An Institutional Approach to Harassment

Harassment is commonly experienced within the hierarchical world of medicine by both learners and faculty. There are different types of harassment; however, all types of harassment have a negative impact on individuals professionally and personally. Harassment also negatively impacts groups, by impacting team dynamics, perceptions of leaders, and upon workplace psychological safety and wellness. To address harassment, the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry (FoMD) at the University of Alberta (UAlberta) has developed a structured institutional response to harassment through: (1) providing institutional members and leaders with explicit expectations of behaviour, outlining types of harassment, and starting to integrate psychological safety priorities at all levels of the institution; (2) through aiding, training, selecting, and evaluating workplace leaders in psychological safety, workplace wellness, and harassment interventions, guiding leaders through options of: coaching types of interventions, investigations, and when there is a duty to report to formal bodies; (3) educating and providing tools for workplace members to deal with harassment situations either; directly or by reporting; and (4) being aware of, and addressing, unique aspects of: racial, sexual, and online harassment. Through such iterative institutional process improvement and reflection, we are moving towards effectively addressing harassment within all learning and working environments. Our ultimate institutional goal is to eradicate harassment occurrence within our institution, thus creating a psychologically safe, transparent, and accountable culture for individuals, workplaces, and groups.