the topic, what we heard from respondents was alarming.

Considering the pressure the pandemic has brought to bear, it was no surprise to hear that the number of workers concerned about their psychological health is rising. What’s astonishing is how pervasive COVID-19-related mental health issues are among the entire workforce, leaving a swath of stressed-out people from the driver’s seat to the shop, to the office.

The survey results and the discussions we’ve had since have prompted us to take a close look at how stress, isolation, family matters, financial pressure, and other factors affect the mental health and safety of people in trucking and logistics.

COVID-19 looks like it’ll be with us for a while, and we want to help employers develop strategies to help their employees cope with life at work and home and feel better about themselves and their work.

Here’s what we’re learning.

There is a stigma around mental health

By far, survey respondents said COVID-19 is the main reason for observed decreases in their overall wellbeing and mental health in the workplace. Other factors cited (in order) are workplace stress; poor work-life balance; organizational restructuring; increased workload; and financial stress.

A large number of respondents acknowledged that employees are more aware of their general state of mental health and feel more comfortable discussing it at work. However, respondents also indicated that stigma surrounding mental health is something that many contend with, meaning that there may still be reluctance to report a mental health issue at work. One person said the stigma around mental health includes a fear of experiencing employment repercussions (e.g., losing their license).

This suggests that an effective intervention to reduce stigma in the trucking and logistics industry would also need to involve a dialogue among many different actors: employer organizations, employee organizations, health and safety bodies, insurance providers, and others.

Everyone is affected, but the more vulnerable are affected most.

In trying to determine which individuals within the workforce faced the greatest degree of COVID-19-related psychological distress, we found that occupational categories were the most frequently cited factor. Nevertheless, it was shown that certain issues can come into play to make individual circumstances particularly important to understanding the full picture.

For example, respondents who cited these factors tend to be affected the most:

• Those with pre-existing mental health concerns
• Those working from home with young children
• Those working in close quarters

It’s also important to consider the experiences of different demographic groups. Notably, the mental health of women in the industry was highlighted as a concern, particularly the manner in which female employees were treated by clients and at times, by those they work with. Also highlighted as a concern was the mental health of younger men (under 30 years of age) within the industry.

For an industry looking to increase the participation of women and young people, these issues warrant further attention.

Help the helpers

Our survey results showed that employees in certain occupations have a higher risk or are more vulnerable to experiencing psychological injuries and illnesses.

Without a doubt, truck drivers demand special attention given their work conditions, with respondents citing familiar themes of isolation/solitude, unhealthy diets, and low physical activity. COVID-19-related factors included daily stress stemming from poor access to facilities such as washrooms, or access to good options for nutrition.

However, our survey highlighted other occupations of concern, notably (in order):

• Dispatchers
• HR staff
• Office administration staff

It’s significant that the reported rate of mental health effects on HR staff was the closest to the prevalence rate of drivers. COVID-19 has exacerbated negative outcomes for dispatchers, who have had to bear the brunt of changes in routes and driver availability.

The fact that we look to HR managers, dispatchers, administrators, and others to support our drivers is important to remember as you develop plans to address mental health. The need to recognize and manage mental health across all occupations has perhaps been underestimated in the past.

As we brace for a longer recovery period from the pandemic, employers may want to consider a temperature check of their own workforces’ mental health.

Post-pandemic profitability will depend on it.

It?s certainly been an interesting start to the new year.

As COVID-19 and divisive politics rage on, the trucking and logistics industry continues to put its collective shoulder to the wheel in 2021 to keep the economy rolling. We?re thankful for truck drivers, dispatchers, technicians, and others who move the goods that are essential to our everyday lives.

To help keep these workers safe and productive, Canada Labour Code regulations came into force on January 1 aimed at reducing the risk of workplace harassment and violence. All federally regulated employers should be ready for the new rules, outlined in Bill C-65 and the Workplace Harassment and Violence Regulations.

We?re here with resources to help you comply. Here are seven to get you started:

1.Assess your workplace risk

Employers need to identify risks related to harassment and violence in their workplace and, within six months of identifying these risks, implement preventive measures.

Consider what you can do to assess and reduce these risks. Not sure where to start? Click here to see our risk assessment checklist.

