Good Employer Practices

Tips for being a good employer

Documentation

• Have time sheets, a sign-in book, or a calendar that your staff sign to track hours;
• Keep hard copies of all pay stubs and time sheets;
• Keep an individual record of each employee's earnings;
• Keep a record of the monthly payroll summaries;
• Perform a monthly bank reconciliation – you have 30 days to report any mistakes on your bank statement and have the bank fix it for you. After 30 days you are responsible for any errors or theft from the account;
• Don’t assume the records you receive from your bookkeeper or payroll company are correct; always double check;
• Don’t leave your financial files with your bookkeeper; as the employer, you must have immediate access to this information;
• Call the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto Inc. (CILT) or your local Independent Living Resource Centre with any questions.

Don’t Lose Those Files!

Under your Direct Funding Agreement, you’re required to keep all financial and employment records for seven years; these files include, but are not limited to:

• Records of each transaction including bank records, cancelled cheques, and receipts for purchases and invoices.
• Time sheets, recording the dates, start and end times for attendants’ shifts
• Bank payroll records and records of deductions, including T4s and T4 summaries.

Also, ensure you retain all information related to:

• Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)
• Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)
• Employee information such as TD1 that record Social Insurance Numbers and determine tax deduction rates.

You may be requested to produce this information by CRA, CILT or a court of law.

Good Advice

The following are real examples of things we’ve seen happen over the past 18 years.

• It’s not a good idea to give personal loans to your attendant; you’re already their employer so unless you’re independently wealthy, you don’t want to be their banker too!
• Pay advances are not allowed; if the attendant quits before they work off the advance, the Self-Manager is personally responsible for those funds
• Avoid hiring attendants’ family members; if one employee doesn’t work out, they may both quit!
• Hide your cheques to avoid forgery. This is especially true if you use a signature stamp.
• Check that bank statement! You have 30 days to report any mistakes to your bank. If you take longer than 30 days to report a problem, you are personally responsible for any bank errors or forged cheques (we said this earlier but it’s worth repeating!!).

Following are links to a the Employment standards act as well as a few helpful documents when you are getting started

Employment Standards Act

Employee Information Form

Employee Information Form (pdf) 45KB

Employee Information Form (doc) 30KB

Attendant Performance Review

Attendant Performance Review (doc) 30KB

Return to Employment Contracts

Continue to Employer's Responsibilities