Benard + Associates Inc.
We are conflict management strategists helping clients prevent and resolve conflict through unique yet complementary services. Our three divisions provide our clients with a full range of options and solutions.
Regulatory Solutions
Workplace Solutions
Education & Training
Who We Are
Benard + Associates was built on the philosophy that focusing on what we do well, and being the best at what we do, will set us apart from the rest. We have stuck to this philosophy and many years later we still focus on two key areas of specialty:
- Professional Regulation
- Workplace Conflict
Regulatory Solutions
Regulatory Investigations
We conduct investigations into allegations of professional misconduct, incompetence, incapacity, and illegal practice for the vast majority of Ontario’s professional regulators as well as many across Canada.
Regulatory Complaints Resolution
Investigation is not always the answer. Our team of mediators assist clients in resolving issues and finding solutions to conflict. We also provide team building programs to assist small and medium sized teams to improve their relationships, efficiency, and productivity by eliminating or minimizing obstacles that harm the team dynamic.
Background Screening and Locates
We have an excellent record of providing information concerning the whereabouts and financial, employment and social media backgrounds of people of interest. We provide this information to aid in legal matters before the courts or tribunals as well as for pre-employment screening purposes.
Workplace Solutions
Our team of workplace investigators handle cases involving allegations of harassment, bullying, discrimination – including alleged human rights violations, and violence in all types of workplaces. They also perform workplace assessments to assist in identifying the root cause of conflict or tension in a workplace.
Confidential Whistleblower Service
Many of our clients are interested in taking a proactive approach to preventing and addressing misconduct. We provide a third party, confidential whistle blower service. Our service provides an economical, reliable, and safe means for any organization to provide an anonymous and secure method for their employees to raise concerns. Our intake team receives the information and prepares a memo to share this information with the client in a manner that protects the provider of the information but allows for appropriate follow up. As part of this process, we provide consultation on appropriate steps to responsibly investigate the concerns.
Benard + Associates offer a full range of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services that can assist parties in resolving their disputes. Workplace mediation is our particular specialty including such issues as return to work negotiations, interpersonal workplace conflict, team disputes, wrongful dismissal allegations, and labour management disputes such as grievances.
Leadership / Team Coaching + Group Facilitation
Our analysis of workplace conflict often leads to a recommendation for Leadership Coaching, Team Coaching, and/or Group Conflict Management Facilitation. In cases where our project begins with fact finding, investigation, or mediation it may be appropriate for these services to be delivered by someone other than the investigator or mediator. We have a strong network of coaches and facilitators to offer our clients easy, seamless and integrated access to Leadership and Team Coaching as part of a suite of investigation, conflict resolution and restoration services.
Education and Training
Investigation Training
We offer customized investigation training programs for organizations and online programs for individuals. We help you enhance your investigation skills. This includes regulatory bodies looking to enhance all or some of the skill sets and approaches their teams take to investigating complaints and reports, and companies or organizations looking to enhance their workplace investigations ability. Our custom programs cover the full spectrum of investigation processes and strategies. We also offer specialized programs that focus on specific aspects of investigation. Note - we do not provide investigator training for the purpose of obtaining a private investigation license.
Anti-Harassment Training
The issue of harassment and sexual harassment is a serious concern that has a massive impact on peoples' safety and psychological wellbeing. While this issue isn’t new, there is a continued growth of this issue. A greater onus is on employers to prevent harassment of all kinds. It isn’t good enough to react to events after the fact. We must challenge the status quo and educate everyone on the issues and how to address them and prevent them. We have been ahead of the curve on these topics for many years with our exceptional programs and workshops.
We assist managers, human resources professionals, and union leaders to enhance their ability to identify, prevent, and resolve conflict. From the fundamentals of conflict resolution, to more advanced training in mediation and facilitation, we assist people in refining and developing confidence to intervene and assist people to finding the resolution to their conflicts and disputes.
Communication Workshops
At the heart of conflict we typically see issues with communication. We offer communication workshops that will give people the tools they need to have those difficult conversations and learn how to address problems or perceived problems before they grow into complex issues.
Industries We Work With
Professional Regulators
Educational Institutions
Service Industries
Healthcare Institutions
Municipal and Provincial Governments
Utility Companies
Law Firms
Manufacturers
