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