For dentists starting a new practice, Koldorf recommends working with a lawyer or a human resources (HR) consultant familiar with employment law in your area to create the required policies. For dentists purchasing an existing practice, all existing policies should be reviewed to ensure they are up to date. “Typically, you should have a corporate lawyer help with the transaction of buying a practice. They will often involve an employment lawyer to give advice on any employment law implications, and will likely be able to alert you to any red flags,” she says. Checklist of Policy Requirements* z Health and Safety Policy “This is a basic policy that states that the employer is going to provide a safe and healthy workplace, and outlines the responsibilities of the various workplace parties,”says Koldorf. “There are many sample policies online but, like everything else online, some are good and others are not so great.” In addition to the policy itself, employers are required to have a program in place to implement the policy. The program will ensure that employees are trained on health and safety and address certain risks that are specific to the workplace. z Harassment and Violence Policy “These are legally required in Ontario. If you have five or more employees, then you are required to have these as formal written policies,”says Koldorf.“But I recommend all dental offices to have these written policies from the beginning in every jurisdiction. Even if you start with fewer than five staff, you will likely grow in the future.” She says that a harassment and violence policy is more complex than the health and safety policy because it involves defining parameters for employees to make complaints and how an investigation should proceed.“Who do you have to notify internally?What kind of information do you have to provide after the investigation? The law requires specific information to be included in these policies,”says Koldorf. z Accessibility Policy “In Ontario, the law requires employers to create policies mandating how they will remove and prevent barriers for staff, patients and members of the public with disabilities. These policies outline how you will make the office physically accessible, as well as making sure that the practice’s website and marketing materials are also accessible, among other things,” says Koldorf. z Electronic Monitoring Policy “This is an employment standard that was introduced recently for organizations with 25 employees or more,” says Koldorf.“It’s a written policy that discloses whether and how the employer monitors its employees electronically, on office computers, for example.” z Disconnecting fromWork Policy Employers with 25 or more employees are required to have a policy that addresses disconnecting from work.“The policy does not have to actually permit employees to disconnect from work during certain times, but it does have to define the term ‘disconnecting from work’ and note the date that the policy or any changes to it came into effect,” says Koldorf. Other Best Practices z Employment Contracts “If you are already working with a lawyer or HR consultant, it’s advisable to set up contracts that your employees sign before they start working,” says Koldorf. “These contracts will protect your practice in case something goes wrong with the employee’s performance and there is a need to terminate the employee,or the employee decides to resign.” z Policies Handbook “While there are only a handful of policies that are required to be in place, it is often helpful to have other policies in place to address time off work,disciplinary processes,overtime,and other issues that come up with employees.These aren’t legally required, but often, as dental practices grow, they support the growth of the business and help to manage staff easily,” says Koldorf. “It’s also helpful for new employees to have these written policies in hand before they start working, so that they clearly know what to expect and what is expected of them.” z Ministry of Labour Posters “In Ontario, it used to be required that all employers displayed a poster from the Ministry of Labour about employment standard in their place of business,” says Koldorf. “Now posting is optional, but the poster must be distributed to employees within 30 days of their date of hire. It includes information about employees’ rights and contact information for employees who need to contact the Ministry of Labour.” Ontario employers are also required to post a poster about health and safety at work. Both posters can be found on the Ministry of Labour website. * The policies and best practices referenced above focus on Ontario labour and employment laws, so please visit the Ministry of Labour website in your region for more details. 30 | 2023 | Issue 2 Issues and People
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