Jury duty and leave of absence
Like it or not, as a Canadian citizen, you are expected to serve jury duty when summoned by your jurisdiction’s courthouse. And as an employer, some of your staff may be absent for that reason.
Signs Regarding No Smoking in the Workplace
Amidst all of the discussion surrounding cannabis in the workplace, many employers may have missed the obligation to post signs in the workplace relating to prohibitions on smoking and vaping. The Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017 requires that employers and proprietors…
Enforcing Employment Standards Act is not a constructive dismissal
It is not unusual to hear about workers that work through their lunch break in order to leave early and have a condensed work day, or to store up the extra time and be able to leave early on Friday, thereby creating a condensed work week. While this might sound good in theory, the problem is that it is a breach of employment standards legislation. And that exposes the employer to liability.
Bill 47, Making Ontario Open For Business Act, 2018
On October 23, 2018, the Ontario government introduced Bill 47, Making Ontario Open For Business Act, 2018, which repeals many provisions of the previous Liberal government’s Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017 (commonly known as Bill 148).
It’s Election Day – But It May Not Mean Extra Time Off From Work
Ontario employees who are eligible to vote are allowed 3 consecutive hours to do so without a reduction in pay. However, this may not mean extra time off - employers only have to make adjustments if an employee’s schedule today would not otherwise allow them the time to vote.
Personal Emergency Leave in Ontario
Prior to January 1st, 2018, employers with 50 or more employees were obligated to provide employees with ten unpaid “Personal Emergency” days. Bill 148 eliminated the 50 employee threshold, and introduced a new requirement that the first two days of the ten-day entitlement be paid.
The Greater Benefit Prevails: USW, Local 2020 and Bristol Machine Works Ltd. (Bristol Machine)
In Ontario, the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the “ESA”) governs an employee’s rights and entitlements across many areas of the employment relationship, from minimum wage to maximum hours of work and all the way to an employee’s entitlements to notice,…
Ontario Going Retro on Statutory Holiday Pay
As readers will know, the Government of Ontario introduced a plethora of changes to its workplace legislation in Bill 148. Rudner Law summarized the changes in this post and also prepared a more fulsome description in this downloaded e-book. One…
Is an employee on leave entitled to his or her pre-leave job when they return to work?
Employers are often challenged with return-to-work cases. It can be difficult for employers to balance their right to a productive workplace with a worker’s fundamental right to equality. So what happens when - during an employee’s leave - the temporary…
What’s in a Name? Exploring the Different Kinds of “Severance”
“Severance” is a word that is thrown around quite haphazardly by employees and employers alike. Have you ever heard someone refer to a package offered to a departing employee as a “severance package”? Or perhaps you know a friend or…
