March 9, 2015 Leave a Comment

Precarious Work in Ontario: trends and resources

Maybe it’s just me, but since 2015 swung around, I have noticed a surge of reports on the poor quality of jobs that are being created in our economy. It’s no surprise to my colleagues and me, who, almost daily, meet people who are struggling to make ends meet, while often working in multiple low pay, unstable jobs. The Workers’ Action Centre tell us that this phenomenon, often called “precarious work”, is more common than we think:

Today, one in three jobs in Ontario is temporary, contract, part time or self employed. Working in these jobs, we are often denied basic protections and rights – for example, public holiday pay, access to employment insurance, much less pay than permanent workers doing the same jobs, adequate health & safety coverage.”

These low paid, insecure jobs are found in all sectors, from general labour, to banking, retail, journalism, administration and anywhere else where people are hired as temps, relief, contract workers or freelancers. The worst pay and most precarious jobs often go to women, youth and immigrants, working long unpredictable poorly paid hours, often with families support.

Toronto’s United Way reported in February this year that income inequality in the city is growing faster than in other major Canadian cities, with a 31 percent growth in the last 25 years. The report found that Torontonians express pessimism about the benefits of hard work, with almost three-quarters reporting that hard work doesn’t necessary lead to success, and that many residents experience unequal opportunities, believing that their background and circumstances (including race, gender, and household income growing up), impact on their chances for a good financial future.

Recently, the CIBC released their Canadian Employment Quality Index, which showed a decline in the quality of jobs on all their measures, including full vs part-time and pay. In terms of the distribution of part- vs full-time jobs, the report showed that since the late 1980s there has been a steady rise in part-time positions, although this did improve a little in the last year. The report also noted a drop in pay levels , with “The number of low-paying full-time jobs has risen faster than the number of mid-paying jobs, which in turn, has risen faster than the number of high-paying jobs” and a widening in that gap, over the past year.

In response to these trends, Ontario’s Premier Kathleen Wynne recently announced a formal review of the province’s labour and employment standards, to consider changes to the Employment Standards and Ontario Labour Relations Acts, so to better protect people in precarious work.

This may include addressing issues such as:

minimum wage
overtime
public holiday pay
scheduling
pay levels for temporary and part-time workers
paid sick days
union rights
temp agency workers’ rights
wage theft

Rights and Resources

Probably my favourite source of information about the rights of workers in precarious jobs is the Worker’s Action Centre, who describe themselves as a “worker-based organization committed to improving the lives and working conditions of people in low-wage and unstable employment”. In addition to their advocacy work, they also offer a very useful annual publication called Your Rights at Work. Workers who are seeking advice can also call them at (416) 531-0778 for support with workplace issues.

Another excellent source of information is CLEO (Community Legal Education Ontario), who provide detailed and informative information to people in a range of languages. Their Employment and Work section includes a number of publications that would be useful for precarious workers.

It also is worth reading the actual legislation. The Labour Relations Act can be found here and the Employment Standards Act here.

March 2, 2015 8 Comments

Ask the Employment Specialist: Help! I’m Not Getting Paid

Dear Joanna,

My current employer has not paid me for two months. I’ve emailed him my invoice for the month including several follow-up phone calls and meetings. He always has an excuse as to why he cannot pay me. There is no question that I am doing a great job and have accomplished a tremendous amount for his company within this time period. I have been paid once since I started three months ago.

What do I do? I like my job and would really hate to quit, especially since it is very hard to get another job in my field.

Signed: Late Payer

Dear Late,

Miriam Anbar, a legal expert on employment issues from the leading firm Rodney Employment Law, warns employers who are withholding wages to watch out! Anbar offers the following guidelines below and she emphasizes that each case is unique and individuals should consult with an employment lawyer to ensure that they are fully protected.

1.Know the law.

