Disclosure on Management Approach - Human Rights

Policies to prevent harassment and discrimination

Anti-harassment and discrimination provisions are contained within the Employee and Workplace Policy and the "Respectful and Healthy Workplace Principles", "Duty to Accommodate Infosheet" and "Employment Principles" of that policy. Monitoring, enforcement and resolution is governed by "Workplace Harassment and Interpersonal Conflict Complaint Procedures".

Respectful and healthy work place principles

All individuals will have equal access to employment and advancement opportunities, and will be treated in a fair and equitable manner.

BC Hydro recognizes that accommodation is key to compliance with human rights legislation, and that the provision of accommodation is a shared responsibility between managers, unions and employees.

Managers will be held accountable for ensuring a harassment-free workplace.

Flexible work arrangements will be considered to help employees balance commitments to work, family, community and lifestyle, and may be negotiated where all stakeholders (including customers, managers and employees) are positively affected by the changes.

Employment principles

BC Hydro is diversifying its workforce and ensuring equitable employment systems.

BC Hydro is committed to hiring, promoting and transferring employees on the basis of ability, skills and the business needs of the organization. Selections for all vacancies will be based on work related selection criteria and collective agreements.

BC Hydro is committed to looking at all reasonable alternatives for re-deploying staff as a result of business process improvements, using layoffs as a last resort.

Current employees will be given first consideration for vacancies. However, business-staffing plans may support external resourcing where the level of skill or knowledge required is not readily available internally.

Duty to accommodate Information Sheet

Application
This policy applies to all departments within BC Hydro and its subsidiaries.

Preface
This policy outlines the responsibilities regarding BC Hydro's duty to accommodate employees protected by the B.C. Human Rights Code.

In discharging this policy, BC Hydro recognizes that accommodation is key to implementing the principles of equality and inclusion in our workplace and that the provision of accommodation is a shared responsibility between managers, unions and employees.

Policy Objective
To ensure that the employment-related needs of employees are reasonably accommodated in accordance with human rights law.

Policy Statement
It is the policy of BC Hydro and a principle of human rights law that the duty to provide non-discriminatory employment includes a duty to accommodate the needs of employees protected by human rights legislation. The need may be associated with religion, gender, disability or any other employment-related protected ground set out in the B.C. Human Rights Code.

This policy outlines what the duty to accommodate is and provides some practical guidelines for addressing accommodation issues in the workplace.

Workplace harassment and interpersonal conflict complaint procedures

The following procedures have been designed to provide strict confidentiality for all parties so complainants will feel free to come forward. It is the responsibility of all parties to respect this intent to protect the reputation of all individuals who are involved.

An employee who feels subjected to harassment should make every effort to tell the offending party to stop such behaviour before proceeding under the below complaint procedure.

An employee involved in ongoing disruptive interpersonal conflict should make every effort to resolve the conflict in direct discussion with the other party before proceeding under the below complaint procedure.

If the problem cannot be resolved through discussion between the individuals concerned, the employee may contact an external advisor. The external advisor, approved by the Joint Employee and Family Assistance Program Committee, will:

1. investigate the matter,
2. maintain a strict degree of confidentiality with the employee(s) concerned;
3. through discussion with the individuals concerned, work to a resolution that is agreeable to all parties.

In the event the problem is not resolved under step 3 above and the other party's behaviour is believed to constitute harassment:

• OPEIU members may raise a grievance through their Union within 180 calendar days of the events giving rise to the original complaint.
• IBEW members and M&P employees may contact the Respectful Workplace Coordinator to request a formal investigation within three months of the latest incident.
• At any stage in the above procedure an employee may seek assistance from their Union Representative, Manager or Human Resources Officer.

Note: Pursuing a complaint under this procedure does not preclude an employee from filing a complaint with the BC Human Rights Commission.