Instructions:

Step 1: Background

On April 20, 2009, the Ontario Government introduced Bill 168, the Occupational Health and Safety Amendment Act (Violence and Harassment in the Workplace) 2009 which amended the Occupational Health and Safety Act ("OHSA") to impose new obligations on employers with respect to workplace violence and harassment. The Bill became law on June 15, 2010. As a result, the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) now contains a requirement that employers must establish workplace violence and harassment policies, develop programs to implement such policies, and engage in assessments to measure the risk of workplace violence. In addition, work refusal rights and the duties of employers and supervisors under OHSA have both been clarified to specifically apply to workplace violence. In September 2016, the provisions were further strengthened with additional reporting, investigation and privacy measures

Step 2: Workplace Context

Several weeks ago, one of the employees in the company where you are the Manager of Human Resources complained that he was a victim of workplace bullying and harassment. You quickly review the policies that were developed to respond to the legal requirements under Part III.0.1 of the OHSA. You notice that while you have a policy that addresses workplace violence there is no actual policy on workplace bullying and harassment. You realize that workplace bullying is a form of workplace harassment and can also be a form of workplace violence.

Step 3: Assignment Task

As a result of the facts and law referred to above, you draft a short written policy to insert into the Corporate Policy Manual, linking prohibitions against workplace bullying and harassment to s. 32.0.1 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Remember that there are many different forms and aspects of business communication, including writing effective policies. Every policy document must be reviewed for legal implications, since any and all written documents in a business environment may be used as evidence in a legal dispute (e.g. court case, grievance, arbitration). For all documents, it is important to use professional language and tone. When writing any policy document, pay attention to your audience. Ensure all policies are clear and easy for all workplace parties to understand.

Helpful Link:

Workplace bullying resources published by the Public Services Health and Safety Association in Ontario:

Public Services Health and Safety Association | Search Results (pshsa.ca)

A resource toolkit to help small businesses deal with workplace bullying from Worksafe BC:

Resource tool kit - WorkSafeBC

Guidelines for writing policy and procedure by Best Bar None:

https://bestbarnone.drinksenseab.ca/wp-content/themes/best-bar-none/pdf/BBN_Policy_Guidelines_JULY_2016.pdf

Ministry of Labour website on workplace violence and harassment:

https://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/hs/topics/workplaceviolence.php

Guide to the Occupational Health and Safety Act:

https://www.ontario.ca/document/guide-occupational-health-and-safety-act