Territory's HR department received 325 formal harassment complaints between fiscal years 2017-18 and 2023-24, finds report
Nunavut is in the early stages of revamping its rules around workplace harassment as it has received hundreds of complaints over the past seven years.
The territorial government is in the early stages of developing a policy that would create opportunities for employees to resolve complaints informally before proceeding to a formal investigation, according to a report from Nunatsiaq News.
This comes after, in November 2023, Megan Hunt, Nunavut's deputy health minister, apologized to her staff in response to allegations from current and former nurses that Nunavut’s health centres are toxic work environments. Kristie Cronin, the deputy minister of human resources, confirmed this, according to the report.
“I want to take the time to acknowledge that recent publications in the media may be concerning to health staff both on a personal and professional level,” Hunt wrote in a memo addressed to all Department of Health staff, dated Nov. 2, Nunatsiaq News previously reported.
“I want to assure you that we take these matters seriously. I also want to express my sincere apologies to those who have experienced or witnessed bullying or harassment in the workplace.”
Cronin will submit a draft for cabinet within a month or two. The draft will then go through a consultative process involving committee approval and feedback from the Nunavut Employees Union.
Recently, a former human resources director of the Calgary Police Service (CPS) claimed that the workplace is rife with harassment, bullying and discrimination – and she experienced it firsthand.
How do you handle harassment complaints?
In looking to amend Nunavut’s Respectful and Harassment Free Workplace Policy, the HR department is considering policy changes that focus more on informal conflict resolution, according to Nunatsiaq News.
More often than not, the root of a harassment complaint tends to be an issue of staff simply not getting along. And it costs a lot of resources, Cronin said.
“What an investigation does is it sends a team of people through a months-long [process] and flips them upside down and at the end, you’re often still at a spot where you have conflict,” Cronin said in the report.
The HR department received 325 formal harassment complaints between fiscal years 2017-18 and 2023-24, according to data obtained by Nunatsiaq News.
Of these, 160 were recommended for formal investigation and 55 met the threshold of harassment.
Internal conflict resolution proved to be effective for the Greater Essex County District School Board, in southern Ontario, where Cronin previously worked, she said.
That policy provides two opportunities for informal conflict resolution before a complaint proceeds to an officer for assessment and possible investigation.
Cronin also said that they want a person accused of harassment to get a copy of any harassment complaint made against them. That is something that does not happen under the current policy.
The department also wants to involve the workers’ supervisor in solving the harassment issue, she said.
“We [also] really want to involve the supervisor,” said Cronin. “I don’t think the supervisor should be skipped over. I mean, if it were me and two people on my team weren’t getting along, I’d want to sit down and have some dialogue with them.”
They are also looking to update the harassment form itself which, Cronin said, is “not being filled out correctly” at times, “which makes it really hard… when it comes to an investigation.”
In its policy against harassment, the Nunavut government noted: “The Government of Nunavut (GN) is committed to the value of Ujjiqsuittiarniq, where public service employees must perform their work in a courteous and conscientious manner and be respectful of the needs and values of co-workers. The GN strives to create an environment where Saimaniup Pimmariuninga (importance of harmony) in the workplace is emphasized through Ujjiqsuittiarniq.”
A couple of weeks ago, nearly 6,000 Black employees of Tesla were granted temporary permission to proceed with a class action suit against their employer for failing to address discrimination and harassment, according to reports.