Respectful Workplace Policy

      PURPOSE

      IGE Power is committed to maintaining a positive, health and safety workplace environment in which every person is treated with respect and dignity.

      SCOPE

      This policy applies to all our employees, officers and contractors (temporary or otherwise).

      DEFINITIONS

      1. Respectful Workplace: means communications are thoughtful, transparent and timely; activities re inclusive and sensitive; feedback is immediate and constructive; and any work environment are polite and considerate of others. 
        A respectful workplace:
        • Promotes positive communication
        • Embraces diversity and equality
        • Values dignity of the person
        • Encourages fair and respectful treatment
        • Encourages thinking about how other people want and deserve to be treated
        • Applauds polite, courteous and considerate conduct
        • Promotes collegiality and team work
        • Supports an inclusive atmosphere
        • Promotes active listening
        • Promotes the sharing of opinions and ideas in an open-minded environment
        • Encourages positive feedback for ideas, suggestions or work that is accomplished well
        • Encourages thinking before we act or speak or type
        • Encourages considering how our actions affect others
      2. Workplace Bullying: is Repeated and unreasonable behaviour directed towards a worker or a group of workers that creates a risk to health and safety. A form of harassment that is marked by the intentional, persistent attempt of one or more persons to intimidate, demean, torment, control, mentally or physically harm or isolate another person(s). 
        It can include:
        • Abusive, insulting or offensive language or comments
        • Unjustified criticism or complaints
        • Aggressive and intimidating conduct
        • Repeated threats of dismissal or other severe punishment for no reason
        • Constant ridicule and being put down
        • Humiliating a person
        • Practical jokes or initiation
        • Spreading gossip or malicious rumours about a person
        • Deliberately excluding someone from work-related activities
        • Setting unreasonable
        • Setting tasks that are unreasonably below or beyond a person’s skill level
        • Deliberately changing work arrangement to inconvenience a particular worker or workers
        • Sabotaging a person’s work
        • Interfering with someone’s personal property
      3. Harassment: Harassment consists of comments or conduct linked to one of the prohibited grounds, which are insulting, intimidating, humiliating, malicious (hateful/nasty), degrading or offensive. Single acts of sufficient severity may constitute harassment.
        • Discrimination: Discrimination is any distinction, whether intentional or not, based on prohibited grounds, which has the effect of imposing burdens, obligations or disadvantages on an individual that are not imposed on others, or which withholds or limits access to opportunities, benefits and advantages available to others. For offensive behaviour to be considered discrimination or harassment, the focus of the comment or conduct must be directed toward one of these aspects of your background
          • Age
          • Ancestry
          • Citizenship
          • Colour
          • Religion
          • Disability
          • Ethnic or National Origin
          • Race
          • Record of Offences (pardoned Federal or Provincial)
          • Marital/Family Status
          • Same Sex Partnership Status
          • Place of Origin
          • Sex (Pregnancy)
          • Sexual Orientation
        • Workplace Harassment: Engaging in a course of annoying comment or conduct against a worker in a workplace that is known to ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome.
        • Personal Harassment: Personal harassment is any inappropriate conduct, comment, display, action, or gesture by a person towards another person that the first person ought to have known would cause the other person to be humiliated or intimidated.
        • Sexual Harassment: Unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, which makes a person feel offended, humiliated and/or intimidated. Sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances and requests for sexual favours where:
          • Decisions which affect the individual’s employment
          • Effect of interfering with an individual’s job performance
          • creates an intimidating or offensive environment
          • Suggestive comments or jokes
          • Insults or taunts of a sexual nature
          • Unwanted invitations for sex
          • Persistent requests to go out on dates
          • Intrusive questions about another person’s private life or body
          • Inappropriate advances on social networking site
          • Intrusive contact or conduct of a suggestive nature outside of working hours
          • Behaviour which would also be and offence under the criminal law
          • Unwelcome touching, hugging or kissing
          • Unnecessary familiarity
          • Staring or leering
      4. Bullying and Harassment DO NOT include:
        • Management of the workforce: Harassment may occur because of an abuse of authority. However, supervision, direction or management of employees undertaken in a good faith manner for a work-related purpose does not constitute harassment. 
          Harassment does not include the followings unless such conduct is carried out in an abusive or threatening manner or is intended to cause emotional harm.
          • Changes to working conditions,
          • Corrective action,
          • Taking disciplinary action,
          • Termination of employment,
          • Decisions relating to workload and deadlines,
          • Performance evaluation,
          • Job transfers,
          • Changes in job duties,
          • Lay-offs,
          • Demotions and
          • Reorganizations

