Employment Law Show: Alberta & B.C. – S7 E09

Episode Summary

Should employees accept changes made to their job by their employers? Employment Lawyer Lior Samfiru, Partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP answers this question and more on the Employment Law Show.

LISTEN BELOW to Western Canada’s only radio show about your employment rights in the workplace, every Sunday at 4 p.m. PT on 980 CKNW in Vancouver, as the show takes calls from listeners and provides vital answers to employees and employers.

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Show Notes

• Placed on a layoff due to financial difficulties: Employers do not have the ability to place employees on a temporary layoff despite their financial circumstances. Employees can choose to treat the layoff as a termination of employment and do not have to wait a set period of time to pursue their rights. Employees that initially permit their employers to implement a temporary layoff may have given their employer permission to do so in the future.
• Accept changes made to employment: Employers cannot implement major changes to an employee’s job without their consent. A significant change can be a drastic pay cut, relocation, demotion, etc. Employees that wish to accept a change have given their employer to implement future changes. Employees can accept a change for a short period of time if there is written documentation to support
• Returning to the office: Employers are within their rights to request employees return to the office or workplace. Employees that refuse to return to the office after working remotely can be considered to have abandoned their position. Employees can and should speak to their employer if they have moved while working remotely and have concerns about their commute.
• Documenting all incidents at the workplace: Employees should document every element or incident that feels significant in writing. This can be a promise of promotion or raise. Employees experiencing harassment in the workplace should also ensure all incidents of bullying are documented. Documentation can simply be an email confirmation to the appropriate party.

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