The Ford government says more worker protections are on the way that could see employees stressing less about their email when they are not working.
Labour Minister Monte McNaughton says he will introduce a ‘right to disconnect’ bill. It would require Ontario companies with 25 employees or more to develop policies around disconnecting from work, thereby prioritizing mental health and family time. The policies could include, for example, expectations around response time for emails and encouraging employees to turn on out-of-office notifications when they aren’t working.
The government says the proposed legislation, called the ‘Working for Workers Act’, will also prohibit employers from using non-compete agreements. These types of contracts often restrict employees from taking new jobs with another business in the same field after they leave the company.
In a release McNaughton’s office called non-compete clauses an “unfair restriction” and said removing them would help the province attract more global talent.
Other worker protections announced earlier this month will be included in the legislation including removing barriers for internationally trained workers and mandating washroom access for delivery drivers.
If the legislation is passed, Ontario will be the first province in Canada to ban non-compete clauses and mandate policies that disconnect employees from work responsibilities outside work hours.
