A COVID-19 vaccination and testing policy can help keep your employees and customers/clients safe and your business open, along with workplace health and safety measures. A vaccination & testing policy has been shown to be effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and protecting vaccinated individuals from severe consequences of COVID-19. 

The purpose of the Health and Safety policies and procedures is to guide and direct all employees to work safely and prevent injury, to themselves and others. All employees are encouraged to participate in developing, implementing, and enforcing Health and Safety policies and procedures.

This policy is to outline the procedure for reporting accidents and incidents in accordance with OH&S, and all applicable laws and regulations. This policy provides information that will ensure effective investigations of work-related incidents and injuries which will promote the reduction or elimination of future incidents.

Working alone in certain circumstances, situations, or environments can be unsafe and requires special arrangements to minimize potential situations, hazards, and liability.  

The working alone policy defines working alone provisions, and processes/procedures that must be followed by an employee or designate.

An attendance policy is a set of rules drafted and documented to guide an organization on matters relating to work attendance. The policy helps to reduce employee absenteeism, increase employee productivity, and provide clear guidelines to employees on attendance requirements.

Classification - Outlines the different categories of employment that typically exist in a Company. It states the different types and statuses that an employee may acquire once they are hired by the company. This is rendered important for the administration of benefits and the application of policies as well as disciplinary procedures.

Overtime - explains how the Company will compensate employees for hours worked beyond their standard schedule. The Company will want to:

    • Ensure employees will be consistently and correctly compensated for the time they put into their job duties.

    • Minimize incidents of overtime abuse, loss of productivity, health and safety risks, and other issues.

This company overtime policy shall not contradict any legal guidelines. The Company is responsible for following relevant legislation when assigning or compensating overtime hours.

Every job regardless of position, division or location, should have an associated schedule regulating the days and hours of work.  Although these may vary significantly, adherence to these schedules is necessary in the interests of efficiency and productivity.

Existing or proposed schedules are designed to:

    • Meet provincial legislated requirements of the business region relating to hours of work/rest, overtime provisions, breaks, etc.

    • Coincide with the common standards of the business community in which the Company is operating.

    • Facilitate orderly and practical working schedules within the Company and to optimize the Company's resources.

This policy explains how the Company will compensate employees who either work or don’t work on a general holiday. The Company will want to:

    • Ensure employees will be consistently and correctly compensated for any time worked on a statutory or general holiday.

    • Explain how employees may be compensated if they do not work on a statutory or general holidays.

The Company’s General Holiday Pay policy shall not contradict any legal guidelines. The Company is responsible for following relevant legislation when assigning or compensating employees for general holidays.

The gift and gratuity policy defines how to handle gifts/gratuities that are gifted from a Company’s customer, vendor, supplier, potential employee, or potential vendor or supplier.

A vacation pay policy is a guideline defined by an employer that outlines and sets forth the requirements for requesting vacation, as well as the allotted days that are given to employees. Employers should clearly define vacation policies in a consistent manner and apply the same set of guidelines to each employee. 

An easy-to-comprehend, well-enforced vacation policy avoids confusion and helps employees comprehend what steps they must follow in order to effectively schedule their time off.

The purpose of disciplinary action is to correct undesirable work-related behavior. Each employee is expected to maintain standards of performance and conduct as outlined by the immediate supervisor and to comply with applicable policies, procedures and laws. Additionally, disciplinary action policy helps prevent issues from affecting your employees and company and can protect your Company from legal ramifications.

Alcohol and drug misuse poses a threat to the health and safety of your employees and to the security of the employer’s equipment and facilities. 

This policy provides clear guidelines to employees and managers on substance management in the workplace so that the employer may maintain a safe workplace where all employees are treated fairly and with respect.

This policy explains to employees how their personal data will be collected, processed, stored, and shared. These policies are essential for any company that requires the use and disclosure of an employee’s personal data for business purposes.

The purpose of the Leave of Absence policy is to help employees balance work, medical and family needs, and to comply with applicable provincial/federal employment legislation. 

A leave of absence policy helps employers manage various types of employee absences. It is a clear set of guidelines and details the various types of leaves that employees are entitled to and what the limits and requirements are. 

OHS sets out roles and responsibilities for workplaces with respect to workplace violence and harassment, including developing and implementing policies and program. Employers should or sometimes required by law (i.e. Alberta Employers), to prepare a policy with respect to workplace violence, and develop a program to implement the policy. Employers, supervisors and unions may also be required by law procedures to prevent and address harassment (i.e. Ontario Human Rights Code). 

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all property maintained by the employer is kept in the best possible working condition and to ensure proper use of such property. 

An outside employment policy establishes company guidelines relating to employees obtaining or engaging in outside employment which may interfere with their primary job responsibilities. 

The main goal for an outside employment policy is to set clear expectations that an employee's duties at your company should be their primary job and outside work activities should never interfere with job performance. Outside Employment Policies are created to protect your business. 

The purpose of an effective performance management policy and process is for employees to have a clear understanding of the work expected from them, to receive ongoing feedback regarding how they are performing relative to expectations, to distribute rewards accordingly, to identify development opportunities, and to address performance that does not meet expectations. 

A comprehensive performance management system empowers employees to have greater input to their personal career progression and will enable managers to better identify, recognize, and reward individuals based upon an agreed set of criteria.

The right to disconnect policy is proposed human right regarding the ability of employees to disconnect from work and to not engage in work-related electronic communications such as emails or messages during non-work hours unless the employee is on call, there is an emergency or incident has taken place. 

Training & Education is a crucial investment for employers as it allows their employees to continue to evolve with the business needs and demands. 

The training and education funding policy contains a clear set of guidelines and details on how to apply for training and education within an organization. 

The employer has a legal duty to accommodate an employee’s needs based on certain protected grounds and is well established in Canadian Human Rights law. One of the primary exceptions includes situations in which the accommodation would cause the employer undue hardship. Further detail can be found in the Duty to Accommodate Human Rights Guide found at https://albertahumanrights.ab.ca/publications/bulletins_sheets_booklets/bulletins/Pages/duty_to_accommodate.aspx 

From a business perspective employers benefit from having employees that are a part of professional associations where applicable. Paying employees professional association dues (or part of) is an investment in an engaged and loyal workforce. 

This policy outlines when professional membership dues are covered or not covered by the employer. 

By providing a smoke-free environment, employers protect themselves from liability charges related to exposure to an identified workplace hazard. Legislation in every province and territory requires employers to ensure that the workplace is safe.

This policy outlines the Company’s commitment to employee’s health and safety when in comes to smoking and the workplace.