Hiring someone is exciting. Whether you’re adding your first employee, replacing a long-standing team member or building an entire department, you’re beginning a relationship that can have a significant impact on both your business and another person’s life.
There are legal requirements Alberta employers need to understand when hiring. There are also good business practices that may not be mandatory but can make an enormous difference. After decades of recruiting and staffing, we’ve learned that the best employers pay attention to both.
Start With the Legal Foundation
Most Alberta workplaces are governed by Alberta’s Employment Standards Code and Regulation, which establish minimum standards for wages, hours of work, overtime, vacation, general holidays, leaves and termination of employment. Employers and employees cannot simply agree to employment terms that fall below those statutory minimums.
Human rights requirements begin before the person becomes an employee. Alberta employers cannot discriminate in job advertisements, applications or hiring decisions based on protected grounds under the Alberta Human Rights Act, unless a requirement can legitimately be justified as a bona fide occupational requirement. Interview questions should therefore focus on whether a candidate has the qualifications and ability to perform the job rather than on protected personal characteristics.
Those are legal considerations. Then there is the question we hear frequently: Does the job offer have to be in writing?
For an ordinary provincially regulated Alberta hire, Employment Standards does not impose a blanket requirement that every job offer be made through a formal written employment agreement. But that doesn’t mean a handshake and a quick conversation are the best way to begin an employment relationship.
Our recommendation is simple: put the important terms in writing.
A good written offer or employment agreement can clearly establish the position, start date, compensation, hours, work location, vacation, benefits where applicable, probationary terms where appropriate and other important conditions of employment. Properly drafted termination provisions are particularly important because Alberta’s statutory termination minimums may not represent an employee’s entire legal entitlement. Employers should consider obtaining employment-law advice when creating or changing employment agreements.
Now Add the Human Part
The law tells you many things you must do when hiring.
It doesn’t tell you to say:
“Welcome to the team. We’re really happy you’ve joined us, and we’re looking forward to working with you.”
We think you should.
For the manager, it may be another Monday morning. For the new employee, it could be the biggest day they’ve had in months.
They may have left a company where they worked for 15 years. They may be returning to work after raising children. They might have relocated to Alberta. They may be entering an office for the first time in their career. Or perhaps their last employment experience wasn’t particularly positive and they’re hoping this one will be different.
A little kindness costs very little.
Have their computer ready. Tell the team someone new is arriving. Show them around. Introduce them rather than leaving them to introduce themselves. Explain the things nobody thought to put in the employee handbook. Give them a sense of what their first week will look like. Check in at the end of the first day and again at the end of the first week.
None of those things are Employment Standards requirements.
They’re simply good employment practices.
Recruitment Doesn’t End With “I Accept”
One lesson we’ve learned through years of recruitment is that there’s an important period between “I accept the offer” and “I belong here.”
Companies can spend considerable time and money attracting a great candidate and then dramatically reduce their attention once the offer is signed.
We think that’s backwards.
You’ve just invested in finding someone you believe can contribute to your business. Those first few weeks are an opportunity to reinforce that they made the right decision.
Recruit the person. Welcome the person. Give them clarity about what’s expected. Then give them reasons to stay.
At About Staffing, we believe good hiring is about more than filling an empty chair. It’s about matching the right person with the right opportunity and helping employers think about the workforce solution that actually makes sense.
Sometimes that’s a permanent employee. Sometimes it’s temporary support, leave coverage, temp-to-hire or payroll and employment outsourcing.
The first question doesn’t always need to be, “Where should we post the job?”
Sometimes the better question is, “What does our business really need?”
That’s a conversation we’re always happy to have.
Research note: This article reflects Alberta employment information available as of August 2026 and is intended as general information, not legal advice. Requirements can change, and federally regulated workplaces are subject to different employment legislation.