Accessible Employment Policy

MLT Aikins is committed to complying with the Accessible Employment Standard (the “Standard”) under The Accessibility for Manitobans Act (the “AMA”). Our policies, practices and measures reflect principles of dignity, independence, integration and equal opportunity for people with disabilities.

At MLT Aikins, we aim to identify, prevent and eliminate barriers in our workplace. If a barrier cannot be eliminated, we seek to provide reasonable accommodations to affected employees, up to the point of undue hardship.

While the other Western provinces in which MLT Aikins carries on business have not yet adopted specific employment accessibility laws applicable to private businesses, the Standard serves as a guide to best practice in providing accessible employment.

MLT Aikins encourages all employees to review the Equity, Diversity and Accommodation Policy in addition to this Policy.

PRE-EMPLOYMENT ACCESSIBILITY

Recruitment and Selection

During its recruitment process, MLT Aikins informs all potential applicants that reasonable accommodation, up to the point of undue hardship, is available in respect of the assessment and selection process and responds in a timely manner to requests for accommodation.

Practices and Measures:

  • A statement is included in all job postings that reasonable accommodation, up to the point of undue hardship, is available to applicants with disabilities.
  • When making interview arrangements, we inform applicants that reasonable accommodation, up to the point of undue hardship, is available in respect of the assessment and selection process.
  • When an applicant makes a request for reasonable accommodation, we seek their input on how best to accommodate their needs and provide reasonable accommodation, up to the point of undue hardship, during the assessment and selection process.

Offers of Employment

When hiring, and during the onboarding process, MLT Aikins informs all selected applicants of our measures, policies and practices for accommodating employees with disabilities. Our policies are available on our Intranet.

EMPLOYMENT ACCESSIBILITY

MLT Aikins will ensure that the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities, as well as their individual accommodation plan (“IAP”), if any, are taken into account during various processes relating to performance reviews, performance management, career development, promotion and redeployment. MLT Aikins will further ensure that such processes take into account that an employee may be temporarily or permanently disabled by one or more barriers in the workplace and that the accommodations provided may not fully address a barrier that disables an employee.

In managing employee performance, MLT Aikins will discuss any existing accommodations and proposed modifications or new accommodations to support and/or help improve the performance of an employee with a disability. Our performance management practices and measures aim to ensure that workplace accommodations do not negatively affect access to career development.

Communication of Information

MLT Aikins aims to meet the communication needs of all employees by providing workplace information and communications in ways that are easy to access for everyone. When requested by an employee, MLT Aikins will:

  • consult with the employee to identify accessible formats or the communication supports needed when providing information to the employee; and
  • use its best efforts to ensure that those identified accessible formats or communication supports are continually used when providing information to the employee.

MLT Aikins will provide employees with information about its accommodation measures, policies and practices as well as any changes or updates made to them.

WORKPLACE EMERGENCY RESPONSE MEASURES

MLT Aikins will provide to employees with disabilities:

  • appropriate information on how to respond to an emergency in the workplace; and
  • the opportunity to prepare individualized emergency response information plans when necessary to assist them in the event of an emergency.

If an employee requires the assistance of another person in the event of a workplace emergency, MLT Aikins will, with the employee’s consent, provide the necessary information to the person designated by MLT Aikins to assist the employee.

ACCOMMODATION TRAINING

MLT Aikins provides accessible employment training to employees who are responsible for the following:

  • recruiting, selecting or training employees;
  • supervising, managing or coordinating the work of employees;
  • promoting, redeploying or terminating employees; or
  • developing and implementing employment policies and practices.

Training content includes:

  • an overview of:
    • the AMA, as applicable;
    • the requirements under the Standard, as applicable; and
    • The Human Rights Code (Manitoba), as applicable;
  • how to make employment opportunities accessible to people with disabilities;
  • how to interact and communicate with applicants or employees who face barriers, use assistive devices or are assisted by a support person or service animal; and
  • MLT Aikins’s accessibility policies, practices and measures, including updates or changes.

MLT Aikins will document such training in compliance with the Standard. Our Training Policy has been developed in accordance with the Standard such that any new employee in Manitoba will receive training within one month of their start date. MLT Aikins will also provide on-going training when changes are made to MLT Aikins or the Standard’s measures, policies and practices.

INDIVIDUALIZED ACCOMMODATION PLANS (“IAPs”)

MLT Aikins supports employees by providing reasonable accommodations in the workplace. An employee may make a written request for an IAP by submitting a Request for Workplace Accommodation Form by email to HR@mltaikins.com.

