Kathleen O'Shaughnessy — Employee & Labor Relations Leader

About

I lead a team within Employee & Labor Relations at Stanford University, supporting a distributed workforce of 15,000+ employees across 20+ schools and business units. My work spans the full spectrum of employee relations—from leading complex investigations and advising on workforce reductions to building scalable processes that drive consistency across a highly decentralized organization.

Before Stanford, I served as Corporate Counsel at Viterra, a $6.1B publicly traded global enterprise, where I designed and launched the company’s first global ethics and compliance program from scratch—building investigation protocols, a case management system, and training that increased internal reporting by 200–300%.

As a trained lawyer who has managed ER and compliance across both Canada and the U.S., I bring a strong foundation in employment law paired with a practical, business-minded approach. I’m most energized by the work of building—standing up new functions, creating the toolkits and analytics that give organizations visibility into risk, and equipping managers to handle complex people issues with confidence.

15,000+

Employees supported across portfolio in current role

100+

High-stakes ER matters triaged and resolved annually

700+

Managers trained on investigations, performance, and compliance

$20M+

In risk remediation through incident investigation and legal assessment

200–300%

Increase in internal reporting after launching compliance training program

~200

Global litigation files managed, 66%+ closed below budget

What I Do

ER Program Design & Build-Out

Standing up employee relations as a dedicated function: structured investigation frameworks, intake processes, documentation standards, case management systems, and resolution protocols built for scale and auditability.

Workplace Investigations

Leading complex, sensitive investigations (harassment, discrimination, retaliation, misconduct, conflicts of interest) with thorough fact-finding, credibility assessment, and written findings that hold up under legal and regulatory scrutiny.

Manager Coaching & Training

Designing and delivering training that equips managers to handle performance issues, conduct concerns, separations, leaves, and accommodations independently—reducing legal risk and freeing the ER function to focus on the highest-impact work.

ER Analytics & Risk Visibility

Building case tracking and analytics capabilities that surface trends, themes, and root causes— providing leadership with data-driven insights for proactive risk mitigation rather than reactive case management.

Organizational Change & Restructuring

Advising on workforce reductions, RIFs, site closures, and reorganizations with attention to legal compliance, employee impact, and communication—including cross-border considerations for global operations.

Ethics & Compliance Programs

Building global compliance infrastructure from scratch: codes of conduct, anti-corruption programs, investigation protocols, whistleblower frameworks, and training programs designed to increase reporting and drive cultural accountability.

Experience

Employee & Labor Relations Manager

2024 – Present

Stanford University · Redwood City, CA

Lead a team of Senior ER Specialists within Employee & Labor Relations, supporting a highly decentralized organization of 15,000+ employees across 20+ schools and business units, including the Graduate School of Business.

Primary triage point for 100+ high-stakes ER matters annually across 7 client groups, with advisory reach to 13+ additional units—pace and complexity comparable to a global technology company.
Lead or advise on 35+ complex workplace investigations per year, producing written findings and recommendations under tight turnaround expectations.
Built standardized investigation practices, scalable templates, and intake procedures to drive consistency and reduce cycle time across a distributed workforce.
Designed and delivered training to 700+ managers on investigations, performance management, separations, leaves, and accommodations.
Partner with Global HR on international investigations, workforce reductions, and site closures across jurisdictions.

Senior Employee & Labor Relations Specialist

2021 – 2023

Stanford University · Redwood City, CA

Led end-to-end workplace investigations in virtual and onsite settings, including planning, witness interviews, credibility assessments, and written summaries with findings and recommendations.
Advised on workforce reduction planning, terminations, grievances, conflict resolution, and performance management across diverse employee populations.
Developed and facilitated ER and compliance training for employees, managers, and HR partners.

Employee & Labor Relations Specialist

2016 – 2019

Plūme Inc. · Montréal, Canada

Managed workplace investigations, policy assessments, and compliance training for multi-national employers.
Developed employee handbooks and conducted risk assessments across jurisdictions.

Litigation Associate

2013 – 2015

Scott Venturo LLP · Calgary, Canada

Employment, regulatory compliance, and insurance defense litigation. Represented clients in professional liability, privacy breach investigations, and ethics violations.

Corporate Counsel — Ethics & Compliance, Privacy, Litigation

2011 – 2013

Viterra Inc. · Calgary, Canada

Reported to SVP/General Counsel at a $6.1B publicly traded global enterprise (6,000+ employees). Built and led the company’s first global ethics and compliance function.

Designed, launched, and managed a global ethics and compliance program from scratch: Code of Conduct, anti-corruption framework, investigation protocols, and case management system.
Developed global training that increased internal reporting of suspected violations by 200–300%.
Led incident investigations and legal liability assessments that drove remediation strategies saving the company $20M+.
Managed global litigation portfolio (~200 files) and external counsel, closing 66%+ of matters below budget.
Served as Global Privacy Officer; oversaw privacy and security audits and cross-jurisdictional data compliance.

Litigation Associate

2005 – 2011

Bennett Jones LLP · Code Hunter LLP · Calgary, Canada

Litigation career at leading Canadian firms focused on employment & labor relations, regulatory compliance, privacy, professional liability, and complex commercial disputes.