Serious insight for serious situations.

Serious insight for serious situations.

Insights

Reflections and news direct from Rubin Thomlinson.
Subscribe to receive updates of interest to you.

Filtered By:

When investigators need “no less serenity than a judge”: What Carreau v. Canada quietly signals to HR leaders

Those who manage internal investigations generally want workplace investigations to feel fair. That usually means making sure people feel heard, allowing input, and trying to keep the process collaborative. However, there can also be an urge to treat investigation reports as collaborative documents that can be substantively refined before they are treated as truly final.

Read More

Understanding systemic discrimination: A practical framework for workplace investigations

In a recent blog, my colleague Dana J. Campbell-Stevens highlighted that workplace investigations involving allegations of systemic discrimination can be particularly complex. She noted challenges such as understanding what the complainant is truly alleging and determining whether the concern lies in a discrete action or in how an entire process operates.

Read More

Comprendre la discrimination systémique : un guide pour les enquêtes en milieu de travail

Dans un récent billet, ma collègue Dana J. Campbell-Stevens soulignait la complexité particulière des enquêtes portant sur des allégations de discrimination systémique. Elle relevait les défis liés à l’identification de ce que la personne plaignante allègue réellement, ainsi que la difficulté de déterminer si la situation dénoncée découle d’un geste ponctuel ou du fonctionnement global d’un processus organisationnel.

Read More

Leading for clarity, capacity, and care: A call to reinforce respect

I attended the “HR Leaders Summit Canada” conference last week, and participated in a panel where we discussed how human resources can lead organizations for “clarity, capacity, and care.” My co-panelists (Mark Edgar, Rawan El-Komos, and Momina Javaid, moderated by Donna Gray) had much insight and excellent ideas for HR professionals.

Read More

C-suite Investigations: When allegations about senior leaders are made to the Board

In a previous blog, I wrote about the unique challenges of conducting “C-suite investigations” — in other words, investigations into a member or members of an organization’s senior leadership. It is not unusual that these types of investigations are prompted by a complaint made directly (and sometimes anonymously) to an organization’s Board of Directors.

Read More

Devriez-vous enquêter? Quelques considérations pour les employeurs de compétence fédérale

Si vous travaillez dans le domaine des relations de travail ou du droit du travail pour un employeur de compétence fédérale, vous savez déjà que, dans certains cas, vous avez l’obligation d’enclencher un processus formel en matière de harcèlement, ce qui implique parfois de mener une enquête

Read More

Navigating complexities in workplace investigations concerning systemic discrimination

Despite the ongoing political debate regarding DEI initiatives and the decision by some organizations to de-prioritize or even dismantle them, systemic discrimination continues to be a known pervasive issue within organizational structures in Canada.

Read More