Companies in Ontario now need to tell workers if they are monitoring them online

So you think you can slack off and just scroll TikTok all day during work hours? Well, your boss now has every right to see how you spend company time.

Electronic monitoring is nothing new but one policy regarding the subject goes into effect today. Ontario companies now have to disclose to staff whether they’re electronically monitoring their activities.

According to the provincial government, employers with 25 or more workers are required to disclose if, how, and why they are monitoring their employees electronically. This includes cell phones, computers, GPS systems, and other devices.

Ontario’s electronic monitoring law comes into effect next week.

Starting Tuesday, October 11th, employers with 25 or more workers will be required to disclose if, how and why they are monitoring their employees electronically.

Learn more:https://t.co/4HaHsCCcx6 pic.twitter.com/GVzQ8FX2zY

— Ontario At Work (@ONTatwork) October 7, 2022

In April, Ontario became the first province to pass the law, as part of the Working for Workers Act. Quebec, BC, and Alberta only require employers to “disclose data collection under privacy laws.”

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If an employer does monitor its staff – whether they’re in the office or working remotely – by law, the policy now must contain:

• a description of how, and in what circumstances, the employer may electronically monitor employees;
• the purposes for which the information obtained through electronic monitoring may be used by the employer;
• the date the policy was prepared;
• and the date any changes were made to the policy.

That information must be disclosed to staff within 30 days.

What the new policy doesn’t do is establish privacy rights for workers.

Maybe order cannabis and watch gnarly YouTube videos from your personal phone just to be safe.