Page 6 - GBC summer 2018 english

Message From The Publisher • Jeff Calderwood
The First Tee
The dominoes have been falling fast. From one industry to another, from government to media, from allegations to court cases, and from celebrities to the employee down the hall, #MeToo has been a continuous headline.
Realizing that the golf industry can easily be another domino in this line, with its male dominated history and a tendency for slow adoption of emerging trends, Golf Business Canada reached out to one of the largest Labour and Employment law rms, Emond Harnden, for insights to offer the Canadian golf industry on dealing with sexual harassment in the workplace.
#METOO AND YOU
The author of our feature story, HR lawyer Raquel Chisholm, has done considerable work for Emond Harnden in golf, in addition to her broad base of other clients. The feature story is a great resource for all golf course owners and operators to consider as you contemplate how best to implement effective management strategies to handle potential situations of sexual harassment. The best practices in this area are critical for your leadership team.
It’s not an easy set of dynamics to manage. Creating proper awareness within your team of what does or does not constitute sexual harassment can be a challenge. This may be especially dif cult if your staff are very close with one another, or for example, frequently exchange witty jokes, high ves or hugs.
There are numerous experts advising that any such hugs or jokes should now be off limits. Do we need a new policy to restrict such things more clearly, or is a relatively open culture still ok?
In the feature article, Chisholm presents guidelines for de ning sexual harassment, and recommends how best to prevent situations from occurring through proactive policy and training.
Of course, that doesn’t guarantee that you will never have to deal with an allegation in the future, so she follows the path through to proper procedures for investigating allegations, all the way to handling misconduct that appears worthy of employee termination. Some of the case studies Chisholm presents are actual golf course les, so the article is highly relevant to you.
The #MeToo movement has certainly shed light on a troubling but essential topic in the workplace. As important as it is to draw attention to any misconduct so that human behaviour improves, there’s also the risk that the pendulum swings too far the other way.
Unintended consequences, such as creating adversity between male and female staff, or a manager avoiding hiring females to eliminate any risks, can become collateral damage if not well managed. Hopefully, our feature story helps all of us nd the right balance.
Enjoy this issue and, on behalf of both Golf Business Canada and the NGCOA Canada, all the best for a successful 2018 golf season!
Jeff Calderwood, CEO NGCOA Canada jcalderwood@ngcoa.ca
6 Golf Business Canada