Learn about pay equity obligations for Ontario employers under the Pay Equity Act, including equal pay for work of equal value, applicable exemptions, and consequences for non-compliance.
Continue Reading Equal Pay for Equal Work – Everything You Need to Know About Pay Equity in Your Workplace
Why you should update your employment contracts and why January is a good time to do so
Why Employment Contracts are Good
Our readers are probably sick of hearing us go on about employment contracts, but we will never stop recommending them!
An employment contract gives both employers and employees certainty about their entitlements both with respect to compensation and also on exit.
Whether terms are written down or not, employment relationships will be governed by various terms. In the absence of a contract, courts read in implied terms of employment from the common law. It’s better to get those terms written down so you actually know what they are and don’t have to wait for a judge to tell you!
Continue Reading Why you should update your employment contracts and why January is a good time to do so
Get our free Employment Contract Checklist
Are your Employment Contracts Up-to-Date for 2022? Not sure where to begin?
Get a copy of our FREE Employee Contract Checklist
The checklist outlines affordable DIY contract options for small employers:
- brainstorm what needs to be included in your contracts
- cross-reference with any contracts you may already have in place
- identify areas to add, remove and/or update
Vacation pay class actions a heads up for employers
Since 2019, there have been five proposed class actions against insurance companies and banks for failure to pay proper vacation pay to employees, both past and present. The total amount claimed in the aggregate of these five actions is around $1.2 billion. Royal Bank of Canada is a named party in three of the five actions; in one, it is facing a proposed $800-million class-action lawsuit involving thousands of advisors. Bank of Montreal and Allstate Insurance are also named in these class actions. A significant aspect of the allegations against these employers revolves around the calculation of their employees’ vacation pay. The issue is that for many of these employees, the majority of their compensation is and was made up of commissions and bonuses. Their vacation pay, however, was and continues to be based solely on their much lower base salaries.
Continue Reading Vacation pay class actions a heads up for employers
Termination Entitlements: Benefits, Bonuses and Commissions
Unfortunately, lots of terminations are coming across our desks these days. While most employers understand that they need to provide notice of termination, many employees have a variety of different types of compensation which may or may not continue during the notice period. As with many things in law, it depends!
Let’s go over some of the common aspects of executive termination packages.
A Primer on Notice
It all starts with notice! Unless an employee is being terminated for cause, they are entitled to notice of termination. “For cause” or “with cause” terminations are rare, so in most cases and absent egregious employee behaviour, employers will owe employees notice.
Continue Reading Termination Entitlements: Benefits, Bonuses and Commissions