Human Rights in the Workplace

TAKE NOTE (Disclaimer):
Any reference to the “Unofficial Consolidation” of the Yukon Human Rights Act or Regulations refers to documents which incorporate the new 2009 amendments to the Act and Regulations. When using the legislation for official purposes, individuals should refer to the official original documents of the Acts and Regulations printed and published by the Yukon Queen’s Printer which are available from queens.printer@gov.yk.ca or at the Yukon Public Law Library yukon.law.library@gov.yk.ca and at Yukon public libraries.

The Yukon Human Rights Act (140Kb PDF) | Yukon Human Rights Act French Version (76Kb PDF) prohibits discrimination in most work situations, including employment with municipal and territorial governments and many private companies. Those employees working for the federal government or employed by a First Nation governments or those employers regulated by federal law, such as banks, broadcasting or interprovincial transportation companies, are covered by the Canadian Human Rights Act.

The Yukon Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in employment based on what the Act calls “prohibited grounds". The Act also requires equal pay for work of equal value in the Government of Yukon and municipalities and their corporations, boards, and commissions.

EMPLOYER RESPONSIBILITY | As an employer, you have a responsibility to provide a workplace free of harassment and discrimination. You are also responsible for any discriminatory act committed by any of your officers, directors, employees or contractors in the course of their employment if you knew or should have known about it and did not stop it. Employers must take measures to prevent harassment and discrimination through education of staff, a clear and well-publicized policy against harassment and discrimination, and a procedure for handling of complaints quickly and confidentially.

PUBLICATIONS AND FACT SHEETS | See the following fact sheets for more information on workplace related issues:

• A Complainant’s Guide for Making a Complaint
  English PDF ~184 Kb       French PDF ~190 Kb
• A Respondent’s Guide for Dealing with a Complaint
  English PDF ~185 Kb       French PDF ~194 Kb
• NEW – Know Your Rights – plain language booklet - English ~2.8 Mb l French ~2.8 Mb
• NEW – Chart of the Complaint Process ~130 Kb
• Duty to Accommodate ~48 Kb
• Human Rights Issues – Business, Service Providers and Employers ~32 kb
• Human Rights in the Workplace ~252 Kb
• Harassment - Recognizing It!! ~56 Kb
• What is Harassment? - English ~32 Kb | French ~3 2Kb
• What is Sexual Harassment? - English ~28 Kb | French ~2 Kb
• What Can You Do If You Are Being Harassed? - English ~28 Kb | French ~28 Kb
• Lignes directrices pour l’élaboration d’une politique anti-harcèlement ~112 Ko PDF
• Processus d’embauche et droits de la personne – Conseils aux employeurs ~146 Ko PDF
• Understand the Duty to Accommodate - English ~35 Kb | French ~58 Kb
• Accommodation in the Workplace - English ~30 Kb | French ~54 Kb
• How to Write an Accommodation Policy - English ~3 9Kb | French ~68 Kb

POLICY AND PROCEDURES GUIDELINES

Harassment-Free Workplace Policy Template
This template can be used as a guide and adapted for developing policy for your own workplace . The materials are not to be used for commercial purposes.

The Commission also provides educational workshops and information on harassment-free workplaces, the obligation of employers to provide accommodation and the development of human rights policies for the workplace. Contact us for further information.

There are other Yukon statutes such as the Employment Standards Act, Occupational Health and Safety Act, Occupation Training Act that relate to employment and workplace matters. The Human Rights Act takes precedence in the case of any conflict with another Yukon law, unless that law says that it does not.

If you have questions about your rights as an employee in the Yukon, or if you are an employer looking for more information on your responsibilities under the Act, please contact us. There is no charge for our services and they are confidential.

All publications are in PDF format.