---
title: "Workplace Investigation in Canada: Step-by-Step Guide | HR Team"
description: "How to run a workplace investigation in Canada after a harassment or misconduct complaint: interim steps, choosing an investigator, interviews, findings and reporting."
url: https://hrteam.ca/guides/workplace-investigation/
last_updated: 2026-11-05
---

# How to run a workplace investigation

A complaint of harassment or misconduct puts you on the clock. A fair, prompt investigation protects the people involved and the business, and in Ontario it is a legal requirement for harassment complaints.

## Step by step

- **Take the complaint seriously**: Thank the person, get the basics in writing and explain what happens next. Do not promise total confidentiality; promise discretion.
- **Decide on interim measures**: Separate schedules, change reporting lines or place someone on paid leave if needed for safety. Interim steps are not discipline.
- **Choose the investigator**: Someone impartial with no reporting line to the people involved. For senior people or complex cases, use an external investigator.
- **Plan the investigation**: Allegations to test, witnesses, documents and messages to collect, timeline.
- **Interview**: Complainant, respondent and witnesses. Give the respondent the details of each allegation and a fair chance to answer.
- **Weigh the evidence**: Findings are made on a balance of probabilities: is it more likely than not that it happened?
- **Report and act**: Write findings and reasons. Decide on corrective action separately from the findings.
- **Tell the parties the outcome**: In Ontario, the complainant and the alleged harasser must be told the results in writing, along with any corrective action taken.

## Official sources

- Ontario's Code of Practice to Address Workplace Harassment explains the investigation requirements under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. ([source](https://www.ontario.ca/page/code-practice-address-workplace-harassment))
- WorkSafeBC guidance on bullying and harassment investigations. ([source](https://www.worksafebc.com/en/health-safety/hazards-exposures/bullying-harassment))

## Mistakes that cause trouble later

- **Waiting**: Delays let evidence disappear and make the complaint look ignored.
- **A manager investigating their own team**: Even a fair result looks biased.
- **Deciding first, investigating second**: Leading questions and skipped witnesses are easy to spot in a legal review.
- **Poor notes**: Interview notes should be close to word-for-word, dated and confirmed by the person interviewed where possible.
- **Retaliation**: Any negative treatment of the complainant or witnesses after the complaint creates a new problem.

> This page is general information, not legal advice. Employment rules differ by province and change over time; check the official source or speak with an employment lawyer for your situation.

## Common questions

**When should I use an external investigator?**

When the respondent is senior, the allegations are serious, there may be legal action, or no one inside is truly impartial.

**How long should an investigation take?**

Ontario's Code of Practice says investigations should be completed within 90 days unless there are extenuating circumstances.

**Can you run an investigation for us?**

Yes. Investigations are available as an [HR consulting](https://hrteam.ca/hr-consulting/) project and included in the Fractional HR Lead plan.

## Related

- [HR consulting for one-off projects](https://hrteam.ca/hr-consulting/)
- [Progressive discipline: steps, records and a sample warning](https://hrteam.ca/guides/progressive-discipline/)
- [Employee handbook for a Canadian small business](https://hrteam.ca/guides/employee-handbook-canada/)
- [Fractional HR: a senior HR lead, part time](https://hrteam.ca/fractional-hr/)

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