Download Violence and Harassment Policy

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Violence and Harassment Policy and Procedure
O: July 24, 2014
Intent
The purpose of this policy is to create a safe and healthy work environment by defining workplace
violence and harassment, ensuring that all staff and volunteers know how to respond to workplace
violence and harassment, implementing measures and prevent, address and/or control the risk of
workplace violence and harassment, and clarifying roles and responsibilities.
Definitions
Workplace Violence means but is not limited to:
• The exercise of physical force by a person against a worker or volunteer, in a workplace, that
causes or could cause physical injury;
• An attempt to exercise physical force against a worker or volunteer, in a workplace, that
causes or could cause physical injury;
• A statement or behaviour that is reasonable for a worker or volunteer to interpret as a threat to
exercise physical force against a worker or volunteer, in a workplace, that causes or could
cause physical injury;
Personal Harassment - is any unsolicited, unwelcome, disrespectful or offensive behaviour that an
underlying sexual, bigoted, ethnic or racial connotation and can be typified as:
• An implied or expressed threat of reprisal for refusal to comply with a sexually oriented
request;
• A demand for sexual favours in return for (continued) employment or more favourable
employment treatment;
• Unwelcome remarks, jokes, innuendoes, propositions, or taunting about a person’s body,
attire, sex or sexual orientation and/or based on religion;
• Suggestive or offensive remarks;
• Bragging about sexual prowess;
• Offensive jokes or comments of a sexual nature about an employee;
• Unwelcome language related to gender;
• Displaying of pornographic or sexist pictures or materials;
• Leering (suggestive persistent staring);
• Physical contact such as touching, patting, or pinching, with an underlying sexual connotation;
• Sexual assault; for the most part, victims of sexual harassment are female. However, conduct
directed by female employees towards males and between persons of the same sex can also
be held to constitute sexual harassment.
Racial Harassment Ethnic Harassment - is defined as any conduct or comment which causes
humiliation to an employee or volunteer because of his/her racial or ethnic background, colour, place
of birth, citizenship or ancestry. Examples of conduct which may be racial or ethnic harassment
include:
• Unwelcome remarks, jokes or innuendos about a person's racial or ethnic origin;
• Colour, place of birth, citizenship or ancestry;
• Displaying racist or derogatory pictures or other offensive material;
• Insulting gestures or practical jokes based on racial or ethnic grounds which create
awkwardness or embarrassment;
• Refusing to speak to or work with someone or treating someone differently because of their
ethnic or racial background.
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Workplace Bullying - is any severe, repeated conduct that negatively impacts the psychological or
physical well-being of a worker or volunteer, such as:
• an attempt to exercise physical force against a worker or volunteer, in a workplace, that could
cause physical injury to the worker or volunteer;
• a statement or behaviour that it is reasonable for a worker or volunteer to interpret as a threat
to exercise physical force against the worker or volunteer, in a workplace, that could cause
physical injury;
• physical attacks and other forms of violence, such as hitting or kicking;
• verbal taunting or threats, name-calling and put-downs;
• spreading of rumours; and
• sending embarrassing, hurtful and threatening messages using technology such as the
Internet or cell phones. This is known as cyber-bullying (electronic bullying, online bullying, or
cyber harassment).
• Behaviour where a severe, repeated conduct negatively impacts the psychological or physical
well-being of a worker or volunteer.
Workplace violence and harassment may take many forms including:
• Physical acts - hitting, shoving, pushing, kicking, sexual assault
• Verbal/written - threats, swearing, name calling, insults
• Emotional – excluding, shunning
• Sexual – inappropriate conduct, comments, solicitation
• Electronic – computer, mobile devices
Policy
Rainbow Routes Association strictly prohibits violence and harassment in the workplace and is
committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment free from violence, threats of violence,
harassment, intimidation and disruptive behaviour for all our employees and volunteers.
At Rainbow Routes Association, every employee and volunteer has a right to freedom from:
 harassment in the workplace because of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin,
citizenship, creed, age, record of offences for which a pardon has been granted and not
revoked, marital status, family status or disability.
 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;
 a reprisal or a 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 or
advancement to the person.
 Bullying, where a severe, repeated conduct negatively impacts the psychological or physical
well-being of a worker or volunteer.
Reporting/Immediate Assistance
Acts of workplace violence or harassment are to be reported by the individual without delay to their
supervisor. Reports will be investigated and addressed as appropriate in accordance with this policy.
If an incident of workplace violence, occurs, or is likely to occur, and immediate response is required
summon immediate assistance by contacting police at 911.
Individual Responsibility
Every staff and volunteer is personally accountable and responsible for acting in compliance with this
policy, enforcing this policy and making every effort to prevent violence, discrimination and/or
harassing behaviour. As such, employees must report every incident of violence and/or harassment
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immediately, whether it was observed, happened to them personally, or if the problem was reported to
them.
Disciplinary Measures
• Rainbow Routes Association will take all complaints of harassment, bullying or violence
seriously, and will conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.
• If it is determined that any employee or volunteer has been involved in violent actions, or the
harassment or bullying of another employee or volunteer, immediate disciplinary action will be
taken.
• Disciplinary action may involve counselling, a formal warning and could result in immediate
dismissal without further notice, or police involvement as appropriate.
• It is a violation of Rainbow Routes Association Policy for anyone to knowingly make a false
complaint of violence or harassment, or to provide false information about a complaint.
Individuals who violate this Policy are subject to disciplinary and/or corrective action, up to and
including termination of employment.
This policy will be reviewed on an annual basis or as deemed necessary.