Crossbridge is committed to providing a workplace that is free from all forms of discrimination and conduct that can be considered harassing, coercive, or disruptive, including sexual harassment. Actions, words, jokes, or comments that are known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome or are based on an individual’s sex, race, colour, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected ground will not be tolerated.
Mutual respect, co-operation and understanding between people will go a long way towards achieving this objective. Actions, attitudes, and behaviour that threaten to undermine our positive and productive work environment are detrimental to all and will not be condoned or tolerated.
Workplace Harassment is any conduct, communication, gesture or contact of a threatening nature that has the purpose or effect of interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment that is perceived as vexatious, malicious, or distressful. Workplace harassment may be based on a person’s sex, age, gender identity, disability, religion, citizenship or other legally protected ground under human rights legislation, but it may also be a course of vexatious comment or conduct that is not tied to a legally protected ground.
Workplace Sexual Harassment is defined as:
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engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct against an employee because of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, where the course of comment or conduct is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome, or
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making a sexual solicitation or advance where the person making the solicitation or advance is in a position to confer, grant or deny a benefit or advancement to the employee and the person knows or ought reasonably to know that the solicitation or advance is unwelcome
Reasonable action taken by the employer or supervisor relating to the management and direction of workers or the workplace is not workplace harassment.
Crossbridge recognizes that it is difficult to come forward with complaints relating to harassment, specifically those of a sexual nature, and will make all efforts to ensure that the employee’s confidentiality is maintained, subject to taking the action necessary to deal with the complaint. Management will investigate and deal with all complaints or incidents of workplace harassment in a fair, respectful and timely manner. The information on how to report workplace harassment and the way incidents and complaints will be investigated and/or dealt with is explained in the workplace harassment program.