Discrimination & Harassment Free Workplace Guideline
Manitoba Hydro tries to:
- provide a work environment in which employees are treated equally and respectfully and are not subjected to discrimination, harassment, reprisal or any other conduct that undermines dignity and worth;
- make reasonable accommodation for special needs of any group, if those special needs are based upon any characteristic as outlined in the definition of discrimination or the Manitoba Human Rights Code.
Discrimination: includes the differential treatment of individuals on the basis of certain characteristics such as ancestry, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, etc.
Harassment: includes any of the following:
- a course of abusive and unwelcome conduct or comment undertaken or made on the basis of characteristics set out in the definition of discrimination,
- a sexual solicitation or advance made by a person who is or who is perceived to be in a position to confer any benefit on, or deny a benefit to, the recipient of the solicitation or advance, if the person making the solicitation or advance knows or should reasonably know that it is unwelcome, or
- a reprisal or threat of reprisal for rejecting a sexual solicitation or advance, or
- repeated abusive, unwelcome and objectionable conduct or comment undertaken by a colleague, supervisor, subordinate or a member of the public who knows or should reasonable know that such conduct will have the effect of unreasonably interfering with the person's work performance or of creating an intimidating or hostile work environment
Reasonable Accommodation: provision of accommodation for a person with special needs based upon any characteristic as outlined in the definition of discrimination or the Manitoba Human Rights Code, to the point of undue hardship to Manitoba Hydro
Reprisal: cause or threaten to cause any harm to an individual on the basis that they have participated in any proceeding associated with the Guideline.
What to do if you've been discriminated against or harassed?
To initiate a complaint, contact at least one of the following as soon as possible: your supervisor, or a person in management, or your bargaining unit representative, or your Corporate Exempt Human Rights representative or one of the Investigation Officers.
What happens when a complaint is filed?
The Investigation Officer will decide whether mediating an informal resolution, or conducting a formal investigation is the best approach to resolve the complaint. In a formal investigation, the Investigation Officer impartially determines if the guideline has been breached by conducting a series of interviews with the complainant, the respondent and any witnesses.
The Investigating Officer prepares a formal report for the Division Manager – Human Resources and the Respondent's Division Manager who reach a mutual agreement as to the appropriate resolution to the complaint, including any disciplinary action and to decide how to debrief appropriate staff.
