HomeMy WebLinkAboutP 009 HR - Respectful Workplace and Harassment Prevention
POLICY P 009 HR
TITLE: RESPECTFUL WORKPLACE AND HARASSMENT
PREVENTION
Date Authorized: 22 October 2013
Last Revised: 15 July 2025 (Tier 1 Minor Housekeeping Edits)
Last Reviewed: 25 February 2025
COMMITMENT TO INDIGENOUS RIGHTS, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND EQUITY
The Board recognizes its responsibility to ensure that OCDSB policies and procedures promote and
protect Indigenous, equity, and human rights and to seek to address and eliminate racism and
structural and systemic barriers for students, staff, and the community.
1.0 RATIONALE
To ensure a working environment free from Workplace Harassment, Bullying, and Disrespectful
Behaviour as stipulated by provincial legislation, including the Occupational Health and Safety
Act, Ontario Human Rights Code, and Education Act.
2.0 DEFINITIONS
Please refer to Appendix A for a list of definitions of terms used in this Policy.
3.0 GUIDING PRINCIPLES
3.1 The Board is committed to providing a workplace in which Workers are treated with
respect and dignity, and where Disrespectful Behaviours and Workplace Harassment
towards Workers are not tolerated.
3.2 The Board recognizes that all members of the OCDSB Community, including Workers,
have a shared responsibility in maintaining a respectful workplace and modelling the
character attributes of acceptance, appreciation, cooperation, empathy, fairness,
integrity, optimism, perseverance, respect, and responsibility.
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4.0 SPECIFIC DIRECTIVES
4.1 The District shall not tolerate Disrespectful Behaviour, Workplace Harassment, or
conduct that amounts to the creation of a Poisoned Work Environment.
4.2 All Workers shall attempt to make every reasonable effort to resolve issues arising as a
result of friction, conflict, or disagreement in a respectful and professional manner that
contributes to a healthy and productive workplace.
4.3 The District shall have a process for Workers to report Disrespectful Behaviour or
Workplace Harassment, including an option if the supervisor is the one allegedly
engaging in Disrespectful Behaviour or Workplace Harassment.
Complaints and Investigations
4.4 All complaints under this Policy shall be taken seriously. Where an investigation is
conducted, the investigation must be appropriate in the circumstances, and in
accordance with the accompanying procedure.
a) If the complaint alleges Disrespectful Behaviour, the District may conduct an
investigation.
b) If the complaint alleges Workplace Harassment, the District shall conduct an
investigation.
4.5 The District shall endeavour to maintain confidentiality as best as possible within the
limitations of generally accepted principles of procedural fairness.
4.6 Reprisals against any individual making a complaint under this policy is prohibited.
Addressing Policy Breaches
4.7 Where an investigation concludes that a Worker has breached this Policy, the District
shall consider appropriate actions to correct the breach. This may include disciplinary
action, up to and including termination of employment, and where applicable, reporting
the outcome of the investigation to the Worker’s governing professional body.
4.8 Where an investigation concludes that a member of the OCDSB Community, other than
a student or a Worker, has breached this Policy, the District shall consider appropriate
corrective action to reduce, prevent, or eliminate further harm to Workers.
4.9 Nothing in this policy is intended to prevent or discourage an individual from exercising
their legal rights, including their rights under the Ontario Human Rights Code.
Accountability
4.10 The District shall ensure that appropriate information and instruction be provided to
Workers on the contents of the policy and the accompanying procedures.
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4.11 Where appropriate, the District shall consult with the Joint Health and Safety Committee
(JHSC) regarding the effectiveness of this Policy and accompanying procedure.
4.12 The Director of Education, or designate, shall, in consultation with the Joint Health and
Safety Committee, develop and maintain written procedures to implement this policy.
5.0 APPENDICES
Appendix A: Policy Definitions
6.0 REFERENCE DOCUMENTS
Accepting Schools Act, Bill 13, 2012
Education Act, 2000, Section 171 and Part XIII
Human Rights Code of Ontario
The Teaching Profession Act
OCDSB Policy P 147 GOV - Human Rights
OCDSB Policy P 026 SCO - Student Suspension and Expulsion
OCDSB Policy P 032 SCO - Safe Schools (Managing Student Behaviour)
OCDSB Policy P 098 CUR - Equity and Inclusive Education
OCDSB Policy P 103 R - Alleged Employee Misconduct Towards a Student
OCDSB Policy P 132 HS - Violence in the Workplace
OCDSB Procedure PR 515 SCO - Student Suspension and Expulsion
OCDSB Procedure PR 542 HR - Alleged Employee Misconduct toward a Student
OCDSB Procedure PR 543 HR - Alleged Harassment of a Student
OCDSB Procedure PR 652 HR - Respectful Workplace
OCDSB Procedure PR 659 SCO - Bullying Prevention and Intervention
OCDSB Procedure PR 680 HS - Violence in the Workplace
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APPENDIX A: POLICY DEFINITIONS
In this policy,
Board means the Board of Trustees.
