Tough employment conditions lead to crackdown on foreign employees.
By Daryl-Lynn Carlson A
simple slip of the tongue can be all it takes for busi- ness travellers to be refused entry into the United States, sometimes even if the slip
comes off someone else's tongue. Take for example a case involving a
Canadian employee of Kruger Products Ltd. The employee had entered the U.S. on business and his wife was to meet him there. When she passed through the border station she said her husband was "working" in the U.S. Months later the same employee tried to enter the U.S. on another business trip and was
refused entry. "The impact can be devastating,"
says Alex Teijeira, director of human resources and legal counsel for Kruger in Canada. "Can you imagine your value as an employee if you're not able to do your functions properly and travel freely?" At first, Teijeira was unaware of the
particular employee's business travels. However, he intervened and was able to clear the way for the employee's future business trips. Now there is an estab- lished dialogue with management and throughout the company to emphasize the need to furnish employees who travel
INHOUSE DECEMBER 2009/JANUARY 2010 • 31