Employment Law Show: Ontario – S10 E64

Episode Summary

Can your employer change your schedule? When should you call an employment lawyer? Employment Lawyer Lior Samfiru, co-managing Partner and national practice leader at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, answers those questions and more on the Employment Law Show. 

LISTEN BELOW to Ontario’s premiere radio show about employment law and workplace rights featuring the province’s leading employment lawyers. You can hear the show live, Mondays to Thursdays, on 640 Toronto and 980 CFPL in London at 6:30 p.m. ET, as the hosts take calls from listeners and provide vital answers to employees and employers. 

Listen to the Episode

Show Notes

• Reduced shifts in a month and potential layoff: Employers do not have the right to fundamentally change the terms of an employee’s job without their permission or consent. Employers have to conduct themselves in a manner that upholds their end of the employment relationship by ensuring all equipment functions properly and employees are able to do their jobs. A failure to do so by an employer can lead to constructive dismissal.
• Doctor’s note prescribing employee must work remotely: Employers have a legal obligation to accommodate employees that have a medical condition and the support of their doctor for certain restrictions. Employers cannot ignore an accommodation request or penalize an employee for modified work duties as it is considered a human rights violation.
• Work from home indefinitely directive by an employer: While many employers have shifted to a hybrid work model in the aftermath of the pandemic, some prefer to have a permanent model of either in-person work or purely remote work. Employees who worked from home during the pandemic and who have been recalled to work are obligated to return. Alternatively, employers cannot change the terms of employment for an employee if they worked at the office and force them to work from home.
  
• When to call an employment lawyer: There are varying situations in which an employee is unaware of their rights or might need additional legal help. It is vital for employees who have been terminated recently to pursue their severance pay, as well as if they have been placed on a temporary layoff.
• Forced to sign a new employment contract that implements changes: Employees should seek legal advice before signing any employment agreement or contract. Often contracts contain terminology that seeks to limit the rights of an employee and protect the interests of the employer.

Need an employment lawyer?

• Pocket Employment Lawyer: Before you call a lawyer, use the Pocket Employment Lawyer to find out if you might have a case. 
• Severance Pay Calculator: Discover how much severance pay you should get when you lose your job. Used successfully by nearly 2-million Canadians. 
• Watch our TV Shows: Get further clarity on your rights by watching episodes of our popular TV show.