Valentine’s Day

Sexual harassment and Valentine’s Day

February 14, 2018 Lisa Stam, Spring Law Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Privacy and Security, Recruiting and Hiring, Training and Development

Employers need to be aware of the sexual tensions at play in an office, or risk being held liable for failing to address a poisoned work environment. For example, if two co-workers had a relationship and then broke up, and one is now showing revealing photos of the other around the office, this likely creates a poisoned work environment for the depicted employee. Though a manager may be tempted to deem the matter personal, the employer has an obligation to protect the employee.

employment law, Ontario Human Rights Code, power imbalances, sexual harassment, sexual harassment in the workplace, Valentine’s Day, workplace harassment