A Guide for Employers during COVID-19
This Guide sets out the key employment law issues to consider, as well as the government’s financial relief options to explore to get through this deep economic crisis. (Last Updated June 3, 2020).
Further free resources can be found here.
Should you need legal advice on how to manage
As many of our readers and clients know, we have been cautioning that the legality of certain layoffs and job changes necessitated by COVID-19 is uncertain. Generally, layoffs are only legal if the employment contract gives the employer the right to layoff, and many other job changes, such as reductions in hours or pay, raise the risk of constructive dismissal. We anticipated that at some point the Ontario government may weigh in and change the law – on Friday they did.
Continue Reading Big Changes for COVID-19 Layoffs in Ontario: New O. Reg 228/20 Infectious Disease Emergency Leave Curtails Constructive Dismissal Claims
The provinces are opening back up and various guidance has been issued to employers regarding how to do so safely, but the virus still exists and it’s still contagious. Governments who have been encouraging people to stay home are now contemplating how to get people to go out when really conditions regarding the virus have not drastically changed. This juxtaposition will have an impact on workplaces.
Continue Reading Considerations for Employers as We Return to Work
How Can I Afford Legal Advice?
Many employers are facing rock hard choices right now: layoff on shaky legal ground or go bankrupt? Let some employees go, but how to afford termination pay? Offer more than ESA minimums to get a release or risk a claim down the road?
Since early March 2020, we’ve found
Unchartered Workplace Waters
For many entrepreneurs and small businesses, the impact of COVID-19 has resulted in unprecedented losses in a short period of time. It has been a time of incredible stress, uncertainty and countless questions about how you can stay afloat, best manage your team and, eventually, rebuild.
At SpringLaw, we have been navigating
I doubt there is anything more dry than reading a blog post about mandatory workplace government posters, but it’s a mandatory requirement that comes with fines and cranky inspectors if you don’t comply with the requirements. And I will try to make this a short post to minimize the pain.
New OHSA Requirement
As of
This week, Christine Thomlinson wrote a great blog post on the (potential) come-back of Tiger Woods. She draws a parallel between Tiger’s return to golf and employees returning to work after a difficult period in their life, whether criminal, personal, or otherwise. As she points out, there are a number of pro-active steps an