Resolve Recruit, Inc. Advises on 2016 Accessibility Standards

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Resolve Recruit, Inc. (www.resolverecruit.com), one of Mississauga’s leading employment agencies, urges employers to be ready for compliance with the Ontario Accessible Employment Standard, which came into effect on January 1, 2016, for businesses and non-profits with 50 employees or more.

At the most basic level, the Accessible Employment Standard requires that employers make employees and applicants aware of how their accessibility needs are going to be met. This can include notifications on job postings or during the interview process. (Source: “Accessible workplaces,” Government of Ontario web site, last accessed December 16, 2015; https://www.ontario.ca/page/accessible-workplaces)

“Many of the requirements in the Standard are common sense adjustments,” explains Kim Muir, the Managing Director of Resolve Recruit. “Using plain language to help someone with a learning disability or ensuring work manuals are available in large print for anyone with vision difficulties, for instance. One of the more important parts is to simply make sure that employees know accommodations are available. Memos, emails, notices on a bulletin board in a break room, or even just a one-on-one conversation can accomplish this.”

Since the nature of accessibility can vary wildly from one person to the next, the Standard does not prescribe specific accommodations. Instead it requires employers of larger businesses (50+ employees) to create a procedure for developing accommodation plans for disabled employees.

“The accommodation plan is a key part of the Standard,” notes Muir. “It covers how an employee is assessed, how they can participate in the plan’s development, how or if outside help is employed, and how an individual accommodation plan is to be accepted or rejected.”

The Accessible Employment Standard will not need to be met by any business or non-profit with fewer than 50 employees for the time being, but they will need to become compliant by January 1, 2017. It is highly advisable that such organizations therefore learn more about how larger companies are meeting the Standard and prepare accordingly for when their turn inevitably arrives.

About Resolve Recruit

Resolve Recruit, Inc. is one of the leading employment agencies in Mississauga. They match skilled workers with a variety of businesses for both temporary and direct hire positions. More information about their business and workplace information can be found on their website at www.resolverecruit.com.