Articles.
Resignation and Dismissal – Similar But Not The Same
It is a frequent occurrence in my practice that disputes arise over whether an employee has resigned from employment or has been dismissed. “You quit! No, you fired me!” is the employment equivale...
Seasonal Parties and Alcohol Impairment – A Risky Mix
It’s been a while since I wrote on the topic of the heightened risk of injuries resulting from alcohol consumption at work-related events. ‘Tis the season, and so I’m back to spoil the party, aga...
Revisiting Mandatory Vaccination Policies
“We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control...
Controlling Controlled Substances in the Workplace
In May of this year, our federal government passed an exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to permit adults in B.C. to legally possess – for personal use - small amounts of certain control...
Working From Home – Avoiding the “Family Status” Discrimination Trap
Last time, I wrote about policy and procedure issues arising from the pandemic-driven “working from home” employment scenario. I thought I would take the topic a little further and let you in on a development about which I’ve rec...
Working From Home - The New Reality
Like it or not, employees working remotely - from home - is now a “thing”. The COVID-19 pandemic had many impacts on the business world but perhaps the most enduring will be employees’ desire to ...
Paid Sick Leave in B.C. – The Seasonal Impact
“Is this Smithson guy obsessed with the new ESA paid sick leave rules? Maybe he should find a hobby or take up yoga!” I hear you, and I promise this will be my last bulletin on this topic… for a while, anyway. ...
Paid Sick Leave in B.C. Gets Even Weirder
In a recent article, I addressed the inherent weirdness of the B.C. government’s new paid sick leave rules (a 2021 addition to our Employment Standards Act, where they are referred to as “illness or...