Anita Balakrishnan
People make their way through downtown as COVID-19 restrictions continue, Thursday, January 21, 2021 in Montreal. Hosting a pizza party with co-workers, showing up to work with stomach bug symptoms, and going to work while awaiting a COVID-19 test result: These are just a few of the workplace dramas that have ended up before the courts as COVID-19 changes how bosses discipline employees. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz January 26, 2021 - 11:08 AM
One year ago, hosting a pizza party with co-workers or showing up to work with stomach bug symptoms were unthinkable in terms of fireable offences.
But legal suits based on such incidents are now before the courts as COVID-19 upends the way managers enforce health mandates and discipline employees.
The list of fireable offences has grown thanks to COVID-19 - Canada News
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“If someone gets a DUI, and the DUI doesn’t have any connection to the employment, that might not be grounds for discipline,” says McLellan. “If it’s just something that an employer merely disapproved of ― you smoke and your employer doesn’t like smokers ― well, what you do on your own time is sort of your business in that case.”
Some employers have built screening for risky behaviour into their workplace policies with things like COVID-19 symptom questionnaires that ask about travel. But whether or not your workplace has a policy that explicitly prohibits international travel or breaking public health guidelines, your boss can still take action on your risky behaviour under the right circumstances, says Sandra Guarascio, a lawyer at Roper Greyell who practises in British Columbia.
The list of fireable offences has grown thanks to COVID-19
by Anita Balakrishnan, The Canadian Press
Posted Jan 26, 2021 1:49 pm EDT
Last Updated Jan 26, 2021 at 1:58 pm EDT
One year ago, hosting a pizza party with co-workers or showing up to work with stomach bug symptoms were unthinkable in terms of fireable offences.
But legal suits based on such incidents are now before the courts as COVID-19 upends the way managers enforce health mandates and discipline employees.
Like politicians and other high profile individuals who have recently been caught travelling in defiance of regional health orders, rank and file employees
are now facing career consequences for risky behaviour that would otherwise go unnoticed.