As previously discussed, legislative amendments in Ontario have introduced a first-in-Canada requirement for employers to prepare “disconnecting from work” policies for their employees. Pursuant to the amendments, employers with 25 or more employees must have a written policy in place with respect to disconnecting from work by June 2, 2022. The legislative amendments were described in our previous blog post.
Although the legislation provides that the content of a disconnecting from work policy may be prescribed by regulation, no regulations have been announced and we understand that none are expected to be published prior to the June deadline. The Ministry of Labour has updated the Guide to the Employment Standards Act, which provides some direction on what such a policy should include. Stay tuned for our summary of these guidelines.
In order to assist our clients with these new legislative requirements, we are preparing a template form of policy which we will make available shortly. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions.
