The end of summer is (unfortunately) just around the corner, which for many employers means saying goodbye to student employees and seasonal workers. Most employers know that they need to complete a record of employment (ROE) when an employee terminates, but there are a number of other circumstances that require an ROE. Now is as good a time as any for a quick refresher on when employers need to complete a record of employment (ROE) for an employee and why it is important to do so correctly. My goal is not to give detailed instructions about completing ROEs; but to highlight the importance of properly issuing them and the potential liability from failing to do so.

ROE Overview

The ROE is the form employers complete when an employee receiving insurable earnings stops working such that he/she experiences an interruption of earnings. Service Canada considers ROEs to be the single most important documents in the Employment Insurance (EI) program.

When to Complete an ROE

You may have noticed I used the term "interruption of earnings" above and not "termination of employment" when describing when an ROE is required. That is because, as mentioned, ROEs are required in a wider range of circumstances (I will not get into the technical definition of "insurable earnings", but suffice to say it includes most employees' salary or wages).

An interruption of earnings occurs in the following situations:

  • when an employee has had or is anticipated to have seven consecutive calendar days with no work and no insurable earnings from the employer (the "seven-day rule");
  • when an employee's salary falls below 60% of his/her regular weekly earnings because of certain absences (illness, injury, quarantine, pregnancy, parental leave, compassionate care leave or family responsibility leave); or
  • when an employee starts receiving wage loss insurance payments.

In addition to the above interruptions of service, employers must also complete ROEs in the following instances:

  • when Service Canada requests an ROE for an employee;
  • when an employee's pay period type changes (e.g., weekly to bi-weekly);
  • when an employee is transferred to another Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) payroll number;
  • when there is a change in ownership leading to a change in the employer;
  • when the employer declares bankruptcy;
  • when a part-time, on-call or casual worker is no longer on the employer's active employment list or has not done any work or earned any insurable earnings for 30 days; or
  • when an employee is on a self-funded leave of absence.

The Importance of ROEs

There is not a great deal of litigation relating to ROEs, but incorrectly completing (or failing to complete) an ROE has attracted common law liability for employers.

One type of case occurs when an employer intentionally misrepresents the reason for the interruption of service or withholds an ROE from a departing employee. Allegations of misconduct on an ROE can disqualify an employee from eligibility for EI. If the allegations are untrue, or if an ROE is withheld, the employer can be liable to the employee for the resulting loss of EI payments and potentially for additional damages for bad faith conduct towards the employee.

Liability may also arise in cases where an ROE is used as evidence that a seasonal or fixed-term employee is in fact a permanent employee and therefore entitled to common law notice.  Courts have found that using the word "unknown" instead of "not returning" on an ROE for a seasonal worker indicated that the employment was permanent and that the seasonal return date was simply unknown at the time. Similarly, failing to issue an ROE at the end of each of a series of fixed-term contracts has been evidence that an employee was a permanent employee.

ROEs may be a hassle to complete, but it is important that employers keep track not only of when they need to be issued, but to ensure that they are completed correctly and accurately. For more information about completing ROEs, the CRA provides a helpful guide (Guide) and, of course, you may get in touch with a member of Dentons' Labour and Employment group.

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The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances. Specific Questions relating to this article should be addressed directly to the author.