Administration
“Tweets Are My Own” – Except When Your Company’s Reputation Is On The Line
Employers can ask workers not to identify themselves as employees on personal social media accounts.
Employee Fiduciary Obligations
A 2013 decision of the Alberta Court of Appeal has confirmed that where an employer gives an employee the responsibility for handling the employer’s money, that employee has fiduciary obligations with respect to those funds. This means that where the employer makes reasonable attempts to calculate the amount of money that went missing, it is up to the employee to prove that the amount is less.
Dealing with Accident and Injury at the Workplace
This article describes requirements for reporting work-related injuries, diseases, accidents, and close calls to WorkSafeBC.
Averaging Agreements
Section 37 of the Employment Standards Act allows employees and employers to agree on work schedules that are irregular and that would otherwise attract overtime. As a tourism employer, you might find that averaging agreements provide a degree of flexibility and related cost savings.
Marijuana At Work: Six Things Employers Should Know
The Canadian government has legalized marijuana for non-medical use. The rapid and significant changes to the legal status of marijuana raise new questions and challenges for Canadian employers.
Discharging An Employee For Innocent Absenteeism
A 2012 decision by the British Columbia Court of Appeal held that an employer’s right to terminate an employee for undue absenteeism will be taken away if the decision to dismiss an employee is influenced, at least in part, by an intent to prevent an entitlement to severance pay. More generally, the Court held that a decision to dismiss an employee for undue absenteeism must not be based upon considerations other than past and projected absenteeism.
Addiction is Not a Blanket Excuse for Misconduct
There can be little doubt that dealing with employees suffering the disease of addiction is a challenge for human resources professionals. That challenge becomes greater when the employee raises the addiction as an excuse for engaging in misconduct.
Accommodating Employees’ “Family Status”: A Legal Imperative?
In the era of the "sandwich generation", many employees are balancing work with significant family obligations – caring for children, aging parents, or both. Many employers seeking to retain valued employees have been considering and implementing temporary or even permanent flexible work arrangements in an effort to assist employees in balancing their work and family responsibilities.
What is Workplace Harassment?
Workplace harassment is very high profile in the news right now, but do you know what it involves?
Supreme Court of Canada Sets Limits on Employer’s Duty to Accommodate
There is a limit to an employer’s duty to accommodate its disabled employees, the Supreme Court effectively confirmed in Hydro Québec v. Syndicat des employé-e-s de techniques professionnelles et de bureau d’Hydro-Québec, section locale 2000 (SCFP-FTQ), 2008 SCC 43.