Manitoba Family Services and Housing
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Violence and Harassment Prevention Policy
| Effective Date: | July 01, 2008 |
| Review Date: | July 01, 2011 |
| Approving Body: | Executive Management Committee |
| Authority: | The Workplace Safety and Health Act [C.C.S.M. c.W210] |
| Implementation: | Safety and Health Unit |
| Contact: | Manager, Safety and Health |
| Applies to: | All Family Services and Housing employees |
1. Reason for the Policy
Manitoba Family Services and Housing has a statutory duty under The Workplace Safety and Health Act, W 210, to provide a safe and healthy work environment and to promote the highest degree of physical, mental, and social well-being of employees. Specifically, the WSH Regulation Part 10 requires FSH to develop a written policy to prevent harassment in the workplace, and Part 11 requires FSH to identify the risk of violence in the workplace and, when such a risk is identified, to develop and implement a violence prevention policy.
This document outlines the harassment and violence prevention policy that applies to all Manitoba Department of Family Services and Housing employees. The policy outlines a prevention program and safework procedures to prevent or reduce harassment and violence in the workplace. The policy covers harassment, violence, and the threat of violence arising from all work-related responsibilities and relationships due to the actions of clients, co-workers, or other individuals, including domestic violence situations that may emerge in the workplace as threats or actual incidents of violence. The Manitoba Civil Service also has a Sexual Harassment Policy that applies to all employees of the Government of Manitoba including term, departmental, casual and contract employees.
2. Definitions
Clients: for the purposes of this policy, are members of the public who have made contact with FSH to inquire about services or members of the public who are using or have used one or more FSH services.
Harassment: means any objectionable conduct, comment or display by a person that is directed at a worker in the workplace, and which is made on the basis of race, creed, religion, colour, sex, sexual orientation, gender-determined characteristics, political belief, political association or political activity, marital status, family status, source of income, disability, physical size or weight, age, nationality, ancestry or place of origin; and which creates a risk to the health of the worker.
Violence: means the attempted or actual exercise of physical force against a person and any threatening statement or behaviour that gives a person reasonable cause to believe that physical force will be used against the person.
Workers: means any person who is employed by FSH to perform a service.
3. Policy Statement
Manitoba Family Services and Housing recognizes that the potential exists for harassment, violent acts, and threats of violence against its employees. All FSH employees are entitled to work free of harassment and violence. As a result, the Department is committed to ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, that no worker is subjected to harassment and violence in the workplace.
The Department will take corrective action respecting any person under the employer’s direction who subjects a worker to violence. In doing so, the employer will not disclose the name of a complainant or the circumstances related to the complaint to any person except where disclosure is necessary in order to investigate the complaint, or to take corrective action in response to the complaint, or is required by law.
This policy is not intended to prevent or discourage the complainant from exercising any other legal rights pursuant to any other law.
In the context of harassment, this includes workers rights to file a complaint with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission by calling 204-945-3007 or 1-888-884-8681. Complaints must be made within six months of the date of the last incident of harassment.
4. Accountability
4.1 The Executive Management Committee is responsible for notifying the contact person for this policy that a formal review of this Policy is required.
4.2 The Director of Human Resources is responsible for the communication, administration and interpretation of this Policy.
4.3 The Manager, Safety and Health Unit, is responsible for providing advice, guidance, technical support and ensuring that department and administrative units are made aware of their responsibilities to comply with the Policy.
4.4 All employees, supervisors, and contracted/self-employed persons will be accountable for complying with the Policy.
5. Review of Violence and Harassment Policy and Procedures
In demonstrating its commitment to a violence-free workplace, the Department will conduct periodic reviews of the Violence and Harassment Prevention Policy in order to ensure that the direction provided remains effective and relevant. The Violence and Harassment Prevention Policy and safework procedures must be reviewed every three (3) years and whenever there is a change of circumstances that may affect the health and safety of workers. This will be done at the same time as the formal review of the WSH Program Manual.
The review should include an analysis of any feedback and/or comments from workers and supervisors on their awareness of the policy and the effectiveness of the policy and procedures.
