Articles.
Terminations, Settlements, and the Reference Letter
In the context of terminating an employment relationship, and the related negotiations over the terms of the employee’s departure, the topic of a reference letter is often of supreme importance to the departing in...
Workplace Relationships, Harassment, and Abuse
Employment lawyers commonly advise employers who are asking how to eliminate personal relationships between employees. That result is likely one which is unachievable, both legally and practically. But, at the present time, employe...
Get to Know B.C.’s Employment Standards Act
British Columbia’s Employment Standards Act is the baseline of all employers’ obligations (unless your business falls in the federal realm – more on that below) towards employees and is mandatory knowledge for new employers....
Getting Back to Basics With Employment Contracts
As time passes in the world of employment relationships, many aspects of the law seem to change. Governments change statutes and courts re-write the common law on almost a daily basis. One thing which remains constant is the value of a written emp...
Commission Pay Structures
Many employers choose to set up commission pay structures for the purpose of remunerating their employees. Paying by commission is a perfectly valid method of remuneration but, often, employers don’t adequately define the commission pay stru...
Employers Still Falling Into Independent Contractor Trap
Obtaining services through the use of independent contractors, despite being more and more popular, continues to be a risky business strategy. The costs of having a so-called independent contractor deemed, after the fact, to be an employee can be ...
Five Things Managers Need to Know
Employers commonly give department managers the authority to make employment-related decisions for their own staff. Even when a company has an in-house human resources expert, decisions with legal implications may be made at the department level....
The Pitfalls of "Purchasing" Employees
The sale of a business can have a substantial emotional and practical impact upon the employees. The related legal issues for purchaser and vendor, and for their lawyers, are no less significant. Legally, the employment impacts of the sa...
When it Comes to Covenants, Less is More
I’ve written many times on the topic of the unpredictable impact of covenants restricting employees’ post-employment activities. What is certain about such covenants is the value of adhering to the “less is more” rule. ...