Ontario unveils hours of work and overtime tool

Tool to help employers comply with Employment Standards Act

The Ontario Ministry of Labour has rolled out a new tool to help employers understand and comply with rules about hours of work and overtime under the Employment Standards Act (ESA).

The hours of work and overtime tool is designed to help employers confirm and comply with specific rules concerning employee hours of work. The tool can help determine compliance for a range of standards such as daily rest, overtime, averaging and rest between shifts.

“It’s the most comprehensive online tool we’ve developed to date,” said Minister of Labour Linda Jeffrey. “By allowing employers to confirm compliance and employees to understand their entitlements, it will mean less confrontation and fewer claims.”

The tool features tutorials and calculators on topics including overtime and time off in lieu, daily rest and rest between shifts.

It serves as an introduction and link to the online forms required for requesting excess hours and overtime averaging, according to the ministry.

The ministry has five other online tools to help employers and employees understand and comply with the ESA, including a severance tool, a termination tool and a public holiday calculator.

“These online tools will help employers to more effectively understand and comply with Employment Standards legislation,” said Ian Howcroft, vice-president of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Ontario. “They will also help small and medium sized employers by providing important management information in a clear and concise format. Compliance tools and assistance such as these are critical to helping reduce the regulatory burden on employers, making them more agile and competitive in the process.”

The tool is available at: http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/tools/hours/index.php.



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