NEW POSTER UNDER THE EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS ACT, 2000: "WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW"
By Natasha Danson
Are you an employer in Ontario? If so, some recent changes under Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) may affect you.
Since May 1, 2015, employers have been required put up the latest version of the ESA poster entitled “What You Need to Know.” The poster outlines information about employees’ rights. It addresses hours of work, overtime pay, and vacation, among other topics.
The poster is available for free online. The copy you display should be in English, and should be located in at least one conspicuous place where it’s likely to come to the attention of employees.
Where the majority language of the workplace is not English, and where the Ministry of Labour has a translated version of the poster in that language, that version must be posted alongside the English one. The Ministry has translated posters in 12 languages, including French, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), and Hindi.
Employers who fail to put up the latest version of the ESA poster may be subject to enforcement action by employment standards officers.
As of May 20, 2015, employers were also required to provide copies of the latest ESA poster to their employees before June 19, 2015. Any new employees must be given a copy of the poster within 30 days of starting.
Employers may provide the poster as a printed copy or as an email attachment. They can also provide the poster through a link on an Internet database, but only if employees have access to the database and know how to use computers.
Further information about the ESA poster and employers’ obligations generally can be found on the Ontario Ministry of Labour’s website. Check out www.labour.gov.on.ca to learn more.