Like so many others, Stephen Hammond鈥檚 world changed with the pandemic.
The Victoria lawyer, consultant and lecturer who contracts with government agencies and private companies on courses dealing with harassment and discrimination in the workplace, was no longer able to travel or provide face-to-face workshops amid a lockdown and strict COVID-19 rules.
But transitioning his business online seemed daunting. He trains employees on 颅various types of discrimination, bullying and harassment, and delivering the courses and ensuring compliance are complicated.
Hammond researched several companies across the country to help him launch a virtual learning platform. He was surprised to learn the tech firm he needed was in his own backyard.
UDUTU, a Victoria company that specializes in online learning and training, helped Hammond bring his courses back to the workplace.
Hammond called it a 鈥渨in-win鈥� for two local businesses supporting each other during difficult times.
鈥淯DUTU was amazing to work with 鈥� there was immediate response and the result is very high quality,鈥� he said.
Led by CEO Roger Mundell, former director of research and innovation at Royal Roads University, UDUTU was started there with a team of researchers who broke a lot of new ground with online learning systems and tools. It went private in 2006 and has since created training platforms for government agencies such as sa国际传媒 Hydro, Elections sa国际传媒 and WorkSafe sa国际传媒 as well as private companies that range from the Quality Foods grocery chain on the Island to U.S. gas and convenience giant Mapco.
Depending on the client, online learning courses cover general orientation and company policies, mandatory certification courses as well as sanitation and safety procedures.
UDUTU spokesman Jordan Schley said human resources departments 鈥渓ove what we do, because we solve training issues or compliance issues in a quick way. They say we鈥檝e reinvented the wheel for them.鈥�
The company also values the work it does with smaller operators, like Hammond.
Hammond鈥檚 course consists of 10 modules covering issues such as sexual harassment, bullying and racial, religious and age discrimination, offering important training to keep workplaces out of legal hot water. Each module includes a 10-minute video, introductory information, a five-question test at the end of the video (needing a 60% pass rate) and a short review video.
It takes participants about 15 minutes per module, and the course can be completed in about 2.5 hours. Employees can take it all at once or can complete it over several sessions.
Workplaces can track employees who have participated in acourse and confirm that they鈥檝e passed each of the module tests.
Hammond is a non-practising lawyer with three decades in human resources management and is author of three books on behaviour in the workplace.
He cites sexual harassment as one of the most troubling issues. It was highlighted by the #MeToo movement, which formed in 2017 following the exposure of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. But sa国际传媒鈥檚 definition of sexual harassment was laid out 35 years earlier when the top court ruled on the complaints of two 颅Winnipeg waitresses.
Each of Hammond鈥檚 tutorials outlines a 鈥渂ig mistake,鈥� followed by case law, tips and questions. 鈥淭his way people can learn from the mistakes of others,鈥� said Hammond.
He also cites a religious discrimination case from Victoria decades ago when a member of the Jehovah鈥檚 Witnesses won a $33,000 judgment against a local drug store for a violation of his religious rights. A manager insisted the employee put up Christmas decorations when he felt uncomfortable doing so.
鈥淔or a company, that鈥檚 an expensive mistake,鈥� said 颅Hammond.
Employers and their workers now also have to be hyper aware of social media and whatthey post, he said. Hammond noted a Toronto firefighter lost his job after sexist, racist and inflammatory messages were posted about homeless people. A labour arbitration tribunal found his comments were harmful to the fire department鈥檚 reputation and the suspended firefighter never got his job back.
鈥淲hen outside behaviour has an impact inside of the workplace, including the reputation of our employer, there can be consequences, including discipline and even dismissal,鈥� said Hammond. 鈥淲hen we post information that may bring our employee into disrepute and the the employer finds out about it, we could be in trouble. And this new reality doesn鈥檛 just apply to front-line workers. It applies to people in management and even owners. Senior people in Canadian workplaces caught posting something inappropriate will be judged harshly as they are expected to know better.鈥�
He said problems continue to exist and evolve in Canadian workplaces. For example, with sa国际传媒鈥檚 rising immigrant 颅populations, there has to be growing awareness of cultural and religious issues. As an employer, you have to ask: 鈥渁re you accommodating?鈥� said 颅Hammond.
Hammond said it took several months to write, film and assemble the workplace course.
