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GuideOntario’s required workplace policies, and what each must include
Ontario’s workplace policies come from four laws: the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Employment Standards Act, the accessibility standards and the Human Rights Code. Here is each policy, the size it starts at, and what the law says it must contain.
- Every employer: a workplace violence policy and program, a written workplace harassment program, and an accessible customer service policy.
- More than 5 workers regularly at a workplace: the health and safety, violence and harassment policies must be in writing and posted there, and reviewed at least once a year.
- 25 or more employees on January 1: written policies on disconnecting from work and on electronic monitoring, in place by March 1.
- 50 or more employees: written accessibility policies, a statement of commitment and a multi-year accessibility plan, made public.
- A human rights policy isn’t required by law, but it’s the evidence you’ll want if a complaint is made.
At a glance
Count people, not full-time equivalents. The health and safety policies count workers regularly at each workplace; the Employment Standards policies count employees across Ontario.
| Policy | Required from | The law |
|---|---|---|
| Workplace violence policy and program | Any size; written and posted above 5 workers | OHSA ss. 32.0.1–32.0.5 |
| Workplace harassment policy and program | Any size; policy posted above 5 workers | OHSA ss. 32.0.1, 32.0.6, 32.0.7 |
| Accessible customer service policy | Any size (1 employee) | O. Reg. 191/11, Part IV.2 |
| Occupational health and safety policy | More than 5 workers at a workplace | OHSA s. 25(2)(j) |
| Written policy on disconnecting from work | 25 or more employees on January 1 | ESA s. 21.1.2 |
| Written policy on electronic monitoring | 25 or more employees on January 1 | ESA s. 41.1.1 |
| Accessibility policies, statement of commitment and multi-year plan | 50 or more employees | O. Reg. 191/11, ss. 3–4 |
| Human rights policy (recommended) | Recommended at any size | Human Rights Code |
Workplace violence policy and program
Who needs it: Every employer needs a workplace violence policy and program. Once more than 5 workers regularly work at a workplace, the policy must be in writing and posted there.
What it must include
- A policy statement on workplace violence
- Measures and procedures to control the risks of violence identified in a risk assessment
- How to summon immediate assistance when violence occurs or is likely to occur
- How workers report incidents or threats of violence to the employer or supervisor
- How the employer will investigate and deal with incidents, complaints and threats of violence
Also
- Assess the risk of workplace violence, and reassess when things change.
- Take reasonable precautions where domestic violence may follow a worker to work.
- Post the policy (more than 5 workers) and review it at least once a year.
OHSA, ss. 32.0.1–32.0.5 · Official source
Workplace harassment policy and program
Who needs it: Every employer needs a written workplace harassment program. Once more than 5 workers regularly work at a workplace, the policy must also be in writing and posted.
What it must include
- A policy statement on workplace harassment, including workplace sexual harassment
- Coverage of harassment that happens virtually or through technology (email, chat, social media), part of the definition since October 28, 2024
- How workers report incidents to the employer or supervisor, naming who to report to
- Someone else to report to if the employer or supervisor is the alleged harasser
- How incidents and complaints will be investigated and dealt with
- How information will be kept confidential, except where disclosure is needed to investigate, take corrective action or is required by law
- How the worker who complained and the alleged harasser will be told the results of the investigation and any corrective action
Also
- Develop the program with your joint health and safety committee or health and safety representative, if you have one.
- Post the policy (more than 5 workers) and review the policy and program at least once a year.
OHSA, s. 1(1) "workplace harassment"; ss. 32.0.1, 32.0.6, 32.0.7 · Official source
Accessible customer service policy
Who needs it: Every business with at least one employee in Ontario.
What it must include
- A policy on providing goods and services to people with disabilities
- The use of assistive devices, service animals and support persons
- Notice to the public of temporary disruptions to facilities or services people with disabilities rely on
- How people can give feedback about accessibility and how the business will respond
- Training staff on accessible customer service
O. Reg. 191/11 (Integrated Accessibility Standards), Part IV.2 · Official source
Occupational health and safety policy
Who needs it: Required in writing, and posted, where more than 5 workers regularly work. Recommended below that.
What it must include
- A written statement of the employer's occupational health and safety policy
- A commitment to a program that puts the policy into practice
- A note that the policy is reviewed at least once a year
Also
- Post it where workers will see it.
- Review it at least once a year.
OHSA, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.1, s. 25(2)(j) and (4) · Official source
Written policy on disconnecting from work
Who needs it: Employers with 25 or more employees on January 1 need the written policy in place by March 1 that year.
What it must include
- A written policy on disconnecting from work that covers all employees
- The date the policy was prepared (day, month and year)
- The date of any changes made to the policy
Also
- Give every employee a copy within 30 days of preparing or changing it, and new hires within 30 days of starting.
