17 May Workplace Harassment: How do I report workplace harassment in Canada as an employee?
If you think that you have been harassed in the workplace, but aren’t sure how to report it, you are in the right place. As an employee, you can register a complaint via written and/or verbal format. If you choose to express your complaint verbally, you must still fill out a complaint form so that the employer can have the complaint in writing.
What should be included in the report?
The information on your complaint should include:
- The name and contact of the person who is has allegedly experienced any form of harassment in the workplace,
- The name, position, and contact of the alleged harasser(s),
- Include any witnesses you believe would know about the alleged harassment. If known, include contact information and their position relative to the workplace to make it easier to get in touch with the people listed,
- Include any specifics of what transpired during the encounter of the alleged harassment. Details are things like, date and times, frequency of the occurrence, and locations in which the harassment occurred. Other things that may be supplied include, any documentation that is relevant to the complaint and disclosing any documentation the harasser may have that is relevant to the complaint.
As soon as an employee feels like they have been a victim of harassment, it is important to document exactly what happened so that the investigator will have all relevant information in the greatest detail possible. As mentioned above, it is important to note the date of the event(s), the people who were there and what they said, the series of events, any bodily harm, the steps taken to resolve the issue at the time of the offence, and what was told to the supervisor or human resources about the event.
Who should the complaint be addressed and given to?
The employer should have given you a procedure for who to contact if a situation like this occurs. If there are certain steps that your workplace has decided works best, follow that process.
An employee may receive legal advice even before they mention the alleged harassment to their employer. It may serve the employee best to have legal advisement before moving forward.
If you have more questions about filing a report or want to receive legal advice about reporting a workplace harassment, please contact KCY at LAW by filling in an online consultation request or contact us by phone at 905-639-0999 to book your consultation today.