No matter what type of company, no matter what industry, how you categorize the people who work for you matters. Whether managing volunteers or employees, each jurisdiction has strict rules about employers\u2019 responsibilities towards workers, but these responsibilities change depending on just what kind of worker we\u2019re talking about. For example, in Ontario, specific criteria determine whether someone is an unpaid intern or an employee under the Employment Standards Act, 2000<\/em>, but what about a volunteer? <\/p>\n\n\n\n What is a volunteer? Generally speaking, neither an intern nor a volunteer<\/a> is paid for their time and efforts, neither receives employee benefits, and there\u2019s no expectation of a job at the end of the relationship between the organization and the individual. So, what exactly is the difference, and why does it matter? The easy part to answer is that it matters because misclassifying workers is one of the most common mistakes employers make, one that government regulators regularly watch for, and one that can have significant legal consequences for noncompliant organizations. As regulators crack down on exploitative and misleading \u2018internships\u2019 across the country, it\u2019s more important than ever to make sure that all categories of workers are appropriately classified. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For nonprofits with both volunteers and paid employees<\/a>, it\u2019s crucial to keep their roles and responsibilities distinct. Ask yourself: What tasks should employees handle, and what skills do they need? What about volunteers? Clear role definitions reduce conflicts, especially when it comes to differences in treatment. Plus, employment laws may set specific conditions for someone to qualify as a volunteer. Know the legal distinctions to stay compliant! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unpaid interns and volunteers are often in a difficult position. They want to be part of your organization so they can learn or donate some of their spare time, but they don\u2019t want to be taken advantage of. If you start expecting a volunteer to work like they\u2019re an employee, they may feel underappreciated or misunderstood. While you may appreciate that they\u2019re willing to work without pay, it\u2019s not fair to take advantage of volunteers. It can also reflect poorly on your business. Generally, it\u2019s best to make sure you are clear about what tasks should be done by volunteers or interns, and where you should consider hiring an employee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Designed for Canadian businesses, our HR <\/a>and health and safety solutions<\/a> streamline training and onboarding<\/a> for both employees and volunteers. Leverage a user-friendly LMS<\/a> and secure HRIS<\/a> to build the customized HR strategy your organization needs. Choose the support you need with flexible packages, conveniently priced<\/a> for any organization or budget.\u00a0To see our live HR advice and support<\/a> services in action, connect with one of our experts<\/a> today!\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For non-profits with both volunteers and paid employees, it\u2019s crucial to keep their roles and responsibilities distinct. Ask yourself: What tasks should employees handle, and what skills do they need?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":15303,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5634"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5634"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5634\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16936,"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5634\/revisions\/16936"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citationcanada.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Volunteer or employee? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Volunteers and paid positions <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Understanding why people volunteer is essential to finding the best candidates <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Need help managing volunteers or providing the necessary training? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n