Chain of Command and manager toolkit to preventing workplace harassment and violence

This tool has been designed to help Chain of Command (CoC) and managers prevent, address and resolve occurrences of workplace harassment and violence. While it provides different tips and approaches, this tool kit should not be presumed to be exhaustive.

What follows is a list of proactive actions CoC/managers can take to understand, and ensure their employees/members understand, with regards to respectful behaviours and what is harassment and violence. It is also to support in adopting attitudes and behaviours that create and foster an environment that is culturally safe, inclusive, respectful, empathetic and trusting.

• Raise awareness by having team discussions about uncivil behaviour, passive aggressive behaviour, gossiping, bullying, micro-aggressions, to understand what it is, what it looks/feels like, the impacts and ways to prevent and address these workplace issues. Have supportive conversations on how to call out and call-in individuals/groups displaying these behaviours. Ensure employees/members know that regardless of the source, harassment and violence are not acceptable and that they must inform either you as the CoC/manager, or the Designated recipient.
• Be alert to changes in behaviours (absenteeism, discomfort, low participation, longer work hours, increasing workload, time taken to complete tasks etc.), communication styles (verbal and nonverbal), derogatory comments, micro-aggressions, rise in interpersonal conflicts and other signs of unsafe and unhealthy work environments.
• Lead by example, by always acting ethically and responsibly. Your verbal and non-verbal communication can contribute to creating a safe and positive space. Adopt an empathetic approach: show kindness through smiles and laughter or offer a listening ear or demonstrate vulnerability as a leader.
• Self-reflection is essential in leading employees/members. Take a moment to identify and reflect on what privileges you may have and how this may impact the working relationship (i.e: sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, age, classification/rank, neurodiversity, etc.)
• Explore your own biases or feelings that are being activated. Does this conflict or difficult situation between employees/members or with an employee/member remind you of your own experiences? Are you able to remain objective in managing the situation? Have you talked about conscious and unconscious bias as a team and how that may present itself in engagement with others? Do you, as a CoC/manager, need support?
• Be open to feedback and dialogue. If you believe or become aware that your conduct may have caused offence or harm, be open to dialogue, receptive to feedback and acknowledge the impact as this can support in restoring relationships, building trust and creating a safe space. Have conversations with your team on how they best receive feedback and what they need to feel safe when engaging in these conversations.
• Exercise your delegated authority by being proactive, taking action in timely manner, being fair, using sound judgment and consulting appropriate mechanisms should intervention be required.
• Keep yourself informed and up to date with policies and processes on responding to harassment and violence.

Consult the list of inclusive behaviours (accessible only on the National Defence network) for additional tools and tips in fostering a safe workplace.

• Tips for meeting with a principal party
• Tips for meeting with a responding party

• Tips for meeting with a principal party

  1. Listen and gather details about the situation
     • Meet with the principal party; provide a safe place. Encourage them to bring a support person if needed. Take it at their pace, if they need breaks, or to come back to it. Allow them that time.
     • Demonstrate through attentiveness and body language that you are taking these matters very seriously.
     • Be curious, not judgmental; ask curious and open-ended questions. Ask who, what, where, when and how- avoid "why".
     • You may say or ask:
       • "Thank you for trusting me and bringing this to my attention."
       • "What behaviour did you observe?
       • "How has the behaviour impacted you?"
       • "I acknowledge that I have privileges/experiences that differ from your own. How can I best support you?"
     • Avoid saying:
       • "It was probably just a joke" or "You know how he/she is…"
       • "Going through this must be terrible," or "I don't know how you can cope with that."
  2. Clarify needs, interests and expectations
     • Ask qualifying/non-judgmental/unbiased questions.
     • Clarify and determine the principal party's concerns.
     • You may ask:
       • "When did you notice…"
       • "How can I support in…"
       • "Help me understand…"
     • Avoid saying:
       • "If I were you" or "Don't worry about that."
  3. Ask what steps have been taken
     • Explore how the situation has evolved with the other party. Has there been recognition of impact?
     • Identify the supports they may need in order to work towards a resolution.
     • You may ask:
       • "Do you think the other party is aware of the impact of their behaviours?"
       • "What supports or in what way would feel safe for US to bring this to their attention?"
       • "What would a resolution look like to you?"
     • Avoid giving advice.
       • The principal party needs to be heard first and not told what to do. Stay in judgment free mode of listening and curiosity throughout the discussion.
  4. Explain your responsibilities
     • Explain your obligation to act and what this means to them.
     • Discuss the importance of maintaining confidentiality.
     • Provide a copy of the Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Policy Manual, a copy of DAOD 5014, and the reporting and resolution process for principal parties of the Defence Team. Take the time to walk them through it. Invite them to review it by themselves or with a support person and arrange to review it with them again.
     • Provide the principal party with information on support services.
     • You may say:
       • "As the CoC/manager, I take this situation very seriously and we have a shared responsibility in ensuring a respectful, healthy and safe working environment."
       • "I will continue to support you as best as possible and it also important to seek support, advice and guidance from EAP and/or other internal or external resources to help identify which supports may be best suited for the situation."
  5. Inform principal party of next steps
     • That you will consult with the Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention (WHVP) Centre of Expertise (CoE).
     • Advise of the confidential services of the WHVP CoE.
     • That you may meet with the other party if they wish to involve them in the resolution process. Ensure to also explain what that means and what will be shared.
     • Ask the principal party to reflect on proposed preventive measures
     • That you will follow-up with them.
     • You may say:
       • "You took the appropriate action in reporting the situation."
       • "To maintain your confidentiality and of involved parties, no discussion of the situation should occur outside those involved."
       • "For our next meeting, begin to reflect on proposed preventive measures that allow you to feel safe in your workplace."
     • You should:
       • Schedule the follow-up meeting with the principal party immediately to discuss and review proposed preventive measures to resolve and prevent further occurrences. It is important to respect your commitment to the principal party. Acknowledge that they may need to change it or have a support person with them.
  6. Provide Resources and Seek Assistance for yourself
     • WHVP CoE
     • For cases involving public service employees, contact you Labour Relations Officer (accessible only on the National Defence network)
     • For conduct deficiency related matters, contact Labour Relations for public service employees and Administrative Response Center (ARC) for CAF members.
     • Support Services
     • Complaint Solutions and Services
     • You may say:
       • "As the CoC/manager I care about the respect and wellbeing of the team and it is important that everyone seek the support they need to navigate any workplace challenges."

