Four Ways That an Employment Lawyer Can Help Your Business Navigate Through the Pandemic

Over the last century and a half, Canadian labour laws and protections have changed drastically. From reducing the work week by more than 10 hours to giving different new rights to both employers and employees, many are still unsure about the obligations and benefits of working and of running a business in Canada.

That’s where an employment lawyer can step in and explain the laws as well as keep track of company policies and so much more. Many companies now keep one of these attorneys on retainer to help them sort through the law and be in compliance.

The pandemic has also seen many shifts in the way business is conducted and employees are treated. Here are a few ways in which employment lawyers help Canadian businesses operate.

1. COVID-19 Policy Drafting and Enforcement

Both nationwide and per province, Canada has enacted many new employment rules pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these change on a monthly basis, depending upon the rise or lowering of cases and various laws that work their way through legislation.

A Toronto employment lawyer is well versed in all these changes and has access to the most updated policies. They can help not only draft specific rules regarding the pandemic for your business but also help you find the best strategy for enforcing these new rules.

2. New and Fair Employee Contracts

Economies all around the world are changing as well as household roles and even careers due to the pandemic and how it has shaped society and young minds. It may have changed the way you hire employees or even left you with an opportunity to hire new staff to continue running and growing your business. This could be a great time to create new and better employment contracts to attract the best talent available and the shifting wishes of a new generation of workers.

Lawyers can help draft these contracts in a legal and reliable way to alleviate any headaches attempting to figure it out for yourself. In the long run, good contracts can lead to higher retention of hardworking employees.

3. Settle Disputes

Disputes between an employee and employer will happen from time to time, but it doesn’t have to be so stressful if you have an experienced employment lawyer at your side. Employment lawyers handle workplace disputes often.

They can help settle disagreements, whether for unionized or non-union workers, including:

• Pay disputes
• Disputes about working hours
• Disputes about new or changing policies due to the pandemic
• Disputes over workplace safety concerns

4. Ongoing Advice

As discussed above, many companies choose to keep a lawyer at their side at all times. For a smaller ongoing fee, employment lawyers can be kept on retainer to be there to go to anytime an employer could need advice on legal employment matters. It’s better to seek advice from a professional in the business than to be in a bind later on from not knowing the right answer.