Exclusive event will shed light on impending BC-based legal changes
Investigating potential incidents of bullying, harassment or abuse in the workplace has become more complex and nuanced since the pandemic.
With more employees opting to work in hybrid models, how HR leaders identify and deal with these issues has become paramount – with the “duty to inquire” taking centre stage.
With so many pending employment law changes and updates, HRD is hosting our annual Employment Law Masterclass Vancouver – an exclusive event designed to bring busy HR professionals all the latest law developments across the province.
And the issue of handling workplace investigations is, as mentioned, top of our agenda. Speaking at the Summit, Victoria Merritt, associate at Dentons Canada LLP, will be hosting a session on best practice when handling harassment allegation in remote and hybrid work. During this talk, Merritt will discuss:
- Guidelines for investigating incidents and reports of bullying and harassment among hybrid and in-office workers
- Who should carry out investigations? Should the investigator be in-house or outsourced?
- Best practices for conducting investigations into emails, IM histories, and social media
Understanding the nuances of “duty to inquire”
And turning a byline to suspected incidents of abuse isn’t going to cut it. In fact, it’s illegal. In a previous interview with employment lawyer Alix P Herber, partner at Fasken LLP, he revealed that not only is it the right thing to do, but HR has a legal obligation to report harassment in the workplace.
Speaking to HRD, Herber revealed that first and foremost bullying is a “human rights issue”, and that while all provinces have their own unique legislation incidents still need to be reported.
To learn more on this issue and other pressing employment law topics, book your tickets for Employment Law Summit Vancouver here.
