Rubin Thomlinson LLP Archives

The why and how of incorporating visual aids into investigation reports

June 14, 2022

A lot of work goes into producing an investigation report that is well-written and well-reasoned. But the finished product is more than just a set of words—it is also a visual experience for the reader. While visual elements such as white space and word font certainly enhance readability, in this blog post I focus on the communicative power of visual aids (images, tables, charts, etc.) and provide some best practices for including them in investigation reports.

A Q&A on writing workplace investigation reports

May 6, 2020 | By Liliane Gingras

I recently did a three-part webinar series on writing workplace investigation reports with my colleague, Janice Rubin. These were short half-hour sessions during which participants could submit questions to us in writing. We had clearly underestimated how much we had to say about writing investigation reports and didn’t have time to get to the questions. In this blog, I answer some of the really good questions that we received.

Workplace investigators working remotely part 4: Making the best of a difficult situation

April 8, 2020 | By Melody Jahanzadeh, , | By Katharine Montpetit

Here is the fourth and final installment of our chain blog, where our colleagues have discussed their experiences with working at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This post outlines some of the silver linings that we’ve discovered, both personally and professionally, as we collectively try to find our new normal during this pandemic.

Workplace investigators working remotely part 2: Some ways we adapted our workdays this week

March 26, 2020 | By Cory Boyd, , , | By Elizabeth Bingham

On Monday, several of my RT colleagues shared a “chain blog” about some of the humbling lessons that they learned from various mishaps occurring during their first week working remotely. In response, a few other colleagues and I would like to share some of our successes – things that have gone well or solutions that we have implemented to potential issues.

Enquêtes : Dix cas à retenir de 2019

February 10, 2020

Le 16 janvier 2020, Rubin Thomlinson donnait une conférence par webdiffusion sur les 10 cas à retenir de 2019 en matière d’enquêtes au travail. Voici les thèmes abordés et un résumé de cette présentation.

Sharing the investigation results or: How to stop worrying and have the conversation

July 18, 2019

Employers sometimes ask us for guidance on how to share the results of a workplace investigation with the parties. It’s not difficult to imagine why.

All parties to an investigation—so long as they are employees of the employer—are entitled to learn the results of the investigation, as noted in the Ministry of Labour’s Code of Practice.

Yet letting a Complainant know that his harassment complaint was not substantiated, or telling a Respondent that he engaged in bullying, is difficult information to deliver. Information like this can be physically and emotionally overwhelming for the parties to hear, and both may experience a variety of emotions in response.

How employers can support employees after an investigation

April 18, 2019

We know that workplace investigations can be disorienting experiences for the employees involved in them. Even a well-planned investigation can leave employees confused, at best, or deeply hurt and resentful toward one another or their employer, at worst.

Top 5 considerations when negotiating a new employment contract

June 19, 2015

As part of my practice, I am called upon by employee clients to provide advice regarding the negotiation of new employment contracts. Typically, by the time that I get involved, the employee has negotiated the terms of employment verbally with the potential employer, and has received a written employment agreement from the employer, that purports

Serious insight for serious situations.