policies

[Mina Rabbanian]

#99837

Forum: Community

Good morning,

We are a manufacturing company with 300 employees.
I would like to inquire about the list of mandatory workplace policies required in Ontario.

Specifically, I would appreciate clarification on the following:

Which policies are considered “must-have” under Ontario legislation
The reason each policy is required (e.g., compliance, employee protection, workplace standards)
The applicable legislation or bill number associated with each requirement

This information will help ensure that our organization remains fully compliant with current provincial regulations.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Best regards,

[Haley O’Halloran]

#99838

For a manufacturing company in Ontario with approximately 300 employees, there are several workplace policies that are legally required under provincial legislation. These requirements primarily stem from the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA), the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and more recent amendments introduced through the Working for Workers Acts. Ensuring that these policies are in place—and properly implemented—will help your organization remain compliant while also supporting employee safety, well-being, and fair treatment.

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers with six or more workers are required to have a written Occupational Health and Safety Policy. This policy must be posted in the workplace and reviewed at least annually. Its purpose is to outline the employer’s commitment to maintaining a safe work environment and to serve as the foundation for the organization’s overall health and safety program. In addition, the OHSA requires both a Workplace Violence Policy and a Workplace Harassment Policy. These requirements were introduced through legislative amendments (Bills 168 and 132) and are intended to protect workers from physical and psychological harm. Each must be supported by a corresponding program that includes procedures for reporting, investigating, and responding to incidents, and both must be reviewed annually.

Because your organization employs more than 25 workers, additional policies are required under the Employment Standards Act as amended by the Working for Workers legislation. You must have a written Disconnecting from Work Policy (introduced through Bill 27), which outlines expectations regarding after-hours communication and supports employee work-life balance. You are also required to have an Electronic Monitoring Policy (introduced through Bill 88), which informs employees about whether and how their activities are being monitored, such as through GPS tracking or computer usage systems. These policies are primarily intended to increase transparency and protect employee privacy and well-being.

As an employer with more than 50 employees, you are also subject to requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. This includes maintaining written accessibility policies and developing a multi-year accessibility plan. These measures are designed to identify, remove, and prevent barriers for individuals with disabilities and ensure equal access to employment opportunities and workplace services. The AODA also requires documented employment practices related to accommodation, return-to-work processes, and accessible recruitment.

In addition to formal policies, there are several program-level requirements that, while not always labeled as “policies” in legislation, must still be documented and are typically treated as such in practice. For example, the OHSA requires employers to implement and maintain a health and safety program that supports the overarching policy. This includes elements such as hazard identification, worker training, workplace inspections, and incident reporting procedures. Furthermore, because your workforce exceeds 20 employees, you are required to establish and maintain a Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC). While the Act does not explicitly require a written “policy” for the committee, it does require defined roles, procedures, and regular meetings, all of which are typically documented.

It is also important to note that while the Employment Standards Act sets out minimum standards for wages, hours of work, overtime, and other employment conditions, it does not always require these to be formalized into written policies. However, many organizations choose to document these standards internally to ensure consistency, clarity, and legal defensibility.

You can find many compliant policies on HRInsider and OHSInsider, as well as training videos from ILTSafetyNow. If you require anything that you cannot find on one of our sites, feel free to contact our team and request it! We try to reach all requests as soon as we can.

-HRInsider Staff

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