• Tips for meeting with a responding party

  1. Chair the meeting
     • Meet with the responding party; provide a safe place and allow sufficient time for a discussion. Encourage them to bring a support person if needed. Take it at their pace. If they need breaks to come back to it. Allow them that time.
     • Explain the purpose of the meeting and let them know that you take these matters very seriously.
     • Explain your obligation to act and what this means to them.
     • You may say:
       • "_ has brought to my attention that they felt offended (or other feelings) by some of your behaviour."
       • "The purpose of this meeting is to obtain your perspective on the situation, so I can understand what is happening and find a way to assist you both."
       • "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. This preventive process focuses on impact rather than just intent. Therefore, it was important for the Principal Party that you be made aware of the impact of the occurrence."
  2. Present the facts
     • Deliver the facts as presented, in a neutral/unbiased way.
     • Using intent vs impact can be helpful in some situations, where there is a willingness to understand and acknowledgment, but unawareness to the situation.
     • You may say:
       • "The person felt offended when you said…"
       • "The person is feeling embarrassed and targeted because…"
       • I understand that it may not have been your intent to [say/do this, or that, however it was perceived as discriminatory/offensive/ hurtful by the principal party]. It is important that this conversation be had as it has impacted the principal party.
     • Avoid saying:
       • "You have been rude with_" because this is not a fact, it is a judgement or a label.
  3. Listen, gather and verify the facts
     • Allow the person to explain what happened.
     • Be curious about their perception and understanding of what happened.
     • You may ask:
       • "How would you describe the situation?"
     • You should:
       • Take good notes.
       • Remember: Everyone deserves respect, and you need to protect the dignity of everyone.
  4. Manage situation / define expectations
     • Help the responding party to understand the issue/other perspective and prevent escalation of the conflict.
     • Explore how they feel the situation could be resolved.
     • Discuss impact vs intent and how to prevent reoccurrence.
     • In some cases, make them aware that the behaviour is not to continue.
     • Provide a copy of the Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Policy Manual, a copy of DAOD 5014-0, and the reporting and resolution process for responding parties of the Defence Team.
     • Provide the responding party with information on support services. Take the time to walk them through it. Invite them to review it by themselves or with a support person and arrange to review it with them again.
     • You may ask:
       • "How can this situation be resolved?"
       • "What supports need to be in place?"
       • "How can we reduce the risk that this situation occurs again?"
       • Confidentiality is important to protect both parties. Corrective measures can be considered if requirements of confidentiality are not met.
  5. Inform responding party of next steps
     • That you will consult with the WHVP CoE
     • Advise of the confidential services of the WHVP CoE.
     • That you will follow-up with them.
     • Once you have facts from both parties and you have consulted with the resources available to you (i.e: the WHVP CoE), attempt to reach an agreement regarding the resolution.
     • When resolution is possible, where a notice of occurrence has not been submitted, communicate your decision to both parties and a solution will be implemented.
     • You may say:
       • "Any form of retaliation or reprisal will not be tolerated."
       • "Please understand that the process may take time. Gossiping about the issue and the person involved is to be avoided to minimize the impact on the work unit."
       • "I recognize that this may impact you. The intent isn't to confront but to prevent. While it may be surprising to you that the principal party felt discriminated against, the question to be asking is how can we better understand and prevent this from happening again and how can we restore trust?"
     • You should:
       • Schedule the follow-up meeting with the responding party immediately. It is important to respect your commitment to the employee. Acknowledge that they may need to change it or have a support person with them.
  6. Provide Resources and Seek Assistance for yourself
     • WHVP CoE
     • For cases involving a public service employee, contact your Labour Relations Officer (accessible only on the National Defence network)
     • For cases involving CAF members, contact the Administrative Response Centre (ARC)
     • Support Services
     • Complaint Solutions and Services
     • You may say:
       • "As the CoC/manager I care about the respect and wellbeing of everyone on the team and it is important that everyone seek the support they need to navigate any workplace challenges."