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Contact Us1504 Yonge Street, 3rd Floor Toronto ON M4T lZ6

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Workplace Harassment

How Psychologists Can Help:An Introduction to the Harassment Education Advisory

Response Team (HEART) Program


www.bizlifesolutions.comwww.bizlifesolutions.com

Lori Dupont



“Bill 168”

Amendment to Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) to include violence and harassment as workplace safety hazards • Applies to all companies

with five or more employees


www.bizlifesolutions.comWorkplace Investigations

1,600 reported incidents of workplace violence/ harassment • The Ministry of

Labour (MOL) has investigated and laid charges against many of these companies


www.bizlifesolutions.comNot Your “Same Old”

Health & SafetyViolence and harassment are not standard “hard hat” health and safety concerns • They are “soft skill”

disturbances that interfere with the emotional and interpersonal safety of workers


www.bizlifesolutions.comNot Your “Same Old” Health & Safety

Harassment, bullying and violence create psychological hazards that require expertise in dealing with interpersonal and behavioral challenges


www.bizlifesolutions.comwww.bizlifesolutions.comRequirements Under OHSA: Violence &

HarassmentEvery workplace is required to put in place

1. Policies 2. Measures (surveys) 3. Procedures & Programs…



to protect every worker from the risk

of violence and harassment: managers,

employees, union workers, owners,

contract employees, even volunteers

The Goal



Did You Know…

• Bullied employees take on average 7 more sick days than others

• The cost of employee absence in Canada due to these interpersonal hazards is $12 Billion per year

(Statistics Canada)

Workplace violence and harassment is responsible for more lost productivity than all other causes combined?


www.bizlifesolutions.comSome Concerning Facts

• Targets generally endure two years of bullying before filing a complaint or leaving

• Targets have a 70 % chance of losing their jobs when they complain

78 % of bullies out rank their targets


www.bizlifesolutions.comWhat Is Violence?

Workplace Violence is defined by the OHSA as:

1. The exercise of physical

force by a person against a worker in a workplace that causes or could cause physical injury to the worker




2. An attempt to exercise physical force against a worker in a workplace that could cause physical injury to the worker




3. A statement or behaviour that is reasonable for a worker to interpret as a threat to exercise physical force against the worker, in a workplace, that could cause physical injury to the worker



OHSA Harassment Definition

“Engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct against a

worker in a workplace that is known or ought reasonably to be known to

be unwelcome.”



What is “vexatious?”

Troublesome AggravatingMean

Unpleasant Upsetting Abusive

Provoking Irritating


www.bizlifesolutions.comHarassing Behaviours

Extremely broad category that is open to personal interpretation

• Flirtatious comments• Providing wrong

instruction to a worker on purpose

• Deliberately leaving a person out of the information loop over time Yelling, Screaming, Swearing

• Insults



OHSA

Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act addresses Violence AND Harassment.

Why haven’t companies dealt with the Harassment part?



Barriers

What are the Barriers we need to overcome to ensure workplaces

understand and address Harassment issues effectively?


www.bizlifesolutions.comwww.bizlifesolutions.com1. Knowledge and Expertise• Don’t know enough about harassment to put in place

the appropriate processes to prevent, manage and respond

• Inadequate interviewing skills for investigation of sensitive and emotional experiences

• Lack of awareness of how to protect the dignity of victims or harassers through their processes and procedures

• Insufficient knowledge of how to deal with the trauma and the fallout associated with harassment for the victim(s) and employees at large

• Relationship between harassment and mental health issues in the workplace



2. Policies But No Practices

• Most companies hang up a policy in their lunchroom and believe they’ve met their obligations

• Generally there are no measures, no procedures and no programs

• Not enough education and training• Limited tools and resources to work with

Workplaces know what they need to do but not how to do it



3. Culture of Silence: Barriers to Reporting

• 78% of the time, the harasser outranks the victim

• Victims are typically told to confront their harasser

• Victim blaming• Protection of top

performers at expense of victims

• Targets have a 70% chance of losing their jobs when they report

• There’s no one properly trained for the victim to turn to


www.bizlifesolutions.comwww.bizlifesolutions.com4. Reactive Not Proactive• Limited focus on education and

prevention• Issues aren’t addressed in early stages • Lack of prompt effective response

leads to collusion and/or enabling harassers

We need to be proactive and move from crisis response to harassment prevention


www.bizlifesolutions.comwww.bizlifesolutions.comWhat is the HEART™ Program?



