Half day open training event held in Toronto, Canada.

1. Minimizing bullying and harassment
in the workplace
by Toronto Training and HR
January 2012

2. 3-4 Introduction to Toronto Training and HR
5-6 Definition
Contents 7-8
9-11
Impact of bullying and harassment
Organizational justification
12-15 Workplace bullying
16-17 Managers who bully
18-19 Dealing with an office bully
20-24 Practical steps to take
25-26 Bill 168
27-28 Homophobic bullying
29-30 Questions to ask
31-32 Stalking
33-40 Claims of harassment in an educational setting
41-50 Anti-harassment policies
51-55 Sexual harassment
56-57 Intervention methods
58-59 Conclusion and questions
Page 2

3. Introduction
Page 3

4. Introduction to Toronto Training
and HR
• Toronto Training and HR is a specialist training and human
resources consultancy headed by Timothy Holden
• 10 years in banking
• 10 years in training and human resources
• Freelance practitioner since 2006
• The core services provided by Toronto Training and HR are:
- Training event design
- Training event delivery
- Reducing costs
- Saving time
- Improving employee engagement & morale
- Services for job seekers
Page 4

5. Definition
Page 5

6. Definition
Bullying
Harassment
Page 6

7. Impact of bullying and
harassment
Page 7

8. Impact of bullying and
harassment
Fall in productivity
Decreased morale
Deterioration of trust
Fall in employee turnover
Page 8

9. Organizational
justification
Page 9

10. Organizational justification
1 of 2
He just goes off from time to time; he means no
harm
OK, I will ask him to apologize again
Ron’s skills are so valuable we can’t afford to lose
him
I just had “another” conversation with Ron-he will
be OK
It’s easier to keep him than to find a replacement
Page 10

11. Organizational justification
2 of 2
That’s just how Ron is-he is just passionate
He doesn’t mean any harm; he’s just under a lot of
stress
Page 11

12. Workplace bullying
Page 12

13. Workplace bullying 1 of 3
What do bullies want?
How is bullying accomplished?
Bullying needs bystanders
Signs of a bully at work
Social impact
Page 13

14. Workplace bullying 2 of 3
STOPPING ISSUES ARISING
Draft a policy that describes workplace harassment
and bullying, explains the consequences and
clarifies for employees what to do when
harassment and bullying occurs
Communicate the policy to all employees, including
senior personnel
Integrate bullying prevention into your leadership
development program
Page 14

15. Workplace bullying 3 of 3
HIGH RISK WORKPLACE CONDITIONS
Interpersonal conflicts or incompatible
relationships between two or more individuals
Frequent labour-management disputes
The perception of mistreatment among individuals
Abusive supervisory leadership behaviours
Page 15

16. Managers who bully
Page 16

17. Managers who bully
Junior managers who have perhaps been over-
promoted and behave over-zealously towards their
team members, which is taken as bullying
Senior individuals who are high enough up the
ranks that people are scared to tell them that their
behaviour is inappropriate
Page 17

18. Dealing with an office
bully
Page 18

19. Dealing with an office bully
Gather proof
Confront them
Be the bigger person
Seek support
Do your job well
Look after yourself
Break the cycle
Go to the top
Learn from them
Page 19

20. Practical steps to take
Page 20

21. Practical steps to take 1 of 4
Commitment from the top
Open culture
Surveys
Communication
Adequate support
Page 21

22. Practical steps to take 2 of 4
Treat complaints quickly and efficiently
Take preventative action and communicate clearly
that bullying will not be accepted and everyone
needs to be encouraged to come forward if indeed
they are being treated poorly
Following investigations make sure policies are up
to date and that there is very clear communication
of the policies as well as training for all
Page 22

23. Practical steps to take 3 of 4
TRAINING
Equality and diversity issues at a practical level
Understanding the organization’s harassment
policy and what it means in practice
Developing the people management skills
necessary to prevent bullying arising in the first
place
Being able to identify bullying and harassment
when it arises and deal appropriately with it
Page 23

24. Practical steps to take 4 of 4
ALTERNATIVES TO DISCIPLINARY ACTION
Management training
Using confidential 360-degree feedback surveys
depending on the size of the team, which enable
staff to report any concerns
Mentoring from a trusted colleague of the
employee's choice
Mediation
Page 24

