Preventing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Chiefs of Ontario takes a holistic approach to ending violence and abuse in First Nations communities and workplaces. This website provides resources and information for employers and employees to both prevent and address workplace sexual harassment, discrimination, and violence.

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Preventing Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Chiefs of Ontario takes a holistic approach to ending violence and abuse in First Nations communities and workplaces. This website provides resources and information for employers and employees to both prevent and address workplace sexual harassment, discrimination, and violence.

This site is designed with a Safety Exit button. If you need to exit the site urgently, click the red button labeled “Safety Exit” at the bottom-left side of the screen.

All employees and workers have the right to a workplace that is free of harassment.

The employer has an obligation to provide its employees with a workplace environment that is free from harassment and discrimination. This includes being free from harassment and discrimination from coworkers, managers as well as non-employees such as subcontractors or community members.

All employees and workers have the right to a workplace that is free of harassment.

The employer has an obligation to provide its employees with a workplace environment that is free from harassment and discrimination. This includes being free from harassment and discrimination from coworkers, managers as well as non-employees such as subcontractors or community members.

Harassment

The legal definition of harassment is “to engage in a course of vexatious comment or conduct that is known or ought to reasonably be known to be unwelcome”. There are several components to this definition that can be broken down into parts.

Course of Comments

A “course” of comment or conduct means that harassment is typically more than one incident (although one incident, depending on severity, can still constitute harassment)

Vexatious

“Vexatious” means conduct that cause feelings of frustration, annoyance, and/or shame and vulnerability.

Unwelcome

When an incident “ought to reasonably be known as unwelcome,” it means others would also define it as harassment.

Harassment

The legal definition of harassment is “to engage in a course of vexatious comment or conduct that is known or ought to reasonably be known to be unwelcome”. There are several components to this definition that can be broken down into parts.

Course of Comments

A “course” of comment or conduct means that harassment is typically more than one incident (although one incident, depending on severity, can still constitute harassment)

Vexatious

“Vexatious” means conduct that cause feelings of frustration, annoyance, and/or shame and vulnerability.

Unwelcome

When an incident “ought to reasonably be known as unwelcome,” it means others would also define it as harassment.

Discrimination includes negative attitudes that can be expressed as “isms” (ageism, sexism, racism, etc.)

…and refer to a way of thinking about other persons based on negative stereotypes about race, age, sex, etc. When people are stereotyped, all people in the group are given the same characteristics, regardless of their individual differences.

Discrimination includes negative attitudes that can be expressed as “isms” (ageism, sexism, racism, etc.)

…and refer to a way of thinking about other persons based on negative stereotypes about race, age, sex, etc. When people are stereotyped, all people in the group are given the same characteristics, regardless of their individual differences.

Workplace Harassment Toolkit

Information, Policies, and Procedures

A repository of information to help guide you in your understanding of how to create and maintain healthy relationships in the workplace, whether you are an employee, employer, witness or bystander, or ally.

Workplace Harassment Toolkit

Information, Policies, and Procedures

A repository of information to help guide you in your understanding of how to create and maintain healthy relationships in the workplace, whether you are an employee, employer, witness or bystander, or ally.