| Topic: | Employees, Employment and Workplace |
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| Approval Authority: | Board of Governors |
| Approval Date: | February 22, 2010 |
| Effective Date: | 01 March 2010 |
| Last Revised: | 29 April 2025 |
1. Scope
This policy is intended to protect all persons working for York University including but not limited to students, faculty, instructors, staff, and volunteers.
2. Definition
Workplace: the designated area where employees are assigned to or approved to perform work or such other university sanctioned activities. The designated area includes where a worker performs work remotely.
Workplace harassment means,
- engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct against an employee in a workplace, including virtually through the use of information and communications technology, that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome; or
- workplace sexual harassment.
Workplace sexual harassment means,
- engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct against an employee in a workplace, including virtually through the use of information and communications technology, 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
- 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.
Workplace harassment does not include reasonable action(s) taken by an employer or a supervisor relating to the management and direction of employees or the workplace, rudeness unless extreme, demotion, legitimate performance management, operational directives, job assignments, inadvertent management errors, or a single incident unless grave or harmful.
3. Policy
- York University is committed to protecting all persons working for York University and shall take reasonable precautions to prevent workplace harassment.
- Anyone who engages in workplace harassment shall be subject to complaint procedures, investigation, remedies, sanctions and discipline up to and including termination.
4. Reviewed
This policy shall be reviewed at least annually.
5. Responsibility
The Vice-President Equity, People & Culture shall be responsible for establishing a program, guidelines and procedures to implement this policy.
| Legislative History: | Reviewed by President and Vice-Presidents, January 27, 2010. Approved by Board Governance and Human Resources Committee February 10, 2010. Approved by the Board of Governors February 22, 2010. Effective March 1, 2010. Re-approved by the Board of Governors 2013/06/24; 2014/06/23; 2015/06/22. Revised and approved by the Board Governance and Human Resources Committee: 2016/05/02; Re-approved by the Board of Governors 2016/05/03; Re-approved by the Board of Governors 2017/05/02; Name changed and re-approved by the Board of Governors 2018/05/01; Re-approved by the Board of Governors 2019/04/30; Re-approved by the Board of Governors 2020/05/05; Re-approved by the Board of Governors 2021/05/04; Re-approved by the Board of Governors 2022/05/03; Re-approved by the Board of Governors 2023/05/02; Editorial revisions re-approved by the Board of Governors 2024/04/30; Amendments approved by the Board of Governors 2025/04/29 |
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| Date of Next Review: | April 2026 |
| Related Policies, Procedures and Guidelines: |
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