Violence and Harassment Prevention in Saskatchewan workplaces

The Saskatchewan Employment Act requires all workplaces to have written policies and procedures to prevent and address violence, bullying, and harassment.

Employers must protect all workers, including contractors, volunteers, and students. Workers must refrain from engaging in violent or harassing activities. Everyone must co-operate with investigations of complaints.

Violence Prevention 

NEW! Based on changes to the law in May 2023, every workplace in Saskatchewan must have a written violence policy statement and prevention plan (PSPP) in place by May 17, 2024.

What is workplace violence?

Violence is the attempted, threatened, or actual conduct of a person that causes or is likely to cause an injury. This includes any threatening statement or behaviour that gives a worker reasonable cause to believe the worker is at the risk of an injury.

What are the employer's responsibilities?

Employers must develop a written policy statement and prevention plan (PSPP) in consultation with the occupational health committee, occupational health and safety representative, or where there is no committee or representative, the workers. 

The PSPP must:

• Include a statement of employer commitment.
• Identify the work sites and jobs where there is a risk of violence.
• Identify the measures to minimize and eliminate the risk(s), including practices, precautions, policies, and physical controls.
• Include an employee training plan.
• Include a statement that a worker will not lose pay or other benefits if they seek medical treatment or counselling after a violent incident.
• Include a statement that employer and employee forms will be submitted to WCB if a worker sustains an injury or seeks medical treatment or counselling after a violent incident.

PSPPs must be reviewed every three years and workers must always have free and easy access to the company’s PSPP.

What resources are available?

CFIB members can download an Anti-violence policy template from the Member Portal.

Visit Preventing Violence in Saskatchewan Workplaces and see a sample PSPP in Appendix A of the Employer’s Violence Prevention Guide (scroll to the bottom of the page).

Bullying and Harassment Prevention

What is bullying and harassment in the workplace?

The province has defined three types of harassment:

• Harassment based on prohibited grounds in the Human Rights Code includes inappropriate conduct, comment, display, action or gesture by a person that may be a threat to the worker’s health or safety.
• Personal harassment, also referred to as bullying, includes inappropriate conduct, comment, display, action, or gesture that affects a worker's psychological or physical well-being, causes the worker to feel humiliated or intimidated, and may be a threat to the worker’s health or safety. Bullying often involves repeat occurrences.
• Sexual harassment may be verbal, physical, or visual. It may be one incident or a series of incidents. It is always unsolicited and unwelcome behaviour and can take many forms ranging from sexual remarks to sexual advances to sexual assault.

What are the employer's responsibilities?

The Saskatchewan Employment Act requires all employers to have a written harassment policy and investigate all incidents of harassment. The policy and process are developed in consultation with the occupational health committee, occupational health and safety representative, or where there is no committee or representative, the workers. 

A harassment prevention program includes:

• A definition of harassment
• A statement of employer commitment
• Supervisor training and commitment
• Worker training and commitment
• Procedures for handling harassment complaints
• Employee training plan

What resources are available?

CFIB members can download an Anti-bullying policy template and Anti-harassment policy template from the Member Portal.

Visit Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace, check out the Harassment in the Workplace Scenario Videos and see two sample policies in the Appendix A of the Harassment Prevention Guide.

CFIB’s Business Advisors are available to help you understand your obligations under the Saskatchewan Employment Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. You can reach us at 1-833-568-2342 or cfib@cfib.ca.