2.Develop a policy against harassment and violence

The regulations have specific requirements for a workplace harassment and violence prevention policy. Make sure your policy complies and that it?s available to all employees. You have a responsibility to ensure all employees are aware of the policy and are appropriately trained.

We have resources to help you here, too. Click here to access our policy template and checklist.

3.Establish emergency procedures

Employers must have formal processes in place in the event of harassment or violence that poses immediate danger to the health and safety of an employee.

Our policy template has tips to help you.

4.Train your employees

All employees (including management) are required to undergo harassment and violence training by Jan. 1, 2022. New employees must receive training within three months of being hired. Employees must be re-trained at least once every three years and following any updates to the training (or if they are assigned to a new role where there is a greater risk of workplace harassment or violence).

Work with your policy committee, workplace committee, or health and safety representative to determine your training needs.

Click here to learn more about our Learning Centre and online courses.

5.Designate someone to receive complaints

Employers are required to appoint a ?designated recipient? of harassment and violence complaints. The designated recipient can be an individual or team that is appropriately trained to receive complaints, manage the complaint process, and follow the complaint-resolution procedures outlined in the regulations.

If you don?t have someone qualified for the role, they can become qualified through training.

Click here for resources to help you with the designated recipient role.

6.Communicate your policies

Employers must compile a list of nearby medical, psychological, and other support resources and share it with employees through the workplace harassment and violence prevention policy. They also must file an annual report to the Minister Labour documenting their policy and compliance.

Overall, it?s vital that senior leaders within your organization understand the importance of these regulations and the necessary commitment. Consider adding ?workplace harassment and violence discussion? to the next executive team meeting so there is a robust conversation about the new rules and how the company plans to address them.

Keeping this as a frequent agenda item will ensure it remains top of mind.

7.Talk to us

Trucking HR Canada has been working on materials to help address these changes to the Canada Labour Code for nearly two years now. Our training resources are specific to trucking and logistics and were developed specifically in response to Bill C-65 and the new workplace harassment and violence rules. We have worked with Labour Canada, employment lawyers, labour groups, and HR professionals to make sure our standards of excellence are met.

We all benefit from workplaces that are free of harassment and violence. And we are here to help employers make that happen.

The new year will bring important changes to the Canada Labour Code. Come January 1, 2021, employers will need to ensure they maintain compliance with new Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations (the Regulations).? Part of ensuring compliance involves adequately and clearly communicating the regulatory changes to employees. This entails adhering to HR best practices of being transparent about these relevant changes.

Amongst other obligations, employers will need to develop a new company policy on harassment and violence, provide on-going education to employees, and develop a process to address and report claims of harassment and violence in the workplace. Employers should be mindful of the three main elements of the new anti-harassment and violence legislation contained in Bill C-65:

• Prevent incidents of harassment and violence
• Respond effectively to those incidents
• Support affected employees

Here are our top 3 tips to help you get started:

1. COMMUNICATE THE CHANGES

• Share the message visually in the workplace; display policies in common areas – such as lunchrooms or other staff common areas
• Send out digital as well as hardcopies of new policies in the form of internal handbooks or guide updates
• Hold a mandatory virtual staff meeting to communicate policy updates

2. PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FEEDBACK

• Significant policy change requires a more immersive communication process so that employees understand the change at hand
• Offer opportunities to follow-up or offer more guidance as necessary

• Allow for open-ended sessions where employees can vocalize their feedback, and allow for anonymous feedback and questions after training sessions
• Provide a welcoming environment for employees to feel safe and to be able to vocalize all their questions, concerns, or general comments
• Address employee feedback openly, frankly, and in a timely manner

3. LEVERAGE YOUR TEAM

• A good way to communicate a new policy or procedure is by identifying leaders within your team who can be ?champions? amongst their peers
• Leveraging leaders on your team can help make sure that employees can raise any questions or concerns
• Supervisors or managers with a solid understanding of new policies and procedures are better placed to help employees and can ensure that appropriate protocols are being followed

Employers have increased responsibilities in matters of workplace health and safety and a duty to prevent, respond to, and support employees in matters of harassment and violence.

While communicating crucial information and change in the workplace is challenging, it can be simplified with the proper tools and resources to support you.

We can help you make sense of these new regulatory changes.? Our landing page has industry-specific tools and resources to help you learn more about anti-harassment and violence obligations. Starting in early January 2021, Trucking HR Canada will also offer affordable training that is industry specific and designed to help you meet the requirements in the new Regulations. Click HERE for more.

