THE COMPANY’S COMMITMENT:
The Company is committed to providing a work environment that ensures that every employee is treated with dignity and respect and afforded equitable treatment.
The Company is committed to promoting a work environment that is conducive to the professional growth of its employees, provides a professional atmosphere, and promotes equality of opportunity.
The Company will not tolerate any form of harassment and is committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure that employees are not subject to harassment.
The law guarantees employees the right to employment in a workplace free from harassment and discrimination.
THE SCOPE OF THE WORKPLACE:
This policy applies to all those working for The Company including management, administrative employees, secretarial staff and part-time staff. The Company will not tolerate sexual harassment whether engaged in by fellow employees, supervisors, clients or suppliers.
The workplace includes:
- all offices or other premises where The Company’s business is conducted;
- all company-related activities performed at any other site away from The Company’s premises;
- any social, business or other functions where the conduct or comments may have an affect on the workplace or workplace relations.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT DEFINED:
Sexual harassment may be one or a series of incidents involving unsolicited and unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.
Sexual harassment in the workplace includes:
– unwelcome sexual advances (verbal, written or physical);
– requests or demands for sexual favours;
– any other type of sexually oriented conduct;
– verbal abuse or “kidding” that is sex oriented;
when:
– the conduct has the purpose or the effect of interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment; and/or
– submission to such conduct is either an explicit or implicit term or condition of employment; and/or
– submission to or rejection of the conduct is used as a basis for making employment decisions.
RESPONSIBILITIES REGARDING SEXUAL HARASSMENT:
All Company members have a personal responsibility to ensure that their behavior is not contrary to this policy.
All Company members are encouraged to reinforce the maintenance of a work environment free from sexual harassment.
Members of the managing body are responsible for:
– discouraging and preventing employment-related sexual harassment;
– investigating every formal written complaint of sexual harassment;
– taking appropriate remedial measures to respond to any substantiated allegations of sexual harassment;
– ensuring that all members and employees of The Company are aware of the problem of sexual harassment and their responsibilities with respect to preventing sexual harassment.
WHAT TO DO WHEN HARASSMENT OCCURS:
The Company is committed to providing a supportive environment in which to resolve concerns of sexual harassment.
Informal Resolution Options
- When an incident of harassment occurs, communicate your disapproval and objections immediately to the harasser and request the harasser to stop.
- If the harassment does not stop or if you are not comfortable with addressing the harasser directly, bring your concern to the attention of the Office Manager or the Managing Partner. The Company will provide advice or support as requested and will undertake any investigation necessary to resolve the matter.
Complaints
- Any member of The Company with a harassment concern who is not comfortable with the informal resolution options or has exhausted such options may bring a formal complaint to any of the designated advisors or to any other member of management. All such complains will be promptly investigated.
- If after an investigation it is determined that an allegation of harassment is valid, appropriate corrective action will be taken.
- Corrective action may include any of the following:
formal apology;
counselling;
written warning placed in the employee’s file;
change of work assignment;
suspension or discharge of an employee.
In addition to the sanction that may be imposed on an employee by The Company as a part of complaint resolution, members of The Company who engage in harassment may expose themselves to damages in the event of a successful lawsuit or human rights case.
CONFIDENTIALITY:
The Company understands that it is difficult to come forward with a complaint of sexual harassment and recognizes the complainant’s interest in keeping the matter confidential.
To protect the interests of the complainant, the person complained against and any others who may report incidents of sexual harassment, confidentiality will be maintained throughout any investigatory process to the extent practicable and appropriate under the circumstances.
All records of complaints, including contents of meetings, interviews, results of investigations and other relevant material will be kept confidential by The Company except where disclosure is required form disciplinary or other remedial processes.
NO REPRISAL:
The Company is committed to ensuring that no Company member who brings forward a harassment concern is subject to any form of reprisal. Any reprisal action will be viewed as a disciplinable matter.
