workplace harassment

the ohsa defines workplace harassment as an inappropriate and vexatious comment or conduct in a workplace against a worker where the course of the comment or conduct is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome based on all types of harassment prohibited under the ontario human rights code. workplace harassment may also be a behaviour that intimidates, isolates, and discriminates against targeted individual/s.

relevant articles

harassment in canadian workplaces by darcy hango and melissa moyser is a great source of information with statistics.

verbal harassment

verbal harassment refers to harsh unwanted language, including but not limited to ongoing demeaning, intimidating, offending and/or ridiculous remarks, jokes, profanity, and/or innuendos against a worker.

psychological harassment

psychological harassment is similar to verbal harassment, but it is more covert and consists of exclusionary tactics like withholding information. psychological harassment usually intends to mentally break down the victim chipping their self-esteem and undermining them. it is the hardest form of harassment to identify.

digital harassment (cyberbullying)

refers to online forms of harassment through social media outlets which can be just as much detrimental as the normal form of bullying. for example, demeaning comments on social media, creating a webpage that belittles the intending worker and making false allegations. this harassment is possible because social media is now common in the workplace more than ever before. in addition, the worker who is harassing others tends to be braver on social media, which furthers the need to report.

physical harassment

physical harassment is when a worker makes inappropriate physical contact with another worker. physical harassment in the worker may be considered workplace violence, depending on the severity of the incident. for example, but not limited to:

displaying or circulating offensive pictures of a target individual
bullying
offensive or intimidating phone calls or emails
workplace sexual harassment

sexual harassment

the ohsa defines workplace sexual harassment as:

engaging in the course of vexatious comment or conduct against a worker in a workplace because of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, where the course of comment or conduct is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome
making a sexual solicitation or advance where the person making it is able to confer, grant or deny a benefit or advancement to the worker, and the person knows or ought reasonably to know that the solicitation or advance is unwelcome.

examples of sexual harassment

unwanted physical contact
unwanted attention
unwelcome demands for dates
leering
inappropriate staring
displays of sexually offensive images or graffiti
repeated and vulgar sexual comments
distribution of pornographic material
inappropriate gender-related comments
unwelcome remarks about a person's appearance
solicitation of sexual favours
demands for sexual favours
implied or express promise of reward or benefit in return for sexual favours,
implied or express threat or act of reprisal if sexual favours are denied.

both women and men may experience sexual harassment in employment. however, women tend to be more vulnerable to it because they often hold lower-paying, lower-authority and lower-status jobs compared to men. at the same time, even women in positions of authority may experience sexual harassment.

extra reading material

ontario human rights commission: sexual harassment in employment (fact sheet)

frequency of harassment

the harassment action/s may happen once or many times during its duration. for example, a single instance of unwelcome sexual solicitation or advancement/s from an employee may constitute sexual workplace harassment.

what is not considered harassment?

when an individual or organization expresses constructive feedback, guidance, or advice about work-related behaviour is not considered to be harassment as long as there is a good basis for these preventive measures.

a reasonable action taken by an employer or supervisor relating to management and direction of worker/s is not considered workplace harassment. a reasonable action would be part of the employer and supervisor’s normal work function and could include changes in work assignment, scheduling, job assessment and evaluation, inspections, implementation of health and safety, and disciplinary action/s. these actions are considered workplace harassment only when the actions are not exercised reasonably and fairly.

expressing differences of opinion is not considered harassment as long as the opinions are aligned with the ontario human rights code.

duties of a supervisor regarding workplace harassment

as we know that every supervisor is a worker before being a supervisor, supervisors must understand the duties and responsibilities of workers regarding workplace harassment in ontario.

under ohsa, for workplace harassment, workers should:

know how to report incidents of workplace harassment to the employer or supervisor
know how to report incidents of workplace harassment where the employer or supervisor is the alleged harasser
know how the employer will investigate and deal with incidents or complaints of workplace harassment
know how information about an incident or complaint of workplace harassment will be kept confidential unless disclosure is necessary for investigating or taking corrective action, or is otherwise required by law
know that the results of an investigation and any corrective actions will be provided to the worker who alleged workplace harassment and to the alleged harasser (if the alleged harasser is a worker of the same employer).

the supervisors should ensure that every worker is familiar with the above duties regarding workplace harassment. supervisors should not participate in harassment and bullying and are required by law to report every incidence of harassment that may turn into violence in the workplace.

supervisors are a representation of an organization. the supervisors need to understand and be familiar with the specific duties of employers regarding workplace harassment.

under the ohsa, employers should ensure that:

an investigation is conducted into incidents and complaints of workplace harassment that is appropriate in the circumstances
the worker who was allegedly harassed, and the alleged harasser (if he or she is also a worker of the employer), are informed in writing of the results of a workplace harassment investigation and of any corrective action that has been or that will be taken because of the investigation
they review the workplace harassment program as often as necessary, but at least annually, to ensure that it adequately implements the workplace harassment policy

further reading part iii.0.i: workplace violence and workplace harassment in ontario.

阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 policies regarding workplace harassment

all supervisors, both academic and staff, shall seek to create an environment free of harassment and discrimination within their area of responsibility. supervisors will not condone or ignore activities within their areas of responsibility that violate the rights of 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 , faculty or staff. supervisors are expected to make those for whom they have responsibility aware that any form of harassment and discrimination is prohibited; and to ensure that any complaints will be attended to promptly and effectively.

for a detailed understanding of 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 policy guidelines, educational initiatives, and procedures (formal and informal processes) regarding workplace harassment please visit harassment and discrimination policy and procedures of 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 .