The latest trend in lawsuits: sue your Employer

If you’ve been listening to Talk Radio in the GTA this year, then you’ve heard the ads by lawyers encouraging employees to see them if they have an issue with their employer. These ads have contributed to a large bump in litigation against Employers.

So, what can you do to protect yourself from this type of litigation?

1. Ensure all employees have an employment contract that limits the amount of Notice they are entitled to upon termination without cause to the minimum under the Employment Standards Act;

2. Have formal harassment policies in place and follow the procedures in the policies;

3. Conduct annual workplace violence audits as well as have and apply workplace violence issues.

4. If you have Long Term Disability coverage available to your employees and an employee is off for a period of time, ensure you remind the employee of the availability of the Long Term Disability coverage.

While you can never protect yourself 100% from being sued, you can at least, reduce the monetary exposure to your business if you are sued.

Inga B. Andriessen JD