The University of Toronto aims to foster an inclusive workplace environment where all members of our community feel they belong, are respected, and can thrive. Workplace harassment and discrimination in any form are unacceptable and unwelcome at the University.

Policy Framework

All University of Toronto faculty, librarians, and staff work under a common set of workplace conduct policies and guidelines, as set out below. These workplace policies and guidelines are available online:

• Policy with Respect to Workplace Harassment and the associated Workplace Harassment Program guidelines:
  • Guideline for Employees on Concerns and Complaints Regarding Prohibited Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment (Discrimination Guideline)
  • Human Resources Guideline on Workplace Harassment and Civil Conduct (Civility Guideline)
• Policy with Respect to Workplace Violence and the associated Workplace Violence Program
• Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment

These policies and guidelines set out the University’s expectations of behaviour and conduct, and outline the processes used when community members bring forward concerns and complaints.

Raising a Concern or Complaint

If you are experiencing workplace incivility, harassment, or discrimination of any kind, you may raise it with the University by contacting any of the University’s 13 Divisional HR Offices or any of the University’s equity offices on the St. George, UTM, and UTSC campuses. You may approach whichever HR office or Equity Professional you are most comfortable speaking with, even if they are not a part of your local Divisional HR Office. A list of offices and their contact information is set out below. Faculty members may also raise concerns and complaints with their Office of the Dean.

If you are experiencing sexual violence or sexual harassment, you may raise it with the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre. The contact information for this office is also listed below.

All concerns and complaints will be treated confidentially, and support offered. There are no reprisals for raising a concern or complaint.

 

Office	Contact
Divisional HR Offices: Arts & Science Central Administration HR Services (CAHRS) Dentistry Engineering Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE) Medicine Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) Professional Faculties Rotman School of Management U of T Libraries U of T Mississauga (UTM) U of T Scarborough (UTSC) University Operations & Real Estate Partnerships	Divisional HR Office Directory
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Office	aoda@utoronto.ca Phone: 416.978.7236
Anti-Racism & Cultural Diversity Office (ARCDO)	antiracism@utoronto.ca Phone: 416.978.1259
Community Safety Office	community.safety@utoronto.ca Phone: 416.978.1485
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Office (UTSC)	edio.utsc@utoronto.ca
Equity & Diversity Office (UTM)	edo.utm@utoronto.ca Phone: 905.569.4916
Office of Indigenous Initiatives (OII)	indigenous.initiatives@utoronto.ca
Sexual & Gender Diversity Office (SGDO)	sgdo@utoronto.ca Phone: 416.946.5624
Sexual Violence Prevention & Support	svpscentre@utoronto.ca Phone: 416.978.2266

 

We encourage anyone concerned about conduct towards them within the context of our community to reach out to one of the resources listed above, or to contact their Divisional HR Representative for more information on available supports. Access to Faculty-level equity, diversity, and inclusion offices and supports can also be obtained by speaking to any of the institutional Equity Offices listed above.

Training

The University provides information on harassment and discrimination related resources to all employees as part of its Basic Health and Safety Awareness Training. All current employees are required to take this training, which is updated periodically. If you have not taken the training, or if you would like to refresh your training, you may do so at ehs.utoronto.ca/training/my-ehs-training.

As per our requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), all employees are expected to take our 30-minute online AODA training module. This interactive module provides training on the AODA standards, how to provide accessible customer service and further information about the University’s policies related to accessibility. You can take the training anytime via SuccessFactors as it will have already been added to your learning assignments.

The University also provides online training on Unconscious Bias that is available to all faculty, librarians, and staff. The first two Unconscious Bias Education Modules introduce information and provide examples of how Unconscious Biases can arise from stereotypes and result in discrimination. The online Unconscious Bias training modules, available via SuccessFactors: Learning, were created at University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) in an initiative led by Professor Maydianne Andrade, Department of Biological Sciences at UTSC.

Additional training on harassment and discrimination is delivered regularly by our institutional Equity offices. You can find this training on the SuccessFactors Learning system or by contacting any of the offices listed above.

Additional Supports

In addition to the resources provided by our Divisional HR Offices and Equity Offices, staff, faculty, and librarians have access to the Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP), offered through LifeWorks. This is a free, confidential counselling service available for staff, faculty, librarians and their families whenever they need it. You can reach out to LifeWorks directly at any time by calling 1-855-597-2110. Information on the program is available on the People Strategy, Equity & Culture website.