Ministry of Labour: Employment Standards Officers - what they are looking for...

Proactive Inspections

Employment Standards (ES) officers visit businesses across Ontario ‘proactively’, even if no complaint has been filed by an employee. These officers will help you correct areas where your business is not complying with the Act. In most cases, a review of the following 10 standards takes place, which apply to most, but not all, workplaces in Ontario.

• ESA poster
• Wage statements
• Deductions from wages
• Record keeping
• Hours of work
• Eating periods
• Overtime pay
• Minimum wage
• Public holidays
• Vacation with pay

Officers usually provide advance notice of an intended visit. They will review your records and speak to you and your employees. If there are issues of non-compliance they will discuss these with you and, depending on the nature of the violation, they may provide an opportunity to correct them.ES Officers may also issue orders to pay, tickets or lay charges; courts may impose fines.

For more information:  www.hrnc.ca