Each month, the Advocacy Committee answers your questions about the AD 10 polices (aka, your terms and conditions of employment.)
Hello, I'm Andrew Boden, APSA's Executive Director and an advocate on our Advocacy Committee. I'm answering your questions related to our AD 10 policies. Questions? Submit them anonymously here. These questions will be answered in a monthly advocacy corner issue. For an immediate answer, please contact APSA.
This month's question is about APSA representation during investigation meetings with Human Resources.
My supervisor requested that I attend a meeting with Human Resources regarding my performance. She said that I could bring along my APSA representative. Is it okay to bring along my friend, Dave? Dave is a member of APSA, too, and I've worked with him for years.
Typically such meetings are also known as an investigation meeting. Either your supervisor, a Human Resources advisor or a Labour Relations advisor will ask you a series of questions regarding issues of concern, which you're required to answer. There may also be more than one meeting as the issues involved may be very complex. Regardless, the outcome of your meeting could be disciplinary.
Of course, it's your decision to bring the APSA member of your choice. It's very important to have representation that is both skilled and informed in labour relations issues and experienced at investigation meetings.
While I am sure that you're friend, Dave is a great guy, he likely isn't familiar with APSA advocacy work and couldn't adequately represent you. An advocate with APSA would coach you prior to the meeting on how to comport yourself, support you through the process and ensure that your rights are defended throughout the investigation. Just as you would no more have Dave represent you in a legal matter, it's best to have a trained APSA advocate on your side in your workplace investigation.
Should the meeting go poorly for you (you receive an unpaid suspension, for example) and you wished to grieve the outcome, not having skilled APSA representation at the meeting could make your challenge of the discipline imposed more difficult. You and Dave may not have thought to take notes during the meeting, which both record the questions and your responses. Without these, a challenge to the outcomes of the investigation is far less likely to succeed. You may also say things that could be deleterious to your SFU career. A skilled APSA advocate ensures that these items and others are addressed in your favour.
What happens if my manager asks me to attend a meeting, and then an HR representative is there?
If you weren't warned in advance that you would be having a meeting with your manager and HR, ask them if this is an investigation meeting. In some cases, they may wish to ask you questions about another employee, but if the questions are about you, your performance, or your actions you should ask to stop the meeting and have it rescheduled once you've had an opportunity to speak to an advocate from APSA. As soon as you can, write down everything you remember from the meeting up until the point you stopped it.
If you are ever unsure whether you'll be going into an investigation or discipline meeting, you can always contact APSA to discuss your situation. Talking to APSA is 100% confidential.
Need an APSA advocate? Contact us at 778-782-4319.