Preamble
The Board of Directors is determined to promote a harmonious professional environment that is free of any form of harassment, in compliance with the laws in effect. To this end, it intends to implement prevention and support measures. The Board will not tolerate any behaviour that undermines the dignity and integrity of the directors, employees, service companies and external partners (contributors, instructors, designers, financial partners, affiliates, designation candidates, employers’ representatives and the entire IQPF clientele) and will take measures to stop any harassment brought to its attention, whether it is perpetrated by a director or a third party.
Furthermore, in keeping with the organizational values of consideration, openness and collaboration, the Board will ensure that these measures are put in place such that any disrespectful conduct or any situation that could lead to harassment is dealt with as promptly as possible, to resolve the issue and restore a healthy climate.
Goals
This policy sets out the principles that will guide the IQPF’s actions in terms of interpersonal respect, the prevention of harassment and the handling of complaints. These principles and the IQPF’s actions seek to:
- Prioritize prevention by implementing various measures to counter disrespect, harassment or situations that could lead to harassment.
- Communicate its commitment to fostering a healthy environment for work and collaboration, free of any form of harassment, both internally and externally.
- Take the steps required to stop behaviours that undermine people’s dignity.
- Give stakeholders the means to find solutions for disrespectful conduct and situations that could lead to harassment, as well as a formal complaint-handling process and support for its implementation.
- Reject any direct or indirect reprisals against anyone who makes use of the policy or who is called on to participate in handling a situation. The person behind such reprisals will be subject to commensurate penalties on the part of the IQPF.
1. Field of application
This policy applies to all stakeholders: directors, employees, service companies and external partners (contributors, instructors, designers, financial partners, affiliates, designation candidates, employers’ representatives and the entire IQPF clientele). This list is not exhaustive. Stakeholders include anyone with a contractual or service connection to the IQPF, whether paid or volunteer.
This policy applies to any incident that occurs in the context of work for the IQPF if the incident affects the work environment of one or more IQPF stakeholders. It also applies to the use of social media and to social activities. Consequently, it applies to events that may take place either during or outside work hours.
2. Definitions
The Act Respecting Labour Standards defines psychological harassment in the workplace as any vexatious behaviour in the form of repeated and hostile or unwanted conduct, verbal comments, actions or gesture:
- that affects an employee’s dignity or psychological or physical integrity
- and that results in a harmful work environment for the employee
- A single serious incidence of such behaviour that has a lasting harmful effect on an employee may also constitute psychological harassment.
The Act Respecting Labour Standards also specifies that such behaviour in the form of verbal comments, actions or gestures of a sexual natureis included in the vexatious behaviour described in the definition of psychological harassment.
Disrespect is personal conduct that undermines the standards of mutual respect, politeness, courtesy and good manners expected in a place of work and study and that has negative repercussions on people and, consequently, on the work and study climate.
A problematic situation that jeopardizes a person’s dignity or physical or psychological integrity is likely to degenerate to the point of harassment. This is the case, in particular but not exclusively, of the abuse of power or authority, conflict and disrespect. To ensure such a situation does not degenerate, it must be reported and settled constructively, quickly and respectfully, to foster the well-being of everyone involved.
3. Shared responsibilities
Although the Chair of the Board is responsible for enforcing this policy, all the stakeholders have responsibilities in the creation and maintenance of a healthy work environment that is free of any form of harassment. As the person responsible for the policy, the Chair of the Board must:
- Appoint a person or body to draft, release, apply and interpret the policy.
- Ensure that a summary of this policy is available on the IQPF website for all stakeholders.
- Ensure that the directors, managers and employees are trained in the prevention of harassment.
- Appoint a person to handle complaints. The name and contact information of this person must be available at all times:
- To the directors, in a section of the IQPF Board’s intranet specifically identified as such on the homepage.
- To the employees, in the office staff member’s handbook.
- To other stakeholders, in the appendix to their contract with the IQPF.
- Ensure that support is offered to people affected by disrespect, by a situation that could lead to harassment or by a harassment complaint.
- Deal seriously and promptly with any situation involving directors or the President and CEO. If the situation involves one or more employees and the President and CEO is not the subject of the complaint, report the situation to the President and CEO.
Responsibilities of the administrators:
- Read the policy and comply with it.
- Ensure that their behaviour and actions do not contravene the policy and do contribute to the maintenance of a healthy workplace.
- Report to the Chair of the Board, or to the Chair of the Governance and Ethics Committee if the Chair or another officer is the subject of the complaint, any form of conflict or harassment that they are involved in or witness.
- Cooperate with any investigation conducted under this policy, including by voluntarily disclosing all relevant information related to the investigation.
Responsibilities of management:
- Support the Chair of the Board in their responsibilities.
- Foster good work relations among the office staff.
- Ensure that employees are not subject to conduct that runs contrary to this policy and do not tolerate any behaviour that could undermine anyone’s dignity and physical or psychological integrity. In the face of misconduct, intervene without waiting for a report to be filed.
- Identify risk factors and take the measures required to ensure that high-risk situations do not lead to harassment.
- Deal seriously and promptly with any situation involving employees. If the situation involves a director, report it to the Chair of the Board. If the situation does not involve a director, the President and CEO must still report the complaint or potential complaint to the Chair, as it is a significant risk for the IQPF. In all cases, the names of the people involved will be kept confidential.
Responsibilities of the employees:
- Show respect to other employees and to all stakeholders.
- Report any harassment suffered or brought to their attention.
- Comply with the policy.
Responsibilities of other stakeholders:
- Read the summary of this policy on the IQPF website and comply with it.
- Show respect toward the employees, clients, service companies and other stakeholders.
- Report any harassment suffered or brought to their attention.
