Email etiquette: What Ontario can learn from France

Email etiquette: What Ontario can learn from France

The capacity to send and receive email on smart phone devices and laptops has fundamentally altered the working lives of many. The notion of the ‘9 to 5’ job has, in many industries, become a thing of the past. Our use of email has profoundly altered how and when we work: it has blurred the distinction between work and home lives; it has altered our view of what is appropriate communication and our expectation of how quickly people should respond. In many ways, it has simultaneously increased the volume of workplace communications and dramatically accelerated the pace at which it occurs.

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Employment Rights for Federally-Regulated Employees

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Employment Rights for Federally-Regulated Employees

The authority to make laws in Canada is split between the federal and provincial governments. Generally speaking, the employment relationship of most Ontario workers is subject to provincial laws such as the Employment Standards Act. A limited number of Ontario employees, however, work in industries over which the federal government has jurisdiction, and consequently sets the law. The federal equivalent of the Employment Standards Act is the Canada Labour Code. Federal jurisdiction applies to many Ontario workers employed in the following industries:

 

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    Managing toxic employees: human and financial workplace costs

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    Managing toxic employees: human and financial workplace costs

    A workplace is a team environment. It functions best when the atmosphere is positive. One of the biggest concerns for employers, in Ontario and elsewhere, is how to address and manage the presence of a “toxic employee” in the workplace.

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    Ontario Court Orders Employer to Pay $50,000 in Punitive Damages

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    Ontario Court Orders Employer to Pay $50,000 in Punitive Damages

    In the recent decision of Morison v Ergo-Industrial Seating Systems Inc. the Ontario Superior Court of Justice made an award of $50,000.00 in punitive damages against the defendant employer. This decision is an important reminder to all Ontario employers of the type of conduct which may attract punitive damages.

    Employee Misconduct and Online Anonymity

    Employee Misconduct and Online Anonymity

    With the internet playing an ever larger role in our lives (and our work), it is no surprise that there has been a corresponding increase in online employee misconduct. In this realm, one of the most frustrating situations for employers relates to anonymous postings that offend company policy. These occur in a variety of ways: from nameless comments on online message boards disparaging the workplace to videos uploaded to sites like YouTube as a form of workplace or co-worker harassment.

    Surviving Your Performance Improvement Plan

    Surviving Your Performance Improvement Plan

    A Performance Improvement Plan (or “PIP” for short) is a non-disciplinary tool that some Ontario employers use when they have identified concerns with an employee’s performance. A PIP can be a legitimate means by which to help a struggling worker identify weaknesses in the performance of their duties and return to success. 

    Recent Ministry of Labour Blitz Finds $140,000 Owing to Unpaid Interns

    In our article last month, we discussed the growing attention being paid to the issue of unpaid internships in Ontario. Since then the Ontario Ministry of Labour has released the results of a second workplace blitz designed to assess whether employers in the province are in compliance with the requirements of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 ("ESA").

    The first heavily publicized blitz on unpaid internships was carried out in the summer of 2014. At that time, the Ministry investigated 56 different employers. Of those, 13 were found to be improperly using unpaid internships. It was found that the individuals in question were employees and entitled that the normal protections that workers receive. In total, the Ministry ordered that $48,000 was owed in unpaid wages, vacation pay and/or public holiday pay.

    The Unpaid Internship: Exploitation or Opportunity?

    The use of unpaid internships by some employers has become increasingly common over the past decade. Unlike employees, interns do not receive the same legal protections, nor do they receive a salary, vacation pay or overtime pay. An intern's only compensation is opportunity and experience. 

    The use of unpaid interns has come under increased media and political scrutiny. Fuelled by horror stories of young interns collapsing under extreme workplace pressures, the issue reached the political agenda. In the summer of 2014, the Ontario Ministry of Labour carried out a highly publicized workplace inspection blitz to determine if intern rights were being respected.

    Contact Vey Willetts LLP

    If you, as an individual or small business, are interested in discussing your legal needs, call us at 800-296-7989 or fill out our online form.