May 13, 2016

Beware of the One Month Per Year of Service “Rule”:...

There is no shortage of cases which confirm the perils of assuming that an employer’s liability for reasonable notice of termination will be capped at one month per year of employment.

February 18, 2016

Beware of the One Month Per Year of Service “Rule”:...

There continues to be a seemingly never-ending stream of cases which confirm the perils of assuming that an employer’s liability for reasonable notice of termination will be capped at one month per year of employment.

February 5, 2016

Can’t Afford to Keep Them, Can’t Afford to Fire Them:...

Employee salaries and benefits can be some of the greatest costs borne by a business. As a result, when a company faces financial hardship, they will often terminate positions to reduce their costs.

February 1, 2016

Notice Periods for Without Cause Terminations

In the absence of an employment agreement that expressly sets out a notice period upon termination, employees who are terminated without just cause are entitled to a notice period or pay in lieu of notice from their employers in accordance with the common law.

November 4, 2015

Termination of Consultant Results in Award of 8 Month Notice...

The distinction between an employee and independent contractor is not always clear as can be seen in the recent decision of Tetra Consulting v Continental Bank et al., 2015 ONSC 4610.

October 21, 2015

Court Finds “Extraordinary” Circumstances to Award 27 Months’ Notice

The dismissal of a long-term employee who is entitled to common law reasonable notice can result in significant liability for an employer. As the determination of the appropriate notice period is contextual, it can be difficult for an employer to accurately assess their potential liability.

January 9, 2015

Beware of the One Month Per Year of Service “Rule”:...

We have written a number of times regarding cases that significantly depart from the so-called one month per year of service rule of thumb. Yet another case has illustrated the risk an employer runs in assuming their liability will be capped at one month per year of service.

July 22, 2014

Terminations without Cause – An Assessment of Reasonable Notice

In Ostrow v. Abacus Management Corp. Mergers and Acquisitions, 2014 BCSC 938 (May 29, 2014), the British Columbia Court Supreme Court assessed the appropriate notice period for a nine-month employee.

May 27, 2014

Beware of the One Month Per Year of Service “Rule”...

A recent post cautioned employers to beware of using the one month per year of service “rule of thumb”. The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has once again affirmed that, depending on the circumstances, courts are willing to award short service employees significantly more than one month per year of service.

April 22, 2014

Beware of Using One Month Per Year of Service “Rule...

One of the questions at the forefront of many employers’ minds when they are considering terminating an employee without cause is how much it is going to cost. Unless there is a written employment contract with an express termination clause, an employer’s obligation is to provide reasonable notice of termination.