Federally regulated employers will have new obligations to address workplace harassment and violence starting on January 1, 2021. Making sense of what?s required under these changes to the Canada Labour Code can be a challenge. What?s more, the Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations (the Regulations) introduce many concepts and practices that might be new and unfamiliar.

On November 30, 2020, Trucking HR Canada hosted an informational webinar to help federally regulated stakeholders prepare for the new Regulations.? Key details were discussed about the training courses and resources that will help employers meet new legal requirements. ?We partnered with Miguel Mangalindan ? a senior associate from Monkhouse Law who specializes in employment law. Miguel provided an insightful overview of the ins-and-outs of new employer obligations and explained the first steps that employers can take to get ready for January 1^st. ?After his presentation, THRC fielded questions from the audience.

One theme stood out in the Q&A ??who is the Designated Recipient,?who can be appointed as a Designated Recipient, and?how does this work?

We heard you loud and clear. Let?s take a look.

Who or what is the Designated Recipient?

The Designated Recipient is a person, or team at your organization that the employer must appoint to respond to workplace harassment and violence complaints. They will receive complaints, manage the complaint process, and follow the complaint resolution procedures outlined under the Regulations. It is best if the Designated Recipient is not someone in a managerial role. This will help ensure that all employees can feel comfortable reporting a complaint. It creates a situation in which employees don?t have to fear being punished, disciplined, or retaliated against for raising a workplace issue with a superior.

Second, the Designated Recipient must be appropriately trained?before?taking on any duties associated with their role. When searching for the perfect candidate, bear in mind that if you don?t have someone qualified for the role yet, they can become qualified through training.

We?re here to help

Unfortunately, there is no ?instructional manual? to performing this role. But to support our employers, THRC will soon release a new resource focused entirely on all things ?Designated Recipient?.

You can expect the following details:

• The role of the Designated Recipient;
• Typical work duties of the Designated Recipient;
• Who can be the Designated Recipient;
• Designated Recipient training requirements, including training considerations;
• Competency Profile for the Designated Recipient; and
• Guidance on Identifying Candidates for the Designated Recipient.

This guide will help employers make informed choices on their next steps as they look to appoint an individual or group to play this vital role.

Visit our?HR & Training Resources?page to review our suite of templates, checklists, and informative documents focused on Bill C-65 and the new Regulations. Starting in January 2021, Trucking HR Canada will be releasing a suite of industry-specific training modules that provide Regulation-based instruction for employers, employees, and in incident response. Designated Recipients will be able to complete the full training program to obtain all the knowledge they need to understand key rights and obligations introduced by Bill C-65, including how to proceed during the complaint resolution process.

To find out more, keep an eye on our brand-new Anti-Harassment & Violence landing page, where we will continue to post updates on tools, resources, and training modules designed to support the trucking and logistics industry in adapting to, and complying with new Canada Labour Code requirements in this important area.

As an unsettled 2020 comes to an end, let?s look at what 2021 will have in store for our trucking and logistics workplaces.

The modernization of Canada?s Labour Code

In what our own Policy Analyst Marisha Tardif has likened to a ?legislative tsunami,? recent amendments to the Canada Labour Code include new labour standards, wage-fairness rules, and occupational health and safety requirements.

Many of these regulations took effect in September 2019 but several are yet to come. Notably, the amendments of Bill C-65 and the accompanying regulations which protect against harassment and violence in the workplace.

The Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations, published in June, make a long-awaited detail official: new anti-harassment and violence provisions will take effect on January 1, 2021.

The regulations will apply to all workplaces covered under Part II of the Canada Labour Code, including many trucking and logistics employers.

NOC updates

Canada is now conducting its 10-year review of the National Occupational Classification (NOC), the federal system for categorizing job types in the country, including truck driving.

The next release includes new job-skill classifications that address concerns about how the federal government incorporates formal and informal training, education, and work experience into the NOC.

In early 2021 we will see how truck drivers are classified in the new system, and how it will affect federal programs.

Training and wage subsidies

With the events of 2020 clearly demonstrating how important this industry is, Trucking HR Canada was able to access federal funds for training and wage subsidies for jobs in trucking and logistics.

