May 2026 Workplace Recap - May 29, 2026
Enjoy our latest edition of Workplace Recap for Canadian employers.
Legislation Updates
HR News
- Canada's Unemployment Rate Rises to 6.9% in April
- When remote work costs workers: The diminishing returns of WFH
- The Death of Entitlement: Bolt’s Move from Soft HR Culture to Grit-First Operations.
- Meta's AI Overhaul: 10% Laid Off as 20% of Workforce Faces Changes
- The Pros and Cons of Using Software to Mask Accents for Foreign Support Agents
- 34% of Canadian Employers Reverse Course on AI Layoffs and Rehire Humans
- Canada’s Restaurant Sector Teeters on the Brink of a Systemic Crisis
- Why Weak Passwords and Old Accounts Are Canada's Biggest Cyber Risks
- The Risky Business of Banning Cellphones at Work
- Desperate jobseekers are now paying thousands for experts to apply to jobs for them
- Rogers offers buyouts to 10,000 employees
- Intuit cuts jobs while pushing deeper into AI
Case Law Round Up
- BC Court of Appeal upholds $633,000 racial discrimination award against City of Nanaimo
- Ontario Courts rule dog walkers are strictly liable for dog attacks.
- Ontario employer ordered to pay nearly $196K after reprisal finding
Legislation Updates
B.C. Minimum Wage Increases to $18.25 June 01.
HR News
Canada's Unemployment Rate Rises to 6.9% in April
When remote work costs workers: The diminishing returns of WFH
A Canadian Labour Force Survey study found remote work can lift wages, productivity, and profits, but only up to a point. The wage benefit peaks when industry remote work intensity reaches about 52% to 64%, then starts to fade. Why? Too much remote work can make collaboration harder, management messier, and productivity gains less reliable. For employers, the takeaway is not “drag everyone back.” It is smarter: find the hybrid level that works for your industry, your team, and your bottom line.
The Death of Entitlement: Bolt’s Move from Soft HR Culture to Grit-First Operations.
After Bolt’s valuation reportedly dropped from $11 billion to $300 million, returning CEO Ryan Breslow made a dramatic call: eliminate HR and replace it with a smaller people operations team focused on training. He says HR was creating problems instead of solving them, while a boom-era culture had left employees complacent. The company also cut staff, removed four-day workweeks and unlimited PTO, and rebuilt around a smaller, more junior team. For employers, it is a sharp reminder that culture, accountability, and HR structure need to support the business, not drift away from it.
Meta's AI Overhaul: 10% Laid Off as 20% of Workforce Faces Changes
Meta is reportedly laying off 10% of its workforce while moving 7,000 employees into AI-focused roles across four new organizations. The company says the changes are part of a push to run more efficiently while funding major AI investments, including higher data centre and infrastructure costs. The message for businesses is hard to miss: AI is not just a tech upgrade anymore. It is reshaping headcount, budgets, job design, and internal priorities. The challenge is making those shifts without leaving employees guessing where they fit next.
More
The Pros and Cons of Using Software to Mask Accents for Foreign Support Agents
AI tools that alter call centre workers’ accents in real time are drawing backlash in Canada, with unions warning the technology could mislead customers and make overseas outsourcing easier to hide. Supporters say it may improve clarity on service calls, but critics argue it risks normalizing bias against certain accents while putting Canadian jobs under pressure. As employers adopt AI in customer service, transparency matters. Customers and workers should know when a voice is being changed by technology, not just assume it is business as usual.
34% of Canadian Employers Reverse Course on AI Layoffs and Rehire Humans
A Robert Half survey found that 34% of Canadian managers who cut jobs after adopting AI later had to hire those roles, or similar ones, back. The main reasons were very human: AI needed more oversight than expected, productivity gains were smaller, relationship management still mattered, and teams felt the strain. Workers also reported spending about a third of AI-assisted task time checking accuracy and refining the output. The lesson is simple but expensive: replacing roles before understanding the work can turn “efficiency” into a cleanup project.
Canada’s Restaurant Sector Teeters on the Brink of a Systemic Crisis
A new Restaurants Canada report shows quick-service restaurants are being hit harder than full-service dining as cost-conscious Canadians pull back on everyday spending. While fine dining is still seeing growth, 81% of surveyed quick-service restaurants reported declining profitability, with customers choosing cheaper menu items, skipping extras, or avoiding visits altogether. The pressure could spill into staffing too, since fast food and quick-service jobs are often entry points for younger workers. When household budgets tighten, small spending habits can reveal bigger labour and business risks.
More
Why Weak Passwords and Old Accounts Are Canada's Biggest Cyber Risks
Zoho’s 2026 workforce password security report found that 30% of Canadian organizations experienced a confirmed cyberattack in the past year, while 73% still lack complete visibility into workforce access, including orphaned accounts and undocumented permissions. Many are optimistic about AI security tools, but fewer than half say they are ready to deploy them today. The practical move is less glamorous but more urgent: tighten password management, MFA, third-party access, and identity visibility before chasing the next shiny security tool.
