What the Law Requires Maintaining a workplace free of violence and harassment is not only vital to retaining good quality employees, but it is also a strict legal requirement. The Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) requires every employer, regardless of size, to develop, implement, maintain and enforce a workplace violence and harassment program and policy and to review...
Over the past decade, the topic of mental health has grown significantly—and social media can take much of the credit. The opportunity for people to connect across all corners of the globe, after all, has certainly helped spread awareness. Just a few weeks ago, the ninth annual Bell Let’s Talk national campaign came to a...
Mental Health in the Workplace With one in five Canadians living with mental illness, it’s no surprise that workplaces play an essential role in an employee’s overall mental health. Whether a staff member is excelling at new opportunities assigned to them or overwhelmed by their workload, these experiences can make a positive or negative impact...
What is Bill 132? Bill 132, the Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act, addresses sexual violence, sexual harassment, and domestic violence as each relate to the workplace. Specifically, the Act significantly changes the duties and obligations of provincially regulated employers. These amendments are found under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA). And although in full...
Workplace Health and Safety: Your Responsibility, as the Employer As an employer in Ontario, it is a legal requirement to comply with occupational health and safety laws. Specifically, the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) establishes the obligations of employers when it comes to workplace health and safety and this is enforced by the Ontario Ministry of...
How Does Workplace Wellness Impact My Business? Before I start, let’s make it clear that I’m sure your business doesn’t have a toxic work culture. Rather, the point of this article is to identify signs of a toxic workplace and explain how you’d fix it. After all, workplace wellness is a critical part of an...
Occupational Health and Safety Act Requirement Employers have many obligations under the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act (the “OHSA” or the “Act”). There is one essential component of the Act that creates confusion among small business owners. It is the requirement that a health and safety representative must be appointed in workplaces where the number of workers “regularly...
Employee Stress: Understanding the Symptoms of Leavism When it comes to sickness at work, most employers are familiar with absenteeism and presenteeism. The first is when your employees don’t come into work because they’re sick. The second is when they come into work despite being sick. But there’s a third kind of phenomenon that stems from employee...
Making Ontario Workplaces Accessible Improving accessibility for persons with disabilities is part of the government’s plans to make Ontario more accessible by the year 2025. Being accessible means recognizing both visible and non-visible disabilities, such as visual impairments or deafness, or learning and mental health. It means making accessibility changes that allow people with disabilities...
Sick Leave Management 101 Managing sick leave or other personal leaves of absence in the workplace is important for the growth of your business and for maintaining a strong organizational culture. As an employer, it is important to understand what rights your employees have and how to find a balance for a sick leave policy that fits with your...