Our Career ExpressWay program has successfully supported the training and onboarding of close to 100 young people across the country, in driving positions, logistics, IT support, administration, and more. It provides up to $10,000 for driver training and up to $15,000 in wage subsidy per employee.

Our hope is that we can expand our program in 2021 to better connect our industry to Canadians of all ages looking for meaningful work in a sector with loads of career opportunities.

Diversity and inclusion

No longer buzzwords, workplace diversity and inclusion will remain a focus of Trucking HR Canada as we help employers expand the pipeline of talent into our industry.

One key initiative is our 2021 Women with Drive Leadership Summit, planned for March 10^th. ?With an international flair, we look forward to learning from and virtually connecting with a global network of women who have stepped up in their respective countries in responding to the challenges of COVID-19.

Driver shortages

Whether you believe it or not, we are on track for more acute driver shortages.

That is why Trucking HR Canada is planning to bring together industry stakeholders to define the root causes of our recruitment and retention challenges, from compensation structures to the nature of long-haul trucking driving itself.

The shortage of qualified drivers is an enduring issue. But there are always new approaches and new ideas that can inform innovative and practical solutions.

Growing our Top Fleet Employers

Now in its eighth year, our Top Fleet Employers program has grown steadily.

Our Top Fleet Employers are leaders in promoting a positive image of trucking and logistics and offering great places to work. By sharing sound HR policies and practices, they set an important example as we reach out to young people, women, and other job seekers.

Each year trucking and logistics companies undergo a rigorous application process but only the best are recognized as Top Fleet Employers. Applications close January 28, and you can click here to learn more: https://truckinghr.com/top-fleet-employers/

COVID-19

Where things will go in 2021 is anyone?s guess, but we know for sure that trucking and logistics will be pivotal to ensuring all essential goods?from food to fuel, and even more importantly, vaccines?get to all Canadians.

Rest assured that Trucking HR Canada and all of our partners are here to support you in ensuring you have the skilled workforce you need to make that happen.

Cheers to 2021.

The modernization of the Canada Labour Code is having a significant impact on federally regulated workplaces. In what some have likened to a ?legislative tsunami?, the Canadian government has introduced a sweeping array of changes, including measures to achieve wage fairness, updates to federal labour standards, and new requirements in occupational health and safety.

While the bulk of these updates entered into force in September 2019, significant changes still lie ahead.

Most employers in the federally regulated space are already familiar with Bill C-65, which develops a framework to protect against harassment and violence in the workplace. Bill C-65 initiated an amendment to the Canada Labour Code, which led to the introduction of the Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations released in late June of this year. The publication of the regulatory text finally makes a long-awaited detail official: New anti-harassment and violence provisions are now set to enter into force on January 1^st, 2021. The Regulations will apply to all federally regulated workplaces covered under Part II of the Canada Labour Code, including many trucking and logistics employers.

The Regulations in a Nutshell

With this key date just around the corner, it?s worthwhile to go over what these changes mean for the sector.? Boiled down to the basics, the Regulations are about ensuring that federally regulated employers are all working from the same rulebook when it comes to handling workplace harassment and violence. New rules will bring consistency to what employees can expect from their company, as well as new rights, responsibilities, and guarantees. To achieve this, employers will have to take steps to prevent workplace harassment and violence, respond appropriately and in a timely manner if it occurs, and provide support to affected employees. While the new requirements build on provincial frameworks that may already be familiar to many human resources departments, it?s important not to underestimate the nature of the change ahead.

To meet their obligations under the Regulations, employers must:

• Develop a new Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Policy;
• Work jointly with their policy committee, workplace committee, or their health and safety representative in introducing and maintaining key changes to the workplace;
• Assess the risk of workplace harassment and violence;
• Provide training to all employees, and participate in training themselves;
• Respond to all reports of workplace harassment or violence (including complaints made by former employees) and follow specific requirements related to timelines, processes, and procedures;
• Appoint a designated recipient of workplace harassment and violence complaints;
• Provide more options for workers to have their issues resolved (and respect every employee?s right to request a formal investigation);
• Make information available regarding support services for employees affected by workplace harassment or violence; and
• Maintain records on every incident and report annually to the Ministry of Labour.

