Starting a new job and employee rights: Employment Lawyer on CTV News

Interview Summary

Employees starting a job in the new year are often worried or unsure of their rights.

Important employment laws are often overlooked or not obvious to those beginning a new job.

What rights and entitlements should employees be aware of as they enter the workforce? Are employers obligated to inform employees on their rights?

Alex Lucifero, an Ottawa employment lawyer and Managing Partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, joined CTV News Ottawa to answer these questions and more.

Interview Notes

• A formal written employment contract: No employment law dictates that non-unionized workers must receive a formal written contract at the start of a new position. Formal agreements benefit employers and often contain terms that can limit the rights and entitlements of an employee. Staff benefit from simple documentation.
• Negotiating the terms of a contract: Employees should consult an employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP before signing a new employment contract. In some situations employees can negotiate the terms of a contract, however that is not always the case.
• Probation periods aren’t automatic: Probation periods at the start of a new job must be agreed upon in a contract. They aren’t automatic. Non-unionized workers who didn’t agree to a probationary period, and are fired shortly after becoming employed, would be owed severance pay.