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It is not uncommon for people to tense up as soon as words of harassment, sexual harassment, bullying, violence or discrimination are uttered in the workplace these days. ...

In “he-said, she-said” situations, who are you to believe when there are no witnesses available or any other sources of evidence?  This is where credibility assessments come in. ...

Harassment investigations are highly nuanced and a challenge to investigate as it often involves the classic “he-said, she-said” scenarios.  In the face of conflicting stories, who are you...

In continuation of this blog series, here are some more notable cases over the last decade where employers and HR leaders can learn from to truly understand the...

The cost and time required to conduct a legally defensible workplace investigation can sometimes be a barrier for employers – but what is the cost of getting it...

The pandemic has brought about unprecedented changes in the workplace over the past 3 years.  Changes in the way work is done, the way people interact, the work...

So, the results are in, the investigation is now complete – but as an employer or HR leader, your work is not yet done.  In fact, the real...

In continuation from Part 1 of our blog series on how best to approach harassment complaints, we will now focus on stage 2 of the process as we...

One, don’t panic. Two, don’t pre-judge or make assumptions. Three, take it seriously. These days, allegations of “harassment” or “bullying” can make people tense up very quickly.  Understandably...

Over the past 2 years, remote work has transformed the way people work for good.  According to a recent survey conducted by Robert Half and Amazon Canada, about...

Ontario is set to roll out it’s very own proof of vaccination system effective September 22, 2021 as announced by the government of Ontario on September 1, 2021. ...

The proposed legislation (Bill C-14) on the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) first announced back in late March has now been enacted as of April 11, 2020.  Employers...

As of October 17, 2018, the sale, possession and use of recreational cannabis (also known as marijuana, pot, weed or hash) is legalized across Canada.  What exactly does...

From honeymoon to divorce, the latter stage – inarguably, poses the most risk to an employer from a reputational and litigation perspective.  As a final chapter to the...

BMO and Scotiabank made headlines recently when they settled their overtime class-action lawsuits.  It came at a steep cost though.  Scotiabank paid nearly $40 million plus another $12.5...

Unlike large corporations, small medium enterprises (SMEs) simply don’t have the luxury of deep pockets, resources and expertise at their disposal.   They are challenged to come up with...

In the world of small medium enterprises (SMEs), it is not uncommon to find companies operating without HR expertise despite employing upto hundreds of staff in some cases....

In recent years, restricting an employee’s severance entitlements to only statutory minimums via termination clauses became common practice for many employers.   The main advantage – a cost-saving measure...

In this final part of the internal workplace investigation series, let’s now examine the last set of risks highlighted in red below.  If you are new to this...

In continuation from my last post, let’s examine the next set of challenges in conducting internal investigations through a HR lens.    Risk #1:  Internal politics skewing outcome...

When employers are faced with allegations of employee misconduct, workplace investigations offer a balanced approach for companies to make informed people decisions.  This is especially critical in cases...

It’s out!  The investigation findings regarding Jian Ghomeshi’s case has been released.To no surprise, the report revealed a very toxic workplace inside CBC whereby flagrant disrespect and abuse...

With the looming shift in demographics happening within Ontario workplaces, employers need to start critically assessing their HR needs in order to better prepare themselves for an aging...

Between the media spotlight surrounding the Jian Ghomeshi/CBC case, the Liberal MPs indiscretions on Parliament Hill and the hefty damage awards (over $400,000) levied against Walmart Canada for...