All requests for accommodation will be assessed on an individual, case-by-case basis to determine whether an effective reasonable accommodation can be provided. MLT Aikins will partner with the employee, and others as appropriate, to assess whether a reasonable accommodation can be provided. MLT Aikins will work with the employee to gather information, determine whether an accommodation is necessary and appropriate and, if so, attempt to identify effective, reasonable options for accommodations.

MLT Aikins may request an evaluation of an employee, done by an independent regulated health professional or other practitioner in the area of workplace accommodations, to assist MLT Aikins in determining whether reasonable accommodation is required and, if so, effective, reasonable options for accommodation. This evaluation will be at MLT Aikins’s expense.

An employee can request a representative from the workplace or a person who is knowledgeable in the area of workplace accommodations to assist in the development of their IAP.

An employee must, in good faith, co-operate in the establishment and implementation of their IAP, including by:

  • providing any relevant information that may assist MLT Aikins in the assessment of the accommodation request, including any reports from the employee’s physician or a practitioner in the area of workplace accommodations;
  • complying with the accommodation plan and performing their work in accordance with such plan;
  • providing feedback to MLT Aikins with respect to the requirements of the accommodation plan;
  • participating in and co-operating with accommodation efforts on an ongoing basis, including communicating with MLT Aikins if modifications to the accommodation plan are required or if accommodation is no longer required; and
  • participating in an evaluation, as requested by MLT Aikins, to assist MLT Aikins in determining what reasonable accommodation is required.

An employee’s IAP will document:

  • any accessible formats and communication supports to be used in providing information to the employee;
  • any workplace emergency response information MLT Aikins is to provide to the employee; and
  • any other reasonable accommodation MLT Aikins is to make to address any barriers that disable the employee and the manner and timing within which the accommodation is to be made.

An employee’s IAP will be reviewed and updated on an annual basis, or earlier in the following situations:

  • if reasonably requested by the employee;
  • if the employee’s workplace is modified or relocated;
  • if the employee’s responsibilities are changed; or
  • when MLT Aikins becomes aware that there are changes that may impact the accommodation required.

An employee’s IAP will be provided in an accessible format upon request.

MLT Aikins may deny an employee’s request for an IAP, including, without limitation, in the following circumstances:

  • the information gathered or the independent regulated health professional(s) does not support the employee’s self-assessed requirement of a workplace accommodation; or
  • the accommodation requested creates undue hardship for MLT Aikins.

In the event that a request for an IAP is denied, MLT Aikins will provide the employee with written reasons for the denial.

MLT Aikins will appropriately protect at all times the personal health information of all applicants, candidates and employees. All personal health information provided to MLT Aikins will be stored in a confidential manner and will only be used or disclosed for the purposes outlined in this Policy.

RETURN TO WORK

MLT Aikins is committed to providing and safe and healthy working environment for all employees, including those employees who have been absent from work due to a disability and require reasonable accommodation(s), up to the point of undue hardship, to return to work. In accordance with this, MLT Aikins will:

  • ensure that the recent medical documentation from the employees’ physician confirms the employee’s fitness to return to work;
  • determine if the employee can perform their existing job;
  • if the employee cannot perform their existing job, determine if they can perform their job in a modified form;
  • if the employee cannot perform their job in a modified form, determine if they can perform an alternate job in its existing form; and
  • if the employee cannot perform an alternate job in its existing form, determine if they can perform an alternate job in a modified form.

MISCELLANEOUS

Feedback process: Comments on the accessibility of our employment are welcome and appreciated. Feedback can be made to our Accessibility Coordinator:

By email to:              accessibilitywpg@mltaikins.com

By telephone to:     (204) 957-4800

In writing to:

Accessibility Coordinator
30th floor 360 Main Street,
Winnipeg, MB, R3C 4G1

Accessible formats and communication supports are available on request. Persons who provide us with feedback can expect to hear back from us within 15 business days. The Accessibility Coordinator will document any resulting actions from feedback received.

Notice of Availability: MLT Aikins will notify the public that our documents related to accessible employment, including documents setting out our resulting actions, are available upon request by posting a notice on our firm website at mltaikins.com.

Questions about this Policy: This Policy exists to achieve employment accessibility excellence. If anyone has a question about this Policy, or if the purpose of this Policy is not understood, questions may be directed the Accessibility Coordinator. This Policy is available in alternate forms, upon request.