Today I'm appearing on CBC Radio's Ontario Today (tune in after 12:30 pm to listen to me) to discuss the topic of "crappy summer jobs". I thought that I would collect a few resources that young workers and their parents can use to navigate the world of work. I'm going to highlight five main areas: how to find a job, occupational health and safety, employment standards, human rights, and tips to protect yourself.
How To Find a Job?
If you're a young worker who needs a job for the summer your first stop should be a youth employment centre. First Work offers a list of youth employment centres in Ontario and even has a searchable map. Beyond going into a youth employment centre, a tried and true method is searching online - websites like Jobbank, Eluta, Monster, Wowjobs, and Workopolis contain thousands of postings across the province. Another good technique for finding work is networking with family, friends, and people you know in your community.
Occupational Health and Safety
Far too many young workers are injured or killed on the job every year in Ontario. Ensuring that you're safe at work is critical. Whether it be working with chemicals, around heavy machinery, or dangerous tools - you need to be aware of the environment that you're working in. The critical piece of law in this area is the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The Ministry of Labour offers a number of online resources about staying safe at work. Check out this tip sheet, these podcasts, and these health and safety tools. If you get injured at work then you should realize that you may be entitled to compensation under the Workplace Safety Insurance Act via the Workplace Safety Insurance Board ("WSIB"). The WSIB has a section of their website devoted to educating young workers about staying safe on the job.
If you need help with a health and safety related issue, these numbers are key: Ministry of Labour - 1-877-202-0008, WSIB - 1-800-387-0750, Office of the Worker Advisor - 1-855-659-7744.
Employment Standards
Every year tens of thousands of young workers in Ontario are the victims of employee misclassification, wage theft, and illegal deductions. For the most part the Ministry of Labour refuses to proactively enforce employment standards when it comes to young workers, so it's incumbent on you to understand your rights in the workplace. The Employment Standards Act, 2000 ("the ESA") contains protections in the areas of minimum wages, hours of work, overtime, and days of rest.
The Ministry of Labour's website contains some information about employment standards - there's a good workbook covering the main parts of the ESA, and FAQ for young workers, and tools for calculating wages, overtime, and vacation pay. If you need help with an employment standards related issue the best number to call is the Ministry of Labour at: 1-800-531-5551.
Human Rights
No one should tolerate discrimination or harassment in the workplace. Sadly, young workers are frequent targets for illegal abuse in Ontario's labour market. The key piece of law in defending your human rights is Ontario's Human Rights Code. This law outlines the obligations that employers have in creating an environment that respects employees human rights. The Ontario Human Rights Commissions lacks specific resources for young workers, but has published a summary about resolving human rights issues in the workplace, an overview of how the Code applies to employment, and an introduction to human rights in Ontario.
If you need help on a human rights related matter here are some organizations to contact: the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario - 1-866-598-0322, the Human Rights Legal Support Centre - 1-866-625-5179, and the Ontario Human Rights Commission - 1-800-387-9080.
Tips For Protecting Yourself
There's no exhaustive list about how to protect yourself in the workplace, but I've come up with a top five list of sorts. In no particular order here's my list. (1) If you're having a problem in the workplace talk it out with a friend, a parent, a teacher, or someone you trust. (2) Keep track of all the hours you work. (3) Keep copies of your employment contract, emails with your boss, and any other documentation you receive. (4) Trust you gut. If something seems wrong, then it probably is. (5) Make sure you're being paid the minimum wage. For the vast majority of workers it's $10.25. Unless you're cover under an exemption you should be paid it.
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