HOME & COMMUNITYPolicy No.: HR-3-10

SUPPORT SERVICESUpdated: October 2010

--OF GREY-BRUCE--Effective Date: Jan/99

Page: 1 of 2

SECTION: HUMAN RESOURCES

TOPIC: EMPLOYEE CONDUCT

POLICY TITLE: WORKPLACE HARASSMENT POLICY

POLICY STATEMENT

The management of Home & Community Support Services of Grey Bruce is committed to providing a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity.

Workplace harassment will not be tolerated from any person in the workplace. Everyone in the workplace must be dedicated to preventing workplace harassment. Managers, supervisors, and workers are expected to uphold this policy, and will be held accountable by the employer.

Workplace harassment means engaging in a course of improper comment or conduct against a worker in a workplace – a comment or conduct that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome.

RIGHT OF THE EMPLOYEE TO BE FREE FROM SEXUAL HARASSMENT

  1. Every employee has a right to freedom from sexual harassment in the workplace by his or her employer, agent of the employer, or by another employee or volunteer.
  2. Every person also has the right to be free from:

i)a sexual solicitation or advance made by a person in a position to confer, grant or deny a benefit or advancement to the person where the person making the solicitation or advance knows or ought reasonably to know that it is unwelcome; or

ii)a reprisal or threat of reprisal for the rejection of a sexual solicitation or advance where the reprisal is made or threatened by a person in a position to confer, grant or deny a benefit to a person.

DEFINITION

HCSSGB defines sexual harassment as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

  • submission to such conduct is made either implicitly or explicitly a condition of employment
  • submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as a basis for any employment decisions (including promotional, safety, separation affecting the employee)
  • such conduct has the purpose, or the effect, of unreasonably interfering with the employee's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.

Harassment may also relate to a form of discrimination as set out in the Ontario Human Rights Code, but it does not have to.

This policy is not intended to limit or constrain the reasonable exercise of management functions in the workplace.

Workers are encouraged to report any incidents of workplace harassment.

COMPLAINT PROCEDURES:

  1. Employees who feel that they have been personally or sexually harassed in the course of their employment with the Home and Community Support Services of Grey-Bruce should report the circumstances, orally or in writing, to their immediate supervisor/manager as soon as possible. If the employee feels that circumstances make it preferable to deal directly with the Executive Director, he or she may do so.
  2. All complaints/reports of personal and/or sexual harassment will be investigated and considered on the basis of facts. This policy does not preclude employees from using the complaint procedure established under the Ontario Human Rights Code at any time, or settling a complaint through their immediate supervisor before reporting to the Executive Director.
  3. The Supervisor and/or Executive Director is responsible for interviewing both the complainant and the alleged offender. If the complaint cannot be resolved at this stage, an investigation, including the interviewing of any witnesses, will be conducted and appropriate action taken.
  4. If a resolution cannot be reached or if the action taken is unsatisfactory, the affected employee should then report directly to the Executive Director who will conduct another investigation.

Management will investigate and deal with all concerns, complaints, or incidents of workplace harassment in a fair and timely manner while respecting workers’ privacy as much as possible. All reports and discussions are treated in confidence and no subsequent action is taken without the complainant's knowledge.

Nothing in this policy prevents or discourages a worker from filing an application with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario on a matter related to Ontario’s Human Rights Code within one year of the last alleged incident. A worker also retains the right to exercise any other legal avenues that may be available.

CONTACT

For more information, contact the Executive Director.

::ODMA\GRPWISE\PRIMARY.HCSS-OS-PO.HCSS-OS-PO Library:12917.1