Report 1—Respect in the Workplace
At a Glance Report 1—Respect in the workplace
What we examined (see Focus of the audit)
This audit focused on whether the Canada Border Services Agency and Correctional Service Canada promoted and maintained respectful workplaces free of harassment, discrimination, and violence by co-workers and supervisors.
Why we did this audit
This audit is important because a workplace that is not respectful affects the well-being of employees. In addition, an employer found to be responsible for incidents of harassment, discrimination, and violence may be required to compensate victims.
Overall message
Overall, we found that the Canada Border Services Agency’s and Correctional Service Canada’s approaches to dealing with harassment, discrimination, and violence in the workplace did not do enough to promote and maintain respectful workplaces. The organizations knew that these problems were present in the workplace, yet neither organization had developed a comprehensive strategy to address them, including a way to measure and report on their progress toward reducing harassment, discrimination, and workplace violence. We surveyed employees in both organizations and found that they had serious or significant concerns about organizational culture, and that they feared reprisal if they made complaints of harassment, discrimination, or workplace violence against fellow employees or supervisors. They also had serious or significant concerns about a lack of civility and respect in their workplaces.
This is important because if employees perceive that their employers do not take their concerns about harassment, discrimination, and violence seriously, they are less likely to report their concerns. Issues that are not reported cannot be resolved and may affect employees’ health.
What we found about…
Harassment, discrimination, and workplace violence
Entity responses to recommendations
The entities agree with our recommendations and have responded (see List of Recommendations).
Related information
| Report of the | Auditor General of Canada |
|---|---|
| Type of product | Performance audit |
| Topics | |
| Entities | |
| Completion date | 7 October 2019 |
| Tabling date | 18 February 2020 |
| Related audits |
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For more information
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