News Releases

News Release - Manitoba

September 24, 2020

Province Provides Update on Harassment and Sexual Harassment in Government Workplaces

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Manitoba Government Continues Commitment to Transparency with Release of Annual Statistics: Helwer and Cox

In its commitment to fostering a respectful workplace, the Manitoba government has released its annual statistics on investigations related to harassment within the civil service, Central Services Minister Reg Helwer, minister responsible for the Civil Service, and Sport, Culture and Heritage Minister Cathy Cox, minister responsible for the status of women, announced today.
 
“The Manitoba government is committed to ensuring that our employees work in a respectful workplace free from all forms of harassment,” said Helwer. “We continue taking steps to create a strong culture of accountability and transparency within the civil service.” 
 
In 2019-20, the province received 417 allegations of harassment or bullying, sexual harassment and other forms of misconduct, which includes offences such as attempted fraud or conflict of interest. Officials conducted 291 investigations and found 288 substantiated allegations.
 
Of 25 sexual harassment complaints, investigators found 20 to be substantiated. Those resulted in 10 instances of disciplinary action, 10 instances of further training or education, and two instances of mediation. 
 
The report indicates: 
a 34 per cent decrease in the total number of investigations related to sexual harassment, harassment and bullying and other forms of misconduct (down to 291 in 2019-20 from 440 in 2018-19);
a nine per cent increase in the number of investigations specific to sexual harassment (up to 24 in 2019-20 from 22 in 2018-19); and
a five per cent increase in the number of substantiated allegations of sexual harassment (up to 20 in 2019-20 from 19 in 2018-19). 
 
The ministers noted a slight increase in the number of complaints and investigations related to sexual harassment, which suggests heightened awareness and decreased tolerance in the workplace.
 
“We are hopeful the sustained number of reported instances of harassment for 2019-20 is a sign that employees continue to feel safe coming forward with concerns,” Cox said. “We want employees to know that we take complaints of harassment and sexual harassment very seriously, and will not tolerate this type of behaviour in the workplace.”
 
The ministers noted the province is currently updating its online Respectful Workplace and Harassment Prevention training. Going forward, all government employees will be required to complete the training annually, instead of on a one-time basis.
 
In February 2018, the Manitoba government announced several measures to promote a safe working environment for employees, including the release of annual respectful workplace statistics. It announced several measures to promote a safe working environment and committed to instituting a ‘no wrong door’ approach for political staff to report harassment of any kind. It launched employee consultations to gain insight into experiences with sexual harassment, engaged an external expert to review Manitoba’s respectful workplace policies and procedures and make recommendations, and mandated respectful workplace training for cabinet and political staff.
 
The province has also implemented the following measures to support respect in the workplace:
a revised respectful workplace policy, which includes valuable feedback from employees;
a government-wide employee sexual harassment awareness campaign;
reassignment of staff to support policy implementation, and provide training and support;
a new Code of Conduct to strengthen the overall ethical framework and environment within government, which includes a process for disclosing inappropriate conduct with anonymous disclosures;
measuring and reporting on objectives related to strengthening respect and advancing reconciliation and inclusion in public service workplaces as part of Manitoba Measuring Progress, Manitoba’s balanced scorecard dashboard; and
new and enhanced training opportunities including the launch of a virtual version of the respectful workplace classroom workshop and a learning series on anti-racism and discrimination. 
 
The 2019-20 respectful workplace statistics are available at:
www.gov.mb.ca/csc/respect/reports_statistics.html
 
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