Let’s say someone has applied for a job at your business, and the best way for you to assess their suitability for the job is not through reading their resume or conducting an interview, but by observing them while they actually do the job they have applied for.

So, you ask them to come in for one or two “trial shifts”, in lieu of an interview, to see if they’re a good fit.
Does this “trial period” count as work, and does the candidate need to be paid? Recent changes to the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”) say yes. It’s true what they say: nothing in life is free. Continue Reading No Free Trials: Ontario Employees Need to be Paid for Trial Periods