Rachel Maxcy / Vancouver, BC
Organizations facing harassment complaints, discrimination allegations, or AI-related compliance and governance risk need an advisor with the experience to navigate the intersection of HR, law, and emerging technology. That is what this practice offers.
15 years of HR experience across private sector, health care, and non-profit. Workplace investigations conducted with rigour, discretion, and procedural fairness. AI governance frameworks built for the specific risks your organization actually faces: bias in hiring systems, policy gaps, regulatory exposure, and reputational risk.
Each engagement is scoped to the specific situation, including workplace harassment investigations, an AI governance audit, an HR compliance review, or complex due diligence. Work is conducted independently, documented thoroughly, and handled with the discretion the subject matter requires.
Organizations deploying AI tools face real and growing risk: bias in hiring and performance systems, accountability gaps, regulatory uncertainty, and serious reputational exposure. This practice brings an HR and investigations lens to ethical AI governance: AI use policy development, bias and risk audits, ethical use frameworks, and compliance reviews for organizations that want to get this right before it becomes a liability.
Independent investigations into harassment, discrimination, bullying, misconduct, and complex interpersonal situations in Canadian and US workplaces. Board member and executive vetting and investigations. Procedurally fair, thorough, and defensible. Written reports suitable for internal HR decision-making, board-level review, and legal proceedings.
Assessment of HR policies, procedures, and practices against current legal requirements across Canadian and US jurisdictions. Governance reviews for boards and executive teams. Identifying compliance gaps before they become formal complaints, legal liability, or public problems.
Thorough, discreet background research on individuals and organizations. Employment verification, reference checking, and professional history review for hiring, partnership, and governance decisions. Due diligence that surfaces what a resume does not.
Careful, methodical research into individuals, organizations, or positions where a complete and accurate picture matters. Conducted professionally and confidentially with clear documentation of sources and findings.
One-time or ongoing consultation for legal counsel, HR teams, and executives navigating complex workplace situations or AI-related employment risk. Advice grounded in 15 years of direct HR and investigations experience across multiple sectors and jurisdictions.
How I work
Workplace investigations require independence above all else. The value of an outside investigator is precisely that they have no stake in the outcome, no existing relationship with the parties, and no organizational pressure shaping their conclusions. Every engagement is conducted with that independence protected.
A good investigation serves the truth of what happened. Not the organization's preferred outcome. Not either party's account. What actually occurred, documented carefully and reported plainly.
The same principle applies to AI governance work. Organizations need an advisor who will identify real risk, not validate decisions already made. AI bias audits, ethical use frameworks, and compliance reviews are only useful if they are honest about what the evidence shows.
Work is grounded in best practice and a thorough working knowledge of the Employment Standards Act, collective agreements, common law, and human rights law across Canadian and US jurisdictions. Reports are written to be clear, complete, and defensible in language that HR professionals, legal counsel, and decision-makers can act on.
All parties are heard. The process is documented. Findings are based on evidence, not assumption.
Investigations and compliance reviews are confidential by nature. Information is handled accordingly throughout.
No organizational allegiance. No preferred outcome. The work is the work.
Process and findings documented to withstand legal, regulatory, and board-level scrutiny.
About
My career path has not been linear. I started in marketing, moved into film, landed in project management in health care, worked in the non-profit sector, and eventually found my way into HR through a combination of interest and circumstance. That non-linear background has been useful. I have worked in enough different organizational contexts to understand how workplaces actually function, not just how they are supposed to.
Over the past 15 years I have worked across layoff planning, disability management, performance management, compliance, and workplace investigations. I have watched organizations make avoidable mistakes because no one asked the hard questions early enough. That is the gap this practice is designed to fill, whether the situation is a harassment complaint, a governance concern, or an AI tool that is being deployed without adequate oversight.
AI governance is an extension of the same work. Organizations are deploying hiring algorithms, performance management tools, and HR software with significant bias and accountability risk, often without policy frameworks or audit processes in place. The legal and reputational exposure is real and growing. This practice brings an HR and investigations lens to that risk, grounded in employment law, procedural fairness, and a clear-eyed view of what the evidence actually shows.
I hold a certificate in Trauma Informed Workplaces and a certificate in Foundations of Workplace Investigations. I practice as a Private Investigator under supervision and am currently registering under the Security Services Act. I have worked with private sector organizations of all sizes, health care (union and non-union), and the non-profit sector across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, California, Texas, and New York.
I also run Embodied Work and its community Now What?, a separate practice supporting Gen X and older Millennial women navigating layoffs, career disruption, and midlife transitions. The two practices serve different clients with different needs and are kept deliberately separate.
Practical thinking on workplace investigations, AI governance, and HR compliance. Written for HR professionals, legal counsel, and organizational leaders navigating situations that do not come with easy answers.
Most organizations deploy AI screening and hiring tools without a policy framework, bias audit, or clear accountability structure in place. Here is what needs to happen first.
Read more →Internal HR teams can handle a lot. A harassment complaint involving a senior leader, a situation with legal implications, or any case where the appearance of impartiality matters is not one of them.
Read more →Hiring algorithms, performance management software, and scheduling tools all carry bias risk. Most organizations do not know what is in the systems they are already using. That is a compliance problem.
Read more →Procedural fairness is not just a legal concept. It is the standard by which every workplace investigation is judged, by the parties involved, by legal counsel, and by any adjudicator who later reviews the file.
Read more →Legal teams are thinking about AI liability. Boards are thinking about AI risk. HR teams are often not at that table yet. They should be. Employment law, bias risk, and workforce impact sit squarely in HR's domain.
Read more →A defensible investigation report is not just thorough. It documents the process, explains the credibility assessments, ties findings directly to evidence, and is honest about what the evidence does not support.
Read more →An independent workplace investigator conducts impartial investigations into harassment, discrimination, misconduct, and other workplace complaints. Organizations need one when the complaint involves a senior leader, when internal HR has a conflict of interest, when there is potential legal exposure, or when the credibility of the process requires someone with no organizational allegiance. Independence is not optional in these situations. It is the foundation of a defensible process.
An AI governance consultant helps organizations identify and manage the legal, ethical, and reputational risks associated with deploying AI tools. This includes auditing AI systems for bias, developing AI use policies, building accountability frameworks, and assessing compliance with emerging AI regulations. For HR contexts specifically, this means examining how AI tools are used in hiring, performance management, scheduling, and workforce planning.
A straightforward workplace investigation typically takes two to six weeks from intake to final report. Complex matters involving multiple complainants, large amounts of documentary evidence, or difficult credibility questions can take longer. Every engagement is scoped at the outset so organizations understand what to expect before the work begins.
This practice serves organizations across Canada and the United States. Canadian jurisdictions include British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. US jurisdictions include California, Texas, and New York. Remote engagements are available across both countries.
An AI bias audit examines whether a specific tool or system produces biased outputs, particularly in areas like hiring, promotion, or performance assessment. An AI compliance review is broader: it assesses whether an organization's overall use of AI tools meets current legal requirements and best practice standards, including policy gaps, documentation, accountability structures, and employee disclosure obligations. Both are often needed together.
Get in touch
Most engagements begin with a brief call to understand the situation, scope the work, and confirm fit. There is no obligation in that conversation.
Enquiries are handled confidentially. If you are unsure whether the situation warrants an investigation, a compliance review, or an AI governance audit. That is a fine place to start.
All enquiries are handled confidentially. Response within one business day.
Rachel also runs Embodied Work and its membership community Now What?, supporting Gen X and older Millennial women navigating layoffs, burnout, and midlife career disruption. That work lives at embodiedwork.ca.