The law in Ontario is very straightforward when it comes to withholding an employee’s wages. Employers are prohibited from withholding an employee’s wages, deducting from an employee’s wages or causing an employee to return his or her wages to the employer according to the Ontario Employment Standards Act (ESA), which sets out the minimum standards that employers and employees must follow in the workplace. Employers may only legally withhold or deduct an employee’s wages in situations where the deductions are authorized by law, by a court order, or by the employee in writing (subject to certain restrictions and conditions).
[Read more…]

February 23, 2015 Leave a Comment

Ask the Employment Specialist: Disclosing your Disability in the Job Interview

Dear Joanna,

I am a person with a hidden disability. Due to my mental health illness, I have a few gaps in my resume and work history. I am eager to return to the working world in my field of marketing and communications.

Should I disclose my disability to an employer in my application and job interview and how should I do this?

Signed: Difficulty in Disclosure (DD)

Dear DD,

I found an excellent post based on the work of Gandolfo, Gold and Jordan on this topic. It points out that one of the most challenging aspects of dealing with an invisible disability is deciding when, or even whether, you should disclose, identifying and giving details about your disability to a stranger in a job interview. There are pros and cons of disclosing during the job interview and the authors offer some information and suggestions to help you make that decision:

1. The risks of disclosing.

Analyzing the risk factors from the employer’s point of view is critical. If you disclose, you take a chance that you may not be hired, and that you may be labelled and face discrimination. Remember that unless your disability could put you or someone else at risk on the job, it is a matter of personal choice whether you tell an employer about it. If safety is an issue, you’ll need to disclose your disability at an appropriate time. Think through these questions:

If you do decide to disclose, will this information help or hurt your chances of getting or keeping the job?
How will the interviewer react?
If you have your disability under control, is there a reason to disclose?
Do your coping strategies allow you to meet the job requirements?
If you know you can’t perform some of the duties of the job description because of your disability, would disclosure help you get the job?

2. Benefits of disclosing.

If a company is federally regulated (like the banks, telecom and transportation), they will have employment equity requirements. These firms are interested in diversity. They seek to recruit and hire candidates with disabilities. Therefore, it might be a good opportunity to disclose that you have a disability (don’t mention what it is!) in an application, cover letter and/or the interview. Sometimes employers value your openness and how you overcome your disability.

I recommend engaging in-depth research on the company and employer in advance before making a decision to disclose. Also, remember that you may benefit from the accommodations that the employer could provide once they know. Information interviews, networking and finding a mentor in your field are strategies to learn as much as you can about the company and its culture.

3. Look for employers who focus on your abilities and potential.

Make sure your skills and experience are a good match for the role and that the work meets your needs. For example, if you like to work from home sometimes, apply to companies and organizations that offer this possibility. Figure out what you need to succeed at a job.

4. You can always disclose later.

In an interview, if you don’t disclose your disability, the employer won’t know that you need accommodations. Once the job is offered, you can discuss accommodations with the employer; make sure you are clear and reasonable about the accommodations that you require to be the best employee possible.

5. Disclose during the job interview.

Be concise and prepared to explain the gaps in your resume whether or not you decide to disclose. For example, you can say something like: “for the last three years, I’ve been dealing with a medical issue, but it’s under control now and I’m ready to work.” Legally, the interviewer can only ask questions about your disability that relate directly to the requirements of the job (such as how much weight you can lift, or whether you can stand on your feet all day). However, according to Canadian and Ontario employment law, it is illegal to ask candidates about their disabilities.

Joanna

February 16, 2015 Leave a Comment

How Looking for a Job is Like Looking for Love

Close up of a person holding a red heart

A few years ago, I had the privilege of speaking with Dan Ariely, author and Duke University Professor of Psychology and Behavioural Economics, at the launch of one of his many books examining irrationality and market forces. In the book, he had discussed the struggles that people face when they use online dating sites. It got me thinking about the parallels between the struggles of job seekers to find work and those of single people looking for love, and the fact that we have still not succeeded in creating effective systems to link job seekers to job openings (or single people to each other). As Dr Ariely signed my copy of his book, I asked him about this. He was aware of these parallels, and referred me to the work of Nobel Prize winners Peter Diamond, Dale Mortensen and Christopher Pissarides (an excellent read, if you’re an employment theory geek).