The list of requirements above is not comprehensive. Nevertheless, it is clear from this summary that the new Regulations will require major adjustments to policies and procedures for many employers. Given new requirements, it is important for both employers and employees to understand the nature of these changes ? including how these new obligations will impact them and their workplace.

Understanding the Issues

Over the past year, Trucking HR Canada has been working to better understand these issues and how they affect our sector.? Through industry surveys and through research on different tools, approaches, and best practices, we learned more about what is happening within our industry.

In working to uncover how, when, and where harassment and violence is experienced in our sector, we also sought to understand what kinds of hurdles employers will face in adapting to the new legislative agenda. We learned that new federal obligations would require a significant adaptation process for many trucking and logistics employers. What?s more, 40% of survey respondents reported that they were unaware or unsure of what harassment and violence resources are available for the trucking industry, indicating that they would welcome further supports.

Resources coming your way

In partnership with Labour Canada, the Canadian Trucking Alliance, and all provincial associations, we have assembled a comprehensive suite of resources, tools, and training materials to help you prepare for reaching compliance with the new Regulations.

Here is a list of what you can expect to see in time for the January 2021 timeline:

• Three bilingual online training modules focused on rights and responsibilities under the Regulations (for employers, for employees, and for incident response);
• An employer?s guide to harassment and violence prevention, response, and support;
• A workplace policy template with compliance and best practice tips;
• An employer?s checklist to the workplace policy under the Regulations
• A risk assessment template;
• An employer?s checklist for the risk assessment process;
• Legal ?how-to? guides for employers and employees; and
• Informative webinars.

Once the COVID-19 situation is stabilized, employers can also expect updates on in-person training options. As a turbulent 2020 winds to a close, make sure to check out our website for more details, and stay tuned as we bring more information your way.

Canada is overhauling the National Occupational Classification (NOC) — the national reference on occupations in Canada.

The NOC provides a systematic classification structure that categorizes the entire range of occupational activity in Canada for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating occupational data. ?Every 10 years, the government conducts a major review of the NOC for the purposes of labour supply and demand analysis, skills development, occupational forecasting, and other programs and services.

The next release, scheduled for early 2021, includes a new structural approach.? Let?s take a look:

New ?TEER? approach

Reflecting changes in the economy and the nature of work, the?NOC 2021?revision will overhaul the “skill level” structure by introducing a new categorization representing the degree of training, education, experience, and responsibilities (TEER) required for an occupation.

The new TEER categorization considers the type of education, training, and experience required for entry, as well as the complexities and responsibilities typical of an occupation. This new structure has a scale of 0 to 5:

• TEER 0 is defined as high-level management.
• TEER 1 occupations usually require a university education or previous experience and expertise in subject matter knowledge from a related occupation found within TEER 2.
• TEER 2 usually requires post-secondary education, apprenticeship, or occupations with supervisory or significant safety responsibilities.
• TEER 3 occupations require less than two years of post-secondary education or on-the-job instruction.
• TEERs 4 and 5 usually require a high-school diploma or no formal education.

Better representation

The federal government says the TEER system better reflects the way people develop their skills and knowledge.

The revisions introduce changes that will make the new classification system more representative, useful, and achieve a more balanced representation of occupation groupings within a given classification. It will also address many existing concerns about how skill levels are categorized under the existing system.

Milestone dates

With a new NOC on the way, here are some key dates to consider:

• December 2020: Publication of the spreadsheet with the revised NOC codes.
• Early 2021: Release of the full classification for the NOC code (including the leading statements, main duties, employment requirements, example titles, inclusions, exclusions, and additional information).
• Spring 2022: Government programs and departments will implement the new NOC at their discretion. While Statistics Canada will implement in early 2021, Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is planning on Spring 2022 implementation, which will impact the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

At this point, we don?t know of any specific changes to NOC 7511, how truck drivers will be classified in the TEER system, or if the new classification will result in changes to affected programs.

Stay tuned. Trucking HR Canada, the Canadian Trucking Alliance, and your provincial trucking association will have updates as they become available.

HOW WORLD SKILLS CAN HELP YOUR FLEET

Before the Covid-19 pandemic started, the trucking industry was already experiencing severe shortages of talent for their trucking positions and as much as 61% of trucking industry employers admitted to having trouble filling these types of positions in a span of the last 12 months.?? Increasing the consideration of newcomers to Canada for these positions can help employers alleviate the vacancies for these roles. In the province of Ontario alone, newcomers/immigrants make up to almost 23% of the population and over 340,000 immigrants are expected to immigrate to Canada in 2020 alone.