The Risky Business of Banning Cellphones at Work
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon says he keeps his phone away during the workday so he can stay fully focused in meetings, with notifications off except for messages from his children. He has also called checking devices during meetings disrespectful, especially when people are reading email or messages instead of paying attention. It is a simple workplace habit with a bigger point: attention is part of professionalism. Whether a business bans phones or just sets clearer meeting norms, distracted participation can quietly chip away at trust, quality decisions, and everyone’s time.
Desperate jobseekers are now paying thousands for experts to apply to jobs for them
As hiring slows and job postings attract hundreds of applicants, some job seekers are paying “reverse recruiters” to manage the search for them, from tailoring resumes to submitting applications and reaching out to employers. The model may help overwhelmed candidates get traction, but it also raises fairness, cost, and fraud concerns, especially if a service misrepresents experience. It is another sign that the job market is getting harder to navigate. Candidates may be outsourcing the search, but employers still need a hiring process that can spot real fit through the noise.
More
Rogers offers buyouts to 10,000 employees
Rogers is offering voluntary departure and retirement packages to about 10,000 eligible employees, roughly half its workforce, as it looks to cut spending and adjust to tougher business conditions. The move follows plans to reduce capital spending by 30% compared with last year, with competitive pressure, regulation, debt from the Shaw acquisition, and cash flow all in the mix. Not all groups are eligible, including unionized workers and some media/sports employees. Voluntary exits may sound softer than layoffs, but they still signal major workforce and budget strain.
Intuit cuts jobs while pushing deeper into AI
Intuit is cutting 17% of its global full-time workforce, about 3,000 roles, as it simplifies its structure and shifts focus toward growth areas including its AI-native platform. The TurboTax parent company says it will reduce management, coordination-heavy and overlapping roles, wind down two U.S. offices, and scale back some Mailchimp investment. The company would not say how many Canadian workers are affected. The bigger workplace signal: even profitable companies are reshaping teams around AI, and “simplification” often means fewer layers, fewer overlaps, and less room for roles that are hard to tie to strategy.
Case Law Round Up
BC Court of Appeal upholds $633,000 racial discrimination award against City of Nanaimo
The City of Nanaimo has lost its bid to overturn a $600K+ human rights award after B.C.’s Court of Appeal upheld a tribunal finding that race played a role in the suspension and firing of its former CFO. The case is a sharp reminder for employers: employee misconduct does not give decision-makers a free pass. Even where conduct is “problematic,” discipline or termination can still violate human rights law if discrimination is part of the decision-making mix. Employers need clean, well-documented, bias-aware processes before taking serious action.
Key Take-Aways for Employers
-
Misconduct and discrimination can exist in the same case.
-
Having cause for discipline does not protect an employer if a protected ground influenced the decision.
-
Decision-makers should document clear, objective reasons for discipline and termination.
-
Employers should review high-stakes employment decisions for bias before acting.
Ontario Courts rule dog walkers are strictly liable for dog attacks.
Ontario’s Court of Appeal ruled that a part-time dog walker bitten while trying to put booties on a client’s dog could not sue the dog’s full-time owners because, under Ontario’s Dog Owners’ Liability Act, she was considered an “owner” while in control of the dog. For pet-care businesses, contractors, groomers, walkers, and even helpful friends, this is a practical warning: possession can mean responsibility. Anyone handling someone else’s dog should review contracts, insurance, instructions, and safety procedures before assuming the risk is someone else’s problem.
Key Take-Aways for Employers
-
Review contracts for workers who handle animals, including dog walkers, groomers, kennel staff, trainers, and pet-care contractors.
-
Clarify responsibility, safety procedures, instructions, and insurance coverage before work begins.
-
Do not assume the registered pet owner is always the only legally responsible party.
-
Train staff to flag animal behaviour concerns and avoid tasks that create unnecessary bite risk.
Ontario employer ordered to pay nearly $196K after reprisal finding
Preview: Randstad Canada has been ordered to pay almost $196,000 to a former employee after the Ontario Labour Relations Board found the company engaged in reprisal following her workplace harassment complaint. The employee had reported incidents involving co-workers playing a vulgar party game, later went on medical leave, and was terminated during a restructuring. The problem for the employer? The Board found Randstad did not have documentation to prove the termination was for legitimate, non-retaliatory reasons.
Key Take-Aways for Employers
-
Do not rely on vague explanations like “restructuring” without clear supporting records.
-
Keep objective documentation showing why a role or employee was selected for termination.
-
Treat harassment complaints as protected activity and avoid any action that could look retaliatory.
-
Before terminating someone after a complaint or leave, review the decision carefully for reprisal risk.
Melina Laird is Operations Coordinator for ConnectsUs HR, a company that provides tools & resources to quickly set up a Human Resources department. You can contact her here.
Categories:
