The governments of various countries are after ensuring the workplace of employees is safe, supportive, and healthy. This is possible through ensuring that diversity is valued, and each and every person in different organisations is given the deserved dignity and respect. The workplace environment should be nurturing and healthy. Mutual respect and cooperation should also be prevailed since this is necessary for contributing to a positive outcome, especially when it comes to benefit and growth of all employees (Lee & Lovell, 2014).
The Workers Compensation Board of British Columbia is after ensuring safety and health is promoted in the workplace. This body is after ensuring that the workers of British Columbians are free from health, injury, death, and disease at the workplace. It is a requirement according to this act that all employers must take the initiative of preventing where possible and minimising harassment and bullying in the workplace. Bullying and harassment are likely to stress the employees, and this will contribute to a negative impact on their mental health. If the employer notices of circumstances related to harassment and bullying in the workplace, then corrective and preventive procedures should be put in place in the workplace (Almost et al, 2015). This should include providing supervision and direction to the workers who are affected. The employees may also be given training so as to manage the difficult situation or imposition of arrangements related to the workplace in order to minimise risks of harassment and bullying.
British Colombian’s Human Right Code is concerned with the human rights in British Colombia. The code protects individuals from being treated poorly and differently because of their gender. It states that the rights of each and every person should be respected. The B.C. is a crucial law that aims at protecting individuals from discrimination and harassment. The law gives the individuals in various organisations the right to go and file a complaint or complaints if they think they have been discriminated in any way or harassed. The complaints are to be filled with the BC Human Right Tribunal, and the Tribunal can protect anyone who has filed a complaint with any form of retaliation. According to B.C., it is illegal to harass or discriminate a person against their colour, race ancestry, religion, place of origin, marital status, family status, mental or physical disability, lawful sources of income (this applies to tenancy), political belief (in the workplace), criminal conviction (in the workplace), age, sexual orientation, and sex (this includes sexual harassment, breastfeeding, and pregnancy) (Almost et al, 2015). The harassment, in this case, refers to behaviour that is insulting, offensive, or demeaning, and unwelcome comments.
Canada is a territory where the workplace environment of the employees governed by the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Recently, three policies were added to the OHS policies related to bullying and harassment. The employer, supervisor, and the workers should ensure the workplace is safe. The employer has the role of making sure that the health and safety of the workers are taken care of. The employer should do away with any element and minimise harassment and bullying in the workplace. Bullying and harassment in the workplace are likely to affect the employees in the following ways; illness, injury, or death. The workers of the organisation should take reasonable care for protecting their safety and health and that of other workers (WorkSafeBC, 2015). Reasonable steps must be made by the workers to do away or minimise the elements of harassment and bullying. The OHS policies also apply to the supervisors. Due to their supervision, the supervisors should make sure the safety and health of the workers who are under them are catered for. This is possible through eliminating all elements or minimising issues to do with bullying and harassment. This is because bullying and harassment may cause injury, illness, or death to the workers. The WorkSafeBC officers will be going round organisations making sure that the policies are implemented and are carefully followed to ensure safety and health of employees.
- Almost, J., Wolff, A., Mildon, B., Price, S., Godfrey, C., Robinson, S., … & Mercado-Mallari, S. (2015). Positive and negative behaviours in workplace relationships: a scoping review protocol. BMJ open, 5(2), e007685.
- Lee, R. T., & Lovell, B. L. (2014). Chapter 3 Workplace Bullying: A Canadian Perspective. Workplace Wellness: Issues and Responses. 127(1), e1-e240.
- WorkSafeBC. (2015). OHS Policies for Bullying and Harassment.
