Educational resources
Overview
We work to create an environment where employers and employees understand their rights and obligations under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA), including by providing educational resources to encourage compliance with the ESA.
This page lists educational resources that help explain your rights and obligations as they relate to employment standards.
Online tools and calculators
ES self-service tool
Get help determining your rights and obligations for some employment standards, including minimum wage, payment of wages, hours of work, overtime and public holidays.
Guide to employment standards special rules and exemptions
Find information on job categories and employees that are not covered by certain parts of the ESA or that are subject to special rules.
Severance tool
Calculate severance pay entitlements with this tool.
Public holiday pay calculator
Use this calculator to help determine public holiday pay entitlements.
Hours of work and overtime tools
Use these tools to calculate hours of work and overtime entitlements:
Termination tool
Use this tool to understand and calculate entitlements to notice of termination and termination pay.
Educational videos
Know your rights
An overview of the ESA’s core standards and where to find additional information on each standard.
Illegal deductions from wages
Explains what constitutes an illegal deduction from wages. This video is available in eight languages in addition to English and French.
What to expect during an employment standards inspection
Find out what to expect and how to best prepare for an employment standards inspection.
Filing a claim
What to expect when filing an employment standard claim.
Employer portal
An overview of the portal features, including how to get access and use the portal.
Tips and other gratuities
Details your rights and obligations with respect to tips and other gratuities under the ESA.
Claimant portal
An overview of the portal features, including how to sign up and use the portal.
Information sessions
The ministry, in partnership with organizations across Ontario, provides general information sessions on the Employment Standards Act (ESA).
These information sessions are delivered by subject matter experts from the ministry and cover topics such as hours of work, public holidays, leaves of absence and more..
To sign up for a session, check the calendar below and contact the host directly. This calendar is updated as new sessions are scheduled.
There are currently no information sessions available.
If you would like to request an information session about an ESA topic outside of the sessions listed in the calendar, please email EOP@Ontario.ca. Please note you must have a minimum of 10 attendees.
Policy and interpretation manual
This manual is for policies that the director of employment standards uses to interpret, administer and enforce the ESA.
As part of continuously improving our services for the public, we are interested in exploring new ways of information sharing, education and outreach. If you have a suggestion or request, contact EOP@ontario.ca.