Returning to Work in British Columbia during Pandemic: Global BC

A Vancouver employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP joined Global BC to discuss employee rights and employer responsibilities when returning to work in British Columbia, Canada during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The lawyer spoke to Sonia Deol, host of Focus BC about employee rights when returning to work in B.C.

0:53 – What are people’s biggest concerns about returning to work during the COVID-19 outbreak?

1:03 – What are workers’ rights if they don’t feel safe returning to work in B.C.?

1:21 – Can I be forced to return to work if I don’t want to?

2:21 – If an employer does take extra precautions to create a safe workplace, but the employee still doesn’t want to return, could they lose their job?

3:29 – Should an employee raise their concerns about returning to work with their employer in person, over a phone call, or in writing?

4:51 – What should an employer do if they don’t have an HR department to help with a return to work policy during the coronavirus pandemic?

5:36 – One of my employees refuses to return to work. Can I fire them? Should I fire them?

7:16 – Could there be consequences for employees who try to take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic and the impact on businesses?

8:20 – What will happen in the BC employment landscape over the next few weeks? What will happen to the thousands of people still on temporary layoffs?

Learn more about your rights during the coronavirus pandemic through our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Knowledge Centre, where you can find resources about your employment rights during COVID-19.