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What is the difference between an offer letter and an employment contract? An offer letter is a short congratulatory note extending a job offer, while an employment contract is a long written agreement setting out the terms and conditions of employment.  Both an offer letter and an employment contract are legal documents, discussed below.  The …

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If you are a small business without an employment lawyer on retainer, it can be daunting to know what you need to include in your employment contracts. Of course, you likely know the basic terms to include in your employment contracts like Pay, Start Date, Benefits and Vacation, etc. However, you may be unfamiliar with …

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It is March 2022. Every single covid restriction in Ontario will be lifted very soon. And with that, many employers have recalled some of their employees back to the office.  Is this legal? Can an employer make an employee go back to the office?  It largely depends on what the employment contract says. However, obviously, …

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Employment restrictive covenants are terms and conditions of employment (usually inserted in an employment contract) that restrict employees when they leave the employer. By way of example, a non-compete clause is a restrictive covenant that purports to prohibit employees from competing with their ex-employer for a set period after they resign or are terminated.  Restrictive …

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In Ontario (and Canada), employment contracts as a concept are enforceable. However, not every employment contract is enforceable.  Employment contracts, as in written agreements setting out the terms and conditions of employment are perfectly allowed, valid and enforceable on their own.  In Canada, we follow the principle of Freedom To Contract. Indeed, Canadian courts will …

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1. Decide whether you want to hire a worker in Canada or someone else located internationally The world is your oyster. With remote hiring, you can hire someone from anywhere in the world, and there are many benefits for doing so. With the internet’s tools, you have unlimited access to diverse individuals with specialized skills. For instance, …

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Once your business has interviewed and selected a suitable candidate, the next steps are offer and acceptance of a job offer for that candidate. For the purposes of this article, I will call this step “onboarding”.  However, please note, this article will only discuss the technical, legal aspects of onboarding an employee (i.e., offer and …

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There are no legal requirements for declining a job offer*. Rather, the only requirements for declining a job offer are courtesy and professionalism.  Below, I will discuss what to know and how to decline a job offer and I will also provide an example/template/sample letter declining a job offer. Why You Should Decline A Job Offer …

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Congratulations. You were just offered a new job. You have been provided with an offer letter/email and maybe even a new employment contract to sign.  What to do next? How do you accept that new job offer?  The Short Summary Legally, all you have to do to accept a job offer is communicate in some way your …

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Severance for contract employees varies greatly depending on a number of circumstances. If a contract worker is an independent contractor, then they do not get any severance. If a contract worker is a dependent contractor, they do get severance (common law severance or some other formula if there is a termination clause). If a contract …

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