Has your organization developed a process for dealing with Human Rights complaints? If so, share an
example. If not, how might you respond to one? (Group 1)
It is crucial for an organization to have strong policies and procedures in place to resolve Human Rights
complaints. The real-life situation doesn’t apply to me, however, if I was working with an organization
which did not have a process for dealing with Human Rights complaints, my primary focus will be to
show commitment and provide a fair, timely and efficient response to any complaint being filed.
Once a complaint is filed, the best way to respond to one will be by reviewing the existing internal antidiscrimination and anti-harassment policies. I will consider moving either the complainant or the one
against whom the complaint was filed to another location or on a paid leave of absence till the
investigation completes (Human Rights at work, 2008). Next step will be to determine who will conduct
the investigation, an external investigator maybe selected depending on the nature of the complaint
and people involved. It is also important to ensure that confidentiality is maintained throughout the
investigation and both parties understand the confidentiality obligation.
Thorough interviews will then be conducted with both parties to gather all the facts. Relevant witnesses
will also be interviewed. It is essential that each person involved in the process of dealing with the
Human Rights complaint take written notes about the detailed incidents leading to the complaint. These
include details about what happened, date and timings of when it happened, names of witnesses if any
and any other supporting documents related to the complaint (Resolving complaints, 2010).
The investigator will then prepare a written report summarizing all the steps taken during the
investigation. The report will include the complaint including the allegations of the person who
experienced the Human Rights violation, the response of the person against whom the complain was
filed, interviews from all the witnesses and all the other gathered supporting evidence. The report must
state out all facts and conclude whether the filed Human Rights violation was found substantiated or
not. The results of the investigation will then be informed in writing to both the parties along with any
decisions made or corrective action taken to address the complaint.
It is important to note that not having anti-harassment/anti-discrimination policies and guidelines in an
organization is considered as a form of systemic discrimination (Dessler & Chhinzer, 2019, p. 27).
Therefore, the best approach for an organization to address Human Rights complaint is to have these
policies and a sustainable, accessible and transparent complaint mechanism in place, that have been
communicated throughout the organization’s employees.
References:
How to resolve human rights complaints in the workplace. (2010, January 27). Alberta Human Rights
Commission. Retrieved from
https://albertahumanrights.ab.ca/employment/employer_info/resolving_complaints/Pages/resolving_c
omplaints.aspx
Human Rights at Work (2008). Ontario Human Rights Commission. Retrieved from
https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/iv-human-rights-issues-all-stages-employment/12-resolving-human-rightsissues-workplace
Dessler, G., & Chhinzer, N. (2019). Human Resources Management in Canada (14th ed.). Pearson.
Stressors among Parole Officers
Officers face several operational stressors including burnout and
overworked because of the emotional labour demands of their job. In
addition, they can experience secondary trauma as they are indirectly
exposed to the trauma and crimes through reports and other
documentation (Norman & Ricciardelli, 2022). Resultantly, operational
stressors can negatively impact the mental health and sleep quality of
the parole officers (Norman & Ricciardelli, 2022).
They also face a few organizational stressors like increase workload
because of staff shortages and increase in caseload per officer which
causes excessive paperwork (Norman & Ricciardelli, 2022). Increase
workload increases time pressure and causes unanticipated deadlines
and is linked to ‘increased levels of anxiety, fatigue, burnout, depression,
and emotional and physiological stress, and to decreased satisfaction
with family and work’ (Norman & Ricciardelli, 2022).
Norman, M., & Ricciardelli, R. (2022). Operational and organisational stressors in
community correctional work: Insights from probation and parole officers in Ontario,
Canada. Probat J. 69(1):86-106. doi: 10.1177/0264550520984253.
The Effects of Stress and Being Overworked
"While stress is not contagious, there is a spill-over effect to others. Co-workers
may struggle with increased workload if stressed employees do not complete
their share of the work, managers may struggle with how to correct performance
and provide support, and subordinates may feel isolated or unsupported. In a
2016 study, the Conference Board of Canada indicated that work stress and job
demands are the single largest factor contributing to sleep deprivation among
Canadians. Stress also has serious consequences for the organization, including
reductions in productivity and increased absenteeism and turnover