Ontario schools set to open in the fall – are parents and employers ready?

With the announcement that schools will open in Ontario full time in September, parents are raising concerns for their children’s safety as well as job security. What rights do they have to refuse to return to work? What should their employers accommodate?

Ottawa employment lawyer and partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, Alex Lucifero, joins Leslie Roberts on Ottawa at Work to answer these questions and more.

What They Discussed

• As working from home has functioned well until now, can an employee simply ask to continue to do so? Employers have the right to dictate terms of employment, like asking employees to return to work.
• What advice should parents heed in this situation? Communication with your employer about your concerns is vital.
• What happens if an employee’s child gets sick, does anything change? An employer will be obligated to allow their employee to stay at home and care for their child – an employee is protected based on family status.
•  If the childcare facilitator an employee has hired gets sick, can they ask for accommodation from their employer? For the short term, an employer should be flexible; long term accommodation becomes more of an issue.
• Can an employee who lives with an elderly relative, concerned for their health and safety, raise concerns with their employer? Unfortunately, there is no specific protection to allow an employee to care for a loved one that is not a child.