Supervisors/managers: your role in responding to harassment or violence in the workplace

The following steps provide a brief summary of the process undertaken by managers/supervisors in the event of a harassment or violence complaint.

If a Defence Team member has submitted a Notice of Occurrence to you, please follow the steps below. Please note that a Defence Team member may also choose to report an occurrence directly to the designated recipient.

Step 1

Complete an initial review to:

• Assess the urgency of the occurrence, and take appropriate action if there are any immediate risks to the health and safety of the employee or members of the Defence Team; and
• Ensure all information on the Notice of Occurrence is complete.

Step 2

Contact principal party or witness to acknowledge receipt of the Notice of Occurrence and inform the Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention (WHVP) Centre of Expertise  (via email at WHVPCoE-PHVCE@forces.gc.ca) within seven calendar days for tracking purposes.

Step 3

Initiate the negotiated resolution process to discuss the occurrence as soon as possible, but no later than 45 days. Verify that the occurrence meets the definition of harassment and violence in the regulations, and review the negotiated resolution process.

Step 4

Proceed with the negotiated resolution; every reasonable effort must be made to resolve the occurrence as outlined in DND’s interim policy. If the negotiated resolution fails, or if the principal party, at any time during the negotiated resolution process elects to pursue an investigation, see employer toolkit (coming soon) for next steps.

Please note: An employee may also choose to report an occurrence directly to the designated recipient by:

• submitting the Notice of Occurrence form by email; or
• calling the secure voicemail 1-833-451-1604.