1. Your employer can make you pay for a uniform
Your employer is allowed to charge you for the cost of your work uniform as long as they follow a few rules:
The deduction cannot reduce your wages below the minimum wage, and Your employer isn't allowed to deduct more than the actual cost of the uniform.
2. Your employer doesn't have give you benefits, even if you work full-time
There is no law that makes your employer give you benefits, no matter how much you work. Benefits are an extra perk that your employer can offer but does not have to. Ask your employer what the company policy is.
3. Some jobs are exempt from rules about hours of work and breaks
Some jobs do not have to follow the rules about hours of work, rest periods, and days of rest. Examples of jobs that are exempt include:
certain types of sales people;
farm or ranch workers;
managers and supervisors; and
instructors or counselors at non-profit education or recreational camps.
4. If you are under 18 you cannot work during the school day
If you are still in school and are under 18 years old it is illegal for an employer to permit you to work during normal school hours. An exception to the rule would be an off-campus education program like a work experience course or registered apprenticeship program. This exception is allowed because you are still considered to be at school even though you are at the workplace.
5. Sick leave is not covered specifically in employment laws
Your employer will probably have rules about sick leave but employment law doesn't specifically cover sick leave. Sick leave might be included in your benefits or as part of a union agreement (if you belong to one). Talk to your employer to find out about the company policy on sick days.
6. If you work less than a year and leave on maternity leave your job may not be protected
Under the Employment Standards Code new parents are entitled to a period of leave without pay. Once they are back from leave they must be given back their old or equivalent job.
But.. the Employment Standards Code only requires employers to guarantee jobs for employees who have worked for 1 year before going on parental leave.
7. Sometimes you can be discriminated against, but only in limited situations
The Alberta Human Rights Act protects Albertans from discrimination most of the time (link). However, when a job requires certain skills or abilities to perform the job, it may be considered a bona fide (genuine) occupational requirement. For example, for a moving company the ability to lift heavy boxes might be a bona fide occupational requirement.
8. Overtime doesn't apply to some jobs
Some specific types of jobs are not entitled to overtime pay because these jobs do not have to follow the rules about hours of work, rest periods, and days of rest. Examples of these jobs include:
certain types of sales people;
farm or ranch workers;
managers and supervisors; and
instructors or counselors at non-profit education or recreational camps.
9. Tips are not protected from deductions
Your boss is never allowed to make deductions from your wages for broken items, faulty workmanship or shortages in the cash register if anyone else had access to it. But these rules do not apply to your tips.
For example, if you dropped a glass at work your boss cannot take money from your wages to buy a new one. Your boss could, however, take money from your tips that evening to cover the cost of the glass.
10. Asking about previous criminal convictions is not protected
When applying for a job your potential employer can ask you if you have had any previous criminal convictions. Some employers might even require a criminal record check.
11. If your shift is less than 5 hours long, you are not entitled to take a break
Employers are not required to give you a break if your shift is less than 5 hours long. They might give you a break anyway but they don't have to. Talk to your employer about expectations.
All of the materials on this page were funded by the Alberta Human Rights Education and Multiculturalism Fund (HREMF). This project was a result of a research project funded by HREMF. For further information
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Spruce Grove, Stony Plain and Duffield libraries in the Tri-area hosted a 7km Honour Walk on Wednesday March 29th along Hwy 16A from Stony Plain to Spruce Grove in recognition of the "Highway of Tears" route along Hwy 16. Local residents participated in the Walk to honour missing and murdered indigenous women and help raise awareness of the Missing and Murde
