More than 100 specialists from across the world congregated on Thompson Rivers University’s campus last week to discuss workplace investigations, which organizers say are becoming more commonplace.
The conference, Workplace Investigations In Canada: Current Issues and Future Directions, was held on May 30 and 31.
Matt Malone, TRU Law assistant professor and conference organizer, said attendees came from places like Australia, South America, and California to discuss workplace investigations as a practice.
“The conference focuses on everything from really tricky conceptual questions like, what is work? What is the workplace? What is the experience of particular parties in investigations? The experience of complainants?” Malone said.
He said many workplace investigators work alone, and his hope is that the conference will allow specialists to network and share best practices.
“They can learn from each other, they can impart their own experiences. I think this is a really important way for us to contribute to the integrity of workplace investigations in Canada and to make work more accountable,” Malone said.
According to Malone, workplace investigations have become more prolific, citing recent investigations at Kamloops city hall and TRU as examples.
“Workplace investigations are becoming a major tool of employment law and regulation. We see that in Kamloops with the city and the university having undergone major workplace investigations,” Malone said.
“This is happening as a phenomenon all over the world, and I felt for some time that it was important to bring people together to talk about this stuff.”
Malone said his ambition is to see the conference return annually.
The conference was co-hosted by Thompson Rivers University, Fulton and Company LLP and the Association of Workplace Investigators.
