Anti-Harassment and Discrimination Policy
Guernica Editions is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination and harassment, in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity and have equal opportunities.
By law, every person has the right to be free from harassment and discrimination. Harassment and discrimination will not be tolerated, condoned, or ignored at Guernica Editions. If a claim of harassment or discrimination is proven, disciplinary measures will be applied, up to and including termination of employment or contract of engagement.
This policy applies at every level of Guernica Editions and to every aspect of the workplace environment and working relationship. The “Workplace” includes all locations where individuals acting on behalf of Guernica Editions conduct business, including business trips, book events and social activities where one’s behaviour may have a subsequent impact on work relationships, environment and/or performance.
Objectives
The objectives of this policy are to:
- Make sure management, staff, editors, freelancers, and all who are engaged by Guernica Editions to work, whether for pay or on a voluntary basis in any capacity are aware that harassment and discrimination are unacceptable practices, are a violation of the law, and are incompatible with the standards of this organization.
- Set out the types of behaviour that may be considered offensive and are prohibited by this policy.
The right to freedom from discrimination and harassment extends to all Guernica Personnel.
It is also unacceptable for Guernica personnel to engage in harassment or discrimination when dealing with authors, potential authors, those with whom they have professional dealings, or the public.
This policy applies at every level of Guernica Editions and to every aspect of the workplace environment and working relationship, including recruitment, selection, promotion, transfers, training, remuneration, and termination. It also covers manuscript review and author recruitment and editing.
Prohibited Grounds of Discrimination
This policy prohibits discrimination or harassment based on the following grounds, and any combination of these grounds:
- Age
- Religion
- Gender
- Sexual orientation
- Gender identity
- Gender expression
- Family status
- Marital status
- Disability
- Race
- Ancestry
- Place of origin
- Ethnic origin
- Citizenship
- Colour
- Association or relationship with a person identified by one of the above grounds
- Perception that one of the above grounds applies
Definitions
The following behaviour is prohibited:
Discrimination: means any form of unequal treatment based on a prohibited ground of discrimination, whether imposing extra burdens or denying benefits. It may be intentional or unintentional. It may involve direct actions that are discriminatory on their face, or it may involve rules, practices, or procedures that appear neutral, but disadvantage certain groups of people. Discrimination may take obvious forms, or it may happen in very subtle ways. Even if there are many factors affecting a decision or action, if discrimination is one factor, that is a violation of this policy.
Harassment: means a course of comments or actions that are known, or ought reasonably to be known, to be unwelcome. It can involve words or actions that are known or should be known to be offensive, embarrassing, humiliating, demeaning, or unwelcome, based on a ground of discrimination identified by this policy. Harassment can occur based on any of the grounds of discrimination.
Reasonable action taken by the employer or supervisor relating to the management and direction of workers or the workplace is not workplace harassment.
Sexual Solicitation: This policy prohibits sexual solicitations or advances by any person who is in a position to deny a benefit to the recipient of the solicitation or advance, including to authors or potential authors. This includes all Guernica Personnel where one person is in a position to grant or deny a benefit to the other, or to any author or potential author.
Poisoned Environment: A poisoned environment is created by comments or conduct (including comments or conduct that are condoned or allowed to continue when brought to the attention of management) that create a discriminatory work or editorial environment. The comments or conduct need not be directed at a specific person, and may be from any person, regardless of position or status. A single comment or action, if sufficiently serious, may create a poisoned environment.
Roles and Responsibilities
All Guernica personnel are expected to uphold and abide by this policy, by refraining from any form of harassment or discrimination, by cooperating fully in any investigation of a harassment or discrimination complaint, and by bringing any form of harassment or discriminatory behaviour of which they become aware to the immediate attention of management. Personnel are not to be penalized or disciplined for reporting an incident or for participating in an investigation involving workplace harassment.
The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for creating and maintaining a harassment and discrimination-free environment, and should wherever possible address potential problems before they become serious. The Editor-in-Chief will investigate and deal with all complaints or incidents of workplace harassment in a fair, respectful and timely manner. Information provided about an incident or about a complaint will not be disclosed except as necessary to protect staff, to investigate the complaint or incident, to take corrective action or as otherwise required by law.
We encourage anyone who has a complaint against a Guernica staff member, executive, contractor, consultant or editor at any time to please contact our Editor-in-Chief: michaelmirolla@guernicaeditions.com
Other resources are available online through:
The Government of Ontario
The Ontario Human Rights Legal Support Centre
The Ontario Human Rights Commission
The Ontario Human Rights Code (1990)
The Ontario Occupational Health & Safety Act (1990)