Employment Law 101
This course will be especially beneficial to builders and other residential construction industry companies that do not have a formal Human Resource Department.
Whether you have one employee or hundreds, understanding the impact of the Employee Standards Act is key to mitigating risk, ensuring your company’s financial health, and the safe management of your employees, especially your onsite workers. Attendees will learn practical advice on how to create best practices regarding employment law in order to reduce potential liability and ensure proper compliance.
There will also be important discussion surrounding worker safety, and employer obligations and company policies when it comes to substance use by workers on the jobsite. Provincial statues such the Workers Compensation Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation have specified constraints on the impairment of workers, and the legalization of cannabis doesn’t change this requirement, but builders need to ensure they have and enforce policies and procedures to mitigate any potential risks caused by a worker under the influence.
Key learning objectives:
• Hiring – discrimination, BC Human Rights Code
• Contracts – essential elements, specific terms and termination
• Understanding obligations set in the Employment Standards Act
• Complying with Occupational Health and Safety Regulation guidelines surrounding worker protection and impairment, but navigating human rights considerations in reference to ‘duty to accommodate’
• Termination – with/without cause, methodologies, options, and specific exemptions in the construction industry
• Additional resources: WorkSafeBC’s Guide to Managing Workplace Impairment and Developing an Impairment Policy
Time will be dedicated to answering attendees’ questions, so bring any queries you have to the session.
Who should attend?
Builders or other designated employee in a residential construction organization who is responsible for human resource management, policies and worker safety. This is a basics course designed to highlight key employment law issues and considerations for worker safety policies for the building industry in a non-union workplace.
Speaker
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Matthew Potomak, Associate, Kuhn LLP
Matthew is an associate with Kuhn LLP, and was called to the British Columbia bar in 2018. Matthew’s practice focuses on a broad array of litigation matters ranging from employment issues to complex construction and commercial disputes.
Matthew is a passionate advocate for his clients. He has appeared before the British Columbia Court of Appeal, Supreme Court, Provincial Court, and various administrative tribunals. He has also represented clients in mediation and continues to develop his alternative dispute resolution practice.