HUMAN RESOURCES UPDATE

New Appointments

Congratulations to the following
successful candidates in their
competitions:

Edvin Mazariegos, accounting
assistant — non-base funded (RFT),
Financial Services

Janice Capoeman, secretary (RFT),
Music department

Frequently asked questions

Often, the Human Resources office
receives inquiries regarding meal breaks
and rest periods. The following is a
summary of information that can be
found in the collective agreement. The
time of a meal break and the duration
(30 or 60 minutes) will vary, depending
upon the individual employee and the
department schedule. Often,
departments require coverage and
employee breaks need to be coordinated
with other department coworkers;
employees can clarify appropriate times
for breaks with their supervisor.

¢ Meal breaks (article 13.07):

employees are entitled to a minimum of
a 30-minute meal break. If you are
officially asked by your supervisor to
work during your meal break, the
employee shall be paid applicable
overtime rates.

¢ Rest period(s) (article 13.08):

employees who work greater than four
hours but less than seven may take one
15 minute rest period. Employees who
work seven hours may take two 15
minute rest periods. Normally, a rest
period may not be within one hour of
the commencement or end of daily
hours, lunch break or another rest
period.

The College feels that it is very
important for employees to take their
meal breaks as it contributes to
employee wellness on and off the job.
Employees should therefore not agree
to any schedule that requires them to
miss these breaks nor should a
supervisor approve any request that
would require employees to regularly
go without these breaks.

Human Resources wellness
library

We are happy to see an increase in the
use of our HR wellness library! Our
small, but growing, library of books,
magazines and tapes include topics
such as health, financial management,
humour, legal issues and personal or
career growth. Come and peruse the
listings. Books are available for sign
out. Newly acquired: Ageless Body
Timeless Mind, Deepak Chopra;

Personal Finance for Dummies, Eric
Tyson & Tony Martin; A 3™ Serving
of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Jack
Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen;
First Things First, Stephen R. Covey;

8 Weeks to Optimum Health,
Andrew Weil, M.D.

Testing tip — increase your
perception tests scores

Perception tests are administered to
assess your skill in locating details in
words and differences quickly. This
test is a six minute timed test. The
content of the test includes words
and numbers where candidates are
required to recognize likenesses and
differences rapidly. To increase your
score you will need to brush up on
your proofing skills and be able to
pick out small differences in words
and numbers quickly. You can build
this skill by having a friend write
four items across a page with only
two of them matching exactly. The
words can vary in spelling,
punctuation, number, or coding
symbols.

Submitted by Corry Balabuck

NorQuest SARAW system used in court case

‘ee December, an educational

assistant from NorQuest College in
Edmonton was subpoenaed to appear in
an Edmonton courtroom, along with the
SARAW (Speech Assisted Reading and

Writing) computer generated voice
system. The assistant and the system
were used to help a disabled witness in a
case. The individual, who does not have
recognizable speech, used the system to
testify in court. The defence lawyer
moved to have the witness’s statement
thrown out because “it was no more

reliable than an electronic statement.”
An insightful judge, who indicated that
the witness was capable and articulate,
overruled the motion. In the end, the
defence lawyer donated a closed circuit
printer enlarger to the College.

The SARAW program was
developed through a collaborative
effort by Capilano College and the Neil
Squire Foundation. SARAW received
the Association for Canadian
Community Colleges’ Award of
Excellence in Literacy in 1992, and the

Governor General’s Flight for Freedom
Award in 1996. The generosity of
many organizations, most notably
Digital Equipment of Canada Ltd., has
enabled the distribution of more than
200 SARAW computer systems to
colleges and community groups across
Canada. Instructors Pat Hodgson and
Don Bentley began the development
of SARAW in 1990. The literacy
program received funding last year for
a French version lab at Capilano
College.

@nformer