Your office may have already received a letter from the Ministry of Labour that states it is proactively inspecting professional offices on April 1, 2015. The Ministry inspector will be looking for any contraventions of the Employment Standards Act, 2000, also known as the ESA. This inspection is not necessarily the result of any of your employees lodging a complaint, it is part of the Ontario government’s commitment to protect all workers and is part of the economic plan for Ontario to help businesses to protect workers and help businesses to stay competitive.
If you have an Employee Policies Manual in place as well as Employment Agreement that reference the Employment Standards Act, 2000, then you are most likely already compliant. It is also recommended to have Employment Agreements (contracts) prepared by a lawyer so you don’t have any surprises later. Employment law in Ontario and across Canada, are designed to protect employees. It is mandatory for employers to know the minimum standards that are set for workplaces in Ontario and to be in compliance with the ESA.
You also must post a free poster from the Ministry of Labour called “What You Should Know About the Employment Standards Act.” At DOCS, we recommend that you post it on your Health and Safety information board. the poster may be downloaded for free at the Ministry of Labour website www.ontario.ca/employmentstandards. If you would like a copy of the poster, you may also send an email to sandie@dentalofficeconsulting.com with the subject line MOL ESA poster, and I will be happy to send it to you.
If you require further information, feel free to contact us.
