Workplace harassment is sometimes invisible, but its negative effects are often all too apparent: reduced performance, poor attendance, a toxic or dysfunctional work environment, and increased employee turnover are just some examples. And the ever-increasing use of technology and social media has changed the traditional landscape of harassment, making it more prevalent and complex for managers and supervisors to address. Effective prevention and intervention requires managers and supervisors to be skilled at identifying workplace harassment, and at effectively responding to such incidents.
Learning objectives:
• Recognizing Harassment. What harassment is and the forms it can take, including: sexual harassment and online “cyberbullying”; how technology has changed the traditional boundaries of the “workplace”; and how to distinguish legitimate workplace conduct from harassment.
• Understanding the Impact of Harassment. Why it’s so important to maintain a workplace free from harassment, including: the individual and broader workplace effects; the employer’s legal obligations to address it; the legal and financial risks of failing to do so; and the legal defence of due diligence.
• Preventing Harassment. The role of managers and supervisors in preventing workplace harassment, including: informal tools to prevent and resolve it early; formal tools to address it; how to keep the workplace functioning during and in the wake of a complaint; and when and how to discipline for harassment.
Upcoming session: More TBA
Facilitator - McInnes Cooper