Presenter’s Lorraine Hearn, Regional Coordinator Central West Committee Against Violence Mary-Lynn Brinson, Regional Coordinator Roads to End Violence – Central East

Workplace harassment, any situation in which someone with whom you work, uses psychological, verbal, or other behaviours to cause distress, is now rampant in the workplace… Form of... persistent reprimands, complaints, criticism, bullying & humiliation amongst other behaviours… AKA: Corporate/Institutional Bullying... Occurs when bullying is entrenched in an organization and becomes accepted as part of the workplace culture. It can manifest itself in different ways….

Reasonable? Or Not?  Separate them from co-workers/Exclude them from participation  Break their confidentiality  Threaten them  Sabotage another’s work  Minimize their concerns  Overload them with deadlines, impossible tasks…..  Silent treatment  Label them  Undermine someone’s authority or performance  Micro-manage  Insult, embarrass, or verbally attack someone  Spread rumors/ gossip  Use mis-truths to sabotage an evaluation

Is Unacceptable Is Disrespectful….to all those involved. Can affect not only the victims, but bystanders and witnesses. Can damage an individual's work performance. Can damage a teams performance. Can be toxic to the workplace. Is a growing concern in all workplaces WHATEVER WAY IT PRESENTS, IT…

Legal Responsibilities  Human Rights Legislation  Occupational Health & Safety Leg.  Canada Labor Code  Duty of Care in Employment Law  Due Diligence (have taken the necessary steps)  Tort Law (negligence law)

Effects on a Company  Decreased Productivity  Liability  Compromised work environment/ image  Absenteeism  Accident Rates, conflicts and turnover increase  Loss of high quality employees

What Makes A Company Vulnerable To Workplace Bullying?  No Single Profile  Contributing Factors:  Weak Leadership  Highly Hierarchical Structures  No Open Door Policy  High Stress or Monotonous Environment  Unethical Activities

Values MoresValues Less Biases (personal and agency

Employee’s Rights Every person who is an employee has the right to freedom from harassment in the workplace by the employer or agent of the employer or by another employee because of sexual orientation, race, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, age, record of offences, marital status, family status, or disability. 11

Nationwide Surveys Nationwide surveys of Best Practice tell us what employees want in the workplace: 1. Respect 2. Healthy and Safe work environment 3. Trustworthy Senior Management 4. Work Life Balance 5. Sense of Pride and Accomplishment

It is one whereby Employees/ Employers Feel safe Are treated fairly In a climate of respect and understanding Included in decision making where appropriate Both physical and psychological safety are acknowledged WHAT IS A RESPECTFUL WORKPLACE

What Can Employers Do?  Have an anti-bullying policy  Clarify and communicate organization’s values  Use managers as role models  Develop open communication between management and employees  Provide a complaint process  Train managers and employees about bullying  Support interpersonal skills training for employees  Punish bullies  Don’t hire bullies  Conduct an employee survey

 Be aware of our own behavior in the workplace.  Recognize that respectful workplace behaviors are consistent with a Healthy Workplace, which espouses a Culture of Safety.  Respect the diversity of our coworkers.  Know our rights as well as our responsibilities.  Know what our organizations policies are. What Can We (individuals) Do?

 Know the processes to follow when faced with a violation  Seek direction when needed. (RWP Advisor/EFAP)  Challenge disrespectful or inappropriate behavior when it happens (where able)  Report incidents of disrespectful behavior through the processes in policy  Work with Managers and other parties to resolve workplace issues.  Be confident in sharing your views, i.e. surveys What Can We Do? Cont’d…

Exercise Goal Settings