25. Bill 168
Page 25

26. Bill 168
Workplace violence
Workplace harassment
What employers must do
Measures and procedures to be included in
workplace violence programs
Page 26

27. Homophobic bullying
Page 27

28. Homophobic bullying
TARGETS ARE OFTEN PEOPLE WHO
say they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender
are thought by others to be gay, lesbian, bisexual
or transgender
don’t conform to male and female stereotypes
have same-sex parents or caregivers
have friends that are, or are thought to be, gay,
lesbian, bisexual or transgender
Page 28

29. Questions to ask
Page 29

30. Questions to ask
Does behaviour have to be repeated behaviour to
be considered bullying?
What is not bullying?
Is teasing the same as bullying?
Is all bullying intentional?
What types of bullying are there?
Page 30

31. Stalking
Page 31

32. Stalking
CRIMINAL HARASSMENT
Repeatedly follow you, or anyone you know
Repeatedly communicate with you, or anyone you
know, directly or indirectly
Repeatedly watch you, or anyone you know, or
lurk around your home, workplace, or any other
place you happen to be
Engage in any threatening conduct directed at you
or a member of your family
Page 32

33. Claims of harassment in
an educational setting
Page 33

34. Claims of harassment in an
educational setting 1 of 7
AREAS TRIBUNALS WILL CONSIDER
Procedures in place at the time to deal with
discrimination and harassment
How quickly the organization responded
How seriously the complaint was treated
Resources available to deal with the complaint
If the organization provided a healthy environment
for the person who complained
How well the person who complained was told
about the action taken
Page 34

35. Claims of harassment in an
educational setting 2 of 7
PREVENTING ALLEGATIONS TAKING PLACE
Giving policies to everyone as soon as they are
introduced
Making all teachers, school staff, students, etc.
aware of them by including the policies in
orientation material
Training people, including people in positions of
responsibility, about the policies, and educating
them on human rights issues
Page 35

36. Claims of harassment in an
educational setting 3 of 7
MINIMIZING PROSPECTS OF HARASSMENT
OCCURRING
Showing a clear attitude that sexual and gender-
based harassment will not be tolerated
Showing a clear attitude that discrimination based
on sexual orientation, including homophobic
bullying, will not be tolerated
Having an effective anti-sexual and gender-based
harassment policy in place and making sure all
students know about it
Page 36

37. Claims of harassment in an
educational setting 4 of 7
MINIMIZING PROSPECTS OF HARASSMENT
OCCURRING
Communicating clearly to the student body the
consequences of all forms of sexual and gender-
based harassment, including online sexual and
gender-based harassment
Including online harassment prevention measures
in sexual harassment and school Internet policies
Page 37

38. Claims of harassment in an
educational setting 5 of 7
MINIMIZING PROSPECTS OF HARASSMENT
OCCURRING
Teaching students and staff about sexual
harassment, including gender-based harassment,
sex-role stereotyping, and homophobic comment
and conduct
Using role-playing and educational exercises to
help students be more aware of the impact of
sexual and gender-based harassment on others
Page 38

39. Claims of harassment in an
educational setting 6 of 7
MINIMIZING PROSPECTS OF HARASSMENT
OCCURRING
Teaching students media literacy to help their
critical thinking and to ask appropriate questions
about what they watch, hear and read
teaching students how to protect themselves from
online sexual and gender-based harassment
respecting the confidentiality of students who
report sexual and gender-based harassment and
related bullying
Page 39

40. Claims of harassment in an
educational setting 7 of 7
MINIMIZING PROSPECTS OF HARASSMENT
OCCURRING
This may encourage other students to report
harassment making sure staff have enough
resources, training and tools to spot sexually
harassing behaviours, and to identify and report
incidents when they do occur
Page 40

41. Anti-harassment policies
Page 41

42. Anti-harassment policies 1 of 9
A clear, detailed policy that specifically outlines the
organization’s position against sexual harassment
Periodic management training and employee
awareness programs that continue to
communicate the organization’s position
A complaint procedure that encourages employees
to come forward with harassment complaints and
an investigative strategy that protects the privacy
interests of both parties
Page 42

43. Anti-harassment policies 2 of 9
WHAT IT SHOULD CONTAIN
Clear explanation of prohibited conduct
Assurance of protection against retaliation
Clearly described, easily accessible complaint
process
Assurance of confidentiality to the extent possible
Prompt, thorough and impartial investigation
Assurance of immediate and appropriate corrective
action when harassment has occurred
Page 43

44. Anti-harassment policies 3 of 9
COMMUNICATION
Including it in all employee handbooks
Posting it on employee bulletin boards
Reinforcing it through harassment sensitivity and
prevention training
Publishing it on the employer’s intranet
Publishing it on memos or paycheck stuffers
Discussing it in management meetings and written
guidelines for managers
Discussing it in work group or all-hands meetings
Page 44

45. Anti-harassment policies 4 of 9
COMPLAINT PROCEDURES
Complaint processes must fit the individual
workplace and can include “open-door” policies,
grievance procedures with a centralized place for
bringing complaints and special toll-free telephone
lines, among others
The procedure must offer reasonable alternatives
for lodging a complaint, where an employee
should be required to complain to his or her
supervisor or any other single employee
Page 45

46. Anti-harassment policies 5 of 9
COMPLAINT PROCEDURES
All complaints must be taken seriously, and all
managers, supervisors and other designated
individuals should be trained to react appropriately
and promptly to any complaints
Employees should be encouraged to report
harassment before it becomes severe or pervasive,
and all supervisors should be instructed to report
complaints to appropriate officials
Page 46

47. Anti-harassment policies 6 of 9
COMPLAINT INVESTIGATIONS
Timeliness, including promptly initiating the
investigation after an incident is reported or observed
and reasonable completion and reporting of the results
to appropriate parties
Objectivity and credibility, which require an impartial
investigation by a trained neutral party, the support of
management and the belief of employees that all
complaints are properly investigated and appropriate
corrective action taken when violations are found
Page 47

48. Anti-harassment policies 7 of 9
COMPLAINT INVESTIGATIONS
Thoroughness, accuracy and documentation of the
findings and corrective actions taken based on
balanced conclusions consistent with information
disclosed during the investigation
Page 48

49. Anti-harassment policies 8 of 9
AVOIDING RETALIATION
The most obvious examples of retaliation are
tangible employment actions, such as termination,
failure to promote or negative performance
reviews, while less obvious are undesirable shift
changes, reassignments or denial of overtime
Management must immediately correct a situation
where employees are reluctant to complain for fear
of retaliation
Page 49

50. Anti-harassment policies 9 of 9
AVOIDING RETALIATION
Anti-retaliation provisions may not prevent an
employee lodging a complaint to stop legitimate
adverse action, although the effects of prolonged,
unchecked harassment may adversely affect
performance and call into question otherwise
legitimate adverse action
Page 50

51. Sexual harassment
Page 51

52. Sexual harassment 1 of 4
PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS
Anxiety
Depression
Disrupted sleep
Loss of appetite
Inability to concentrate
Lowered self-esteem, loss of interest in regular
activities, social isolation, and feelings of sadness,
fear or shame
Page 52

53. Sexual harassment 2 of 4
EXAMPLES
asking for sex in exchange for a benefit or a favour
repeatedly asking for dates, and not taking “no”
for an answer
demanding hugs
making unnecessary physical contact, including
unwanted touching
using rude or insulting language or making
comments toward girls and women (or boys and
men, depending on the circumstances)

Page 53

54. Sexual harassment 3 of 4
EXAMPLES
calling people sex-specific derogatory names
making sex-related comments about a person’s
physical characteristics or actions
saying or doing something because you think a
person does not conform to sex-role stereotypes
posting or sharing pornography, sexual pictures or
cartoons, sexually explicit graffiti, or other sexual
images (including online)
Page 54

55. Sexual harassment 4 of 4
EXAMPLES
making sexual jokes
bragging about sexual prowess
bullying based on sex or gender
spreading sexual rumours or gossip (including
online)
Page 55

56. Intervention methods
Page 56

57. Intervention methods
Rules and consequences
Restorative justice
No blame approach
Method of shared concern
Mediation method
Page 57

58. Conclusion and questions
Page 58

59. Conclusion
Summary
Videos
Questions
Page 59