• What to do during Ministry investigation
• Tough penalties that can be imposed
• How to make the most of changes to the Act with regards to hours of work and overtime
• The new need for written agreements
• New rules for holidays and vacations, pregnancy and parental leave, terminations, layoffs, and closures
• How to administer emergency leave, how it fits with existing policies, and how to detect and deter abuse

Agenda

Introduction to the Employment Standards Act

• How the government has positioned the Act
• What is a reprisal
• Anti-reprisal restriction and who it protects
• Ministry of Labour’s power to reinstate and when
• Tougher penalties
• What to do when the MOL investigates you

Hours of Work and Overtime

• 60-hour workweek: does it actually exist and h ow does it work
• Demise of the permit system and rise of written agreements: how it affects your workplace
• Do the new rules lead to more flexible scheduling
• Longer hours: is employee consent necessary
• How to make the most of the changes
• Why all employers need to know the new rules

Holidays and Vacations

• Who qualifies for public holidays
• Formula for calculating vacation pay
• Working on public holidays
• Vacation scheduling: does the employer still decide
• When can employees take vacation one day at a time
• Vacation pay: when is it paid and how is it calculated
• Can employees forego their vacation

Pregnancy and Parental Leave

• One-year leave provision
• How changes to Employment Insurance affect your workplace
• The employee’s right to reinstatement: is it absolute
• Employer’s rights

Emergency Leave

• Emergency leave and who is entitled to it
• Defining an “emergency”
• Employee’s responsibilities
• How to detect and deter abuse
• Harmonizing emergency leave with existing policies
• Impact on attendance policies and other workplace practices

Terminations, Layoffs, and Closures

• Notice of termination and severance pay: when to pay and how much
• When does a reduction in hours become a layoff
• When does a temporary layoff become permanent
• Can you lay off salaried employees
• How recall rights affect termination and severance pay
• How to time closures to reduce costs

The Union Challenge

• What unions tell employees about the Act
• How unions use the Act to assist them in organizing campaigns
• How to use the Act as an opportunity to reduce your vulnerability to unionization

Book an In-House or Remote Program

For further information on our training, please call your lawyer at the Firm. If you are not a current client, please contact: