Tag: Employment law

Lack of trust: How much evidence is enough?

by Louise Béchamp As a Québec employer recently learned, an alleged breach in the relationship of trust between employer and employee must be supported by objective evidence and facts if it is to form cause for termination of employment. In Senécal vs. CEGEP du Vieux Montréal, 2012 QCCS 1995, the employer was ordered to pay […]

Getting a handle on summer absenteeism

With summer in full swing, employers may find more than a few empty desks around the office. That’s not too much of a burden when employees plan in advance and schedule time for their vacations, but sometimes the beach beckons on short notice and employees may extend a weekend with a sick day or two. […]

Don’t be tardy to Nellie’s party!

Litigation Value: Nothing this week — unless the magician sues for emotional distress. Tonight’s “gently viewed” episode, “Welcome Party,” finds the gang dragooned by Robert California into performing favors for Robert’s newest crush, Nellie. Jim and Dwight are sent to help Nellie unpack her 30 boxes from London (and two trunks from Florida) into her […]

Mötley Crűe drummer rocked by employment lawsuit

by Boyd Byers I have a confession. In the 1980s, I rocked out to heavy metal music ― bands like Def Leppard, Guns N’ Roses, Judas Priest, and the Scorpions. But above them all was Mötley Crűe. Other bands talked the talk, but the Crűe ― proclaimed the world’s most notorious rock band ― walked […]

Human rights protection expanded to include gender identity

by Alix Herber Human rights legislation protects a wide range of individuals in Canada. It prohibits harassment and discrimination in employment on obvious grounds such as age, ethnic origin, gender, and disability. It also prohibits harassment and discrimination in many provinces on less obvious grounds, such as record of offenses and sexual orientation. And that […]

Handling time off: PTO vs. traditional plans

It’s summer and employers are deep into the peak vacation season — a time when they may be wondering if they’re handling time off in the best way. The paid time off (PTO) system has gained popularity in recent years although a 2010 survey by WorldatWork, a group focusing on human resources issues, found that […]

Employee Class Actions May Become More Common in Canada

By Brian P. Smeenk Class actions in Canada for unpaid overtime or other employment claims have met with mixed results in the past. Now the rules of the class action game – at least in the employment context – may be a little clearer. On June 26 the Ontario Court of Appeal issued its decisions […]

Employers Take Note: Canadian Immigration Process Changing

By Isabelle Dongier Winds of change keep blowing on Canadian immigration lands. The federal government has recently taken several steps to rationalize and centralize its operations. Here are the latest changes, announced in May and June, of interest to companies employing foreign workers in Canada: Restructuring of the visa office network: This includes the closure […]

5 Things I Miss About You

With summer and the season of reruns upon us, I thought it was time to look back and reflect upon all the things I miss about Michael Scott. It’s hard to believe he has been off the show for so long. Here are the top 5 things I miss about Michael. 1. The fact he will go […]

Older worker at desk

Linking performance problems to age is a dangerous practice

Employers may be experiencing the nagging dread of age discrimination more frequently these days. Simultaneous to the surge of baby boomers reaching retirement age comes the decision by many to delay their exit from the workforce, setting up a perfect legal storm centered on age discrimination. Employees who saw their retirement nest eggs dwindle during […]