New laws in Ontario will affect employees’ work-life balance

Key takeaways:

• The state government of Ontario has passed new legislation to help individuals unplug from work and achieve a better work-life balance.
• According to McNaughton, the new rules would protect employees’ rights and help the province attract top talent and investments.

The Ontario government has passed new legislation to assist people in disconnecting from the workplace and achieving a better work-life balance.

On Tuesday, the government announced the passage of the “Working for Workers Act,” which requires businesses with 25 or more employees in Ontario to have a written policy in place on employees’ rights when it comes to disconnecting from their workplaces at the end of the day.

According to the government, these workplace standards might include email response time expectations and encouraging employees to turn on out-of-office notices when they aren’t working.

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Around January 1 and March 1 of each year, an employer must guarantee that it has a documented policy in place for all employees about disconnecting from work, according to the statute.

“We are determined to rebalance the scales and put workers in control of Ontario’s economic growth while recruiting the greatest people to our beautiful province,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, in a statement released Tuesday.

Non-compete provisions, which hinder workers from seeking other job options and earning greater compensation, are also prohibited by the statute.

As per the government, Ontario is the first province in Canada to prohibit non-compete agreements in the workplace and one of the first in North America.

According to McNaughton, the new rules would protect employees’ rights and help the province attract top talent and investments.

The law also eliminates “unfair” work experience restrictions for foreign-trained immigrants seeking employment in their fields.

To combat labor trafficking, it also establishes an obligatory licensing framework for temporary aid agencies and recruiters.

“This bill is another step toward rebuilding a better province and consolidating Ontario’s position as a worldwide leader, setting an example for others to follow, as the safest place in the world to live, work, and raise a family,” McNaughton said.

While the act has not yet obtained royal assent, a government official informed CTV News Toronto that it is expected later this week.

The government has not yet confirmed when each law under the Working For Workers Act would take effect, although it has stated that there will be an initial grace period for firms.

Source: Global News

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