Workplace harassment

Unwelcome comments or conduct at work that a person knows, or should know, will offend, humiliate or intimidate a worker. Most provinces require a policy.

Also called: harassment at work, workplace bullying and harassment

What workplace harassment means

Workplace harassment is unwelcome comment or conduct aimed at a worker that the person doing it knows, or should reasonably know, is unwelcome, offensive or humiliating. It can come from an owner, a manager or a co-worker, and it can happen in person, by text, by email or on a video call.

In Canada, harassment at work is a health and safety issue as well as a human rights issue. Safety laws in most provinces now tell employers to write a policy, set up a way to report harassment, look into complaints and train people. Those duties apply to small employers too.

Harassment is not the same as normal management. Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia all exclude reasonable action by an employer or supervisor to manage and direct workers, such as setting schedules.

How it works

Most definitions look for a pattern of comments or conduct. A single serious incident can still count: Saskatchewan accepts one serious occurrence with a lasting harmful effect, and Nova Scotia covers a single significant incident. The test is usually what a reasonable person would know, not what the harasser says they meant.

Your duties are similar across the provinces that have rules. Have a written policy (or code of practice, or prevention plan). Tell workers how to report, including who to go to if their usual contact is the person involved. Look into every complaint, take corrective action when harassment happened, keep names as private as you can, train staff, and review the policy on your province's schedule.

Common mistakes: treating a complaint as a personality clash, letting a friend of the accused handle it, and punishing the person who complained.

Harassment linked to a protected ground such as sex, race or disability can also be discrimination under human rights law. Ontario's guide notes its safety law definition is broad enough to include harassment the Human Rights Code prohibits.

Workplace harassment by province

Every province we checked uses its safety law to require some form of harassment policy, but the name, the review schedule and the exact definition differ.

Where the work is done	The rule
British Columbia	WorkSafeBC policies (since 1 November 2013) cover conduct or comments a person knew or ought to have known would humiliate or intimidate the worker. You need a policy statement, reporting procedures, training and an annual review.
Alberta	The OHS Act covers single or repeated incidents of unwelcome conduct, comment, bullying or action the person knows or should know would cause offence or humiliation. You need a written prevention plan readily available to workers.
Saskatchewan	The Saskatchewan Employment Act requires every employer to develop and implement a harassment policy, post it where workers can see it, and investigate incidents.
Manitoba	Employers must develop, implement and post a written harassment prevention policy, made in consultation with the safety and health committee, the representative, or the workers.
Ontario	The OHSA covers a course of vexatious comment or conduct, including virtually, known or ought to be known to be unwelcome. You need a policy and a written program, reviewed at least once a year; the policy must be written and posted where 6 or more workers are regularly employed.
Quebec	The Act respecting labour standards protects against psychological harassment, which includes sexual conduct. Every employer must adopt and make available a prevention and complaint policy that has a section on sexual behaviour.
New Brunswick	Since 1 April 2019, every employer, whatever its size, needs a written code of practice to prevent harassment, reviewed at least once a year.
Nova Scotia	Since 1 September 2025, provincially regulated employers must have a written harassment prevention policy, train employees on it, and review it at least once every 3 years.

We did not confirm the current rules for Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, the territories or federally regulated employers for this page; check with the safety regulator where you operate.

Example: A complaint at a small garden centre

Priya owns a garden centre in Red Deer, Alberta, with 8 staff. A seasonal worker tells her the yard lead keeps mocking his accent in front of customers and in the group chat. The yard lead says it is just joking.

Priya follows her written prevention plan. She keeps the details private and asks a manager from outside the yard team to interview both people and two witnesses. The comments were repeated and the yard lead should have known they would humiliate the worker, so they fit Alberta's definition. Priya gives a written warning, books a refresher on the plan for the team, and keeps a report of what she found and did.

Hollis drafts the letter

When an investigation ends in discipline, Hollis can draft a province-specific warning letter for you to review and approve. It never sends anything on its own.

Try Hollis live

Free tools and guides for this

Questions about workplace harassment

Is one rude comment harassment?

Usually not on its own, but a single serious incident with a lasting harmful effect can count in provinces such as Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and Quebec.

Does a business with 3 employees need a harassment policy?

In most provinces, yes. New Brunswick's rule covers every employer; in Ontario, a workplace with 5 or fewer regular workers still needs a policy, though it need not be written and posted unless an inspector orders it.

Official sources

General information for Canadian employers, not legal advice. Rules differ by province and territory and change over time, so check with your provincial employment standards office (or the federal Labour Program if you are federally regulated) before you rely on it. See employment standards by province.

Checked against official sources on 4 November 2026.