Ontario has taken the lead in terms of enhancing employer transparency in the workplace and ensuring that workers are able to disconnect from their work. Now that employers with 25 or more employees (as of January 1, 2022) must have a Disconnect From Work Policy, it’s time for employers to calendar more Covid-driven workplace requirements. This same employer group must have an Electronic Monitoring Policy prepared by October 11, 2022, and rolled out within 30 days, by November 10, 2022. These are both policies that employees are actually reading, so it’s worth the advance planning by employers. 

Bill 88, the Working for Workers Act 2022 became law in April and requires employers to be transparent about how they monitor their employees’ use of devices such as computers, cell phones and GPSs. 

Employee Handbooks are an integral part of Canadian workplaces. Whether you have 10 employees or 100+ employees, you want to make sure that your Employee Handbook is up to date and current with legislative requirements under the various employment statutes. 

Why are Employee Handbooks Important? 

Your Handbook should be an easy, go-to resource for any questions your employees have about policies, conduct, compensation, time off, discipline, and who to speak to about what. A well put together Handbook ensures your employees are confident and knowledgeable about their workplace and outlines not only what is expected of your employees but also what your employees can expect from you. 

COVID-19 rules continue to change quickly. In a previous blog, we indicated that the paid Infectious Disease Emergency Leave (IDEL) would come to an end on July 31, 2022, the deemed IDEL would end on July 30, 2022, and the voluntary IDEL would continue so long as the circumstances leading to an employee’s leave continue and COVID-19 is designated as an infectious disease. Though the end date of the deemed IDEL remains the same and the voluntary IDEL continues to have no set end date, the Ontario government has once again extended the paid IDEL to March 31, 2023. Specifically, on July 21, 2022, the Ontario government filed O. Reg. 464/22: Infectious Disease Emergency Leave, which amends O. Reg. 228/20: Infectious Disease Emergency Leave, by extending Ontario’s paid IDEL days until March 31, 2023.

We are excited to announce our 2 new lawyers, Matt Chapman and Evaleen Hellinga! They have each quickly become an invaluable part of our growing team.

Matt brings to the firm great experience litigating employee claims, advising on complex executive comp matters and helping employers through workplace law crises and legal proceedings from hire to fire. After practicing a wider range of commercial and employment law matters in the first few years of his legal career, Matt has zeroed in on his passion – helping parties navigate through workplace disputes. His exceptional people skills and EQ drive creative, practical and thoughtful workplace solutions. Prior to law, Matt worked at a tech startup and has great instincts on how to integrate tech and automation into his day-to-day files. He hails from beautiful Bayfield and, given the benefit of our fully virtual firm, Matt works for SpringLaw from Fergus, Ontario. Clients and counsel alike love working with Matt and his calm, organized and tenacious approach to client services. So glad you’ve joined the team, Matt!

Evaleen joins us after a serious boot camp at the TDSB, working on the various union and workplace issues which all amped up in the pandemic era (as every parent out there already knows!). She knows her way around collective agreements, union dynamics, human rights matters and workplace disputes generally.  Evaleen is a born writer and has a knack for reducing complex legal concepts to plain-English, practical solutions. Prior to law, as a student, Evaleen worked part-time at a management consulting company and honed her organizational, and project management skills. She will no doubt impact our automation and workflows, to keep driving the tech-forward approach to our legal services. Raised in Waterloo, Evaleen now lives in Toronto. You’re a great addition to the team, Evaleen!