According to a 2009 Ipsos Reid survey, nearly one in five Canadians feel that their working environment is not psychologically safe.
Did you know that employers are now required to train their employees regarding workplace harassment and bullying? Effective July 2, 2012, the BC government passed Bill 14, which changes the language of the Workers Compensation Act to include bullying and harassment as compensatory claims.
Due diligence for employers now requires that they:
• Train employees and management regarding harassment and bullying in the workplace
• Develop unambiguous anti-harassment and anti-violence policies
• Set out a process for investigating complaints that is fair, thorough, unbiased and objective
To address the requirements of Bill 14, Thompson Rivers University (TRU) is offering two workshops regarding workplace harassment and bullying.
Workshop for Employers, Managers, and Supervisors
May 9, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Community Resource Centre. Cost: $100
Workshop for Employees
May 9, 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Community Resource Centre Cost: $20
The interactive workshops teach employers and employees what they need to know about harassment. Harassment is defined as: “… a course of vexatious comment or conduct that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome.” There are three types of harassment: discriminatory, sexual, and bullying (personal or psychological harassment).
All employers should be concerned with any type of harassment in their workplace. Harassment is illegal – even if it happens away from the worksite (meetings, parties, business trips). Harassment is normally a series of incidents but can be one severe incident which has a lasting impact on the individual.
Employers are responsible for protecting workers and they must ensure there are policies in place as well as procedures on how to handle any complaints that come forward.
Creating and maintaining a healthy workplace has never been more important. Harassment and bullying training not only provides assistance on how to identify harassment and bullying, but also increases knowledge around what to do if the situation arises. During this workshop, employers will learn how to identify these behaviours and how to stop them.
The workshop for employers, managers, and supervisors has opportunities for participants to do some scenarios that are based on actual cases that have come before human rights commissions, arbitrators, and courts which helps in understanding the consequences of harassment.
Workshop facilitator Kellie Auld, owner and principal consultant of Simply Communicating, ensures that participants can share experiences in a safe, welcoming environment. Kellie is an experienced human resources professional with over 12 years in human resources and 15 years of training and facilitation covering a wide variety of industries which range from federal government, a Crown corporation; manufacturing, pulp and paper; financial, insurance; as well as small privately owned businesses and non-profits.
Register today for these workshops and be on your way towards creating a healthy and happy workplace. For more information or to register, please contact TRU-Clearwater community coordinator, Sylvia Arduini at 250-674-3530 or sarduini@tru.ca.