Many employers such as the Federal Government, the City of Ottawa, TD Canada, RBC, COSTCO, Accenture, Business Development Canada etc. are tapping into this talent pool — adding global perspectives and experience to their workforce. Best of all, they find incredibly talented individuals who have an excellent understanding of the Canadian workplace and who are loyal to their employer. We have the largest pool of pre-screened newcomer talent in Ottawa who want to pursue truck driving as their career. ?There are programs available to employers (conditions apply) that could help alleviate some of the costs associated with getting a new employee licensed and support for onboarding costs.

Looking for a solution?

World Skills, a non profit employment centre in Ottawa, has been a leader in enhancing newcomers? economic integration into the Canadian economy for over 20 years. The centre helps immigrants incorporate into the workforce through employability assessments, employment competency building, job search training and support, cultural competency building, and language training.

To find out how to access these initiatives contact Theodros Haile

[email protected]

The modernization of the Canada Labour Code is having a significant impact on federally regulated workplaces. Over the past year, the Canadian government has introduced several changes to federal standards including flexible work arrangements, vacation pay, employee termination policies, pay equity, and more.

One important new piece of legislation is Bill C-65, which protects against harassment and violence in the workplace. Bill C-65 introduced the Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations, which were published in late June. The new legal framework will come into force on Jan. 1, 2021 ? just three months from now.

The new Regulations apply to all federally regulated employers, including trucking and logistics firms that operate outside of their home province. These employers now have a legal obligation to understand and implement an anti-harassment framework for their workplace.

Understanding the Issues

Trucking HR Canada is working with Labour Canada to prepare our industry for these changes. This work started a year ago and includes the following:

– Surveying more than 300 industry employees and 100 employers on how workplace harassment and violence affects them.

– Interviewing employers to probe further into how they manage these issues.

– Researching best practices in terms of policies and training.

– Developing resources and training that will help trucking and logistics firms address harassment and violence in the workplace while ensuring their legal obligations are met, if not exceeded.

Through this work, we have learned a lot about what kinds of issues will be important for the industry as we move closer to the entry into force of new Regulations.

For example, we have learned that trends in trucking and logistics follow those in the general workforce. The industry?s harassment and violence incidence rate of 15% is similar to the Canadian workforce average (16%). Incidences of physical assault (2%) and unwanted sexual attention (2%) are also on par with Canadian averages for these types of incidents, according to Statistics Canada?s most recent General Social Survey (GSS) conducted in 2016.

That doesn?t mean that addressing harassment and violence is any less of a priority for trucking and logistics. In fact, half of our industry workers responded that they have been affected by this issue over their career. And many of these incidents go unreported ? meaning that employers may not be aware of the degree to which harassment and violence is impacting their workplace. In fact, harassment and violence are more of a ?workplace? issue than many initially thought. While many respondents to our survey believe harassment or violence is more prevalent at a client or customer?s place of business, incidents are far more likely to occur at their own workplace.

Work to Do

Part of the rationale surrounding the emergence of Bill C-65 was to make sure that all federally regulated employers are working from the same rule book when it comes to addressing harassment and violence in the workplace. For the trucking and logistics sector, there may be an adjustment period as employers adapt to new federal obligations. For example, half of the employers we surveyed said they had no formal process for preventing or managing incidents of workplace harassment and violence, and 60% did not provide mandatory workplace harassment or violence training for their employees. This will all have to change under the new framework.

As an industry, we clearly have much to do. It is time to fully recognize workplace harassment and violence as a key moral and operational concern.

Join Us

Rest assured, Trucking HR Canada is here to help.

Please join us for an informational webinar on Nov. 30 with an attorney who specializes in employment law. The webinar will brief employers on what has changed with the arrival of Bill C-65, cover new Regulatory requirements, and discuss key compliance topics. ?Trucking HR Canada will also provide details on training and other resources we have developed specifically to support trucking and logistics employers.

For those interested in learning more about how workplace harassment and violence affect our sector, Trucking HR Canada will also soon be releasing a summary report on its research findings. Check out our website for more details, and stay tuned as we bring more information your way.