Banking of Overtime – Know The Laws Of Your Province
All but 3 jurisdictions allow employees to trade overtime for extra paid time off. Like overtime averaging, overtime banking is subject to specific requirements under employment standards laws. While you don’t […]
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Revenge Porn – Know The Laws Of Your Province
Most provinces have either adopted or soon will adopt revenge porn legislation Posting intimate images of a person without their consent, typically referred to as revenge porn because it often occurs […]
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Succession Planning & Leadership Transition Policy
Change in leadership is an unavoidable fact of life for all organizations. The key to ensuring a smooth transition with minimal disruption to business operations and values is to establish […]
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How to Create a Mental Disability Accommodations Policy
Accommodating employee mental health issues is even more crucial in a pandemic world In any given week, at least 500,000 Canadians are unable to work due to mental health problems. And […]
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Mental Health & Mental Illness Accommodations Policy
ABC Company is committed to ensuring the health, safety and well-being of all of its employees. ABC Company also recognizes that mental health is a crucial factor in employees’ overall […]
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What Constitutes a “Disability” – Know the Laws of Your Province
Requirements governing respirator selection, use, maintenance and inspection across Canada You must take measures to prevent workers from breathing in harmful mists, vapours, fumes, gases, dusts and other airborne contaminants. The […]
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Month In Review – British Columbia
Download the British Columbia Month In Review. These monthly snapshots will provide you with up-to-date information to develop your business strategy by giving expert advice on what actions should be taken […]
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Harassed Worker Gets Workers Comp for Major Depressive Disorder, not PTSD
All agreed that a mechanical foreman was entitled to workers comp benefits for the mental disorders he developed as a result of being continually bullied and harassed at work. The […]
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OK to Fire Librarian for Loaning Sexually Explicit Novels to High School Students
A few years after being suspended for 5 days for engaging in an inappropriate Facebook Messenger conversation with a vulnerable female student, a teacher librarian was terminated for lending out […]
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Hotel Employees Laid Off Due to COVID-19 File Class Action Lawsuit
Beware of class action lawsuits by employees laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic. This case was filed by hourly rate hotel employees who claim they were constructively dismissed and thus […]
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Employers Claim Early Edge in Litigation Battle Over Mandatory Vaccination
Union legal challenges to mandatory vaccination policies have failed in 3 of 4 cases. Are mandatory vaccination policies legally enforceable? Since the vaccination rollout began, human rights commissions across Canada have […]
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Minimum Vacation Entitlements – Know The Laws of Your Province
Quebec and Saskatchewan’s vacation entitlements are the most generous; the Maritime Provinces are the least generous *** In the Canadian workplace, vacations aren’t just a source of leisure but employment income. That’s […]
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The 11 Biggest HR Compliance Cases of 2021 & Their Impact on You
The court cases most likely to directly affect your HR program and policies. While new legislation always gets the lion’s share of attention, many (if not most) of the most impactful […]
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Questions and Answers About Mandatory Paid Sick Leave in B.C
On 24 November 2021, the B.C. Government announced that the province will become the first in Canada to require that every employer give their employees five paid sick days per […]
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How to Create an Employee Right to Disconnect Policy
Giving employees the right to disconnect will soon be mandatory in Ontario. Achieving a balance between life and work is getting harder all the time. With labour in short supply, employees […]
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Employee Right to Disconnect Policy
New Ontario laws ban engaging with employees after normal working hours. A new kind of employment standard law is coming into vogue, one that gives employees the right to be free […]
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Five Paid Sick Days Coming to B.C. Jan. 1
Paid sick leave will be standard for workers in British Columbia beginning Jan. 1, 2022, with a minimum of five paid sick days each year. B.C. becomes the first province in […]
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Avoid Payment Errors When Adjusting to Minimum Wage Hikes
The payroll challenges of incorporating changes to minimum wage rates. As they do every fall, minimum wage increases took effect in many provinces in October. Adjusting for these increases can create […]
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OK to Discipline School Custodian for Bullying His Supervisors
In a bit of a role reversal, a maintenance employee was suspended 1 days and ordered to take an anger management course as a result of bullying and harassing his […]
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Wrongfully Terminated Employee Wins $100,000 in Lost Opportunity Damages
Four months into her articling (i.e., legal internship) term, a law student was fired for alleged plagiarism and disclosing confidential law firm information. The court concluded that neither charge was […]
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Top Court Upholds Constitutionality of Manitoba Public Employee Wage Cap Law
To control public sector wages, Manitoba adopted a 2017 law called The Public Services Sustainability Act, capping wage increases to a specified annual amount over a 4-year period. The unions […]
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Fired Quebecer Can Sue for National Origin Discrimination
Did a heavy equipment operator’s French Canadian roots factor into the decision to fire him? The BC Human Rights Commission found that there was enough evidence to allow the case […]
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Use of He/She Pronouns with Transgender Co-Worker Costs Employer $30K
A bar manager used he/she pronouns, along with gendered nicknames like “sweetheart” and “honey” to refer to a non-binary, gender fluid, transgender co-worker on their first day of work. They […]
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Do OHS Laws Protect Workers Who Work from Home? – Ask The Expert
In most jurisdictions, the answer is YES. QUESTION Do the OHS laws require us to take measures to protect workers who do their job from home or a remote location? If so, […]
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Telecommuting & Remote Work Policy Template
Establish clear ground rules when letting employees work from home. Letting employees work remotely from home offers organizations significant benefits, like lower overhead, equipment and other costs, the capacity to utilize […]
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Jury Duty Leave Policy Template
You must give employees unpaid leave for jury duty. Canadian citizens have a civic duty to attend court, participate in jury selection and serve as jurors if they’re selected to do […]
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Jury Duty Leave Rights: Know The Laws Of Your Province
Jury duty leave is required in every jurisdiction but leave is paid only in Newfoundland. Employees called to jury service during scheduled work time are allowed to take unpaid leave for […]
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Worker’s Mental Stress Caused by Employment Decisions, Not Harassment
A school carpenter claimed that bullying and harassment by his supervisor aggravated his preexisting Generalized Anxiety Disorder. But the BC workers comp tribunal denied him benefits, finding that while the […]
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