Knowledge Base: Library Policies

Policy Statement:   Employees or any member of the public shall not subject any person to workplace violence or allow or create conditions that support workplace violence.

       Definitions

1. Acts of violence and harassment can take the form of physical contact or non­ physical behaviours and can include but would not be limited to:
   1. Threatening behaviour - such as shaking fists, destroying property or throwing objects
   2. Verbal or written threats - any expression of an intent to inflict harm
   3. Harassment - any behaviour that demeans, embarrasses, humiliates, annoys, alarms or verbally abuses a person and that is known or would be expected to be unwelcome. This includes words, gestures, intimidation, bullying or other inappropriate activities.
   4. Verbal abuse - swearing, insults or condescending language
   5. Physical attacks - hitting, shoving, pushing or kicking.
2. Supervisors at every level must be knowledgeable about and sensitive to the many forms that violence and harassment can take. It may in fact be unintended: the test is whether a reasonable person knows or ought to have known that the recipient would consider the behaviour unwelcome or offensive.

Guidelines and Procedures

1. Staff faced with an urgent situation involving threatening of violent conduct, where there is reasonable belief that the safety of persons may be threatened, should contact the police immediately.