Do start-ups need to think about Human Resources or any form of HR support? The answer is –yes! The moment you hire your first employee, or you hire an independent contractor, you have created a requirement for human resources considerations. Let’s look at the scope of human resources. HR can be broken into three specific consideration areas. The first two under the Ministry of Labour (MOL) are:
The ESA (Employment Standards Acts)
This governance area deals with the specific rights and considerations that are due to every employee. As an employer, you need to ensure that you are always compliant with all legislated requirements. The onus is on employers to keep abreast of all changes and make the necessary updates to their organization’s policies and practices, such as requirement for minimum wage, payroll requirements and termination requirements.
Occupational Safety and Health Act
This legislation focuses on the health and safety of workers. As an employer, or if you are paying an employer to carry out certain work, your company must ensure that each employee is made aware of the hazards in your workplace. You must then ensure that employees are properly trained about all hazards and how to protect themselves by providing proper health and safety awareness training.
You can breathe easy – you do not need a full-time HR manager when you start your new business. There are companies out there, like ours, which focus on helping start-ups. They make sure that everything is in place and that you don’t have to worry about it.
We understand that it can be daunting as a new business owner to even know where to begin when addressing HR issues. It is important to take the time to assess where, how and when you need to be compliant in your day to day practices.
A solid Human Resources foundation shows that you’re committed to having a solid, secure and healthy environment for your staff. Most importantly, it also protects you as the employer. Ensuring that you are compliant and that you have policies in place give you a sense of security so you can focus on managing and growing your new business.
Human Rights Code
This area focuses on protecting human rights of anyone who is a contract worker or an employee of your company. It is your responsibility to ensure that your business does not allow discrimination or harassment of any kind regarding race, age, gender, creed, sexual identity, etc. As a business owner it is your responsibility to ensure that your company’s practices always adhere to the HRC code, even during the process of hiring new employees.
Know what you need to know – before you need to know it!
