Domestic violence policy adopted by Charlottetown
'It's important that when they come forward that we take that seriously'
The City of Charlottetown has a new policy to protect staff who may be experiencing domestic violence.
At a meeting Friday afternoon, council passed the Domestic Violence Policy & Safety Plan, which encompasses not only physical violence but also psychological, sexual, financial and spiritual abuse.
"Unfortunately domestic violence is a critical part of society that we have to deal with," said Coun.Terry MacLeod, who chairs the Human Resources committee.
The policy lays out the supports to which employees are entitled if they are experiencing domestic violence, including the options of relocating to another office or creating a flexible work schedule.
They could also receive up to three weeks of paid leave and additional days of unpaid leave, depending on the circumstances.
"It's important that when they come forward that we take that seriously and do everything we possibly can to make it easier for this person to get through the problem that's there," said MacLeod
The document also says the city will help perpetrators to get help when needed.
Safety for other employees
The policy also allows for the city to do a risk assessment of the situation and if it could spill over to the workplace.
The city plans to train staff to recognize the signs of domestic violence and what to do if they witness it in the workplace.
Staff will be required to report any incidents they witness at work to human resources or their manager.
"It affects not only the person, it affects the employees and the people they have to work with," said MacLeod.
Management or human resources will also write a safety plan with the affected employee which will include information like routes to work and choices around blocking the person's phone number or email.
The employee will also choose what should be done if their aggressor comes to the workplace.
More criminal checks
"It also prevents a workplace problem as well, maybe because the person isn't feeling 100 per cent that they're not doing they're job and then safety comes into play for not only the person but for staff as well," MacLeod said
The city said confidentiality will be a high priority, and when dealing with a potential situation at the workplace only staff that needs to know for safety will be notified.
Also at the meeting, council passed an update to require all new employees or those that switch jobs to provide a criminal record check.
In the past, checks were only required for those working with vulnerable populations or dealing with secure files. The city saw that the policy was out of date and wanted to change it, it said.
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