April 20, 2011
Proposed Legislation Would Make it Easier for Employers to Create Flexible Work Hours: Howard
Under legislation introduced today, Manitoba businesses would be able to more easily introduce flexible work hours that would accommodate employers’ needs and allow employees to better balance their work-life schedules, Labour and Immigration Minister Jennifer Howard said after introducing the proposals.
“Businesses have told us they want a streamlined process and employees have said they want the option of more flexible hours to balance their work hours with their home and family needs,” Howard said. “The legislation we are introducing today will do just that.”
Under the current employment standards code, the standard hours of work are eight hours in a day and 40 hours in a week. When the needs of the business cannot be accommodated within these standards, employers may apply to the director of the Employment Standards Branch for a permit to average the standard hours of work across a specific number of weeks.
Until now, an averaging permit allowed employers to increase the daily hours in a 40-hour work week or average the hours across a longer period. Employers who asked or allowed employees to work longer than the hours allowed in the permit had to pay 1.5 times their regular hourly wage for each hour of overtime. Permits were not generally given for flextime or to accommodate individual employee schedules. To ensure employees are protected, the director of the Employment Standards Branch would have the ability to cancel these agreements if the employee does not agree or is coerced.
Proposed changes to the labour code would allow for individual agreements between employers and employees to alter the standard hours of work (flextime). This would allow employees who have home or life issues that require flex-hours the ability to fit them into their work schedule, Howard said.
“These changes will allow Manitoba businesses to quickly adapt to today’s economic challenges and provide a better work experience for their employees,” said Howard.
The minister thanked the members of the Labour Management Review Committee (LMRC) who reviewed these amendments and reached consensus. The LMRC is made up of an equal number of employer and employee representatives.
FLEXTIME WOULD OFFER EMPLOYEES MORE FLEXIBILITY TO BALANCE WORK-LIFE ISSUES
– – –Proposed Legislation Would Make it Easier for Employers to Create Flexible Work Hours: Howard
“Businesses have told us they want a streamlined process and employees have said they want the option of more flexible hours to balance their work hours with their home and family needs,” Howard said. “The legislation we are introducing today will do just that.”
Under the current employment standards code, the standard hours of work are eight hours in a day and 40 hours in a week. When the needs of the business cannot be accommodated within these standards, employers may apply to the director of the Employment Standards Branch for a permit to average the standard hours of work across a specific number of weeks.
Until now, an averaging permit allowed employers to increase the daily hours in a 40-hour work week or average the hours across a longer period. Employers who asked or allowed employees to work longer than the hours allowed in the permit had to pay 1.5 times their regular hourly wage for each hour of overtime. Permits were not generally given for flextime or to accommodate individual employee schedules. To ensure employees are protected, the director of the Employment Standards Branch would have the ability to cancel these agreements if the employee does not agree or is coerced.
Proposed changes to the labour code would allow for individual agreements between employers and employees to alter the standard hours of work (flextime). This would allow employees who have home or life issues that require flex-hours the ability to fit them into their work schedule, Howard said.
“These changes will allow Manitoba businesses to quickly adapt to today’s economic challenges and provide a better work experience for their employees,” said Howard.
The minister thanked the members of the Labour Management Review Committee (LMRC) who reviewed these amendments and reached consensus. The LMRC is made up of an equal number of employer and employee representatives.
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