How to Create a Safe Workplace: 3 Best Practices
I read a recent article about the importance of workplace violence prevention and the stiff penalties levied for failing to address worker safety. The article discussed a May 2014 incident at...
Do this when Constructively Dismissing an Employee
Organizations are constantly changing to remain competitive. Sometimes the need to make organizational changes requires an employer to constructively dismiss one or more of its employees. Last month, I wrote...
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act – What You Need to Know
Ensuring that your workplace is accessible to people with disabilities is not simply the ‘right thing to do’ – it is also the law. In 2005, the government of Ontario...
What you need to know about vacation
Summer is in full swing! For many, the warm weather and longer days serve as the perfect time to enjoy a well-deserved vacation. The Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the “ESA”) prescribes the minimum...
How to be Successful at an Employment Standards Inspection
Each year, the Ministry of Labour conducts proactive inspections of Ontario workplaces in order to increase compliance with the Employment Standards Act (the “ESA”). During these targeted inspections, an employment standards officer...
Have you been fired… without realizing it?
I often get questions from employees who wonder whether they are required to accept changes made to their job duties, work location or salary, with which they do not agree....
Are you in compliance with Public Holiday Pay?
Canada Day is finally upon us – the unofficial start to summer! Canada Day is one of the nine (9) public holidays in Ontario: most employees are entitled to the day off with...
Moonlighting: 4 Easy Tips to Avoid Conflicts
Working a secondary job (i.e. moonlighting) is not uncommon these days. Whether you moonlight to pursue a passion or to supplement your income, you should be careful that your new...
This Tribunal Decision Highlights a Commonly Overlooked Obligation
Ontario’s Human Rights Code (the “Code”) prohibits acts that discriminate against an employee based on various protected grounds. One of the most common Code complaints, as it relates to employment, is discrimination...
Human Rights: Why Lack of Compliance can be Disastrous!
Your organization’s failure to comply with human rights laws can be costly: both financially and in terms of reputation. Not convinced? Then consider Le Papillon on the Park, a popular Toronto...