JUNE 2021 |
53
An Employer’s
OBLIGATION To Employee Wellness HAPPY EMPLOYEES, HAPPY CUSTOMERS by: Erin King Most people understand what is expected of them at work. Show up on time, complete your tasks, treat your colleagues with respect, take your allotted breaks, and clock out when you are done. Employers have handbooks and training sessions that clearly outline what they require from their employees, but what about flipping the script and outlining what employees can expect from them? What exactly is an employer's obligation to its employees, on a deeper level? What should be expected, especially after all the recent changes to a standard workplace environment over this pandemic. Given the long history, from Ontario Factories Act of 1884, Ontario’s first statute to regulate hours of work, to the most recent changes to the ESA in 2014 and 2015, what does it look like now? What will it look like five or ten years
from now? With the work/life balance substantially skewed, adding pressures like caring for our children while working, or worse, employers not attracting people to work for them. This is the time for employers to redefine what commitment to wellness in the workforce they will uphold, beyond the standard ESA expectations. Knowing that most employees, regardless of position, will be walking that work/life tightrope, what considerations should be deployed by all employers? There are some existing basic guidelines that outline an employer's obligations: Be aware of new information as it emerges and support employees in following all protocols. Increase deep cleaning procedures and make sanitizing products available to everyone.
home whenever possible. Promote social distancing in the office. Avoid having unnecessary visitors in the workplace. Guarantee a sick leave policy that encourages people to report illness and comfortably take time off when sick. Beyond the bare minimum, what additional measures should companies be reviewing to create an atmosphere of wellness? According to Murray State University Study in Spring 2018 by Jeremy Nelson: “Workplace wellness programs can be cost effective and beneficial to many if implemented properly. Research has been conducted on costs, benefits, barriers, to participation with insight on how programs are beneficial. However, if not properly
Empower employees to work from REVEAL NIAGARA BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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