Process for reporting harassment and violence in the workplace

The following steps provide a brief summary of the process for reporting harassment and violence in the workplace. You can also learn about this process by watching the Process for Reporting Harassment and Violence in the Workplace Video.

Step 1: Report it

Defence Team personnel who have experienced or witnessed harassment and violence in the workplace involving a public service employee should report it as soon as possible.

You can do this in one of two ways:

• Report the occurrence to your supervisor/manager^{Footnote *}
  • verbally; or
  • in writing by submitting the Notice of Occurrence form.

• Report the occurrence to the designated recipient
  • in writing by submitting the Notice of Occurrence form by email to the designated recipient; or
  • verbally by calling 1-833-451-1604 for a secure voicemail box.

A Notice of Occurrence can also be submitted anonymously by a principal party or witness. In this case, a resolution may be difficult to achieve based on the information provided, thus the Notice of Occurrence will be deemed resolved. However, the Notice of Occurrence will be forwarded to the local Workplace Health and Safety Committee who will jointly review and, if necessary, update the workplace harassment and violence risk assessment and determine if any additional preventative measures are required.

Step 2: Initial Review

The supervisor/manager or designated recipient will:

• Review the Notice of Occurrence form to ensure that all information is correct and complete.
• Assess the urgency of the situation and take appropriate action if there are any immediate risks to the health and safety of an employee.
• Send acknowledgment of the Notice of Occurrence to the employee and inform the Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention (WHVP) Centre of Expertise within seven calendar days for tracking purposes.

Step 3: Resolution Options

All parties involved must make every reasonable effort to resolve an occurrence.

Negotiated Resolution

• Work with your supervisor/manager or the designated recipient to determine if the occurrence meets the definition of Harassment and Violence. If it doesn’t, the occurrence will be deemed resolved. If it does, the resolution process may continue.

• This process may include meetings with:
  • you and your supervisor/manager;
  • you, your supervisor/manager and the responding party;
  • you and the designated recipient and supervisor/manager; or
  • you, the designated recipient, supervisor/manager and the responding party.
• You, your supervisor/manager and the responding party, if applicable, must make every reasonable effort to resolve an occurrence during the negotiated resolution process.
• The meetings are an opportunity for you to have an informal, collaborative and positive discussion with the employer. You will be asked to discuss the occurrence as well as the resolution you are seeking. Resolutions are tangible and reasonable measures that can be put into place to resolve and help prevent further occurrences.

Conciliation

• If you are unable to negotiate a resolution agreement, conciliation is another option.
• You may proceed with the conciliation process if you and the responding party mutually agree to engage in conciliation and you both agree on who will facilitate it.
• Mediation and alternate dispute resolutions are integral methods of the conciliation process. Conciliation can be carried out parallel to a prevention investigation.

Prevention Investigation

• All parties involved must make every reasonable effort to resolve an occurrence before the matter is referred for investigation.
• The prevention investigation will focus on the root cause of the occurrence in the workplace. The outcome of the prevention investigation cannot be used for any remedial or disciplinary measures.
• A qualified investigator will be provided with all relevant information.
• You, your supervisor/manager and the members of the Workplace Health and Safety Committee will receive a final report. The report will not reveal, directly or indirectly, the identity of those involved in the occurrence.
• The prevention recommendations set out in the investigation report will be jointly revised with the Workplace Health and Safety Committee and those retained shall be implemented by the employer.