In a later book (which is really worth reading), The Upside of Irrationality, Ariely summed up the challenges facing users of online dating sites:

The fundamental problem is that online dating sites treat their users as searchable goods, as though they were digital cameras that can be fully described by a few attributes such as megapixels, lens aperture, and memory size. But in reality, if prospective romantic partners could possibly be considered as “products,” they would be closer to what economists call “experience goods.” Like dining experiences, perfumes, and art, people can’t be anatomized easily and effectively in the way that these dating Web sites imply.

So we know that while we know that there are jobs and suitable job seekers out there, somehow it’s exceedingly difficult for them to meet; the question is, what does work?

Often, in my 20+ years working with job seekers, I have noticed the parallels between the strategies that work for finding work and those that might work for someone who is looking for a partner. To test this theory, I decided to do a quick online search for “how to find love”, which yielded a lovely, common sense Wikihow post that demonstrates my theory pretty well. It recommends 10 steps to help “find love”, most of which can be neatly applied to job search.

The Wikihow writer divides the 10 steps into 3 main parts:

Know Yourself
Reach Out
Make Moves

I, too, advise job seekers to:

Know themselves — assessing themselves to discover their strengths, weaknesses and assets, which they can share in resumes, LinkedIn and in information and job interviews
Put themselves out, to reach out to network contacts and potential employers
Make moves to meet employers in person

Ten steps to find love (or a job):

1. “Understand what you have to offer”.

The writer proposes asking questions about yourself. We recommend you ask questions, too, so that you can describe yourself in interviews, resumes and cover letters, including topics such as:

How would you describe yourself briefly?
What are your strengths, your weaknesses?
How would you describe your skills?

2. “Build confidence”.

Confidence is important for job search. It’s useful to understand your brand, which are the assets that make you unique and interesting to employers, and be able to talk about yourself with confidence.

3. “Know what you’re looking for in someone else”.

Just as with the search for an ideal partner, it’s important to think through what would be important in choosing the next job. Think through the kind of employer you are targeting and the nature of the job you are seeking. I highly recommend that job seekers actively target companies that they would like to work for, and develop a list of people in those companies with whom they might like to meet for information interviews.

Try to keep your expectations flexible and think beyond obvious issues such as salary and benefits, or the size of the company, such as the values of the company and the opportunities the job may offer for the future.
Identify those characteristics of a job you consider most important: what is the minimum salary you need? how important are benefits? do you want to work in a team more than on your own? how much travel would you be able to do?
Remember: keep your expectations flexible, and be prepared to reconsider, if necessary.

4. “Meet people”.

Widening your network is just as important for job seekers as it is for those searching for love. Keep these points in mind:

Don’t turn down any opportunity to meet new people. It’s a mistake to underestimate the value of people you meet to your job search. You never know who they might know.
Take up any opportunity to attend a job or information interview — you might be more impressed than you expect by a company and the opportunities it might offer you.
Be prepared to invest time in conducting information interviews — you can learn a lot and meet new networking contacts

5. “Present yourself as someone who’s available”.

While I generally don’t recommend annoying your friends on Facebook with repeated announcements of your need for work (desperation isn’t attractive), it’s a good idea to make sure that people around you know that you are looking. As the original Wikihow author says: “take measures to make sure people know you’re available and willing to take things further if the opportunity arises.”

Evaluate your appearance. When interacting with potential employers, dress like a potential employee; “project your confidence and uniqueness with clean, well-styled clothes and a pleasant expression on your face”.
When interacting with new network contacts, show interest and listen with care. Express interest and ask questions; don’t just talk about yourself.
Be genuine — be prepared to reveal your challenges and strengths in a confident and honest way.

6. “Consider online dating”

Just as with dating, there are some effective online tools for finding new opportunities. Don’t hesitate to use them. (You will find a number of them listed here.)

7. “Ask people on dates”.

When you identify the people and companies you want to target for your search, take the initiative to set up an information interview or a volunteer opportunity. Meeting people face to face, or working side by side as a volunteer is a great way to be noticed as a potential employee.

