<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_gray.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Changes to come as a new Code of Conduct will be available soon.

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We want you to feel safe, happy, free and able to express yourself authentically. We won’t tolerate any form of bad behavior, racism or (sexual) harassment.

We are ultimately responsible for your health and safety and do not condone or tolerate discrimination, acts of violence, or harassment against or by any gaiia team members. We will take every reasonable precaution to protect our team members from threat of harm.

This is not meant to interfere with our interactions or stifle our free speech. In fact, we want to be intentionally lighthearted with our thoughts, words, and actions.  However, what one person finds harmless, others may find hurtful or offensive**.**

— Why do we need a social code?

By setting out our code, our goal is to make sure it is crystal clear what is OK and what’s not.

In other words, we want to clearly define what is and is not violence and harassment, provide guidelines for reporting, and outline the disciplinary actions that will be taken in the event that these guidelines are violated.

It is a starting point for healthy discussions, and we hope to support any feeling of mistreatment with it. It applies to all employees, contractors, and others providing services on behalf of oxio.

— Our social code

We expect you to foster a well-organized, respectful, collaborative environment. You should avoid offending, participating in heated altercations, and disrupting our work environment. We will not tolerate anyone intimidating, pestering, humiliating, victimizing, or sabotaging others at gaiia. We also prohibit willful discrimination based on age, sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity, race, religion, or disability. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it gives an indication, use your common sense.

— Scope

We won’t tolerate any form of violence, harassment, sexual harassment, or discrimination. This commitment applies to training, assessments, promotions, transfers, layoffs, remuneration, and all other employment practices and working conditions.

For the purposes of our social code, violence and harassment can occur:

• Any place where work is being conducted for gaiia.
• At work-related events.
• In the course of work assignments outside one’s regular workplace.
• During work-related travel.
• Through other forms of communication (i.e. email, phone, text messages, video calls).

It is also important to note what does not constitute harassment or discrimination. In order to drive our business forward, team leads are expected to:

• Set standards for their team members and expect that those standards are met.
• Provide authentic and constructive feedback on work performance. It’s part of their role to provide authentic feedback, to talk to their team members about poor performance, and to implement corrective actions. It’s part of a team member’s role to embrace ownership over their work.
• Enforce guidelines (lawfully and fairly), as long as they are consistently applied to all.

— Workplace assessment

The employer and Joint Health & Safety Committee will conduct a joint workplace assessment. The assessment will consist of two parts: identification of risk factors and development & implementation of preventive measures.

Identification of Risk Factors

Addressing Violence & Harassment

General Disciplinary Measures

Investigating Reports of Violence or Harassment

— Emergency Procedures

The police should be contacted immediately when an occurrence poses an immediate danger to the health and safety of a team member or when there is a threat of such occurrence. If a team member feels threatened by a coworker, volunteer, contractor, vendor, visitor, or client or customer, an immediate call to 911 is required.

— Special Circumstances

If a team member has a court order, also known as a restraining order or no-contact order, against an individual, the team member is encouraged to notify their supervisor, manager, or the People Team of the situation and provide a copy of the order. This will be required particularly in situations where the team member strongly feels that the aggressor may attempt to violate the order and contact the employee at work. Any information received and disclosed will be kept confidential.

If gaiia is made aware that domestic violence is likely to expose a team member or the workplace to harassment, violence, injury, or risk, management will take every reasonable precaution to protect the individual and the workplace.

If any visitor is seen with a weapon, or is known to possess one, or makes a verbal threat or assault against a team member or another individual, witnesses must immediately contact the police.

— Fraudulent or Malicious Complaints

Unfounded or frivolous allegations of violence or harassment may cause both the accused person, their professional reputation, and the company significant damage.

Making a false complaint or providing false information about a complaint is strictly prohibited and a violation of this code. If gaiia determines that any team member has knowingly made a false complaint regarding an allegation of violence, harassment, or discrimination, immediate disciplinary action will be taken, up to and including termination.

— Confidentiality

All records of violence or harassment and subsequent investigations are considered confidential and will not be disclosed to anyone except to the extent required by law. gaiia will do everything it can to protect the privacy of the individuals involved and to ensure that complainants and respondents are treated fairly and respectfully.

gaiia will not disclose the name of a complainant, respondent, or witness or the circumstances related to the complaint to any person except where disclosure is necessary to investigate the complaint, take corrective action, inform the persons involved of the results of the investigation and corrective actions taken, to inform team members of the nature and extent of violence and harassment in the workplace, or required by law. The company will only disclose the minimum amount of personal information or details necessary for these purposes.

Unnecessary disclosure of case details, including names or incident details, by those responsible for the investigation will be subject to disciplinary action.

In cases where criminal proceedings are forthcoming, gaiia will assist police agencies, lawyers, insurance companies, and courts to the fullest extent.

— Definitions

Here are some definitions to help you better understand the matter.

<aside> <img src="/icons/pencil_gray.svg" alt="/icons/pencil_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Complainant: The person who has made a complaint about another individual who they believe committed an act of violence or harassment against them.

Discrimination: The distinction in treatment or favor on bases other than individual merit.  Discrimination includes making a decision based on a prohibited ground under the Human Rights Act.

Workplace Violence is defined as but is not limited to the following:

• the exercise – or attempt to exercise – physical force by a person against a worker;
• a statement or behaviour that is reasonable for a worker to interpret as a threat of physical force; or
• an attempt to threaten or assault a client while performing work for oxio.

Workplace Harassment is engaging in a course of comments or conduct against a worker in the workplace that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome. Harassment may involve:

• Verbal abuse or threats;
• Unwelcome comments, jokes, or innuendoes intended to focus on a person’s body, attire, age, marital status, ethnic or national origin, religion or sexual orientation;
• Displays of offensive or derogatory pictures;
• Practical jokes intended to make someone feel awkward or embarrassed;
• Unwelcome invitations or requests, whether indirect or explicit;
• Inappropriate or aggressive gestures; or
• Condescension intended to undermine self-respect.

Sexual Harassment is any act or comment of a sexual nature that is known reasonably should be known to be unwelcome and which offends, humiliates or interferes with a worker’s performance on the job.

Sexual harassment is also any act or comment that insinuates, either implicitly or explicitly, that your rejection or submission to sexual advances will influence a decision related to your employment, wages, advancement, assigned duties, work shifts, or any other condition of employment.  Sexual harassment includes, but is not limited to:

• Unwelcome sexual flirtation, advances, insinuations or propositions;
• Physical or verbal abuse of a sexual nature;
• Sending or displaying sexually suggestive messages, objects or pictures;
• Invasion of another’s personal space (e.g. inappropriate touching);
• Comments about someone’s looks, dress, sexuality or gender in a derogatory or objectifying manner or a manner that makes them feel uncomfortable;
• Flirting with someone at an inappropriate time (e.g. in a team meeting) or without the person’s willing participation; or
• Any advances, actions or remarks that may harm a person’s professional reputation.

Courteous, mutually respectful, non-coercive interactions between employees which are acceptable to both parties are not considered to be sexual harassment.

Reprisal: Any act or threat of retaliation, whether direct or indirect, against a person who claims their rights or acts in good faith.

Respondent: The person whom another individual has accused of committing an act of violence or harassment.

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<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_yellow.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_yellow.svg" width="40px" /> These guidelines will be reviewed and updated at least every 3 years, or more frequently as necessary, to ensure that it accurately represents gaiia’s prevention strategy.

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