- Keep a copy for 3 years after it stops being in effect.
ESA, Part VII.0.1, s. 21.1.2 · Official source
Written policy on electronic monitoring
Who needs it: Employers with 25 or more employees on January 1 need the written policy in place by March 1 that year.
What it must include
- A statement of whether the employer electronically monitors employees
- If it does, how and in what circumstances it may monitor
- The purposes for which information obtained through monitoring may be used
- The date the policy was prepared (day, month and year)
- The date of any changes made to the policy
Also
- Give every employee a copy within 30 days of preparing or changing it, and new hires within 30 days of starting.
- Keep a copy for 3 years after it stops being in effect.
ESA, Part XI.1, s. 41.1.1 · Official source
Accessibility policies, statement of commitment and multi-year plan
Who needs it: Businesses with 50 or more employees in Ontario need written accessibility policies and a multi-year accessibility plan, made public.
What it must include
- A statement of organizational commitment to meeting the accessibility needs of people with disabilities
- Written accessibility policies, made public and available in an accessible format on request
- A multi-year accessibility plan, posted on the website if there is one and reviewed at least every 5 years
O. Reg. 191/11, ss. 3–4 · Official source
Human rights policy (recommended)
Who needs it: The Human Rights Code applies to every employer. A written policy isn’t mandatory, but it’s the evidence you’ll want if a complaint is made.
What it must include
- A ban on discrimination and harassment based on the grounds protected by the Ontario Human Rights Code
- How employees can ask for accommodation (for example for disability, creed or family status)
- A commitment to accommodate up to the point of undue hardship
Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.19, ss. 5, 7, 11, 17 · Official source
Posting them and giving them out
Writing a policy is half the job. Each law also says how employees must get it.
| Policy | What to do |
|---|---|
| Health and safety, violence, harassment | With more than 5 workers regularly at a workplace: in writing and posted where workers will see it. Review at least once a year. Give workers information and instruction on the violence and harassment policies and programs (OHSA s. 32.0.5(2) and s. 32.0.8). |
| Disconnecting from work, electronic monitoring | Give every employee a copy within 30 days of preparing or changing it, and new hires within 30 days of starting. Keep a copy for 3 years after it stops being in effect. |
| Accessibility policies and plan (50+) | Make them public, and provide them in an accessible format on request. Post the plan on your website if you have one. |
No Ontario law requires employees to sign a policy. A signed, dated acknowledgement is how you show each person received the version in force. Prodigy Suite’s employee sign-off keeps one for every policy and every version.
Writing them for your business
Templates get you most of the way, but each law lists elements a template can miss: who to report harassment to if the alleged harasser is the owner, the date a monitoring policy was prepared, or the commitment to review a health and safety policy each year. Prodigy Suite drafts each policy for your business and checks the draft against the elements above, then combines them into one handbook. The free audit checks a handbook you already have.
Common questions
Is an employee handbook mandatory in Ontario?
No law requires a document called a handbook. The law requires certain policies, depending on your size, and says how employees must get them. A handbook is a convenient way to give everyone every policy at once.
Do I need a workplace violence policy with fewer than 6 employees?
Yes. Every employer needs a workplace violence policy and program, and a written workplace harassment program. With 5 or fewer workers regularly at a workplace, the policies don’t have to be written and posted, unless an inspector orders it.
How often do workplace policies have to be reviewed in Ontario?
The workplace violence and harassment policies, and the health and safety policy, at least once a year. The disconnecting and monitoring policies have no set review date, but every change must be dated and given to employees within 30 days. A multi-year accessibility plan is reviewed at least every 5 years.
Does a small business need an electronic monitoring policy?
Only once it employs 25 or more people in Ontario on January 1 of a year. The written policy must then be in place by March 1, and every employee gets a copy within 30 days.
Sources
- Ontario: Understand the law on workplace violence and harassment
- Ontario: Guide to the OHSA, Part III.0.1 (workplace violence and harassment)
- Ontario: Code of practice to address workplace harassment
- Ontario: Posters and materials required in the workplace
- Ontario: Written policy on disconnecting from work
- Ontario: Written policy on electronic monitoring of employees
- Ontario: Accessibility rules for businesses and non-profits
- Ontario: How to create an accessibility plan and policy
- e-Laws: Occupational Health and Safety Act
- e-Laws: Human Rights Code
This page summarizes Ontario’s rules as of October 13, 2026 for general information. It isn’t legal advice, and Prodigy Suite isn’t a law firm. Each rule links to the official source; for a specific situation, speak to an Ontario employment lawyer.
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