Beyond all the moral and ethical reasons for promoting a diverse workforce, the business case for diversity is clear.
A decade ago, a McKinsey study of 366 companies in Canada, Latin America, the United Kingdom, and the United States found clear business advantages for diverse businesses.
According to the study, companies
Since the amendment of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”) in 2022, Ontario employers with 25 or more employees as of Jan 1 are legally required to implement a written “disconnecting from work” policy. On paper, it sounds like a big shift. In reality, these policies do little for an already flexible or metrics-driven workforce that has moved beyond the traditional Mon-Fri or 9-5 dynamic.
If your business already operates with a flexible, remote or asynchronous model, you might be wondering: Do we still need a formal disconnect policy? Continue Reading Your Workplace May Be Flexible, But Your Disconnecting Policy Obligations Are Not
Remember the online meme comparing “Let’s eat grandma!” with “Let’s eat, grandma!”? Well, here we have the legal version of it.
A judge in Nova Scotia recently invalidated part of an employment contract because it didn’t have a comma. Is that nitpicking, you ask?
Not really, it’s actually important. Here’s why.
The part of the contract in question was the termination clause. Basically, a termination clause dictates what an employee is entitled to when they’re terminated.
The case is named Brocklehurst v. Micco Companies Limited, 2025 NSSC 192.Continue Reading “Let’s Eat Grandma” – How Commas Can Ruin or Make Your Case (and What To Do About It!)
It’s 2025, and clients are using AI tools like ChatGPT in their legal matters. If you’re an HR professional or run a business, maybe you’ve seen a team member pull up ChatGPT to write a demand letter or question your workplace policies. Or maybe you’ve tried it yourself: “Can I fire someone for this?” or “Is this harassment under Ontario law?”
These tools aren’t going away. Just like WebMD changed how patients interact with doctors, ChatGPT is shifting the lawyer-client relationship. That can be a good thing, with the right boundaries.Continue Reading When Clients Use ChatGPT for Legal Advice
Hiring and terminating employees are two of the most critical decisions an employer can make. These moments define workplace culture, shape legal risk, and directly affect an organization’s reputation.
Unfortunately, they are also common sources of human rights complaints under the Ontario Human Rights Code. Whether due to a lack of awareness or rushed processes, employers often make avoidable mistakes that can lead to costly disputes. A proactive approach rooted in fairness and compliance can go a long way toward reducing liability.Continue Reading Avoiding Discrimination Claims: The Employer’s Guide to Compliant Hiring and Terminations
Happy Canada Day! As we celebrate everything that makes Canada both great and unique (personally as food lovers we’d like to mention poutine and butter tarts) we can’t help (because we’re lawyers) but reflect on what makes Canadian employment law so uniquely…Canadian.
Whether you’re running a business in Canada, or supporting HR for one, it helps to understand how our workplace laws differ from other countries, especially our neighbors to the south, and how new rules like updates to Ontario’s Employment Standards Act (“ESA”) effective July 1, 2025) continue to shape our employer obligations.
Let’s break it down.Continue Reading Oh Canada, Oh Compliance: What Employers Need to Know About Our Unique Canadian Workplace Laws
The AI revolution has begun
AI is changing how work is done, and people are taking notice.
According to a recent Gallup poll, 22% of employees in the U.S. are concerned that they will lose their jobs to generative AI. Four years ago, it was 15%.
Globally, AI is expected to transform the workforce by 2050. Experts estimate that up to 60% of current jobs will require significant adaptation due to AI, and Goldman Sachs predicts that up to 50% of jobs could be fully automated by 2045.Continue Reading How to Future-Proof Your Workforce for the AI Revolution
Termination clauses are a cornerstone of any employment agreement. A well-drafted termination clause can limit an employee’s entitlements on dismissal to the minimum standards under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA), helping avoid the higher costs of common law reasonable notice.
But here is the catch: even the most carefully written clause can fail. Ontario courts are strict about wording and employer conduct. Clauses that are short, clear, and directly reference the ESA tend to stand up over time. However, one misstep in how a termination clause, or the termination itself, is handled can unravel the entire clause. Continue Reading Ontario Termination Clauses: What Really Matters
The Ontario Superior Court recently reminded employers that employment agreements aren’t optional – they’re enforceable.
In Timmins v. Artisan Cells, 2025 CanLII 2387, the employer ignored its own termination provisions and tried to use severance as leverage for a release. It backfired big time.Continue Reading Don’t Use Severance as Leverage: Courts are Not Impressed
Remote work is here to stay, creating complexity when it’s time to end the relationship. If you’re thinking of ending a remote employee’s contract, you’ll need to check more than just their performance. Where they live, what’s in their contract, dealing with their equipment and how you deliver the news all matter.