How Does The HEART Program Work?

HEART

HR

Management

Admin

Union Rep

Finance

IT

Production

Support Staff

Sales


www.bizlifesolutions.comwww.bizlifesolutions.comWhy Does This Approach Work?

• HEART transcends the hierarchy of power• HEART members are trained and educated to make

psychologically informed responses, protect the dignity and safety of all parties, advise on their rights and responsibilities under the legislation and conduct fair, thorough investigations and decision making processes.

• HEART increases the safety and likelihood of reporting• HEART ensures a safe and meaningful response• HEART brings the breadth and spirit of the legislation

into the workplace.



Why Does This Approach Work?

A focus on prevention• Prevention of harassment in the

workplace leads to prevention of mental health issues.

• Prevention of harassment in the workplace leads to prevention of stress leave and disability leave.

• A focus on prevention breeds a culture of respect


www.bizlifesolutions.comwww.bizlifesolutions.comHow Do We Train The HEART Team?The HEART Program Manual

• Map to creating a safe, respectful workplace for the HEART team

• It acts as their support system and empowers the HEART members with the knowledge and tools to create lasting change in their unique workplace



HEART Manual• Legislation information and interpretation of the Occupational

Health and Safety Act (OHSA): Violence and Harassment in the Workplace is presented in an organized, visually pleasing format.

• Templates of required policies can be customized to your company.

• Step by step procedures with forms and handouts for both victim and accused are provided in a fillable format.

• How to deal with Domestic Violence in the Workplace with template and script

• An investigation format leads the HEART team/HR through conducting a thorough, legally and psychologically safe and sound investigation.

• A process for coming to a sound, proper decision and judgment is outlined in a simple to understand process.

• Prevention programs that create a workplace with zero tolerance for harassment

• Indicators of when you may need to contact a labour lawyer are identified throughout the process.



How Do We Train Employees?

An integral part of the HEART Program is the alignment of all employees through streamlined consistent messaging. Our online employee compliance training program educates employees on:• Understanding their rights and

responsibilities under this legislation

• Educating them with the principles that the HEART program is built upon

• Fostering a spirit of respect



Creating A Culture of Respect

Duties of Employers, SupervisorsEmployers and supervisors must take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of a worker.

WorkersWorkers must report to his or her supervisor any contravention of the Act or the regulations or the existence of any hazard of which he or she knows.



Ongoing Support for HEART Teams

• Supplementary Courses

• Victim support and empowerment

• Bully and Harasser Rehabilitation

• Coaching, Consulting and Therapy

• OPA support and strategic alliance


www.bizlifesolutions.comwww.bizlifesolutions.comWe Have The Solution: HEART

CertificationCost effective, ready to go, easy to roll out and implement.

• HEART Manual• HEART Member Training• Online Employee Training• Supplementary Courses and

Consulting as needed


www.bizlifesolutions.comwww.bizlifesolutions.comBenefits Enjoyed by Companies Who Have

HEART• Improved Mental Health• Reduced Disability, Stress Leave• Less Toxic Work Environment• Improved Employee Relations• Enhanced Productivity, Contribution

and Employee Engagement



How Psychologists and Mental Health Professionals Can Help


www.bizlifesolutions.comwww.bizlifesolutions.com1. Raising Awareness and

Education

Tips:• Don’t encourage them to confront harassers• How to protect your patients from backlash of reporting• Teach patients communication skills for safety

As advocates for Mental Health, psychologists need to be:

• Aware of the legislation• Educate patients on rights and

responsibilities• Understand complexities of the

workplace



2. Workplace Consulting and Employee Advocacy

• Lunch and Learns on PTSD and

Stress Management

• Assertive Communication Skills

• Educate companies on HEART

• Be a HEART certified trainer



3. Assessments

1. Psycho-Legal Assessments for lawyers dealing with psychological impact of harassment and bullying

2. How to write patient reports to let HR and Insurers understand that the psychological injury is due to workplace harassment



Without a solid harassment prevention and education program implemented in every company to

instill a culture of respect and accountability we may be enabling harassment instead of stopping it

If the right approach isn’t in place, we end up with Lori Dupont and Jian

Ghomeshi



GotHeart

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