Bullying means aggressive and typically repeated behaviour by an individual where the behaviour is
intended to cause harm, fear or distress to another individual, including physical, psychological, social
harm, harm to the individual’s reputation or harm to the individual’s property, or to creating a negative
environment for another individual. This behaviour occurs in a context where there is a real or
perceived power imbalance between the bully and the victimized individual based on factors such as
Protected Grounds, size, strength, intelligence, peer group power, economic, social or employment
status, or special needs. Bullying behaviour includes the use of any physical, verbal, electronic,
written or other means.
Cyberbullying means Bullying specifically by electronic means and may include, but is not limited to,
sending or posting harmful or malicious messages or images through email, instant messages, cell
phones, websites, and other technology.
Disrespectful Behaviour means vexatious behaviour that is known or ought reasonably to be known
to be disrespectful and/or unwelcome to an individual, or group, which diminishes the dignity of any
person(s). Examples of Disrespectful Behaviour include:
a) written or verbal comments, actions, gestures, behaviours or ‘jokes’ which would
reasonably be perceived as unwelcome, humiliating, offensive, hurtful, or
belittling;
b) bullying, cyber-bullying, or intimidating behaviour;
c) microaggressions;
d) abuse of authority;
e) yelling, shouting, screaming, or swearing;
f) deliberately excluding or isolating a person from relevant work activities or
decision-making;
g) stereotyping or making inappropriate assumptions about an individual based on
an individual’s personal qualities, characteristics, or role or Protected Grounds;
and
h) devaluing or trivializing a person’s successes, contributions or concerns.
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Disrespectful Behaviour does not include the reasonable and appropriate exercise of supervisory
responsibilities, including training, direction, instruction, performance appraisal, and discipline. It also
does not include commonly socially acceptable and good-natured humour in the workplace.
District means the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.
Harassment means a pattern of Disrespectful Behaviour. In some circumstances, a singular incident
may be recognized as Harassment, depending on the nature of the comment or conduct. Code-based
Harassment is Harassment based on a Protected Ground. If a person does not explicitly object to
harassing behaviour, or appears to be going along with it, this does not mean that the behaviour is
okay. The behaviour could still be considered Harassment. Examples of Harassment include:
a) epithets, remarks, jokes, or innuendos related to a person who identified with a
Protected Ground;
b) posting or circulating offensive pictures, graffiti, or materials, whether in print form
or via e-mail or other electronic means related to a Protected Ground;
c) singling out a person for humiliating, demeaning “teasing”, or jokes because of a
Protected Ground;
d) comments ridiculing a person because of characteristics that are related to a
Protected Ground. For example, this could include comments about a person’s
dress, speech or other practices that may be related to their sex, race, gender
identity or creed.
Microaggressions means verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether
intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target
persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership or a Protected Ground. A series of
Microaggressions may amount to Harassment.
OCDSB Community means trustees, committee members, council members, staff members,
students, parents/guardians/caregivers, permit holders, vendors, service providers, contractors,
volunteers, visitors, and all other persons learning, working, or accessing services in the OCDSB
environment.
People in Positions of Authority means members of the senior team, managers, supervisors,
principals, and vice principals. It also means any other employee while they are working directly with
students.
Protected Ground means the attributes or characteristics upon which discrimination, which includes
harassment, is prohibited under the Code or by the OCDSB. The Code-Protected Grounds are age,
ancestry, citizenship, colour, creed (religion), disability (including mental, physical, developmental or
learning disabilities), ethnic origin, family status (such as being in a parent-child relationship), gender
expression, gender identity, marital status (including married, single, widowed, divorced, separated or
living in a conjugal relationship outside of marriage, whether in a same-sex or opposite-sex
relationship)l, place of origin, race, record of offences (criminal conviction for a provincial offence, or
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for an offence for which a pardon has been received), sex (including pregnancy and breastfeeding),
and sexual orientation.
An additional ground protected from discrimination by the OCDSB is socio-economic disadvantage.
Poisoned Work Environment means a work environment in which employee productivity and
well-being are undermined by repeated, ongoing, and unresolved conflict, such as harassment,
discrimination, or disrespectful behaviour. It is typically marked by employees feeling stressed,
anxious, and demoralized over an extended period. Other markers might include low morale, high
turnover, and diminished performance.
Worker means any of the following,
a) a person, other than a trustee, who performs work or supplies services for
monetary compensation;
b) a secondary school student who performs work or supplies services for no
monetary compensation under a work experience program authorized by the
school board that operates the school in which the student is enrolled;
c) a person who performs work or supplies services for no monetary compensation
under a program approved by a college of applied arts and technology, university
or other post-secondary institution;
d) a person who receives training from the OCDSB, but who, under the Employment
Standards Act, 2000, is not a Worker for the purposes of that Act because the
conditions set out in subsection 1 (2) of that Act have been met; and
e) such other persons as may be prescribed who perform work or supply services to
the OCDSB for no monetary compensation.
Workplace means the site where the individuals are customarily employed and includes all other
places which result from employment responsibilities or employment relationships, including OCDSB
or committee meetings, locations at work-related social functions, work assignments outside the site,
field trips, work-related conferences or training sessions, and work-related travel.
Workplace Harassment means Harassment that is directed toward a Worker in the Workplace.
Workplace Sexual or Gender-Based Harassment means Sexual or Gender-Based Harassment
that is directed toward a Worker in the Workplace.
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