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Southern, lawyer at North Vancouver law
firm Southern & Associates, the Me Too
movement was one of two external drivers
to have had a major impact on workplace
culture in the B.C. resource industry in
the last few years; the other was changes
to WorkSafeBC legislation in 2015.
"Bullying and harassment were
added to WorkSafeBC legislation in
2015, raising the profile of mental health
injuries and toxic behaviours in the
workplace," says Southern, "Then, Me Too
hit in 2017, forcing companies to again
react and re-examine their culture."
Southern's law firm conducts workplace
investigations on a variety of issues
including harassment, workplace bullying,
misconduct and privacy breaches.
She is called in to conduct workplace
investigations after a complaint has been
brought or helps companies reduce the
risk of incidents occurring through pre-
emptive cultural scans and training. With
over 20 years' experience working with
companies in the resource sector, she is
uniquely placed to see larger trends.
"Me Too has shone a spotlight on issues
that require society-wide change, ideally
starting with school-aged children, but
organisations can create safe, inclusive
workplaces that provide a glimpse of what
is possible when we work to eliminate
toxic negative behaviour," says Southern.
She recommends companies write a
company code of conduct collaboratively
with their employees and discuss it
regularly during training and meetings.
The code of conduct is a tool used with
students in schools across B.C. and
can be an e˜ective means to engage
employees to change behaviour and
improve the culture at work. New worker
orientations should include the code
of conduct and emphasize that health
and safety includes mental health.
"Everyone has a right to be safe at
work," says Southern. "It's a concept
that goes beyond physical safety,
and includes mental health. A toxic
work environment will have a negative
impact on employees and ultimately
the success of the organization."
Sonic Drilling
Geotechnical Site Investigations
Heli-portable Drilling Systems
Global Drilling Solutions
www.Foundex.com • sales@Foundex.com
604-594-8333
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Foundex.indd 1 2018-11-07 1:32 PM
Klohn.indd 1 2019-01-14 11:47 AM
