HR Professional - October/November 2008 - (Page 27)

H U M A N CA P I TA L B Y E VA D N E M A C E D O DEVELOPING WORKPLACE HUMAN RIGHTS POLICIES AND PROCEDURES nder the Ontario Human Rights Code, employers must provide inclusive and non-discriminatory work environments and take adequate steps to prevent and address harassment and discrimination. The issue of accommodation arises most often related to creed, family status, sex (pregnancy) and disability, as well as age and gender identity. While most employers see the importance of respecting human rights in the workplace, many are often less aware of ensuring it happens. The commission’s recent Guidelines on Developing Human Rights Policies and Procedures can help employers, HR professionals and unions create workplace human rights strategies. U rights issues emerge and your organization changes. As well, existing systems and structures should be reviewed to identify and remove barriers. Avoid making one-off accommodations. Anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies set standards for appropriate workplace behaviour and make it clear that discrimination and harassment are not tolerated. The Guidelines on Developing Human Rights Policies and Procedures set out elements and provide sample language to help create a policy that reﬂects your workplace’s unique circumstances. For example, it can help deﬁne key human rights concepts so that everyone can understand them, and set the roles and responsibilities for human rights compliance. Policy design A human rights strategy should include ﬁve elements: 1. barrier prevention, review and removal plan 2. anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies 3. internal complaints procedure 4. accommodation policy and procedure 5. education and training program ‘‘ Human rights complaints must be taken seriously and acted on promptly. The nature and implementation of each organization’s strategy will depend on its size, complexity and culture. But when devising your strategy, pay attention to the needs and rights of employees, service-users and other people who visit your workplace. Visible senior-level support and input from all parts of the organization—and in some cases from the community—will make the strategy more effective. It must be updated as new human w w w. HRT houghtLeader. c om ’’ Complaints Human rights complaints must be taken seriously and acted on promptly, with appropriate resources. A viable complaint mechanism must be present. Managers need to know how to deal with human rights issues when they arise and employees must be aware of the available protections if they are a witness in an investigation or a complainant. In addition, decisions or actions taken by your organization must be communicated to all the parties. A clear and effective accommodation policy and procedure ensures that people feel comfortable raising their accommodation needs, and that accommodation requests are dealt with effectively. Finally, education and training are core elements of any organization’s human rights plan. However, they are not enough to solve your organization’s human rights issues. They work best along with a strong proactive strategy to prevent and remove barriers to equal participation and effective policies and procedures for addressing human rights issues that do arise. For access to Guidelines on Developing Human Rights Policies and Procedures and other commission policies, visit www.ohrc.on.ca. Evadne Macedo is a senior policy analyst at the Ontario Human Rights Commission. O c t o b e r / N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 8 27 http://www.ohrc.on.ca http://www.HRThoughtLeader.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of HR Professional - October/November 2008

HR Professional - October/November 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Contributors Leadership Matters Upfront Legal Compensation Human Capital Talent Management Murphy’s Law Wise Counsel On Message HR 101 Interview with Joseph McCool Off the Shelf The Last Word

HR Professional - October/November 2008

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