Responsibilities of people in teaching positions or positions of authority
- Anyone in a teaching position or position of authority must perform their mandate respectfully and without abusing their power or authority.
- Anyone in a teaching position or position of authority who witnesses or is informed of a situation that could lead to harassment or of situation similar to harassment must intervene expeditiously so reasonable measures are taken to stop it.
- Anyone who files a complaint they know to be false, knowingly makes false statements in an investigation or abuses this policy by any other means may be subject to severe administrative or disciplinary measures, up to and including dismissal or the termination of their contract with the IQPF.
4. Reporting and handling of complaints
Reporting
- When the complainant is a director, the complaint must be submitted in writing to the Chair of the Board as quickly as possible.
- If the Chair or another member of the Direction Committee is the subject of the complaint, the complaint must be submitted to the Chair of the Governance and Ethics Committee.
- If the complainant is an employee, the complaint must be submitted to the person in charge of the office staff policy. The name and contact information of this person are in the IQPF office staff handbook. The complaint submission and handling procedure is also described in the IQPF office staff handbook.
- When the complainant is another stakeholder, the complaint must be submitted to the President and CEO.
In all cases, the complainants, witnesses and people subject to the complaint must be treated with respect and dignity. The complaint is confidential and only the people who are to take part in the investigation will have access to the information required to participate appropriately in the process.
The subject of the complaint is informed of the submission of the complaint about them no later than the time the investigation process begins.
At any time during the process, the parties can be supported by a companion of their choice. This companion can be a relative, spouse, adult child, friend or colleague who accompanies the complainant or subject of the complaint at all steps of the process. The companion cannot act or speak on behalf of the complainant or the subject of the complaint. The verbal and written statements must come directly from the complainant or the subject of the complaint. The companion must undertake to uphold the confidentiality of the process.
At all times during the process, the complainant(s) and witnesses can count on the support of the IQPF. This support may include receiving, informing, equipping, advising or guiding the complainant or witness, based on the needs and priorities they express, as well as assisting them in the processes to be undertaken to put an end the harassment or the situation that may lead to harassment.
Steps of the investigation process:
Step 1: Admissibility analysis
- The person in charge of examining the complaint will first acknowledge its receipt.
- They will then assess its admissibility under this policy and the applicable standards.
- They will inform the complainant of the admissibility of the complaint within seven days of its submission.
Step 2: Decision to conduct an investigation
The person in charge of examining the complaint will take the following steps before launching an investigation:
- Meet with the complainant to establish the facts.
- Meet with the subject of the complaint to ask them to change their behaviour.
- Where appropriate, bring the parties together to ask them to find a mutually satisfactory solution.
- Offer the parties the opportunity to go to mediation with an independent accredited external mediator.
When it is clearly necessary to launch an investigation, the person in charge of examining the complaint gives a mandate to an independent investigator with all the competencies required to conduct the investigation responsibly and expeditiously.
At any time during the investigation, the complainant and the subject of the complaint can agree to stop the process and go to mediation. An independent mediator will then be mandated to support this process. The appointment of the mediator is agreed by the complainant and the subject of the complaint. The investigator who was mandated for the investigation cannot, under any circumstances, serve as the mediator. At any time during the mediation process, either of the parties can decide to stop it. In this case, the investigation process picks up where it stopped before the mediation.
Step 3: Investigation
After the investigation is launched, the investigator establishes an investigation plan that identifies the people to meet and the documents to examine. The entire process must be documented in writing. The meetings with the investigator are confidential.
Subsequently, the investigator submits the investigation report to the person identified in the written contract they received. This report must contain a summary of the allegations and the evidence obtained and an analysis of the evidence. It must also include the investigator’s conclusions as to whether the complaint is grounded, partially grounded or not grounded. Regardless of the conclusion, the report will also contain recommendations about means to put in place to prevent the recurrence of similar situations at the IQPF.
Step 4: Conclusions and follow-up
For a complaint submitted by a director, after the report is received, the Chair of the Board will share the investigation conclusions with the complainant and the subject of the complaint. If applicable, the Chair will also share the actions that will be put in place to resolve the situation. Unless the Chair decides to personally follow up on the actions, they will appoint someone to do so and report back.
If the complaint is submitted by another stakeholder, the President and CEO will be responsible for informing the parties and following up on the actions.
All documents related to the investigation will be confidential and disclosed only to management. None of the documents shall remain at the disposal of the Chair of the Board after the investigation is closed.
5. Corrective and preventive measures
As the goal sought by the Board of Directors is to promote a harmonious professional environment that is free of any form of disrespect or situations that could lead to harassment, it is essential to put actions in place to correct the issue that led to the investigation, regardless of its conclusions.
Furthermore, the Board must consider actions to take to avoid and even prevent such situations from recurring and disturbing the professional environment.
If necessary, the Board will determine penalties appropriate to the circumstances.
6. Person in charge of enforcing the policy and other resources
The Chair of the Board is responsible for enforcing this policy. The Chair is supported by the President and CEO, unless they or another member of the Direction Committee have a conflict of interest with regard to the application of a condition set out in this policy. In this case, the Chair of the Governance and Ethics Committee can be called on to support the Chair, if required.
The investigation mandates are also entrusted to independent external investigators who have all the competencies required to conduct the investigation responsibly and expeditiously. These investigators must be members of a professional order and specifically practise the prevention and settlement of disputes in the workplace.
Psychological support may also be offered to directors who participate in an investigation.
The employees, whether they are the complainant, a witness or the subject of the complaint, can rely on the employee assistance program (EAP) for psychological support before, during and after the investigation, in accordance with the terms of the IQPF’s group insurance contract.
7. Evaluation and review
This policy must be reviewed every time it is applied, after the processing of the complaint has been completed, to identify lessons learned through the experience.
If the policy is not applied, it must be reviewed every three years.