HN Workplace Investigations

About HN Workplace Investigations

HN Workplace Investigations is a Toronto based sole practice run by Helen Nowak, a labour and employment lawyer who has been a member of the Law Society of Ontario since 2012. Nowak holds an Association of Workplace Investigators Certificate (AWI-CH) and previously worked as legal counsel to unions in the federal public service, health care, and university sectors. The practice conducts workplace investigations into harassment, discrimination, sexual harassment and violence, incivility, code of conduct violations, conflicts of interest, and other conduct based workplace issues. It also handles sports investigations as part of the SportSafe Investigations Group, a team that investigates complaints for sporting associations, regulatory bodies, and clubs.

Beyond investigations, the practice offers workplace assessments meant to identify the sources of workplace discord, a restoration process meant to rebuild working relationships after a dispute, and training in conflict resolution and respectful workplace conduct. Nowak's academic background includes a BCL and LLB from McGill University (2010), a Master of Arts in Sociology from York University (2007), and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology from Concordia University (2002). The practice describes its investigative approach as grounded in procedural fairness, investigative rigour, impartiality, and an anti-oppression, trauma-informed lens.