How can CMAHRO help me as a supervisor?
The Conflict Management and Human Rights Office is available to provide:
- support and advice to individuals dealing with conflict;
- conflict coaching to individuals;
- mediation to teams and small groups; and
- investigative services when a formal complaint has been received.
We are available to:
- help you understand rights and responsibilities in the area of human rights and how they apply to specific situations within your area of supervision;
- provide you with information about what options are available to you when dealing with human rights issues in your area;
- guide you through the process of responding informally or formally to a human rights issue; and,
- work alongside you as you carry out a planned response.
The Conflict Management and Human Rights Office can design and deliver custom educational programming to your unit on topics related to Workplace Human Rights, Responding to Disrespectful Communication, Managing Difficult Conversations and more ...
As a supervisor, what are my responsibilities?
To better understand you responsibilities related to human rights concerns, you can watch our online presentation on Supervisory Responsibilities.
What are my responsibilities if I become aware of workplace harassment?
To better understand you responsibilities related to workplace harassment, you can review our Guidelines for TA and Guidelines for Student Development and Residence (SLDR) Staff.
How do I know if what I am experiencing is harassment?
If you are experiencing behavior that is having a negative impact on you, that is a problem. It is important that you get some help whether the behavior has been identified as harassment or not.
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Where can you get help?
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At your place of employment: talk your supervisor and determine whether there are other resources to help you (e.g. human resources).
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From CEE: contact your co-op advisor
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On the UWaterloo campus: contact the Conflict Management Office or Campus Wellness
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If you are feeling unsafe or threatened, you can contact Special Constable Service or your local police, but it is important that you also advise CEE of your situation.
If you want to know more about harassment and what it is, you can also visit the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s website. They have some great e-Learning modules that can help you learn more e.g. Human Rights 101.
The Conflict Management Office has also created a number of presentations that provide more details about harassment, discrimination, stereotypes and prejudice. They describe what these are and how they can negatively impact our campus.
I heard someone mention the term “poisoned environment”. What does this mean?
A poisoned environment is an environment in which you cannot work, learn or live comfortably. It can be created by comments or behavior that make you feel demeaned or disrespected.
If your environment is interfering with your ability to work or learn, it is important that you seek help.
- You can get help from You can get help from the Conflict Management and Human Rights Office or from Counselling Services.
- If you are feeling unsafe, contact the Safety Office or Campus Police.
If you want to know more about what can cause a person’s environment to be poisoned, you can also visit the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s website. They have some great eLearning modules that can help you learn more.
What happens when someone meets with CMAHRO?
When you or your staff arrange to meet with someone from our office the first thing we will do is listen. After listening to your concerns, our staff will share information about policy and resources available at the University of Waterloo. They will also discuss what options are available to address the concerns either formally or informally.
Often people are afraid that when they come to us, they will lose control of the situation. It is important to understand that a person only needs to share with us the information that they feel comfortable sharing. In fact, they don’t even need to tell us their name if they don’t want to. We will explain what options and resources are available, but they get to decide what happens next.
At the end of the meeting we want to ensure that the person:
- Has been heard and understood;
- Is aware of the policy on campus that is applicable to their concern;
- Is aware of different options available, both formal and informal;
- Is aware of the different services available at the Conflict Management and Human Rights Office;
- Is aware of other applicable resources on campus;
- Understands that the Conflict Management and Human Rights Office can provided direction regarding who would be responsible for addressing their complaint (Department/Faculty); and
- Is aware that we are available to meet with them as many times as necessary to accomplish the above.
When should I contact CMAHRO?
Contact CMAHRO as soon as you feel like something is not right in your workplace or learning environment. An early response increases the chance of addressing the issue in a way that minimizes relationship damage.
How can I contact CMAHRO?
You can call or email us.