Paul Berry, District PrincipalHealth and SafetyComox Valley School District
Preventing Workplace Bullying
and Harassment Training Materials for Comox
Valley School District Staff
September, 2017
o Why a Health and Safety Concern?o Workers Compensation Acto Recognizing what is and is not workplace
bullying and harassmento Employer, supervisor, and worker obligationso Reporting procedureso Investigating incidents or complaintso What co-workers can do to stop bullying and
harassmento Talking to a bullyo Scenarioso Additional information-your questions
Workplace bullying and harassment might result in:
o Health and safety issues- Section 5.1 Mental Disorder Claims
o Distracting someone who is performing dangerous tasks
o Physical and/or psychological injury
o Lower productivity
o Lower morale
o Higher absenteeism
o Staff turnover — targets of bullying and harassment and their co-workers
o WSBC policy recognizes that all workers are exposed to pressures and tensions
o For events to be traumatic, they must be emotionally shocking and unusual and distinct from the duties and interpersonal relations connected to the worker’s employment
o ie… an emotional outburst from a child or parent would not be uncommon in our work experience..
Note: Please click on the link below to view the video. Once the video has played, click your browser’s back button to continue on with the training presentation.
https://www.worksafebc.com/en/resources/health-safety/videos/what-does-bullying-harassment-mean-for-you-and-workplace?lang=en
Duties of employers (sect:115), workers, (sect:116) and supervisors (sect: 117)
o Ensure or protect health and safety
o Includes workplace bullying and harassment
o Inform, instruct, train and supervise
o Take reasonable steps to prevent and or remedy hazardous situations
o …bullying and harassment
o Behaviour that humiliates or intimidateso Examples might include:
o Verbal aggression or insultso Vandalizing personal belongings o Sabotaging worko Spreading gossip or rumourso Humiliating initiation practices/hazingo Personal attacks based on private life, personal traitso Aggressive/t threatening gestureso Cyber-bullyingo Physical assaults
o Can come from co-workers, supervisors, employers, external sources
Bullying and Harassment includes:
o Inappropriate conduct or comment(s)
o By a person towards a worker
o Known or reasonably ought to have known that the conduct was humiliating or intimidating
o Expressing differences of opiniono Offering constructive feedbacko Making a legitimate complaint about another
worker’s conducto Reasonable management action, including
decisions about: Job duties and work to be performed Workloads and deadlines Layoffs, transfers, promotions, and reorganizations Work instruction, supervision, or feedback Work evaluation Performance management Discipline, suspensions, or terminations
o Ensure Health and Safety
o Draft a workplace policy statement
o Prevent or minimize bullying and harassment
o Develop reporting procedures
o Develop procedures for dealing with / investigating incidents or complaints
o Inform, Instruct, Train workers and supervisors
Supervisor’s Duties includes:
o Not engaging in bullying or harassment of workers, other supervisors, the employer or persons acting on behalf of the employer; and
o Applying and complying with the employer’s policies and procedures on bullying and harassment.
o Protecting own safety
o Protecting the safety of others
o Take reasonable steps to prevent and address hazardous conditions…
o Not engaging in bullying or harassment of other workers, supervisors, the employer or persons acting on behalf of the employer;
o Reporting if bullying or harassment is observed or experienced in the workplace- a requirement under legislation
o Applying and complying with the employer’s policies and procedures on bullying and harassment.
Hazardous Conditions = Bullying and Harassment
o Workplace bullying and harassment is unacceptable and not tolerated
Policy 3065 and 3065R1(Regulation) Bullying and Harassment Prevention
Policy 3065
Bullying and Harassment Prevention
http://www.sd71.bc.ca/About/departments/hea
lthsafety/Documents/3065R1.pdf
1. The Board and its employees recognize the right and responsibility of
employees, to work in an environment free from bullying and harassment.
2. It is in the interests of all concerned that the Board and its employees cooperate
in attempting to resolve, in a confidential manner, any complaints of workplace
bullying and harassment which may arise in work-related situations.
3. It is in the interests of all concerned that those who conduct business with the
Board and its employees do so in an environment free from workplace bullying and
harassment.
4. Complainants who are covered by a collective agreement shall follow
the provisions of their applicable collective agreement. This policy covers
circumstances where the employee complainant does not have specific recourse
through a collective agreement.
5. The Board affirms that workplace bullying and harassment is not acceptable and
will not be tolerated.
Procedures for Reporting,
Investigation, and Remedy
Reporting the Incident
Persons who believe that they are being bullied or harassed should take the
following
steps to stop the harassment and prevent reoccurrences:
• communicate immediately their disapproval or unease to the offending person
• if unable or unwilling to do so, to report the incident to an appropriate third party,
and keep a written record of dates, times, the nature of the behaviour, and
witnesses, if any.
•If the incidents do not stop after procedure #1, individuals who believe that they
have been bullied or harassed should report the incident(s) to the immediate
supervisor.
•If the alleged bully or harasser is the immediate supervisor the report should be
directed to the Superintendent of Schools or designate.
Procedures for Reporting,
Investigation, and Remedy cont..
Reporting the Incident
• At all times, incidents of a serious nature should be
reported to the immediate supervisor, or, if the alleged
harasser is the immediate supervisor, to the Superintendent
of Schools or designate.
