Guelph HR Consulting For Employment Law In Ontario
If you’re a small business trying to understand the complexities of employment law in Ontario, you’ve come to the right place! HR Factor, a local HR consulting firm, can help guide you through the various employment laws that apply to your business. We translate critical elements of employment law into policies that support your business and your employees. We understand that it can be confusing and that it’s not your area of expertise, but it is ours. To get you started on the right path, we’ve highlighted 3 areas of provincial law in Ontario that are non-negotiables.
Employment Standards Act
The Employment Standards Act in Ontario is a law that has established minimum employer obligations and employee rights. Issues like rates of pay, hours worked, overtime, vacations, public holidays, leaves of absence and more. The ESA sets a baseline of how you need to run your company when it comes to compensation for your employees. For example, in Ontario, you must pay your workers a minimum of $14/hour.
Here are a few examples of other introductory employment laws you should be aware of:
The maximum probationary period for a new hire is 3 months;
Vacation time must be either paid out or built up through each paycheque, equivalent to 4% of the gross wages (excluding any vacation pay);
When an employer ends the employment of an employee, they must provide written notice of termination, termination pay or a combination. For more information about termination employment, follow this link ;
Ontario has nine public holidays. Your employees are entitled to take these days off work and be paid public holiday pay. If your workers do end up working on a Civic holiday, it would be time and a half pay. For a full list of the civic holidays, follow this link;
However, there are exemptions to these requirements. For example, some employees are not entitled to overtime pay and/or termination pay. For more information about these exemptions, follow this link to the Ontario website.
Ontario Human Rights Code
The Ontario Human Rights Code was enacted to provide equity to workers and prohibit discrimination on a multitude of areas, including gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, family status, place of origin, disability, and more. You’ll often see statements such as “Company X is an equal opportunity employer” or “Company X welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities” made by companies when hiring. Both new and old businesses are required to give equal rights and opportunities to all employees. HR Factor can educate you on the OHRC and ensure that you have the right measures in place to support your workforce.
Occupational Health and Safety Act
The Occupational Health and Safety Act sets out the rights and duties of all parties in the workplace, as well as the procedures for dealing with, workplace hazards and enforcement. For example, businesses that work with certain types of chemicals will have their employees complete WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information Systems) training before starting their job.
There are still other laws that small businesses need to follow on both the federal and provincial level. Not to mention the slight changes between each province’s laws (which can make things even more confusing). If you’re looking for an HR consultant for employment law in Guelph, HR Factor can help! We also provide other services on an on-demand basis such as:
Attracting, selecting and retaining the right talent
Progressive conflict management
Compensation and Total Reward Strategy
Disability Claim Management
And much more.