8. “Stay on the same wavelength”.

Move at the right pace — try to find the balance between coming across as motivated and enthusiastic, but not annoyingly desperate.

9. “Be vulnerable”.

When you meet with potential employers, do your best to be genuine. Be prepared to admit your weaknesses and discuss your challenges. Be realistic about your abilities. Employers often are looking for honesty and a candidate’s ability to be self-critical.

10. “Try again”.

Know when to admit that a particular job search campaign is not productive. Remember that not all job search efforts will be fruitful, no matter how far you have come in the process. Know when to cut your losses and “move on”.

Keeping motivated can be very difficult. An article in the Journal of Management quotes researchers who suggest that the most important thing a job seeker can do to find work is to stay motivated and focused — advice which could just as easily apply to those seeking love:

Just keeping motivated. You know, that’s a tough one when day in and day out, doors are slamming in your face because, you know, you’re not the only person applying for a particular job or you’re not the only person reaching out to somebody. And, I think, trying to keep a smile on your face and staying motivated that it will happen when it’s meant to happen. That’s the ticket. I think that’s the toughest thing when you’ve been out of work for a long period of time. What other rocks have you not turned over? And if you turned over every rock that you can and reached out to God knows how many people, and you’ve sent newsletters to people saying this is what I’ve done, you know; and you do your own PR, and you kind of let the world know and you network and you do everything you could possibly do, and you’re not getting anywhere and the train is not moving down the tracks, it is very tough to put one foot in front of the other and say, okay, tomorrow’s going to be a better day. That sounds just so old-fashioned or cliched but it’s true.

Bottom line is that whether we are looking for love or trying to find work, human nature demands of us that we engage in certain behaviours to be successful: we need to be self-aware, be clear about our goals, to plan and implement steps to reach out and to meet others face to face. Most importantly, we need to remember that the process of meeting goals (whether it’s love or work) can take time, energy and motivation.

February 9, 2015 Leave a Comment

Career Change Opportunities in 2015

Career changers come from all ages, stages and professions. Sometimes people are lucky enough to choose to change careers, and other times they are forced to make a change because of labour market shifts (people in the printing industry, for example) or changing circumstances (immigration, divorce, or becoming older in a youth-oriented industry such as IT, the fitness industry or fashion). As an Employment Counsellor, I often work with people who find themselves in the middle of an unplanned career change, daunted at the prospect of finding a new industry that will value their skills and understand the transferability of their experience.

Change can be exciting, but it’s also quite frightening, especially when it comes to work and financial security. Facing a career change that you did not choose can be terrifying, though looking back, many changers tell me that they were glad they did it: a career change can result in exciting challenges, meeting new people and mastering new skills.

Recently, LinkedIn recently looked through their 300,000+ profiles to identify some patterns for switching industries. They reviewed all those who had added a new position at a company in a new industry within the past year (January 1 to December 31, 2014) . They found some interesting trends about switching industries.

Much has been written in recent years about little value is placed on staying in the same company; in fact, studies have shown that staying employed at the same company for over two years could result in earning less over a lifetime by about 50% or more. People are changing careers every five years or so, transferring their skills to new industries more often than ever before.

LinkedIn’s study found that the following industries are hiring more people from different industries:

Specifically, they found that:

The Internet industry has welcomed “brand specialists arriving from Retail and business development/strategy professionals arriving from Management Consulting.”

Employees joined Venture Capital “from nearly every industry – from Food & Beverages to Financial Services. VCs need a diverse set of experts to properly source and evaluate new opportunities, as well as manage current investments through mentor, advisor and board positions.”

Unsurprisingly, Online Media has absorbed “talent from traditional industries such as Publishing, Newspapers, and Broadcast Media at a fast clip. Writers, editors, and creative directors are flocking to these energized organizations.”

Employees from Education Management have found a new career in E-learning, with roles for “content developers and partnership managers.”

Career changers might benefit from looking carefully at these industries as possible targets. Changing careers isn’t easy though; it needs a carefully planned, strategic and very deliberate approach. For tips and strategies for career change, keep an eye on this blog!