First published on Friday, August 8, 2025
Last updated on Friday, August 8, 2025
Welcome to HR Heartbeat, where we take a look at the week’s most pressing HR and employment law stories. With over a decade of experience working within the HR and employment law industry, I give my opinion on current trends impacting your business, as well as my own personal commentary on all things HR and legal.
Fired for dishonesty
Termination for cause is often tough to justify, but a recent Alberta ruling shows that a single instance of serious misconduct can justify termination for cause if trust is broken.
A long-time employee was fired after their employer learned they discussed an incentive program with a third-party supplier and arranged for their products to be used in company homes without disclosing it to the employer.
While the employee didn’t get anything in return, they knew it could be seen as a conflict of interest and lied when the company found out and conducted an internal investigation.
The judge found this breached the company’s code of conduct and anti-bribery policy and upheld the termination. The court also denied the employee’s wrongful dismissal claim.
In a twist of events, the employer still had to pay over $80,000 in unpaid commissions because the worker’s contract didn’t include a clause saying the employee had to stay employed to collect them.
This ruling shows that even the smallest lapse in judgement, especially when honesty is involved, can justify termination for cause.
On the other hand, if the employer had been backed by clear and specific contracts, they could’ve easily avoided that $80k payout.
New worker classification laws in Ontario
Ontario’s new Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act (DPWRA) is now in effect and if your business relies on contractors, especially in the gig economy, you may need to take a closer look at how you’re classifying workers.
The law brings in new protections for digital platform workers, like minimum wage during active work, clear pay structures, and the right to take disputes to Ontario courts.
But here’s where it can get confusing for employers. These rights overlap with some of your obligations to full time employees outlined in the Employment Standards Act (ESA) and the line between the two isn’t always clear.
To put it simply: it’s not what’s in the contract that counts—it’s how the worker is treated. If they’re treated like an employee, for example asking them to wear a uniform, it would result in a court ruling they are one.
That can open the door to claims for termination pay, unpaid wages, and more so it’s best to tighten up your HR processes and make sure your classifications and contracts are airtight.
Can you ban Netflix at work?
After discovering thousands of hours of streaming in a single month, the federal government quietly blocked Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ across 45 departments. The official reason given was bandwidth, but the real issue came down to people management.
If you’re a private employer looking to take similar steps in your business, the good news is you’re well within your rights to block streaming services on work devices and networks.
Placing restrictions in itself is fine, but if you’re monitoring employee activity without a proper policy in place, it could raise concerns about privacy and data protection, plus you’d be violating employment standards. Under Ontario’s ESA, companies with 25+ employees must have an electronic monitoring policy in place.
And there’s more to consider than just compliance. Blanket bans can be bad for employee morale specially if it’s only applied to some teams. Transparency, consistency, and a little flexibility will go a long way when blocking such sites. For example, some employees might need to go on YouTube for training or checking the news during lunch.
My advice is to avoid overly aggressive policies or hidden surveillance as they can backfire. Clear communication and balanced enforcement go a long way in keeping your team productive and engaged.
And that’s a wrap from me. Tune in next time for my take on the latest headlines and employment law stories, helping keep your business ahead!
