leadership matters
take action – and it needs to be seen to do
so. A key to success for HR professionals
in this area is the competency to undertake
a thorough workplace investigation.
HRPA members now have a new advantage
when it comes to carrying
out effective workplace investigations.
Earlier this month, Bill 27, or the Burden
Reduction Act, has passed through the
Ontario Legislature, allowing HRPA
members to be exempt from the Private
Security and Investigative Services Act.
Bill 27 was an omnibus bill that included
a number of different and disparate items,
but the piece that affects HRPA members
is an amendment to our Registered
Human Resources Professionals Act
of 2013.
The act was amended to add the
following section:
Workplace investigations
14.1 A member of the Association,
who is in good standing, is authorized
to conduct, for remuneration,
workplace investigations in order
to provide information, and section
IT’S EASY TO PUT A POLICY ON PAPER; IT’S
DIFFICULT TO CREATE TRUE CULTURAL SHIFTS. IT
MAKES NO DIFFERENCE TO MINORITY GROUPS OR
DISENFRANCHISED INDIVIDUALS IN THE WORKPLACE
IF YOU HAVE A REALLY STELLAR D&I POLICY ON THE
BOOKS AND A STRONGLY WRITTEN COMMITMENT TO
HUMAN RIGHTS – THEY NEED TO SEE IT
IN ACTION.
2 of Ontario Regulation 435/07
made under the Private Security
and Investigative Services Act,
2005 applies.
Essentially, HRPA members are now
significantly less encumbered by external
regulation when it comes to conducting
workplace investigations – HRPA now
has the authority to regulate its own members
in that respect.
As we further professionalize the
HR profession – and strive toward a
better expression of true inclusion in
the workforce – it is integral that workplace
investigations are used effectively
as a tool to support those goals. In doing
so, we are not only protecting the public
at large – we’re also protecting the
disenfranchised individuals in our own
workplaces who need us to be a voice
for them. n
Brenda Clark, CHRE, is chair of
the Human Resources Professionals
Association.
8 ❚ MARCH 2017 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL