Hardlines recently interviewed Olivia Cicchini, an employment relations expert at HR consultancy Peninsula Canada. We asked Cicchini for her top 10 tips for hiring and firing. All 10 of them will be printed in the next issue of our magazine, Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly. (If you’re not getting HHIQ, it’s free to dealers. Sign up here!)
Here’s a sneak peek at the top tip that Cicchini gave us.
Pay attention to human rights wording in your want ads. The term that is often used is “legally compliant job ads.” Ontario, for example, passed legislation in 2024 stating that employers cannot ask for “Canadian experience” in want ads. In general, ads should say that the employer welcomes applicants from all backgrounds, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities, etc.
“A lot of employers don’t even know that their human rights obligations to their future employees, to applicants, starts right when you post a job ad. Some employers think that their human rights obligations don’t kick in until they hire someone,” Cicchini said. “But applicants want to know that their potential employer is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
