416 640 1550

Can an Employer Ask Candidates to Work for Free?

June 8, 2003
by Israel Foulon LLP

Question: As a way to improve our hiring process, we want to include a return interview where the considered applicant would visit our company to see the job and work on it for two to four hours. This way, the applicant can have a good understanding of the position they are being hired for. However, the company would not pay the applicant. Is this legal to do?”

Answer: There is no problem with having an applicant return for a second interview in order to see how the job works and what is entailed in fulfilling the position. But you can’t require the applicant to actually work in the position for any period of time without paying him his minimum entitlements to wages under applicable provincial employment standards legislation.

An acceptable way of improving your hiring process along these lines would simply be to have the applicant come in and observe another employee performing the job and allow the prospective candidate to ask any questions about how the job is performed and what it entails at this time.

You should also ensure it is made clear to the applicant that this is simply part of your interviewing process and does not constitute an offer of employment. It is important the applicant not mistake this part of your hiring process as an orientation for the position.

Peter Israel is the senior partner in the Toronto law firm of Israel Foulon LLP – Employment and Labour Lawyers. He can be reached at 416-640-1550 or pi@qtw38575.mywhc.ca. A version of this article originally appeared in the Carswell publication, Canadian Employment Law Today

Tags

Legal Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice, which in all circumstances must be tailored to the specific facts of any problem. You should obtain a proper legal consultation in order to determine how this article applies to your specific situation. Please feel free to contact Israel Foulon LLP to learn more at 416-640-1550.