If you’ve decided to report sexual harassment to your employer, this guide is for you. Here’s everything you need to know.

We’ll start with some background.

What is the law, who does it protect, and what does it require from employers?

In Alberta, there are three laws that offer you protection from sexual harassment at work.

The Alberta Human Rights Act says that sexual harassment is against the law. It protects people from discrimination and harassment based on specific grounds, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Under the act, your employer is required to prevent and respond to sexual harassment in the workplace.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS Act) and the Occupational Health and Safety Code (OHS Code) are all about safety in workplaces. These are the laws in Alberta that protect workers from all sorts of hazards at work, including violence and harassment. Under the act, your employer is required to have a policy saying how they prevent, deal with, and investigate sexual harassment and workplace violence.

The Alberta Human Rights Act, the OHS Act and the OHS Code work together to protect you from sexual harassment.

Your employer has responsibilities under all these laws.

Does the OHS Act apply in your situation?

The OHS Act relates to the actions and behaviour of people in your workplace, including your boss, co-workers, contractors, customers, and clients.

The OHS Act covers most workers. That includes:

  • employees
  • volunteers
  • self-employed people

Who in Alberta is not covered by the OHS Act?

These are the people working in Alberta who aren’t covered by the OHS Act:

  • The OHS Act doesn’t apply to federally regulated workplaces such as post offices, banks, radio and TV operations, and airlines and airports. People in those industries are protected by the Canada Labour Code.
  • The OHS Act doesn’t apply to students who are on an educational work placement and are unpaid.
  • The OHS Act also doesn’t apply to a farm and ranch owner, a family member of the owner, or an unpaid individual working on a farm or ranch.

If you aren’t sure if the OHS Act and OHS Code apply to you, you can call the OHS Contact Centre at 1-866-415-8690 for urgent or emergency situations; for non-emergencies, you can ask a question or file a complaint online.

Does the OHS Act or OHS Code cover sexual harassment related to your work that’s happening outside the workplace?

Yes! Employers are responsible for protecting you against workplace sexual harassment even if it happens outside of the workplace.

If you’re sexually harassed at a work event, while you’re working at home or online, or while you’re travelling for your job, your employer is responsible for taking steps to ensure your safety.

What do the OHS Act and OHS Code require from an employer?

The OHS Act and OHS Code require employers to make it clear that sexual harassment and workplace violence will not be tolerated and to have a plan for responding to complaints. If someone makes a complaint, the OHS Act and OHS Code require employers to conduct an investigation and take steps to make the workplace safe.

The OHS Act and OHS Code require the employer to have a sexual harassment prevention policy and plan. 

The workplace policy says how your employer will prevent or reduce the risk of workplace harassment and violence. It also says how complaints can be made and how the employer will investigate them. The plan is the more detailed description of how the policy is put into practice. It says how to report workplace harassment and violence and describes the process for responding to complaints.

If there is no workplace policy or plan at your workplace, or if your employer isn’t following it, you can report that to the OHS Contact Centre online or by phone at 1-866-415-8690.

See a sample workplace harassment policy and plan.

Okay. Now you know the basics.

Now we’ll tell you how to actually report.

Getting ready to report

The first thing you should do is try to get a copy of your workplace sexual harassment policy. It might be called something else, like a human rights policy, a respectful workplace policy, or a bullying and harassment policy. It will tell you how you’re supposed to report, and what’s supposed to happen once you do.

  • It may tell you to try talking directly with the harasser first.
  • It may name people or positions you’re supposed to report to.
  • It may give a deadline for how quickly you need to report.

Don’t worry too much about following the exact procedures. As long as you go to a person in a position of authority and tell them you are formally reporting sexual harassment, that should be enough to get things started.

It’s pretty common for employers to handle reports badly. You might report to someone, and they might think you’re just venting or asking for advice. So it’s important to say as clearly as possible that you are making a formal report of sexual harassment. It’s also pretty common for people to not know what they’re supposed to do next. So if nothing seems to happen after you report, you might want to follow up to make sure someone is taking action.

