Every employer in Ontario must have a workplace violence and harassment policy. If an employer has 6 or more regular employees, then the policy must be written down, reviewed annually, and posted in the workplace.

At a minimum, your policy should:

• State that violence is an occupational health and safety hazard
• Define workplace violence and harassment, and state that they are unacceptable
• Make a commitment to protecting workers from violence and harassment
• Encourage workers to report all incidents of violence and harassment
• Make a commitment to investigate and deal with complaints promptly
• Outline consequences of behaviour covered by the policy

In addition, an effective policy will:

• Be clearly written and easy to understand
• Contain examples of unacceptable and acceptable behaviour
• Reassure employees that they will not suffer repercussions for making complaints under the policy
• Explain how to make a complaint
• Describe the process for investigating complaints and provide a time-line