Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011
Another significant WSIB change is the draft Work Reintegration NEER policy. The new Work Reintegration NEER policy, which came into effect on December 1, 2010, subject to a consultation period until February 15, 2011, expands the window of retrospective rating of claims costs for those employers subject to NEER to…
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Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011
Interim changes to work reintegration policies under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act came into force recently. The new work reintegration policies formally integrate existing policies on early and safe return to work, re-employment and labour market re-entry.
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Tuesday, December 7th, 2010
In Ontario, the Employment Standards Act (ESA) requires employers to pay at least time and a half for all hours worked by an employee in excess of 44 per week. Employers who, for different reasons, fail to pay overtime pay have faced two types of claims by employees…
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Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
The holidays are right around the corner and this often translates into lots of company-sponsored events, parties and commitments. While these events bring joy and merriment to employees, they can also bring legal troubles for employers related to alcohol, harassment, violence and discrimination.
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Monday, November 1st, 2010
Manitoba recently informed employers that it would be updating its Workplace, Safety and Health Regulation to include specific protection against psychological harassment. The regulation already protects workers from workplace violence and harassment, but this update is intended to address “intimidation, bullying and humiliation” and other similar behaviours at work, from which workers previously had no explicit protection.
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Tuesday, October 26th, 2010
I recently received feedback from a reader stating “I checked with the Ministry of Labour and you don’t need two separate policies to meet your workplace violence and harassment obligations. Your information is wrong.” Always question information you read or are given, double check it, triple check it and then make up your own mind about how you are going to proceed. However, it does not make the information in itself wrong.
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Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
Although some readers believe that any kind of workplace violence is inappropriate, there was a consensus that acting within reason to protect yourself is okay—nobody should be expected to “stand there and take a beating”.
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Wednesday, September 8th, 2010
On September 2, 2010, the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services published the proposed Integrated Accessibility Regulation (IAR) under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) for public consultation by interested stakeholders. The IAR combines the information and communications, employment and transportation standards into a single, integrated regulation. The proposed compliance timelines are also listed.
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Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
The recent case of Friesen v. Fisher Bay Seafood and others is a great example of free speech v. discrimination, on how and when workplace rules cross the line…
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Friday, August 13th, 2010
I recently read in the news a classic case of unaddressed harassment claims that led to the worst form of workplace violence. This case may stem from the US but all the same principles and warnings apply in Canada as well. The case involves the death of nine people (including the suspected gunman) on Tuesday August 3, 2010, in a shooting rampage at a beer distributor in Connecticut.
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Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
Ontario Ministry of Labour health and safety inspectors discuss employers’ responsibilities around workplace violence and harassment…
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Friday, May 21st, 2010
There’s lots of talk in Ontario’s workplaces and online about workplace violence and harassment and the Bill 168 amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Hopefully by now the message is getting through, and employers are taking the steps to prepare for the June 15 deadline. (That’s about three weeks away!)
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Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
My colleagues and I recently made fun of the possible employment law issues that could come out of the implementation of full-body scanners as a form of screening device for airport security. But I never expected this, and so soon.
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Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
Employee fraud is on the rise, as organizations cut back on staff, and their internal controls slacken as a result. However, the monetary loss is just the beginning of the problem. A recent white paper from Grant Thornton LLP notes that, “Failure to crack down on this unethical—and indeed criminal—behaviour blurs the line between right and wrong. It creates a culture of entitlement that can extend across the business. And it can open the door to more significant corporate theft.”
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Friday, April 9th, 2010
Recent case law and new technologies have raised the prospect of employer liability for the statements of employees on sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
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