Important

Some people think that HR is supposed to be on their side. That’s not really true. A good HR person will want the workplace to be safe and will know they have a responsibility to act on your complaint. But their responsibility is really to your employer, not to you. They should help you, but they are not your friend or advocate.

You may feel like you are causing a problem for your employer by reporting. But that’s not really what’s happening. When you report sexual harassment, you are bringing a problem to your employer’s attention. You didn’t create it; you’re just reporting it.

It might help to think about it the same way you’d think about reporting a gas leak or a piece of broken equipment. It’s a safety issue.

Where to get help and advice

If you belong to a union, there will be a collective agreement that outlines the contract between the union and employer. You can think of your union as an advocate for safe and healthy workplaces. Its job includes protecting members from things like abuse, harassment, and discrimination. If your employer is not following the collective agreement, your union can make a complaint, called a grievance. See Working with your union.

The Workers’ Resource Centre is an advocacy agency that offers free information, assistance, and referrals on a wide variety of employment issues, including workplace sexual harassment. 

HereForHelp is a resource hub for people who have been sexually harassed at work.

How to report

Once you’ve picked whom you’re going to report to, make an appointment with them. Try not to just drop by; it’s better if you have their full attention. If you don’t know what to say when you make the appointment, you can just tell them you want to talk about a workplace problem.

You should report verbally and, ideally, face-to-face, not just in writing. Bring something you’ve written and leave it with them. This can be a good idea if you’re worried there are things you may forget to say, or if you think they may mishear or misunderstand you.

What happens after you report

After you report, your employer should assign someone to investigate.

  • The investigator can be someone from within the workplace or outside it.
  • They are supposed to be objective and neutral. Not on your side or the harasser’s side.
  • They are supposed to follow the employer’s workplace harassment policy and procedures.
  • They are supposed to understand the OHS Act and OHS Code.
  • They are supposed to keep the complaint confidential and make sure everyone involved maintains confidentiality throughout the investigation.

The investigation is supposed to start quickly and be completed in a timely manner. There is no set timeline for investigations. Some may only take a day, while others may take months.

If the investigation costs any money (like for a translator if you need one), your employer is supposed to pay for it. You should not have to pay any costs related to the investigation.

The investigator’s job is to decide whether what happened to you qualifies as harassment under the OHS Act definition. To do that, they will talk with you, the person who harassed you, and anybody who witnessed it.

Important

To do their work, the investigator needs to ask the harasser about what they did. That means the harasser will know you reported them.

The investigator should keep you informed about the timing and progress of their investigation, but they usually won’t tell you details. You won’t be allowed to be there when other people are interviewed, and you won’t be able to see notes or transcripts from the interviews.

How to prepare to be interviewed

The investigator should invite you to a meeting, where they will ask you to tell your story. They will ask for details (what happened, where, when, etc.), whether there were witnesses, and if you have any documents or other evidence. They may also ask how the harasser has behaved to you since then.

There may be other people there. If your workplace has a Joint Health and Safety Committee or a union, its worker representative will be there. If there is a health and safety rep, they will be there. There may be someone there solely to take notes.

Tip

People at the meeting may behave formally and seriously, even if they know you from outside the investigation. You may feel like that means they are mad at you or don’t believe you. But that’s not necessarily the case. They may just be trying to be respectful.

It’s rare for an investigator to be challenging or aggressive. Normally they are just trying to gather information and make sure they understand what you’re saying. It’s normal for them to ask you a lot of questions and write down everything you say.

Here are steps you can take to prepare for the meeting:

  • If there’s anything about the meeting that doesn’t work for you—for example, its location or timing—you can ask for an alternative. You can also ask to bring a support person with you, although it’s up to the investigator whether they will be allowed. If you require accommodations at the meeting—for example, a translator—you should ask for them.
  • If you haven’t already, you should write down all the important events in the order they happened. Try to include as much detail as possible, including dates, times, names of people who were present, what was said or done, and where it happened. Bring a copy of this document with you to the meeting. See Document everything.
  • Collect copies or printouts of any documents related to the harassment. This might include printouts of emails, screenshots of text messages, your phone call log, or anything else you think is relevant.

