Workplace harm, power, and the law

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.

Supporting survivors of IPV at work can be emotionally taxing. Organizations need to provide managers and HR staff with the training, debriefing, and mental health supports required to sustain an effective program.

Effective workplace IPV programs address both survivors and the people causing harm, balancing empathetic accountability with safety and risk management.

Accommodation for IPV survivors isn’t just procedural — it requires understanding barriers, creating cultural safety, and building on employee strengths to be effective.

Even without explicit Canadian case law, framing IPV as a human rights issue strengthens trust, supports survivors, and promotes the success of intersecting accommodations for disability, substance use, and other factors.