Alex Lucifero on Zoom terminations and employee rights

Interview Summary

The head of a digital marketing company recently made the news for terminating hundreds of employees on a pre-recording Zoom call. While the occurrence took place in the United States, Canadian employees have also raised concerns over the manner in which they can be terminated. What are employers obligated to do when terminating employees? Are there repercussions for terminating employees insensitively?

Alex Lucifero, an Ottawa employment lawyer and Managing Partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP spoke with Matt Skube on CTV News Ottawa to discuss the story and employee rights.

Interview Notes

Can employers in Canada legally terminate employees online or virtually?

Laws are a bit different in Canada in regards to employment rights however, there is no law that bans an employer from terminating employees online or in a group setting. Professionally and ethically speaking, this is not common practice for employers as a degree of confidentiality and privacy should be implemented when terminating employees. It is advisable for employers to terminate employees individually and respectfully.

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• Severance for Zoom employees
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Do employees have any rights/abilities to pursue damages if they are terminated online by former employers?

In some cases, employers who have mistreated employees in circumstances of termination, have been punished by courts. Employees who were treated harshly by their employer upon termination or mischaracterized have been awarded additional compensation other than basic severance pay. The possibility of further damages should be a deterrent to employers who terminate employees without a certain degree of consideration.