Harassment in the Workplace

Harassment in

The Workplace

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Harassment in the Workplace (Rough Draft)

Stephanie Desaulniers

CS 220 Business Communications

Laura Meyers

Monday, March 28, 2016

Table of Contents

Title................................................................................................................................................2

Purpose of Report..........................................................................................................................4

Introduction...................................................................................................................................4

What is harassment?......................................................................................................................6

What are the types of discrimination that pertain to employment?...............................................7

Who can be harassed within the workplace, and where can it occur?...........................................8

What are steps in dealing with harassment, and how can it be prevented?...................................9

What do I do if I’m being harassed at work? ..............................................................................10

Posters on Harassment.................................................................................................................11

What are the effects of harassment? ...........................................................................................12

Survey Questions.........................................................................................................................14

Survey Graphs..............................................................................................................................15

References....................................................................................................................................17

Purpose of the Report

            The purpose of this study is to educate individuals on all types of harassment and discrimination that goes on within a workplace. The study examines the types of harassment, as well as the effect it has on those involved (Business owner, co-workers, victims themselves). Furthermore, the study will show who harassment can affect, why harassment can happen, and how harassment can affect the work environment. This study will also talk about the history and laws of harassment, and show examples of the steps that organizations can take to avoid, and then rebuild once harassment has taken place.

Introduction

            According to The Ontario Human Rights Commission, the Human Rights Code was established in 1962, in replacement of Ontario’s previous anti-discrimination legislation. At the time, the code only prohibited discrimination in signs, services, facilities, public accommodation, employee and trade union membership on multiple grounds. In 1962, the Human Rights Code did not prohibit discrimination against gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation like it does today, (Eugenics Archive, paragraph 2). As you can see the code has been modified and changed countless times since 1962. Currently, the Human Rights code is prohibited under 16 main grounds an individual is protected from, (Doucette, February 20 2016, slide 42).

        As recent as 2009, Bill 168 was first produced. Bill 168 is the Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Act specifically against violence and harassment in the workplace, (Amendments to OHSA). The policy acquires employers to do the following, (Bill 168 quick guide).

• Develop written policies with respect to violence and harassment in the workplace, post those policies (in the case of employers with more than 5 employees) and review the policies once a year.
• Develop a program to apply and sustain those workplace violence and harassment policies. The program must include procedures which control risk, provide for assistance to be found immediately when violence occurs.
• Assess the risk of workplace violence and communicate the results of that assessment to a joint health and safety committee, a health and safety representative or to the workers themselves if no such thing exists.
• Take reasonable precautions where the employer is aware that domestic violence is likely to expose the worker to the risk of physical injury in the workplace.
• Provide information to workers about an individual with a history of violence where workers are likely to encounter that person in the course of their work and where there is a risk.
• Allow workers to refuse unsafe work where workplace violence or harassment is likely to jeopardize their own or someone else’s safety.

        Research conducted for this formal report will be complex on all aspects of harassment within the workplace. This report will help any individual understand what harassment and discrimination is, who it can affect, why it happens, how it can be avoided, and potential outcomes of harassment within the workplace. Laws and the history of how harassment was first introduced will also be included.

The primary research data for this project will consist of two one on one interviews, and a student survey. Two interviews will be conducted with Human Resource faculty, Professor Nadine Doucette and Dushan Zuber. The survey will be conducted with at least twenty students that go to Confederation College. The interview material will be displayed as graphs, and written information in the final report.

Secondary data will be obtained through books, websites, library databased from Confederation College, newspapers, and magazine articles all involving harassment and discrimination in the workplace.