Do you deal with workplace allegations of harassment?  Every day in Saskatchewan, people head to work with the hope of having a good day.  People want to be paid fairly for the work they do, and they should reasonably expect to have a safe workplace where they are treated in a polite and professional manner. Unfortunately, despite this, harassment occurs in our workplaces.  As organizational leaders and human resource teams, there is a responsibility to address workplace allegations of harassment when they occur and in a timely way.  Some allegations of harassment can be ma ..read more

As a workplace investigator, I get asked, “How do you prevent an HR investigation? I have heard many employers and managers say……. “if I had known I was going to have to conduct an investigation, I would have………”. Of course, no employer or manager wants to be in a situation where a workplace investigation is necessary.  But the reality is, it happens.  There are day-to-day managerial activities that you can do to prevent investigations or make them a little easier if one is necessary.  Three of these are as follows: Documentation Dawn, How do I prevent an HR investigation? My mo ..read more

Every year, non-profits spend billions of dollars on salary, benefits, and other employee supports. As the number of non-profit organizations has grown in Canada so have the demands on non-profit leadership. Meeting client needs, fund raising, working with a board, finding volunteers, managing the money and with all of these, human resource challenges.  To ease some of the burden, we can help with our retainer program for non-profits. For the average non-profit, there a many HR challenges to keep in mind, for example recruitment & retention onboarding performance management funding p ..read more

The Problem Everyday people go to work wanting to do a good job, make a difference, and be successful.  But, sometimes things don’t  go as planned.  After tempers flare and rude comments are made, relationships can take a nose dive. This can lead to tension and claims of bullying.  Workplace conflict affects the entire team.  An HR investigation addresses claims and complaints, but what about after that?  Organizations want to move forward.  So how do they move from a toxic workplace to a happy one? What To Do Most companies understand their ethical and legal ..read more

There are allegations of harassment against me.  Now what? Workplace harassment investigations cause feelings of intimidation and stress. However, barring any criminal act, as the Respondent, the investigation itself is an opportunity for you to share your reality with the investigators so that they can conduct a fair and thorough investigation.   The first step when you find out there are allegations against you is to request and review your organization’s respectful workplace or harassment policy in order to familiarize yourself with the investigation process. According to the ..read more

A topic that was hot a few years ago was the aging worker. Newer topics have since bumped the discussion on the aging worker off the front page. But, the aging worker has not disappeared. For me, the topic is very relevant as I “walk a mile” in those shoes. Recently, I have had some abrupt realizations about being an aging worker. These events have affected how I work and how I can add value to work. To maximize value, two things need to happen. Firstly, the aging worker needs to understand how aging impacts their work. Secondly, the organization needs to understand the aging worker. This blog ..read more