Employment Law Show: Ontario – S11 E12

Episode Summary

How should employees deal with workplace harassment and bullying? Employment Lawyer Lior Samfiru, co-managing Partner and national practice leader at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, answers this question 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, Sundays at 1 p.m. ET, on Newstalk 1010 in Toronto, as the hosts take calls from listeners and provide vital answers to employees and employers.

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Show Notes

• Placed on a layoff due to the pandemic: Many employers placed employees on a layoff as a result of the pandemic. Generally, employers did not have the right to do this without their employee’s consent. Employees placed on a layoff can treat the layoff as a termination of employment and pursue their severance rights. Employees do not have to accept a layoff or have to wait a certain amount of time to pursue severance pay.
• Employer harassing and abusing employees: All employees are entitled to a safe and harassment-free work environment. Employees that are facing bullying and harassment should file a complaint internally if possible as their first step, and ensure all incidents are documented in writing. Employers that fail to investigate complaints of harassment and resolve the issue could face legal consequences.
• Signing an employment agreement: Employees should always seek legal advice from an employment lawyer before signing an employment contract. Employment agreements typically seek to protect the rights of an employer and could compromise an employee’s entitlements.
• Termination of employment while pregnant: Employers cannot penalize or terminate employees as a result of pregnancy or taking maternity leave. Employers that terminate employees as a result of leave could face additional human rights damages.

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