Employment Law Show: Ontario – S11 E29

Episode Summary

Why are employees put on a performance improvement plan? Employment Lawyer Alex Lucifero, a managing partner 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 on Mondays to Thursdays at 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. 

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Show Notes

• Policies regarding workplace relationships: The news of Mayor Tory’s resignation has called into question whether workplaces should have policies regarding dating. Dating in the workplace is not illegal and there is nothing inherently wrong with two consenting adults engaging in a relationship. There are problems if a relationship is between a superior and a subordinate. Imbalances of power in a workplace relationship can lead to conflicts of interest.
• Put on a performance improvement plan: Employers will lay out a framework in which an employee can improve their productivity. A performance plan will also outline the concerns an employer has with an employee’s work. The plan will detail instructions on what an employee should be doing to improve their performance and provide tools to enable improvement. Performance plans are typically used to build a case against an employee for a potential termination for cause.
• Placed on a layoff for the first time: Employees do not have to accept a temporary layoff by their employer and can choose to treat their employment as terminated. Employees who initially accept a temporary layoff could be giving their employer permission to implement another layoff in the future.

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