How to handle yourself during the interview

  • Remember that you haven’t done anything wrong, and you are not on trial.
  • You can take your time when answering questions. If you’re not sure you understand a question, ask for it to be repeated or rephrased.
  • It is always okay for you to ask for a short break.
  • It is okay for you to take notes.
  • It’s totally fine for you to ask about the investigator’s process and timeline.
  • It’s totally fine for you to tell the investigator about any concerns you have.
  • It’s a good idea to tell the investigator if you’re worried about confidentiality, especially if you’re afraid the harasser will get other people to gang up on you for reporting them.

Things that can go wrong and how to handle them

What if my employer ignores my report?

This is really common. Roughly 50% of sexual harassment reports get ignored. If that happens to you, you can:

  • Call the OHS Contact Centre (1-866-415-8690). If it agrees that your situation is covered by the OHS Act and OHS Code, it may order your employer to investigate.
  • Contact your union.
  • Contact your workplace health and safety rep.

What if the investigator seems biased?

The investigator is supposed to be fair and unbiased. But they aren’t always. If you’re concerned that the investigator is biased, send your employer a written complaint regarding your sense of bias. Document this for later use, if necessary.

You can also contact the OHS Contact Centre (1-866-415-8690).

What if the investigation is taking a really long time, or I am not getting any updates?

If that happens, you can reach the OHS Contact Centre and it can order your employer to conduct a new or better investigation. Or you can contact your union, if you have one, your workplace health and safety rep, or a lawyer.

What if people at work are gossiping about me and the investigation?

This isn’t supposed to happen. Investigators are only allowed to share information about the investigation if it will help them do their work, protect other workers, or if the law says it must be shared. (For example, if criminal charges have been laid, the investigator might have to share information with the police.) The investigator is supposed to instruct anyone involved with the investigation to not talk about it.

But it’s actually very common for people to gossip about the investigation. And sometimes it can be really bad. Sometimes, other people decide to support the harasser, and start treating you badly.

If that happens, you should tell your employer. They are supposed to protect you against any harassment that might happen as a result of your report. Or you can report it to the OHS Contact Centre.

What if I get punished for reporting?

Getting punished for reporting is extremely common. About a third of people who report say that in the end they got punished. So, yeah, if you think it’s happening to you, it probably is. We’re really sorry.

What happens is people end up sympathizing with the harasser and blaming you for reporting them. They decide you’re a troublemaker, or a problem, or a drama queen. That makes them like you less, and so they start treating you badly. They might schedule you for fewer shifts, stop helping you with your work, or decide to not recommend you for a promotion or raise, or other opportunity.

These are called reprisals, and they’re so common and so awful we wrote an entire guide about them. See Getting punished for complaining and how to protect yourself. Please read it. We want you to be able to protect yourself.

What happens once the investigation is over?

The investigation report tells the employer whether the investigator thinks sexual harassment happened and, if so, what actions they recommend to keep the workplace safe from sexual harassment in the future.

If the harasser is someone who works for the employer, the investigator may recommend they be fired, transferred, suspended, or reprimanded. The investigator may also recommend changes to the workplace to make it safer, like changes to shifts or scheduling, policy changes, or education.

Your employer must inform you and the harasser of the results of the investigation.

Your employer isn’t required to follow any of the investigator’s recommendations. They also don’t have to ask your opinion about what they should do. If they end up punishing the harasser, they may or may not tell you about it.

Your employer may address the issue differently, such as changing your work situation with your consent, offering dispute resolution, or negotiating compensation. Settlement agreements often include non-disclosure clauses.

What to do if you’re not happy with the outcome

If your employer chooses to do nothing about the harassment, they aren’t meeting their responsibilities under the OHS Act and OHS Code. Here are some things you might do. First, though, consider consulting a lawyer.