SERVICES

Training

Change behaviour. Shift norms.

training that actually sticks

Most training is easy to sit through and easy to forget.

Mine is built to change what people do at work.

We practice real skills with scenarios drawn from your workplace.

sophisticated & practical

Tailored to your workplace

Generic training doesn’t land. Even “industry specific” can miss the mark.


We start with what’s happening in your workplace. The patterns. The pressure points. Then we build realistic scenarios and practice how to handle them.

Behaviour first, norms in view

Harassment and conflict are rooted in power. Power is shaped by norms.

Training doesn’t change people’s values but can change behaviour and expectations. Norms shift when leaders respond the same way, every time, and follow through.

Adult learning done right.

Adults learn by doing. So we do.

People practice key skills, get feedback, and try again.

We use plain language and tools people can apply right out of the gate.

Want to go deeper?

Sexual Harassment Does Not Require Sexual Intent: A Federal Court of Appeal Reminder and Why It Matters

A Federal Court of Appeal decision confirms that sexual harassment does not require sexual intent. A legal and feminist analysis of the legislative framework, power dynamics, and what this means for employers in the federal jurisdiction.

trauma- and violence-informed management

This is a core area of my work, and it’s rarely taught well.

I train leaders and HR on how to respond in ways that support safety and participation.

That includes:

  • learning how outside factors influence how your employees experience the workplace
  • making it safer to talk so issues don’t get buried
  • offering real, accessible choices
  • building strengths-based supports
  • team support practices, like debriefs and capacity checks (tap in, tap out)

built for leaders

If training has felt pointless before, you’re not alone.

A lot of workplaces have sat through training that’s off the shelf, too generic, or all slides.

And it often boils down to “don’t do this, don’t do that.”

That’s not how norms change. And it’s not how harm goes down.

This work takes time and follow through. If you’re willing to do the work, I can help you build training that people use and leaders reinforce, day after day.

I’ll be in it with you, and I’ll keep it practical.

Rika is an incredibly smart and adaptive lawyer that excels in working with her clients to find creative solutions by using analytical approaches. Personally, it was a pleasure to work with Rika and I could not recommend her more highly!

BRANDON PARLETTE,

Senior counsel, Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development

Although we were on Zoom, the energy in the rooms was palpable. Your energy and facilitation style is so engaging. Your approach with the case studies was very effective in helping participants to think through and understand the more insidious forms of SH. I agree that this is an important - and much needed - area for workplaces to understand in more depth. I thought about this as key to prevention.

Research Partner

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Higher Education

Mennonite New Life Centre's Staff and Clients learned much from the teachings and guidance offered and would recommend to anyone. Rika is friendly and knowledgeable. Really knows her business.

Dwayne O'Connor

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Executive Director

Rika Sawatsky is smart and comes with impressive experience. At the same time, she is very respectful of the expertise of others. Rika is a natural collaborator and working with her helped me to see my own work from new perspectives. It’s the best kind of work experience.

Director

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Research Centre

Rika learned and applied the complex industrial terms and working procedures of our North American company incredibly quickly, all the while managing tight litigation timelines and multiple points of contact within our organization. Her personable nature and ability to explain legal concepts in plain language made her a joy to work with.

Labour Relations Manager

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Rail Industry

Rika is an excellent lawyer. She learns the complicated details of a case and finds creative solutions by building rapport with allied and opposing parties to come to a positive resolution for her clients.

Igor Gimelshtein

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CEO, Echelon Wellness

Rika is an excellent lawyer who pays attention to detail, has terrific writing skills, and is a wonderful person to work with. I highly recommend her for labour and employment matters.

John Stout

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Mediator/Arbitrator

I had the pleasure of working closely with Rika during her time with the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, where she drafted legislation, and provided oral and written advice to clients and senior officials. Rika is an incredibly smart and adaptive lawyer that excels in working with her clients to find creative solutions by using analytical approaches. Personally, it was a pleasure to work with Rika and I could not recommend her more highly!

Brandon Parlette

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Senior Counsel, Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training & Skills Development

Rika provided our public sector organization with expert representation on a number of complex legal matters, which led to highly successful outcomes. She provides intelligent insightful counsel and she has an unparalleled work ethic. Rika is able to pull on her wealth of knowledge and legal expertise while quickly comprehending the nuances of issues that are essential to problem solving. Rika is results driven and articulate in communications. From a client perspective, Rika is highly responsive and she demonstrates true caring.

John Hodgkinson

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Senior Manager, Employee & Labour Relations

Rika is a pleasure to work with! Her high level of organization and prompt communication is impressive, and her kindness proves she truly cares for her clients. I now feel confident about my client contract! Highly recommend!

Sara Froese

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Founder, All Sorts Press

tell me what's happening at work