Red zone behaviours include intentional, targeted, prohibited behaviours that harm others and create a poisonous, unsafe work environment. These include harassment and discrimination that are based on protected grounds under the Human Rights Code, other forms of harassment, bullying and workplace violence, and/or incidents, reports, or complaints of sexual misconduct
These behaviours contravene University policies including but not limited to the Human Rights Policy, Harassment Prevention Policy, Violence Prevention Policy, and Sexual Misconduct Policy.
Key definitions
Treating someone unfairly by either imposing a burden on them, or denying them a privilege, benefit or opportunity enjoyed by others, because of their race, citizenship, family status, disability, sex, or other personal characteristics. (source https://www.ohrc.on.ca/)
Ontario Human Rights Code:
Engaging in a course of comments or actions that are known, or ought reasonably to be known, to be unwelcome. It can involve words or actions that are known or should be known to be offensive, embarrassing, humiliating, demeaning or unwelcome. Harassment under the Ontario Human Rights Code is based on the prohibited/protected grounds.
The protected grounds under the Code include age, ancestry, citizenship, colour, creed, disability, ethnic origin, family status, gender identity and gender expression, marital status, place of origin, race, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, receipt of public assistance (in housing), and record of offences (in employment). (source https://www.ohrc.on.ca/)
Occupational Health & Safety Act:
The Guide to the OHSA outlines the following with respect to harassment (written verbatim):
- The comments or conduct typically happen more than once. They could occur over a brief period (for example, during the course of one day) or over a longer period (weeks, months, or years). However, there may be a situation where the conduct happens only once, such as an unwelcome sexual solicitation from a manager or employer.
- Workplace harassment can include unwelcome and/or repeated words or actions that are known or should be known to be offensive, embarrassing, humiliating, or demeaning to a worker or group of workers. It can also include behaviour that intimidates, isolates, or even discriminates against a worker or group of workers in the workplace that are unwelcome.
- Workplace harassment does not include a reasonable action taken by an employer or supervisor relating to the management and direction of workers or the workplace [subsection 1(4)].
The OHSA defines workplace sexual harassment as (written verbatim):
- Engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct against a worker in a workplace 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 sexual solicitation or advance where the person making it is able to confer, grant or deny a benefit or advancement to the worker and the person knows or ought reasonably to know that the solicitation or advance is unwelcome [subsection 1(1)].
Workplace violence is defined in the OHSA as: (written verbatim)
- the exercise of physical force by a person against a worker, in a workplace, which causes or could cause physical injury to the worker,
- an attempt to exercise physical force against a worker, in a workplace, which could cause physical injury to the worker,
- a statement or behaviour that it is reasonable for a worker to interpret as a threat to exercise physical force against the worker, in a workplace, that could cause physical injury to the worker [subsection 1(1)].
This definition of workplace violence is broad enough to include acts that would constitute offences under Canada's Criminal Code.
Other examples of red zone behaviours include:
- Yelling, shouting, or swearing at an individual
- Name-calling and insults
- Purposeful misgendering
- Treating someone differently based on their identity, including microaggressions
- False accusations
- Threats, intimidation, and coercion
- Bullying and repeated targeting of an individual
Red zone behaviours have a significant impact on the working environment. They typically result in:
- Increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and disordered sleep.
- Impaired decision-making, difficulty concentrating, and reduced productivity.
- Absenteeism, presenteeism, and leaves of absence.
- Reduced self-esteem and self-confidence and increased feelings of isolation.
- Reduced morale and increased divisions among colleagues/teams.
Resources and supports can be found on the Employee Mental Health website.
If you are experiencing any of these behaviours, it is important that you report these immediately to your immediate supervisor, Human Resources (Health & Safety and or Labour Relations), Academic Labour Relations and/or your union/association.