Ontario's Electronic Monitoring Law Is Now In Effect & Here's What That Means For You

If you've ever wondered whether you're being watched a little too closely while you're working, now you can actually find out.

As of October 11, Ontario's new electronic monitoring law came into effect.

The rules apply to any company that employs more than 25 staff members, forcing them to disclose whether or not they're monitoring their workers' online movements.

The rules don't just apply to people who work from home — but also to anyone in an office or working out in the field.

If a company has an electronic monitoring system in place there's a list of rules they'll now have to follow.

A company must:

• describe when and how they are electronically monitoring their employees
• explain what they're using this information for
• clearly outline when their monitoring policy was made and clarify if/when changes were made

A written policy outlining all of this information has to be given to workers within 30 days of this new law being put into place.

"If your employer is monitoring you, you deserve to know," said Ontario Labour Minister Monte McNaughton in a tweet. "Our government is the first in Canada to require companies to disclose if, how, and why they monitor their employees electronically."

Ontario's Working for Workers Act was first introduced in April of 2022 and gave companies six months to come up with and clearly outline their new policies.

Any business that doesn't follow these new rules could be in for a hefty fine.

The non-compliance penalty is $250 multiplied by the number of workers a company employs.

This new electronic monitoring policy follows another worker-focused law that came into effect in Ontario earlier this year, giving employees the right to disconnect from the job after the official end of their working day.