It's Tuesday, what happened to Monday

Yesterday flew by and I can hardly believe it's Tuesday already. I spent most of Monday listening to a couple of seminars offered free by the provincial government. The first information and question session was three hours long and focused on Ontario employee's rights in the workplace. I found it interesting and learned some surprising facts. Before beginning the talk, the facilitator handed out a quiz with nine true and false questions, that we answered before getting started . I will share it with you, so you can do it for fun. The answers are at the bottom of this page. (BTW I only got 6 out of the 9 questions right).


1. The standard work week is 48 hours.....................T or F

2. Employees receive a minimum of 5 days
sick time per year...................................................T or F

3. You can be fired without notice for
misconduct on the job..............................................T or F

4. Men and women must be paid the same wage
for the same work in the same workplace..................T or F

5. Joining a union in your workplace is
always optional........................................................T or F

6. An employee is entitled to a safe
work environment................................................... T or F

7. After 12 months of employment, employees
are entitled to two weeks paid vacation......................T or F

8. Employees in stores have the right to
refuse to work on Sunday.........................................T or F

9. Employees are entitled to 1/2 hour break
every 5 hours..........................................................T or F

Answers:
1. T
2. F
3. T
4. T
5. F
6. T
7. T
8. T
9. T

Of course there are always exceptions to these rules, but there are minimum standards that employers must adhere to. It is worth the effort to learn about your rights. Who knows when an employer is unknowingly or deliberately exploiting them. What is most important is ensuring you are working in a safe and healthy workplace environment, and are confident enough to speak up if you are in doubt.