Workplace Law & Systems Insights

Intimate partner violence has been recognized as a workplace issue for years, yet most workplaces still struggle to respond effectively. This post explores why and introduces a three-part resource series designed to bridge the gap between legal obligations, evidence-based guidance, and real-world practice.

Boilerplate sexual harassment training focuses on what not to do. This post explains why that approach fails—and how bystander-focused, context-specific training better addresses power, culture, and everyday workplace behaviour.

The healthcare sector is leading the shift away from “trauma-informed” approaches toward trauma- and violence-informed (TVI) practice — and that shift matters at work. This post introduces a new free TVI Workplace Self-Assessment and explains why how employers respond to harm directly affects safety, trust, and legal defensibility.

Return-to-office (RTO) mandates that leave accommodation to individual managers risks human rights violations and loss of valuable members of the workforce. This post examines how discretion, bias, and common myths undermine human rights compliance—and why flexibility is the most effective solution.

A recent arbitration decision explores whether employers can deny or delay merit increases for employees returning from maternity leave. This post breaks down the ruling and explains how unionized and non-union employers should approach performance reviews and pay increases without triggering human rights risk.

Environmental responsibility isn’t a side project in my practice—it’s part of how I operate. This post explains why I’m a member of 1% for the Planet, how I approach transparency around charitable giving, and why supporting organizations like Environmental Defence matters.

Intimate partner violence is often treated as a private issue — but when it intersects with work, it engages employment law. This free legal awareness self-assessment helps employers understand how legal duties and judgment operate when IPV shows up at work.

A unionized employee was terminated for masturbating in an Uber on the way to work. The arbitration also highlights how trauma-informed assessments are essential in harassment investigations and underscores the dangers of relying on gender-based stereotypes.

A recent interest arbitration award has introduced a comprehensive domestic violence article into collective agreements at 32 Ontario hospitals. This post explains why the language matters, how it expands employer obligations under the OHSA, and what it signals about the future of workplace IPV standards in Canada.

Ending the hidden costs of intimate partner violence requires leadership. C-Suite buy-in ensures your workplace IPV program is implemented effectively, upstream interventions are possible, and losses are minimized.