Further Guidance on Policy Requirements – Revisiting the Working for Workers Act, 2021

On December 2, 2021, Bill 27, Working for Workers Act, 2021, became law in Ontario, introducing numerous legislative changes to the Employment Standards Act (“ESA”) rules governing workplace conduct. A key change made by this legislation was the requirement for certain workplaces to have a disconnecting from work policy in place for all employees.

 

As part of the new rules, employers with at least 25 employees must create and implement a written policy on disconnecting from work by no later than June 2, 2022. A copy of the policy must also be provided to each employee within 30 days of the policy being prepared or updated, or to a new employee within 30 days of their start date.

 

In addition, employers should be aware that on February 28, 2022, the Ontario government introduced Bill 88, Working for Workers Act, 2022. If passed, Bill-88 will make further changes to various employment-related legislation, including a similar requirement that employers have an electronic monitoring policy in place.

 

If you have yet to introduce such policies or need help assessing whether existing policies meet these legislative requirements, please feel free to contact us.