Can employers protect business contacts acquired by employees’ use of social media?
Consider this: you have encouraged your employee to use online social media during work time to build professional contacts to grow your business. The employee goes ahead and invests time during the workday visiting sites like Linkedin, Twitter and Facebook. This strategy proves to be positive; the contacts have been part of the business growth you have experienced. Then, your employee wants to leave the company and move on to another job. Can you, as the employer, ask for the contact information the employee accumulated during his or her employment?
Christina Catenacci, BA, LLB, LLM, PhD
Slaw: Welcoming Reservists back home – and back to work
Now and in the coming months, members of the Canadian Forces will be returning from military service in Afghanistan in significant numbers. Many of them, Reservists, will be returning to civilian work. We all owe these soldiers a debt of gratitude for their service. Employers specifically owe them a number of legal obligations, under Employment/Labour Standards legislation in various jurisdictions.
Marie-Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B. Managing Editor
2 minutes read
July 7, 2011 
Motions for judgment in wrongful dismissal − the Court of Appeal’s latest statement
One of the difficulties faced by plaintiffs’ counsel in wrongful dismissal litigation is the length of time it can require to get a case to trial and obtain monetary compensation for the dismissed employee. Obviously, a plaintiff without a job is sensitive to the costs and delay which may result. This issue can often be addresses by way of a Motion for Summary Judgment.
Earl Altman
I’m getting the sniffles… it’s another case of the World Cup Flu!
‘Tis the season of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. This time, it’s women who are going to be playing, beginning this Sunday June 26 and ending July 17, in Germany. It may not be as popular as the men’s World Cup, but it is a busy and important year for women’s football/soccer! Will the rate of employee absenteeism be as high as when the men’s World Cup took place? Maybe not; but still, what can employers do to manage a sudden outbreak of “World Cup flu” cases in their workplace?
Christina Catenacci, BA, LLB, LLM, PhD
Service animals and people with disabilities – AODA best practices
In Ontario there is a regulation called the Accessibility Standard for Customer Service. One of the requirements of this regulation is that persons with disabilities are allowed to enter your organization’s public premises with a service animal. A person should be able to remain with the animal unless otherwise excluded by law. If the animal is…
Suzanne Cohen Share
4 minutes read
June 22, 2011
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) – Learn the latest
Employers in Ontario must be aware of the changes that are happening and the requirements that will be placed on them in the very near future under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act …
Christina Catenacci, BA, LLB, LLM, PhD
2 minutes read
June 8, 2011
Undue hardship – myth or reality? Learn the latest!
Every employer has experience accommodating employees due to their religion, family needs, health or disability. Accommodation is a necessary practice to manage a workplace today, and it’s the law in Canada, enshrined in the Canadian Human Rights Act and various provincial statutes. But every case of accommodation is different, and interpretations of the law vary.
Adam Gorley
What do employers do when employees provide too much notice of resignation?
An oft-overlooked issue is the amount of notice that employees must give their employer when they leave. According to…
Rudner Law, Employment / HR Law & Mediation
3 minutes read
June 2, 2011
Sweeping changes at the WSIB – Learn the latest
There have been some sweeping changes at the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) this year. Are you ready for the new return-to-work and New Experimental Experience Rating (NEER) policies? And do you know about the soon-to-be effective Bill 160? Come join us at the annual Employment Law Conference to Learn the latest.
Christina Catenacci, BA, LLB, LLM, PhD
3 minutes read
June 1, 2011 