Who is this toolkit for?
This kit is aimed at educational institution employees.
Description
In association with the Fédération des centres de services scolaires du Québec (FCSSQ), PRDSA has developed a toolkit for educational institution employees whose purpose is to foster a respectful and healthy work and teaching environment. The toolkit includes pedagogical videos with enactments of the problematic workplace situations discussed, testimonials and expert commentary, short informational videos on specific topics, a manager’s handbook and a brochure with general information.
This toolkit is available online from the FCSSQ for all school service centres.
The episodes
- Catherine’s story: Harassment by a colleague
A newly hired special education technician, Catherine has to cope with student ridicule after an inappropriate comment made by a teacher, Katherine.
- Julie’s story: Sexual harassment
Julie keeps thinking about the discomfort she’s felt since her school’s Christmas party. Should she denounce Michel’s behaviour or simply forget anything ever happened?
- Thierry’s story: Harassment by asuperior (the management right and abuse of authority)
Belittled, humiliated and depressed, Thierry is starting to feel overwhelmed after being appointed as the vice principal at the school led by the principal Ms. Tremblay. “Negligent, incompetent and insubordinate”—this is Ms. Tremblay’s blunt assessment of Thierry when the HR department asks her about her new vice principal. Where do you draw the line between management right and psychological harassment when it comes to an employer’s expectations and an employee’s rights?
- Daniel’s story: Harassment by a third party
After a series of anonymous, denigrating and offensive comments about staff began circulating on social media, Daniel, an experienced manager, is convinced that young Samuel is the culprit. But things have become complicated as Daniel must intervene with Samuel’s father, a man known for his intimidating temperament.
Mini-videos and expert testimonials:
- Preparing for a difficult conversation
Preparing for a difficult conversation at work with a colleague, employee or supervisor (or even a student or parent) can be a source of heightened anxiety. The fear choosing the wrong words or being misunderstood are often major obstacles to this type of conversation. Here are some tips to communicating more clearly and overcoming your fears. In this 5-minute video, organizational psychologist Éveline Marcil-Denault offers simple and effective advice on how to find the courage to start this type of conversation and reach your desired goals.
- The management right
An employer has a legitimate prerogative to ensure work is done properly and can exercise their management right by conducting a performance review, modifying an employee’s tasks or reorganizing their work, setting tight deadlines or managing employee attendance. But this prerogative is not limitless. In this video, Mrs. Noémie Raza, investigator and mediator, differentiates the management right from an abuse of authority. In less than 4 minutes, you will more learn on legitimat eemployer interventions and those that may lead to psychological harassment.
- Stress and psychological needs
What do employees need to maintain good psychological health? What are the main sources of employee stress? In this 7-minute video, organizational psychologist Éveline Marcil-Denault, gives advice based on two tried-and-true models: SDT and N.U.T.S. Do you know what these acronyms mean?
- Ingredients for constructive feedback
Feedback is essential for improving work performance. It benefits the organization and helps employees identify their path for professional development. Giving constructive feedback may prove a delicate task for a manager. A person can respond unpredictably to criticism, and the encounter may not have the desired effect and head in an unexpected direction. Organizational psychologist Éveline Marcil-Denault suggests a few points managers should consider before giving feedback to their employees.
- Mediation
Mediation is an alternative dispute resolution process involving a neutral and impartial arbitrator, who facilitates the discussion between the parties in order to reach a mutually beneficial solution. What makes mediation so practical for resolving workplace conflicts is that this process makes it possible to find potential solutions that are acceptable to both parties. In this video, Mr. Jean Marois lists the ingredients of a simple, effective, recipe for successful mediation.
- Analysis of complaint admissibility
- Provisional measures
When an incident of possible psychological or sexual harassment is brought to a manager’s attention, they must first analyze the complaint to determine its admissibility before launching an investigation. The manager must base their analysis on the five criteria established by the courts. If the complaint is admissible, the manager must launch an investigation to confirm the veracity of what was reported and take appropriate action. In most cases, interim or mitigating measures must be taken at this stage to protect the individuals concerned and safeguard the confidentiality and integrity of the investigation process. The manager could decide to change the hierarchical structure at work, modify employees’ tasks or even temporarily suspend employees, generally with pay, during the period required to confirm the claims made. Since these measures are not disciplinary, an employee cannot claim double jeopardy has been applied against them. In these two videos (approx. 5 minutes), Mean Marois, mediator and investigator, explains the steps for analyzing the admissibility of a complaint and applying interim measures.
- Administrative investigation
The investigation is one of the most important steps in managing an alleged instance of harassment. M Jean Marois describes the steps of an effective investigation protocol that ensures that confidentiality of the process and that the rights of each party are respected. This video will provide answers to the following questions: Which people do you need to meet with? In which order? How do I evaluate witness credibility? Which measures should be implemented to ensure the investigation is carried out effectively and the investigator has all the information needed to assess the complaint?
