EMPLOYERS, you can now be fined it you do not provide feedback to a candidate you’ve interviewed within 45 days. This is new legislation as part of a reform to our employment standards in Ontario.
This will come into effect January 2026…happy new year!
Great news, right!?
I wish I could rejoice with everyone in the marketplace…
I guess strong-arming an employer to act ethically could be considered a win, but there’s still a lot of work to do…
Fines are like placing a band-aid on a muscle ache. We’re simply covering the issue without really addressing the source of the problem…
Does a candidate deserve to be informed about the outcome of their interview? Absolutely. Do I believe decision makers & candidates should be held accountable? Absolutely.
I wish it were that simple to make ghosting disappear by throwing money at it, but it bothers me that such a fundamental act is not being practiced in the first place. We’ve concluded that financially penalizing the offenders will somehow improve the state of the marketplace and make our economy stronger.
Those of us who have had to punish our children without addressing the error and conveying best practices going forward, know that it’s probable for that child to engage in the same actions in the near future. Penalties without outlining clear steps towards rehabilitation are short-lived…
We’ve also seen examples of those with enough financial backing to circumvent penalties to protect their own interests. Sadly, this is nothing new.
Every decision maker needs to ask themselves the following question:
👉 What is our vision statement for how we’d like to be perceived in our marketplace?
A sober answer to this question will eradicate the possibility of ghosting anyone. Your competitive advantage is directly tied to the experience you provide to people, and one bad experience can derail your entire business model. Respecting people should be foundational, not a forced act by way of a penalty.
Poor business etiquette has penetrated our leadership ranks. We’ve lost the art as leaders to communicate bad news to people, choosing to hide behind emails or not communicating at all.
“Anything you can do, I can do better” has become a theme song for many who take part in the hiring process. Recruiters are ghosting candidates, candidates are ghosting recruiters, decision makers are ghosting recruiters & candidates, and so forth…
Proving that I can “out ghost you” has become a thing, leaving casualties along the way and a fractured hiring process that will force our best and brightest to search for greener pastures in neighbouring economies.
A poor reputation spreads like a wild fire, and fines are masking the real issue.
Treating people well will cost you nothing – this is precisely why GOOD LEADERSHIP matters.