I’m sure there will be a cutout for “critical infrastructure” that includes IT, so they can continue working network and server guys like rented mules.
These cutouts can be made to keep everyone happy. Say, in Switzerland for every hour you worked outside business hours, you get an hour of paid time off. Two hours if you work in the night or on a weekend.
I have a standing policy in every team I run: if you have to work outside of hours, double the amount of time that you worked and round up to the nearest day. Take that many days off as soon as is practical.
The traditional “flex time” is nothing more than a zero-interest temporal loan, encouraging endless borrowing from the back of Sometime After Never.
I deliberately impose a stiff interest rate on that sort of borrowing within any organization I run, because while I recognize that we do need to field emergencies, we also want to penalize the “every day is an emergency” pattern so prevalent in the industry.
Some of it comes down to how much compliance there is to the laws in the first place. In an environment where no one is complying, and no one is reporting for fear of losing their job (particularly in environments where you can be laid off without cause fairly easily), standing up for your rights can lead to being dismissed for "unrelated reasons", and future reference calls talking about how you weren't a "team player".
Just having the laws on the books, or even an enforcement mechanism that works is sometimes not enough to get them widely adopted.
(I'm ofc talking about the insanely obvious cases. Court is fine for more complex cases.)
After the phone call we should just see punishments large enough to encourage people not to repeat the mistake. Since worker rights are more like really expensive jokes right now it seems reasonable to do some package like 1) a big fine for the company, 2) a good few years of salary for the person reporting it, 3) require that the employee responsible for the violation is also fined personally if not fired. The compensation can be conditional [say] if the employee quits or is fired over the next 10 years. (after 9 years 10%)
Its really not as complicated as it sounds. For really big violations the mechanisms are usually all there. If you have slaves do forced labor we don't require the slaves to take you to court then merely instruct you to pay the missing wages.
We could even require employees to report it. Then the reference call is less of an issue.
It's very easy to get help in Ontario with labour issues, they act swiftly and they have teeth. I've used them and know many others who have and have had great successes. That being said, because enforcement is strong, I don't see a lot of Ontario employers screwing the pooch and I don't suspect it's rampant. Also, only 13 million people live in Ontario,
I once had an CEO in Ontario throw a tantrum and demand I quit my new job over non-compete. A letter from a lawyer sent him scurrying back to his flopping business.
What bothers me about empty threats is that they intend to scare the ignorant or unequipped into compliance. Any sort of non-compete ban needs to have teeth and people need to be educated on their rights, or it’s just a waste of time.
It doesn't sound like the details have been released yet. It sounds nice, but given the government's previous hostility to improving labour wages/benefits, I'd like to see precisely what they are proposing. For all I know they could be planning exclude classes of workers (eg IT workers) from these benefits like they do with overtime pay requirements.
In Ontario, IT people can be forced to work any amount of time per day, with no breaks and no consideration of time off between shifts. You can also be forced to work 7 days a week. You do not get time for lunches or meals in general and you do not get overtime at any time.
You might say 'just quit' but as per OP, you are forced to blindly sign a non-compete and so you're not allowed to get a new job or risk being sued for 1.1million like I did.
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[ 1.8 ms ] story [ 79.0 ms ] threadI didn't see this coming. At this point, I'm waiting for Chairman Doug to redistribute farmland and announce a five-year plan...
The traditional “flex time” is nothing more than a zero-interest temporal loan, encouraging endless borrowing from the back of Sometime After Never.
I deliberately impose a stiff interest rate on that sort of borrowing within any organization I run, because while I recognize that we do need to field emergencies, we also want to penalize the “every day is an emergency” pattern so prevalent in the industry.
Destroyed moral of every-one.
A policy would have been better, and would have forced company to stop ignoring problems a lot sooner.
Just having the laws on the books, or even an enforcement mechanism that works is sometimes not enough to get them widely adopted.
After the phone call we should just see punishments large enough to encourage people not to repeat the mistake. Since worker rights are more like really expensive jokes right now it seems reasonable to do some package like 1) a big fine for the company, 2) a good few years of salary for the person reporting it, 3) require that the employee responsible for the violation is also fined personally if not fired. The compensation can be conditional [say] if the employee quits or is fired over the next 10 years. (after 9 years 10%)
Its really not as complicated as it sounds. For really big violations the mechanisms are usually all there. If you have slaves do forced labor we don't require the slaves to take you to court then merely instruct you to pay the missing wages.
We could even require employees to report it. Then the reference call is less of an issue.
What bothers me about empty threats is that they intend to scare the ignorant or unequipped into compliance. Any sort of non-compete ban needs to have teeth and people need to be educated on their rights, or it’s just a waste of time.
You might say 'just quit' but as per OP, you are forced to blindly sign a non-compete and so you're not allowed to get a new job or risk being sued for 1.1million like I did.
Sounds like the deal medieval peasants had with their lord
Oh ya I was certainly a peasant. No question.