Labor & Employment Law

Guidelines on Developing Human Rights Policies and Procedures

By Michael Fitzgibbon

The Ontario Human Rights Commission today released Guidelines on Developing Human Rights Policies and Procedures (previously called Developing Procedures to Resolve Human Rights Complaints within Your Organization). 

The Guidelines are designed to provide "practical guidance to organizations in developing effective and fair policies, procedures and practices to prevent human rights infringements and to respond to human rights issues, such as harassment, discrimination and accommodation needs." 

These Guidelines provide some useful information, however, in the end, each policy, while sharing some common elements, must be designed with the unique organization in mind.  The desire for simplicity and a "cookie cutter" "one-size-fits-all" approach should give way to what makes sense in your organization.  A complaint process that works in one company may not work in another.  If the policy is not functional or if employees do not have confidence in it, then the purpose is largely defeated.  In other words, take time to consider the content and mechanics of the policy as well as how it will be rolled out (including any training) and communicated to employees.  This last point is vitally important to an effective policy.

Full post as published by Thoughts from a Management Lawyer on March 13, 2008 (boomark / email).