      POLICY STATEMENT

      1. Every person has a right to work or access services in a positive, healthy, safe and respectful environment where they are treated in a fair and professional manner.
      2. Harassment and discrimination will not be tolerated, excused, or ignored. Any conduct that contravenes these principles will be addressed immediately.
      3. Bullying ,discrimination or harassment that may occur at any worksite where the business of the municipality is being conducted or during the course of all business, activities and events; or Harassment between individuals associated with the organisation but outside organisation business, activities and events when such harassment has an adverse effect on the work environment
      4. The company deals with harassment and discrimination through preventative action, including informing, educating and good management and to ensure that this policy is fair and applied consistently.
      5. The company takes responsibility to provide its elected representatives, employees, appointees, people under contract and volunteers with a work and service environment that is free of any form of discrimination, including all types of harassments and bullying and that respects the dignity, self-worth and human rights of every individual.
      6. Corporate Leaders, Supervisors/Managers and Human Resources are accountable to ensure adherence to the policy as outlined.
        • Policy Advisors
          All managers and supervisors are responsible to act as Policy Advisors.
        • Respectful Workplace Policy Coordinator
          The Company shall designate a Human Resources representative to be the Respectful Workplace Policy Coordinator. This person will have overall responsibility for the administration of this policy.
      7. All managers, on behalf of the company, is committed to providing a workplace and service environment that is conductive to creating a climate of mutual respect that reinforces opportunity and allows for each person to contribute fully to the development and well-being of the Corporation.
      8. Harassment and bullying will not be excused under the appearance of strong management when employees are not treated with dignity and respect.
      9. Retaliation against an individual for filing a complaint, participating in any procedure or being associated with a person who filed a complaint under this policy will not be tolerated.
      10. Complaints which are found to be annoying or made in bad faith will result in a penalty against the complainant. The severity of the penalty will be determined based on the seriousness and impact of the complaint following an investigation.

      PROCEDURES

      The following is intended to help individuals if confronted with behaviour believed to be disrespectful. Each situation will be different and will need to be handled appropriately. 
      If there are any issues raised by one party, the following process must be proceeding by related HR department.
      1. Make sure the employee remains calm and, if applicable, try to distance himself/herself as quickly and safely as possible from the situation as “Safety First Procedures”.
        • Be aware of and use the Code White relating to a call for help due to aggressive behaviour.
        • If the aggressor is a client who attempts to leave the room/building, do not attempt to physically prevent this departure; rather, call the appropriate emergency service to intervene appropriately.
        • Immediately notify the supervisor, manager, Security or someone in authority and complete an Occurrence Report if appropriate.
        • If necessary, Security will notify the police.
      2. HRD must investigate the case first. If the case is not under serious Harassment or Discrimination, HRD must proceed the informal hearing procedures as follows:
        • Invite one-to-one discussion to both sides and conduct hearing session.
        • Investigate the witness or employees around the environment.
        • Make a direct request of the individual(s) concerned that the behaviour stop immediately as it is not acceptable or respectful.
        • Make consultation to both parties with immediate resolution.
        • Take note and close the case.
        • If the case is not resolved, the process must proceed to Formal Complaint hearing procedures.
      3. Formal Complaint Hearing Procedures

        For staff that are not able to resolve matters through immediate resolution or through an informal resolution process or if the case is related to violent cases under respectful workplace policy, the option remains for staff to file a formal complaint hearing procedure pursuant to the Respectful Workplace Policy.

        • Formal complaints letter must be submitted by Employee to related HR Department in a sealed envelope marked confidential. 
          Formal complaints must be made in writing and are to be completed by either using the form provided (see attached) or by submitting written particulars which contain the following information:
          • identification of individual(s) involved
          • a clear description of the incident(s) of concern including dates, times, places
          • names of witnesses, if any
        • A complaint and/or portions of a complaint which identify matters which occurred on a date more than six (6) months prior to the filing of the complaint will not be investigated.
        • The Head of Human Resources Department shall determine, based on the content of the complaint, whether the concerns fall within the Respectful Workplace Policy.
          • If the concern falls under the Policy, the Head of Human Resources Department will then determine whether a formal investigation is appropriate or alternatively, whether an informal resolution process should be pursued.
          • If the concern does not fall under the Policy, the Head of Human Resources Department will advise the complainant that it will not be pursued under the Policy and will advise of other possible processes that may be appropriate as informal process.
        • The formal complaint hearing process must be investigated by Hearing Committee to conduct formal investigation.
        • Reasonable efforts shall be undertaken to complete an investigation within 90 days from date of approval to proceed unless circumstances warrant otherwise.
        • The investigators will contact the complainant and respondent to answer any procedural questions and to identify next steps.
        • The investigator will discuss the complaint separately with both parties, and may consult with others who are in a position to provide relevant information. Both the complainant and the respondent may recommend relevant witnesses to the investigator.
        • If staff are requested to attend a meeting with the interviewer, staff attendance is mandatory as the interviewer is acting as an agent of the employer.
        • Following the interviews, a written report will be prepared by the investigator and provided to the Management Committee.
        • Based on the investigation, a determination is to be made by the investigator as to whether or not a breach of the Respectful Workplace Policy has occurred.
        • The Head of Human Resources Department in consultation with the Management Committee and appropriate management representatives will determine what action, if any will be taken as a result of the findings contained within the investigation report.
        • A copy of the report will be shared by the Head of Human Resources Department with the complainant and respondent unless circumstances warrant not sharing the report in which case a summary of the findings will be shared.