Harassment-Free Workplace Policy Now in Effect for Provincial Government Employees

The Provincial Government has strengthened and modernized their Harassment-Free Workplace Policy for core government employees.

This policy, which was first announced in February 2018, is the culmination of several years of work, and is one of the most progressive workplace harassment policies in Canada.

The new policy builds on all 15 of the recommendations from the Rubin Thomlinson report that was commissioned to review government’s workplace and respectful workplace programs. It also incorporates best practices from other jurisdictions, leading to a best-in-class policy that will ensure all employees can be safe and respected at work.

Key elements of the policy are:

• Mandatory training focused on prevention for all employees under the policy.

• A 90-day timeline for all harassment investigations under the policy.

• A “single point-of-access” for complaints to be made through the Harassment-Free Workplace Manager. This will also ensure that all complaints are addressed in a consistent manner.

• Numerous communication checkpoints have been established for both complainants and respondents to ensure that all parties receive regular updates as the complaint progresses through to resolution.

• The definition of sexual harassment under the policy has been updated to include gender-based harassment.

• A number of options are available to empower employees to resolve complaints, both informally or through an investigation.