How to Train Your (Workplace) Dragon: Ontario Employment Law Lessons from the Viking Village of Berk
The dragons have landed—again! The 2025 live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon soaring into theatres is not just a nostalgic thrill ride. For Ontario employers, it’s a surprisingly timely metaphor for managing today’s workplace—especially with new laws taking effect this summer. So, grab your HR shield and let’s explore what the characters Hiccup and Toothless, have in common with the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the “ESA”).
1. Taming the Fire: Workplace Conflict & Harassment
In the Viking village of Berk, dragons were once seen as terrifying threats—until someone dared to look beyond the fear and understand them. The same principle applies to workplace conflict: it may seem like a fire-breathing terror at first, but with the right approach, it can be managed effectively and constructively.
In Ontario, recent legislative changes reflect a growing awareness of how modern work environments have evolved and how conflicts can be resolved. With the passage of the Working for Workers Five Act, 2024 (Bill 190), the province has expanded the definition of workplace and workplace harassment under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (“OHSA”) to explicitly include telework from the employee’s residence and virtual harassment through digital platforms, respectively. This means that inappropriate behaviour via video calls, messaging apps, emails, or even emojis and gestures during online meetings are now overtly part of the definition of workplace harassment under the OHSA. As a result, employers are obliged under the OHSA to investigate when these explicit behaviours are alleged. Where harassment is found to have taken place, employers must take action to remedy it and ensure that workers are protected against it happening again in future.
TIP: Don’t let digital dragons run wild— employers are legally obligated to update their workplace policies, provide comprehensive training to staff, and ensure that all incidents and complaints—whether formal or informal, in-person or virtual—are investigated promptly and thoroughly. The expected result is that receiving a workplace harassment complaint won’t be so scary because the company has mapped out both the employee behavioural expectations and the steps to be taken to address violation of the policy.
2. Accommodation: When Toothless Needs a Tail Fin
In How to Train Your Dragon, Toothless can’t fly without Hiccup’s help. It’s a powerful reminder that employees with disabilities may need support to thrive. Under Ontario’s Human Rights Code, employers must accommodate to the point of undue hardship. Additionally, with the new long-term illness leave under the ESA (effective June 19, 2025), employees with serious medical conditions are entitled to up to 27 weeks of unpaid job-protected leave. Want to know more about this new leave? See Jennifer Heath’s most recent article in the July PH Report.
TIP: Supporting your team member’s unique needs isn’t just noble—it’s legally required.
3. Tradition vs. Transformation: Embracing Change
In the village of Berk, the mentality of “we’ve always done it this way” nearly leads to ruin. Sound familiar? Ontario’s various Working for Workers legislation ushered in changes as of July 1, 2025, from mandatory washroom cleaning records (Working for Workers Five Act, 2024) to new onboarding disclosure rules for employers with 25+ direct employees (Working for Workers Act, 2023).
TIP: Outdated practices are the real dragons—slay them with proactive compliance.
4. The “Last and First” Rule: Even Vikings Need to Show Up
To qualify for public holiday pay (see more details on this in my Canada Day blog, Canada Day in Ontario: Your Employer’s Guide to Holiday Harmony (and Staying Out of Trouble). Ontario employees must work their last scheduled shift before and first after the holiday—unless they have a valid excuse. Think of it as showing up for dragon training: no-shows don’t get the loot.
TIP: Communicate expectations clearly and document attendance to avoid ESA missteps.
5. Bonus Scroll: The One-Year Rule in Human Rights Claims
Even the fiercest dragon rider knows—timing is everything. Just like Hiccup had to act fast to save Berk, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal (HRTO) reminds us that missing a deadline, even by a single day, can ground your entire case. In one real-world saga, the Tribunal upheld a dismissal simply because the application was filed one day late. Of course, there may be exceptional circumstances where the HRTO may allow an extension but those are exceptions and not the rule.[1]
The lesson? Know your timelines like you know your dragon’s flight path—and document everything.
TIP: If you suspect a complaint has flown in past the deadline, raise it in your response and back it up with solid evidence. Keep detailed logs of workplace incidents, communications, and timelines. These records are your dragon armour—essential for challenging late applications and defending your position with strength and precision.
Final Thoughts
How to Train Your Dragon may be set in a mythical land, but its themes are right at home in Ontario’s evolving employment landscape. With new laws taking flight in 2025 and continuing into 2026, now’s the time to unleash your inner Hiccup, give those dusty company technology and harassment policies, as well as employment agreements, a dragon-sized upgrade, accommodate like a hero (right up to the point of undue hardship), and fly your workplace into the future!
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[1] https://tribunalsontario.ca/documents/hrto/Practice%20Directions/PD_Extension_Requests.html
