So, you’ve successfully started and grown your business, reaching the stage where you need to hire your first employee. Congratulations! Taking on employees can be exciting, but it also comes with a lot of responsibility. We’ve put some key information and resources together for you so that you can make sure you have your bases covered.
Hiring: what to consider first
Hiring employees is a big step—you’ll be responsible for their actions in your business and will need to ensure that you follow employment laws and standards.
As an employer, it’s your job to create a process for hiring, training, and terminating employees. Your people are part of your brand and guiding them to be positive ambassadors for your business ensures your success.
Know the rules for employers
How many vacation days do your employees get? How much overtime pay do you have to pay them? What statutory holidays are they entitled to? The provincial and federal governments have regulations and guidelines to make sure that employees are treated fairly.
Provincial rules:
The rules in every province vary. To learn more about the most current rules in Alberta, visit the Service Alberta Labour Standards website.
Federal rules:
Some industries are federally regulated, meaning employers must follow federal government regulations. Other industries are provincially regulated. Find out if your industry is provincially or federally regulated from the Government of Canada.
Other resources:
- Government of Alberta’s Employment Standards: a complete guide to employment standards, legislation, and regulations in the Province of Alberta, such as statutory holidays, overtime pay, and termination procedures
- Federal labour standards: the federal government’s guide to employment, including hours of work, wages, leave, and more
- Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Alberta: OHS aims to reduce workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. Their legislation, policies, and procedures help employees stay safe on the job. As an employer, you must comply with OHS legislation
- To find out how to comply with OHS legislation, see the Occupational Health and Safety Starter Kit
- Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) Alberta: the WCB makes sure that employees stay safe at work. Alberta employers must pay WCB premiums in case of employee injury on the job
- Canada Revenue Agency—Payroll: Learn about payroll requirements for employers, find out what payroll deductions you must make and how to remit them to the government, and more
- BDC—Hiring Employees: learn more about hiring employees and download their HR Toolkit for Entrepreneurs
- Employees or independent contractors—what’s the difference? Are you unsure whether you are hiring an employee or an independent subcontractor? Learn more about the difference here