•If the alleged harasser is the Superintendent of Schools, the
report
should be directed to the Chairperson of the Board of
Education.
Investigation
•Complaints of alleged harassment shall be handled with all possible
confidentiality, sensitivity and dispatch by the immediate supervisor. If deemed
desirable, when receiving a report, the Superintendent of Schools or designate,
(or the Board Chair) may refer the matter to a third party to undertake an
investigation and provide a report.
•In some cases the immediate supervisor or senior district official may choose to
involve representatives of the Union(s) to resolve the matter, particularly when
the dispute is between two members of the same Union(s).
•If the complainant consents, a meeting may be sought with the alleged bully or
harasser with a view to resolving the dispute on the basis of a resolution that is
satisfactory to the complainant and the harasser.
•The name of the complainant or the circumstances of the complaint will not be
disclosed to any person except where disclosure is necessary to investigate the
complaint, or to take related disciplinary measures, or where disclosure is
provided for at law. No documentation on the harassment will be placed in the
complainant's personnel file.
Investigation cont…
•If the investigation fails to find evidence to support the complaint, there
will be no documentation concerning the complaint placed in the file of
the alleged harasser.
•In all circumstances, an individual who is accused of harassment will be
given the opportunity to fully explain themselves to the investigator and
have those explanations properly considered.
•At any time during the course of the investigation the parties may reach
resolution or settlement of the matter. Where both parties agree,
mediation may be used to facilitate resolution. Any resolution or
settlement agreement reached shall be put in writing and signed by
both parties. At this point the process is discontinued.
Where it is found that bullying or harassment has occurred the following may be
forms of action:
• education and training of individuals or groups
•monitoring of the behaviour of individuals or groups in the workplace
and/or learning environment
•effecting changes in the workplace and learning environment including
but not limited to transfers, reassignments, and schedule changes
•corrective and/or disciplinary action ranging from warnings up to and including
dismissal
•other strategies designed to eliminate and/or prevent harassment; and any other
remedies or penalties appropriate to the particular circumstances of the matter.
Resolution of Bullying and Harassment
Complaints Policy 3065R1
Resolution of Bullying and Harassment
Complaints Policy 3065R1 Cont…
•Review of related policies, procedures and/or practices in the workplace
•Should the Superintendent of Schools or designate, (or the Board Chair)
conclude that a complaint is not filed in good faith she/he will consider
appropriate disciplinary actions
•Persons who make bona fide complaints of harassment will not be subject to
threat of reprisal or discipline.
The extent to which employers are required to involve worker and employer
representatives of the joint health and safety committee, as well as whether the
employer must provide the joint health and safety committee with the results of a
bullying and harassment investigation, is currently being reviewed for further Policy
development by WorkSafeBC. Further direction on the obligations of employers in
conducting investigations will be communicated by that Policy.
While more detailed Policy on the role of the joint health and safety committee is
being developed, it is important to note that section 115(2)(g) of the Act requires
employers to consult and cooperate with joint committees and worker health and
safety representatives at the employer's workplace. It is expected that employers
will engage in ongoing consultation with the joint health and safety committee or
worker health and safety representative regarding the nature and effectiveness of
their bullying and harassment program, and to engage with the joint health and
safety committee in the course of the annual review.
Printed from the WorkSafeBC OH&S Guidelines
INVOLVING THE SITE
SAFETY COMMITTEE IN
THE INVESTIGATION
Note: Please click on the link below to view the video. Once the video has
played, click your browser’s back button to continue on with the training
presentation.
https://www.worksafebc.com/en/resources/health-safety/videos/worker-to-
worker-bullying-harassment?lang=en
• Listen to the target
• Don’t gossip
• Offer support (e.g., employee assistance program, counsellor)
• Document details of what you see to share in an investigation– Dates
– Details
– Witnesses
• Tell the bully to stop
Note: Please click on the link below to view the video. Once the video has played, click your browser’s ‘back’ arrow to continue on with the training presentation.
https://www.worksafebc.com/en/resources/health-safety/videos/employer-addresses-bullying-harassment-complaint?lang=en
If you are the target of, or witness to, bullying and harassment:
Tell the bully what behaviour was inappropriate
Make it clear the behaviour is unwanted and unacceptable
Stay calm
Don’t retaliate
Report it
Note: Please click on the link below to view the video. Once the video has played, click your browser’s ‘back’ arrow to continue on with the training presentation.
https://www.worksafebc.com/en/resources/health-safety/videos/when-the-employer-is-the-bully?lang=en
I acknowledge that:
I have viewed this entire training presentation on bullying and harassment in the workplace and understand my rights and obligations to contribute to a safe and respectful work environment for all as an employee of School District No. 71 (Comox Valley); or
I have viewed this entire training presentation on bullying and harassment in the workplace and do not understand my rights and obligations to contribute to a safe and respectful work environment for all as an employee of School District No. 71 (Comox Valley). I will seek further training and clarification from my union and/or my supervisor. By clicking on the link below, I acknowledge that I’ve read this page.
By clicking the link below, I acknowledge that I’ve read this page.
Click Here to Complete Training