Beyond “9 to 5”: Understanding Ontario’s overtime rules
Aside from some “tweaks”, not much has changed when it comes to the Ontario’s overtime rules in many years. Why then do I see so much employer non-compliance?
Overtime threshold
Applying overtime rules in Ontario can sometimes be complicated
Ontario's Employment Standards Act provides that in most circumstance, an employee who works more than 44 hours in a given week shall be paid at least one and one-half times his or her regular rate of pay for overtime hours worked. However, this simple rule can become complicated and lead to lawsuits, as several employers have found out recently due to their failure to pay statutory overtime.
Overtime rules can trap the unwary employer
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...
