Internal processes & HR policies

HR policiesthe written rules and the ways of doing things that decide how matters get settled and handled inside a company. That mainly means the employee handbook, the policies themselves, schedules, absences, vacation, remote work, discipline, health and safety, the procedures that say who does what and in what order, and the keeping of employee files. Some policies are mandatory in Quebec, among them the policy for preventing psychological and sexual harassment.

Project

I write your policies in plain language. A policy your managers don't understand is a policy nobody applies.

Some policies are not optional: the policy for preventing psychological and sexual harassment, the handling of complaints, and the protection of your employees' personal information.

  • Employee handbook, from the table of contents to the appendices
  • Harassment prevention policy and complaint-handling process
  • Remote work, vacation, absence and disciplinary policies
  • Internal processes for hiring, staff movements, end of employment and employee files
  • Employment contracts and template letters

Ongoing

Your policies have to keep up with the law as it changes. I watch for those changes, I revise, and I tell you when one genuinely affects your practices.

You also have quick guidance for the situations that fall outside the usual boxes: a leave that fits none of the categories, or a manager's question on a Friday afternoon.

  • Annual review of the handbook and the policies
  • Watching the legislative changes that concern you
  • Guidance, case by case, on the unusual files
  • Upkeep of employee files and mandatory registers
  • Drafting notices, disciplinary measures and end-of-employment letters
up to 50% of eligible expenses

Part of your project is probably eligible for funding

Most of the businesses I work with are eligible for the measure. The Concertation pour l'emploi measure, through its human resources management support component, subsidizes the fees of an outside specialist. Labour relations, end of employment and organizational structure are on its list. Priority goes to businesses with 6 to 99 employees.

  • A first 30-minute call, no strings attached, to see whether your situation fits.
  • You contact your Services Québec business advisor to confirm the interest of your project and the budget available.
  • I give you in writing what you need to support your request: the scope of the mandate, the schedule and the fees.
Check my eligibility

The rate and the decision belong entirely to Services Québec, which judges according to the nature of the project, your financial capacity and its own budget availability, and the measures change from one year to the next. Note as well that work stemming from an obligation set out in an act or a regulation is not eligible under the measure, the harassment prevention policy for example. The harassment prevention policy, being mandatory, is not eligible, but the employee handbook and your internal processes are.

Frequently asked questions

Do I really need an employee handbook?

The law does not require the handbook as such. What it does require is that certain policies exist and be made available to your staff. The handbook is simply the easiest place to gather what people need to know about how the company works, and it saves you from giving the same answer twenty times over.

Which policies are mandatory in Quebec?

Three obligations come up in every small and medium-sized business. First, the policy for preventing psychological and sexual harassment, which must be made available to your staff. Since September 27, 2024, its content is prescribed: it must cover, among other things, identifying and controlling the risks, including conduct of a sexual nature, the information and training provided, the reporting, handling and investigation process, protection for the people concerned and for those who take part, confidentiality, and keeping the records for at least two years. A policy written before that date has to be updated. Next, the health and safety prevention mechanism: a prevention program for establishments of 20 workers or more, an action plan below that, which has had to cover psychosocial risks since the reform of October 1, 2025. Establishments that existed on that date have until October 1, 2026 to have it in place. Finally, the personal information governance policies and practices required of every private business. Depending on your size, obligations tied to the French language are added to those. The rest is your choice.

What is the difference between an HR consultant and a lawyer?

The lawyer handles the dispute and gives the legal opinion; I take care of what comes before it. I write and apply your policies, I manage employee files, I prepare your managers for difficult conversations. When a file turns into a real legal risk, I tell you so and I refer you. I do not give legal advice and I do nothing that is reserved to lawyers. Handled well, HR practices head off most of the files that end up on a lawyer's desk.

My policies date back to 2015. Do we start from scratch?

Rarely. We keep what still reflects your reality, we update what has changed since, and we take out what nobody applies.

A first 30-minute conversation, no strings attached

Let's talk

Reply within one business day.